F-UnitMad Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 When I'd not been in the Hobby very long, I thought a BIG layout was the key to happiness, and eventually got my parents to agree to a big layout board 9ft x 6ft with a 7ft x 2ft hole in the middle in my room, which became much as P.D. Hancock once described his own room; as not so much a bedroom with a model railway in it, more a model railway room which just happened to have a bed in it.... Except of course that my board remained a very blank canvas, as I only just had enough track to just about make one loop around it, and the sheer cost of all the track I'd need for my grandiose plans became apparent - more than Paper-round Pocket Money was going to cover, anyway!! Then in 1980 I discovered Model Trains Magazine, and saw the light... and have never had so much space available for a layout anyway, since that massive board, which got cut up and used in much smaller layouts over time!! I have never had so much space since then (c.1979).... .... until now......... A NEW Blank Canvas..... .... .... .... .... .... Having built mostly small Shunty-Planks, I think I've lulled SWMBO into a false sense of security, and model trains are being allowed back in the house (albeit my nice new attic, above) for the first time in years.... With some 17ft x 8ft to play with, this is going to take some planning and some time, so don't expect any updates to this anytime soon... I just had to post about it, though.... :D :D As I've posted this in 'Overseas', that's a clue to what it'll be, eventually... A return to US HO scale (with running rights to my lad's OO), at least one oval, and spreading out some simple Mindheim-esque ideas - just a few, loooooooooooooong spurs; to be able to switch more than just one or two boxcars at a time... Oh and most likely set in Minnesota, home to these guys:- Progressive Rail Inc.... B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Have you seen Spookshow's blog on his new layout (albeit in N-scale)? It might give you some Minnesota ideas. http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/layout6.html If you went to N-scale you would have room for even longer trains... Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Exciting! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 I hadn't; thanks for the link - very interesting!! HO is already downsizing for me - not sure I could cope with N scale again after some years in O... besides I was the very lucky recipient of a large ammount of surplus HO stuff from a local friend & modeller... "Beggars can't be choosers" etc.... I won't be copying any exact location of Progressive Rail's, just freelancing a location and doing some of their locos (as I like the livery), and even then I'm winging it a bit using bodged SD45s for their SD38 and SD39. Yeah, I know; Purists look away now but to be honest, having done a lot of rivet-counting for my O scale Soo Line locos, I want to just have some fun in HO, and run trains... B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigZ Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I've got a space that's essentially 28 x 12 ft...and have been pondering for quite a while about it. Being faced with the open area is kind of strangely intimidating.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Jordan - just an idea - but how about 2 L-shaped layouts? - your current O gauge, but with a corner board making it into an L, along two walls - and the new HO along the other two, also with a cornerboard ( it could even become a U shape with the fiddle sidings under/over the end board of the O gauge), and following the Lance Mindheim/Jack Hill principles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 An interesting idea, Jack. However I've been having a good think about what I really want out of this space, tempered by what I have time for... My most enjoyable layouts have had a roundy-roundy in them (or very nearly, when I did Soo in N Scale); it's nice to just sit back & watch a train go by sometimes, or run a train whilst working on something else at the same time. I don't have lots of free time to spend switching a large Industrial Layout - just a few spurs will do, but make 'em long, as I said earlier. Plus, my lad has a Hornby Virgin Pendolino, and it'll be nice to really let it rip on a large roundy-roundy - it can't be set to full speed on the supplied 3rd-Radius curves as it still takes off despite tilting... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longers Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I was going to suggest something similar to Jack - you can have your HO and O Scales with a reasonable space for each. Even with what you've said above, the HO/Hornby Virgin Pendolino could still have a full roundy roundy with one side of fiddle yard running under the O Scale. That way the HO/Hornby Virgin Pendolino would be at a lower level suitable for your son and those luverly SOO loco's of yours, with a 17ft x 2ft area to stretch their legs, would be at a more appropriate eye level for you However I agree with CraigZ - having spent years and years working out plans for small (i.e <10ft long) O scale layouts it'd take me a long time to get my head round filling a much larger space. Nice problem to have though. Hopefully a problem I will have one of these years!! Cheers, Longers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcanman Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Hi, If I had the space available I'd go for one of the L or U shaped plans in Lance M's '8 Realistic Track Plans for Small Switching Layouts'. As I work with only 9ft the plans seem positively large to me. I could use my garage, but I don't think either the trains or me would survive another winter like the last one In any event, the neighbours already think I'm eccentric as I actually park the car in the garage.B) If I started building a layout in the garage, who knows what they'd think Good luck with whatever you decide. cheers, Mal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Lucky you! I'm sure this will be an interesting space to watch and see how things will develop! Cheers, John E. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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