I'm putting my layout design on hold since it looks like we are moving early next year, we are starting to look at houses tomorrow. What would you consider a decent size room for an HO Layout. This is a place we are planning to stay in for a long time. Pher
I'm not certain what you have in mind for your empire. So it could be difficult to guess. I would go for the largest land grant possible! You don't need to use it all. But it would be nice to have potential space available. You can slowly expand, and fill the area. Or you can convert some back to other family use. Remember that you may want space for a work bench. Storage. Possibly a paint booth. And? Boxcab E50
Depends what you want to do... Switching layout on a shelf could go in a hallway. A 4x8 table will require about a 8x12 room (assuming 2 feet all around). A spare 8x12 bedroom is plenty of space for a reasonable around the walls, with a duckunder across the door. Personally, I'd like a nice, bright, dry, finished, warm, well ventilated basement of about 25x40 feet. Don't know if you get basements in Georgia? Andrew
Basically you are looking for a good basement with a house over it to protect your trains from the elements. Pay attention to where the furnace, water heater, washer & dryer, etc are located as they can eat into a space if not conveniently located. Probably the easiest and cheapest item to have moved if you absolutely have to is the water heater. Many guys don't use the whole basement, but 2/3's to 1/2. A toilet downstairs is a real plus. My friend built a false floor off the cement, it was only about two inches high, but it provided air circulation, and better cushioning for the legs. I didn't even know it was a false floor until he told me. So you are thinking about the walls, floor and ceiling. Once you have purchased your new home, the first thing you should do, but most don't much to their regret latter (trying to fix something that is high over the layout is no fun) is lighting. Think about your lighting needs, probably fluorescent and install them right away to throw a good even light around the room. You can install accent lighting latter if you need it. I personally don't like going into unfinished basements with layouts. I feel I'm going into some subterranean world inhabited by Nome's; particularly if everything is unfinished, walls, floor and ceiling. It feels dark and dingy and dirty. A basement layout provides the most room required by an HO layout for most people who aren't Bill Gates. I'm editing this in: also how do the stairs come down into the basement. Can you have a good layout with the stair configuration, or will the stairs eat to much into the layout area? Also power concerns: is the electrical box filled up to the max? Are there other lines you can run down the basement? [ 21. November 2003, 19:35: Message edited by: rsn48 ]
Rick, My basement would scare the cr@p out of you... Although I said I wished for a bright, dry, heated, etc basement, what I have is a cellar in a 100+ year old house. You can stand up between the floor joists if you find a space that is not filled with ducts, wires, or lights. The main ducting for the furnace is right over my layout, so the "ceiling" is at about 4'6". Andrew
Thanks guys, some of what we are looking at online have Basements (yes we have basements in Georgia) a couple have unfinished basements which I would prefer so I can run the wire needed to do electrical and other items.
Unfinished is great, since you can put lighting, run electrical where you want, cover the floor (or not) to your liking, etc. The only thing is that the building of the train room may count against your overall RR budget! Good luck with your search (and negotiations)! Whatever you end up with, I am sure you can make a model rr fit... Andrew
I would like about 1'000 square feet. But then I'ld like a pot belly stove in one corner with old chairs and a checker board. A bull pen. And a nice place to work on my other hobby. Motorcycles. They spent a lot of time indoors here in Wisconsin.
