40ft x 9ft.Fill yer boots !

[Bobshuruncle]

Good evening everyone.firstly I must apologise for having little or no knowledge of model railways but I come in search of enlightenment.

I run a residential home for those in later life. A gentleman who regularly visited two of his friends at our home often got chatting to me on the subject of his model railway and whether he could bring it with him when the time came that he felt he would like to take things a bit easier and become one of our residents.

Thinking this would be something similar to a Hornby set I agreed,suggesting it could be set up in the residents lounge and would be something of interest to others.

 

Sadly our friend took a turn for the worse at home and never recovered from a short stay in hospital,passing away in early September. A few weeks later I received a visit from his family and was surprised to hear that the gentleman had requested that his model railway be donated to the residential home on the stipulation that it would be on display and used regularly. I was also surprised to find out just how much layout there was, a collection of items that was over 50 years in the making. Slightly overwhelmed I had to rethink the display area and come up with a new idea.

 

So now we get to the problem. I have a double length garage with power and lighting attached to the main building. Heating and insulating this is not a problem. I consider myself a competent woodworker and not too shabby at electrics but when it comes to model railways and imagination I have literally no idea where to start with a track plan or design of some kind of layout,hence the title of my post I'm hoping somebody may have a suggestion or two????

Thanks for any information in advance

[Gordon A]

Are there any model railway groups or clubs in your area?

 

They may be a useful source of support and information.

 

Get your hands on some railway modelling magazines.

These will also be a source of information and inspiration.

 

What ever design you come up with access to the controls will be important.

 

Gordon A

[BoD]

I can only agree with the above but, without being rude, would take it a step further.

If you have never had any interest in model railways this sounds far too big an undertaking for one person without prior experience, especially if you are trying to do this as well as other duties at the home.

Trying to get together a group of local enthusiasts who are prepared to 'volunteer' to help may be the best way forward.

[Dave John]

I wish you all the best with the project. 

 

As the other posters suggest help from a local model railway club would get the whole thing going. thinking sideways , simple and reliable would be the key. 

 

Hope it works out. 

[Nick Holliday]

Have you canvassed the other residents? There may be others who would be interested, and might be able to provide input, either in design or construction, perhaps the two friends mentioned.

[Oldddudders]

Where do you live, Bob? Would you risk a forum member getting involved, if there were to be such a volunteer? Obviously it won't be me (see my location!) but some good friendships have been forged through RMweb, and you might strike lucky. 

[NittenDormer]

Wow, that is a huge blank canvas. While echoing the above, here are a few more variables for you to consider. what scale/gauge is the track etc? Some enjoy the simple pleasures of watching trains go round, others like complex shunting or station arrangements. 40 x 9 sounds suitable for the former, but would most like go around the edges and involve a duck under. Lifting or gate sections are alternatives. School or youth groups (Scouts, Duke of E etc) might be another source of labour support. Good luck!

[meil]

I think you really need to ask yourself if you want this. If you have no real interest in model railways you may think it best to decline this.

 

If you don't want to do that then why not simply select the best bits - think modestly and dump what is not needed.

[Pete the Elaner]

40x9 is a huge project for an experienced modeller in 2mm, 4mm or 7mm scales.

There is a lot to go wrong, especially if you intend to cram it with pointwork, which is all too tempting.

If I had the room I could consider it now, but it would take 2 years before I would expect to run any trains, spending an average of 2 evenings a week working on it.

Any errors you make with the wiring will be a complete nightmare to find. You will get conflicting advice on wiring on this forum too. Some people 'get away' with things I find horrifying, then when I see their 'working fine' layout, it is riddled with faults.

This is why many of us advise learning with a small layout before moving on to anything like this.

[Joseph_Pestell]

I agree with Pete that this could become a problem if left to get too complicated. But one of the joys of having a big space like this is that it can be impressive even if very simple. Imagine taking just two tracks around this space with spectacular scenery and a simple fiddleyard. Cantilevered off the wall of the garage, it would be simple to build yet provide a great backdrop to run trains.

[aac]

Photos of the current layout, and of the proposed new location might allow some to give advice on how to reduce the complexity to fit your needs. 

 

aac

[Arthur]

That’s a big undertaking and how many of your current residents would be interested enough to visit the ‘garage’ on a regular and ongoing basis? This could easily turn into a labour intensive white elephant.

 

I’m just wondering whether taking some of what has been offered and using it to produce something along the lines of what you had originally envisioned;

 

Thinking this would be something similar to a Hornby set I agreed,suggesting it could be set up in the residents lounge and would be something of interest to others.

 

Something more manageable and accessible for the residents and, should they lose interest, you haven’t invested too much.

 

 

This with the caveat that we don’t know quite what has been offered, it may not be a suitable donor for this type of reduction.

 

.

Edited December 4, 2017 by Arthur

[Bobshuruncle]

Thank you all for your input and for the positives and negatives of such a project. The last time I got my hands on a model railway was probably 40 years ago with the usual 10yr old boys Christmas present of a Hornby set.

I've had a look at some of the layouts posted here and the standard is amazing,I never realised what could be achieved today. Clearly these are a labour of love spanning many years of commitment

 

To answer some of the questions you have posed

 

Unfortunately we don't have any plan of how the layout looked before,it was already dismantled and boxed up. The gauge is oo,most items being Hornby,Wrenn and Bachmann

40x9 is the size of the total garage area,obviously there needs to be easy access/egress so I cannot completely fill the room and the less flexible among us will not be wanting to limbo under tabletops. I am thinking a run along one wall or maybe an 'L' shape

My idea was to get some of the residents involved,the gentlemans two friends were already keen on the idea. However,the thought of letting septuagenarians loose with power tools does not fill me with excitement so I intend to build the framework/ boards myself to create the blank canvas if you like.

I'm not sure about people just turning up,there is a security issue there,but I like the idea of maybe one or two evenings a week to help the build along. I am going to check on modelling clubs in the area,we are on the south coast a few miles from Southampton

Thanks again for all the inputs

[LNER4479]

I agree with Pete that this could become a problem if left to get too complicated. But one of the joys of having a big space like this is that it can be impressive even if very simple. Imagine taking just two tracks around this space with spectacular scenery and a simple fiddleyard. Cantilevered off the wall of the garage, it would be simple to build yet provide a great backdrop to run trains.

I agree with that. If it were arranged in a dogbone shape, with return loops at either end and such that the visible running lines were over the same side of the long 40 foot wall as the returning lines behind, then, providing that some sort of access is available midway down the garage (unknown until we see the layout of the garage), then folks can just wander in and see the trains running.

 

The moment you set it up as an end-to-end then someone has to 'operate' it. Fine if you have railway enthusiasts amongst the residents but be a bit boring for the others who just want to see trains running round.

 

Pity you're down in Southampton; definitely something I'd have been interested in helping out with if I lived a little closer.

[Foulounoux]

A lot of big corporations are looking for hands on projects to show involvement in the community. If you have such a company close to you they may be a source of labour. My company has moved from just donating to charities to more local and involved opportunities

 

Of course they will still need guidance from a skilled person but it's another option

 

Colin

[Enterprisingwestern]

I don't want to sound like the grim reaper, but such a large project would need a lot of ongoing input from any residents who got interested, but for how long? You could get to the stage where you are running a model railway club which has nothing to do with the residents in a worst case scenario.

 

Mike.

[Froxfield2012]

However,the thought of letting septuagenarians loose with power tools does not fill me with excitement....

 

Having just turned 70, I have treated myself to an angle grinder to go with my armoury of power tools.  So far I haven't laid waste to the neighbourhood or my friends and family..or indeed myself!  

[Oldddudders]

Having just turned 70, I have treated myself to an angle grinder to go with my armoury of power tools.  So far I haven't laid waste to the neighbourhood or my friends and family..or indeed myself!  

 

Indeed. I am only a year behind you and have a battery of power tools including several chainsaws. But I started using them years ago, so am reasonably comfortable with safety issues. I think our OP's concern is that helpful people who may not be as with-it as they once were - why would they be in a residential home otherwise - are not obvious candidates for learning new skills with potentially dangerous equipment. 

[Joseph_Pestell]

Having just turned 70, I have treated myself to an angle grinder to go with my armoury of power tools.  So far I haven't laid waste to the neighbourhood or my friends and family..or indeed myself!  

Most of the set-building team at our local arts centre theatre are now well past 70. No major problems so far but the technical director does insist on the use of battery powered tools so there are no cables for people to trip over, cut through etc.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Thank you all for your input and for the positives and negatives of such a project. The last time I got my hands on a model railway was probably 40 years ago with the usual 10yr old boys Christmas present of a Hornby set.

I've had a look at some of the layouts posted here and the standard is amazing,I never realised what could be achieved today. Clearly these are a labour of love spanning many years of commitment

 

To answer some of the questions you have posed

 

Unfortunately we don't have any plan of how the layout looked before,it was already dismantled and boxed up. The gauge is oo,most items being Hornby,Wrenn and Bachmann

40x9 is the size of the total garage area,obviously there needs to be easy access/egress so I cannot completely fill the room and the less flexible among us will not be wanting to limbo under tabletops. I am thinking a run along one wall or maybe an 'L' shape

My idea was to get some of the residents involved,the gentlemans two friends were already keen on the idea. However,the thought of letting septuagenarians loose with power tools does not fill me with excitement so I intend to build the framework/ boards myself to create the blank canvas if you like.

I'm not sure about people just turning up,there is a security issue there,but I like the idea of maybe one or two evenings a week to help the build along. I am going to check on modelling clubs in the area,we are on the south coast a few miles from Southampton

Thanks again for all the inputs

Have sent you a PM.