Letting Off More Steam

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

nachoman

The biggest gripe I have with the "classic" freestanding table is that it's a horribly inefficient use of space. As has been pointed out in this thread building a layout like that would make the rest of the room unusable in most situations.

Depends how you look at it. If I had a room without two doors and a window, around-the walls is what I would prefer. But for me, a duckunder or lift-out is not an option. And blocking a window I would claim to be a "waste of a window". And if i blocked access to the closet, then that would be a waste of space. Given that criteria, my only other option was to locate the layout in the center of the room, and 4x8 is as large as i could get.

You can check my trackplan in the current edition of the gauge e-mag. I tried to get rid of some of the 4x8 issues by 1) hiding the curves in tunnels, and 2) creating enough topographic relief so one cannot see more than one scene at a time.

I see one drawback to an around-the-walls type layout as being lack of depth of scenery. Backdrops have to be done quite well to serve as a foreground object, and care must be taken with lighting to avoid casting shadows on the backdrop (ruining the realism).

I am nowhere near complete, but I am very happy with my plan sofar.

Kevin
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
My "L" shaped switching layout won't be fastened to the walls. I picked up the "Ivar" unfinished pine modular bookshelf system from IKEA. It is free standing along 2 walls in an "L" shape at a 48 inch height. I will make benchwork to set on top of the top shelf, and use the lower shelves for books. Lockable casters are definitely a way to use a 4x8 and be able to move it out of the way but still have access to the back and both sides for re railing trains.
 

Mountain Man

Active Member
First many modelers fully believe a layout needs to be basement size..I say hogwash.A small layout looks as good and can be finished unlike some basement size monsters that may never be finish by one man.

My "dream" layout is a simple around 3 walls ISL that would feature some "street running" to serve a brewery..

As for the lowly 4x8 footer many turn up their noses at this common size layout-I suspect there are thousands of 4x8 footers because it takes up to much room.Better they say if you go around the walls..Well I agree with that UNLESS one rents and can't fasten anything other then clocks or pictures to the walls.Of course MR and other magazine overlooks those conditions.Then even if one is buying a house the missus might forbid using the walls as well..

My thoughts is to use the space you have wisely,build a layout that can be built,maintain and operated by one.

And, in fact, we are renting! :cool:
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
My HO layout in our apartment years ago was a four by four square with to circles of track (18" radius and 22" radius) with a scenic divider angled across the middle to create two scenes. Since I couldn't fit turnouts into the circles I ran a length of flex track through the middle so it created "spurs" leading to two industries, one on either side. I made building entrances to cover where the spur passed through the divider. I constructed the benchwork table out of a frame of 1X4s with a support of 2X4s on either side in a triangle formation. Large carriage bolts on either side allowed me to swing the table vertically to save space when the layout wasn't in use.

Ralph
 

railohio

Active Member
It's entirely possible to build an around-the-room layout without fastening it to the wall. If you can build a table that sets in the middle of the room why can't you build one that fits against a wall, or two, or three? One of my layouts is perched atop a six foot bookcase and I use a step stool to operate it. Any time there is major work to be done I take it down as its built of foam with a light wood frame.
 

Mountain Man

Active Member
Yes, you could. I haven't approached the problem that way. I'm astill thinking hard about how I can maxumize the size of my layout while remaining within physical bounds. Where's a wormhole when I really need one, instead of just makiing my socks disappear?
 

railohio

Active Member
Why are you trying to maximize your layout size? You started this thread complaining about growing layout sized. I'm in the process of building three smaller layouts instead of one large one. I might suggest you take my small layout challenge to heart and do the same.

~BS
 

Mountain Man

Active Member
Why are you trying to maximize your layout size? You started this thread complaining about growing layout sized. I'm in the process of building three smaller layouts instead of one large one. I might suggest you take my small layout challenge to heart and do the same.

~BS

Sorry - I wasn't very clear. I should have said "optimize the 4x8 layout" instead, as in "most bang for buck". For example, if I were to slice the 4x8 up the middle and hinge it so that it could fold to an "L" shape for operation, then back for storage? I keep having this thought there is something lurking in the dim, weed-infested depths of my mind that might be worth dragging forward into the light of day, that will give me the best options. :cool:

BTW - why should I build and operate three layouts just because you do? :rolleyes: Some strange logic there...
 

railohio

Active Member
When has anybody ever used logic on any Internet forum, much less The Forum Formerly Known As The Gauge?
 

railohio

Active Member
Here's a photo of my layout base before construction took off. It rests atop two tall bookcases and is removable for messy work. Otherwise I can do most everything I need to from the step stool.

~BS
 

Jim Krause

Active Member
Yes, there is the possibility of designing your own. Some basic research on minimum curve radii for the scale you want to work with plus establishing the area that you have to put your layout will get you started.
There's a 28" X 94", HO layout shown in the April 2008 MR magazine which could be scaled down to N.
 

tetters

Rail Spiking Fool!
The RailroadYakuza sure is an interesting website. My curiosity always gets the better of me. It's part of what I do for a living, so I investigated as I would whenever the bells start ringing in the back of my head.

Does its members have anything better to do other then slag on other people's efforts into model railroading? I found the entires on the Railroad Yakuza | The Rantbox page filled with nothing but immature comments and name calling.

Members here might be interested to know that a few links kick back to here. For nothing more then the purpose of directing the reader to the individual that is being made to look like a fool by its benign members. I especially like the post were the member is called a f**ktard.

Just wonderful. Say what you will. I think the website speaks for itself.
 

tetters

Rail Spiking Fool!
I would say that just the title speaks for itself. The Yakuza are not a charitable institution, after all.

Regardless. I do not see how a website that contains hateful and mean sprited comments about other people's efforts into the hobby does anything to promote it. In fact I would say it does just the opposite.
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
Different places for different folks. Not my cup of tea but if the expectations of the site are that members can talk to each other that way and people still want to participate I reckon it must be satisfying to them. I'll just stay over here. :)

Ralph
 

Mountain Man

Active Member
Regardless. I do not see how a website that contains hateful and mean sprited comments about other people's efforts into the hobby does anything to promote it. In fact I would say it does just the opposite.

Probably didn't start out that way, like a lot of various sites. As they say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. My experience with a couple of forums - not MRR - that literally died was that things gradually got out of hand and the controlling administrator either acted too late or insufficiently or both to salvage the situation before it self-destructed. In both cases, things were great initially, but warning signs were ignored until too late.
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
I guess another point I'd like to make is to remind folks that the hobby forum world is a small one. If you post in another forum its likely a good percentage of your fellow Gauge members will see it, so think about how you want to talk about other people and what you might want to say about any particular forum.

Ralph
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
I don't think model railroaders realize how small the hobby actually is and has been. If you don't think so, look at your local magazine rack at Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc. See how many magazines dedicated to the automotive hobbiest are on the stand compared to the number of Model railroad magazines. In fact check the number of model railroad magazines at your local hobby shop compared with the number of automotive titles at the major book stores.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top