# Something I was wondering about - part II



## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh well, gotta start over somewhere...


In reference to this thread here:


http://archive.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=50506&whichpage=1


Basically, I noticed that a fair number of folks here, including myself, have indoor large scale layouts in the 10 - 12 feet wide by 24 - 30 feet long range; and that most of us with layouts in that size range were between our mid thirties and mid forties age wise.


Specifically:


Jeepersinco - 10 x 28
AppleYankee - 11 x 28
Lathroum - 12 x 24
VSmith - 10 x 20 (a bit marginal)
And my own 10.5 x 27 space...with the 4 x 14 addition requiring major work and revisions.






After that, other folks started jumping in, and it became apparent that once past the approximate 11x28 size, indoor G scale layouts tended to double or even triple.  (Witness the layouts of DA Winter, Ikydvl, and Steam Maker).


Later, 'DA Winter'   made a comment to the effect that the 11x28 layout size was pretty good, and made mention of an old 12x26 1/29th scale pike he once had. 


Other residents here made posts about much smaller indoor G scale layouts - 'Sailbode' posted a few pics of his 5x24 shelf railroad, and 'Mik' made a post or two about his 5x8 foot empire.  It seems that layouts below the rough 11x28 size tend to be *much* smaller, the sort that would fit into a spare room or along one wall or some such.


'Lathroum' weighed in with this towards the end:


My 1st G layout was 6 1/2 feet square...

Put it up for Christmas one year...
Just enough for 2 loops and 2 small sidings...

Then I added on to make it 12 x 12... then we moved right after the benchwork was done... Luckily I bolted it all together... took a bit more time, but it let me take it all down and move it...

Moved to the newly claimed space(always claim the space BEFORE you settle and move!) and reconfigured the existing benchwork and added on... 12 x 24 approx now...

I have a small amount of space left at each end I think I will add two small yards... then I can do some switching and point to point stuff... I'm forbidden to go past the support pole into the laundry area... and a wall stops me at the other end... but I think I'm pretty lucky with what I have... most people don't have rooms the size I do for the trains... now if I could just move that hot water heater....




kinda leads me to suspect his 'finished' layout will be just about 12x28, give or take a foot or so.


last post by 'Mic' in old thread:


I'm being forced into moving because the guy downstairs is the noise police... He complains to the landlord if I walk around in my socks after 10:30pm ... The only "solution" the landlord can come up with is to move me to another unit. (I gather telling him to just STFU isn't kosher) With luck it will be a 3br townhouse, but probably won't have any more room for trains /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif

I kind of like the little layout, but I wish I had a real garden again



I wish you luck with the new location.  Perhaps you'll get lucky and end up with say...double? triple? the space for your empire.


Last poster in the old thread was 'Slate Creek' who posted a link to his roughly 40x40 layout website.


 


And with a bit of luck that brings us here...maybe...


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## wmumpower (Jan 2, 2008)

I guess I need to start somewhere too..../DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/doze.gif So, this is my first post here../DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crying.gif


 


Now that I'm through playing with the new toys...my indoor layout is probably just a little larger than your average so far.  It's a folded dogbone that runs along one basement wall 36' and bends in an "L" shape along the width of the house for 24".  The actual visible portion of the layout is about 26' x 12' with the 2 balloons on the ends hidden...one under the steps to the basement and the other through a storage area in the laundry room.  Me....I'm an old geezer....on Social Security.


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2008)

I thought Vic was older than that /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/shocked.gif...just kiddin'!


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## wmumpower (Jan 2, 2008)

Cale, you couldn't tell Vic was a youngster....by all that god awful music he likes...../DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gif


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

What was that? wait, let me turn down my radio....


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## GlacierBill (Jan 2, 2008)

Now now now gentlemen, remember, you are as only as old as you feel, and if my wife catches me wanting to feel young ladies again she says I will be getting no older. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/laugh.gif


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## AppleYankee (Jan 3, 2008)

Thinker, 

Nice set of stats. How about the "mean height" of the various layouts. Mine starts at 50" with a grade of 3.5% up 62". I had to build my layout around all those evil New England basement obstacles (furnace, chimney, oil tank, septic system pipes, heating pipe circulators, etc.) I chose to give up some mainline track distance since I wanted the 5 digit crane to be able reach all parts of the layout. I'm about half way through on a rebuilt of my catenary system and am slowly converting the layout to DCC. 

Jan 

(http://home.maine.rr.com/ourtrains/) odds 'n ends of my layouts progress over the last four or so years


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Mine uses an old crappy diningroom table as a base. It was free, lol


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice set of stats. How about the "mean height" of the various layouts. Mine starts at 50" with a grade of 3.5% up 62". I had to build my layout around all those evil New England basement obstacles (furnace, chimney, oil tank, septic system pipes, heating pipe circulators, etc.) I chose to give up some mainline track distance since I wanted the 5 digit crane to be able reach all parts of the layout. I'm about half way through on a rebuilt of my catenary system and am slowly converting the layout to DCC. 



That be some serious elevation...and some serious grades. I was wondering about the 'duckunders' on you plan, but with that kind of elevation, it sholdn't be that bad. 

Elevation of mine is 33.5 inches, give or take a quarter inch (found out the hard way my floor isn't exactly level). Once I get it up and running, I have in mind a second level, mostly on narrow shelves 10 or 12 inches deep that will be 21 to 24 inches above that (still working on the exact details there). I would have really liked to have it a full three feet above the lower layout, but my ceiling isn't tall enough - at the far end of the new addition it is only a bit over 5.5 feet. 

As it is, I have one 'duckunder' at the 5 foot level - for now.


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## wmumpower (Jan 2, 2008)

Mine is essentially flat.  It's built on modular tables at 42".  That's a nice viewing height and I can reach most of the layout.  That that I can't reach, can be with a short ladder.  Also gives me lots of storage underneath.


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## ConrailRay (Jan 2, 2008)

A friend and I are starting to build a fairly large layout in an original NY Central Freight house in central NY (Nelliston, NY).  The building was built in around 1880 and is 165ft long x 30ft wide and all open inside.  The brick walls are about 1.5ft thick and it has these huge wooden girders holding up the roof.  Very cool old school construction.  There's 5 large frrieght doors on each side (one side is along th RR siding and the other side was used for trucks), plus atleast 20 windows in the place.  So its inside, but almost like you're outside when everything is opened up.  Plus its on the CXS mainline so a lot of trains are going by to watch.


The layout will take up this whole building and will be double deck.  It will be a point-to-point layout with staging yards on the ends, plus a big fully operation yard in the middle (with A/D yard and switch yards and such).  Should have a 1200ft mainline run with 3000ft total track in the end.


btw, if anyone is in the area and wants to help, let me know, cause we'll need it!!  /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue.gif


-Ray


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## sftalc (Jan 7, 2008)

My layout is around the walls of a 15x16 foot room in a studio apartment.


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

A friend and I are starting to build a fairly large layout in an original NY Central Freight house in central NY (Nelliston, NY). The building was built in around 1880 and is 165ft long x 30ft wide and all open inside. The brick walls are about 1.5ft thick and it has these huge wooden girders holding up the roof. Very cool old school construction. There's 5 large frrieght doors on each side (one side is along th RR siding and the other side was used for trucks), plus atleast 20 windows in the place. So its inside, but almost like you're outside when everything is opened up. Plus its on the CXS mainline so a lot of trains are going by to watch. 

The layout will take up this whole building and will be double deck. It will be a point-to-point layout with staging yards on the ends, plus a big fully operation yard in the middle (with A/D yard and switch yards and such). Should have a 1200ft mainline run with 3000ft total track in the end. 

Yikes! 

:: tries to imagine the bill for just the track, nearly has heart failure :: 

Errr...I imagine this will be a multi-year project, then? 

My layout is around the walls of a 15x16 foot room in a studio apartment. 



Point to point? Switching? Continuous run (oval) near the ceiling? Continuous run lower down, with a bridge or duckunder? Some sort of folded dogbone set up, maybe?


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## blackburn49 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By wmumpower on 01/02/2008 3:39 PM


. . . my indoor layout is probably just a little larger than your average so far.  It's a folded dogbone that runs along one basement wall 36' and bends in an "L" shape along the width of the house for 24".  The actual visible portion of the layout is about 26' x 12' with the 2 balloons on the ends hidden...one under the steps to the basement and the other through a storage area in the laundry room.  Me....I'm an old geezer....on Social Security.

This one approximates mine. The CRD inside overhead layout (7 feet above the floor) runs along a 35 foot wall, then down a 32 foot wall, but in an L-shape that reduces the overall size. It, too, has a dogbone configuration.








--Ron at the CRD in Cicely, NX-AK


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## Dave Brown (Jan 19, 2008)

Ray,

Awesome!  Will the layout be mainline or ng?

Post some pics please!

Dave



Posted By ConrailRay on 01/04/2008 8:39 PM


A friend and I are starting to build a fairly large layout in an original NY Central Freight house in central NY (Nelliston, NY).  The building was built in around 1880 and is 165ft long x 30ft wide and all open inside.  The brick walls are about 1.5ft thick and it has these huge wooden girders holding up the roof.  Very cool old school construction.  There's 5 large frrieght doors on each side (one side is along th RR siding and the other side was used for trucks), plus atleast 20 windows in the place.  So its inside, but almost like you're outside when everything is opened up.  Plus its on the CXS mainline so a lot of trains are going by to watch.


The layout will take up this whole building and will be double deck.  It will be a point-to-point layout with staging yards on the ends, plus a big fully operation yard in the middle (with A/D yard and switch yards and such).  Should have a 1200ft mainline run with 3000ft total track in the end.


btw, if anyone is in the area and wants to help, let me know, cause we'll need it!!  /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue.gif


-Ray


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