The Spare Bedroom Layout

[Lacathedrale]

Yes, I think as has been alluded to - you either go balls out with an 18" wide 'layout in the room' or a narrow an high-up bookshelf-type layout around the perimeter.

 

I wonder how much is gained by a standing-eye-level layout over a desk-height layout - both intrude into the room a given amount, but a higher level layout interferes with the space when you're standing, looking around, etc. and maybe the perception that a room is smaller, claustrophobic or crowded - while the other is more akin to sideboards, radiator covers and pot-stands, leaving the space above open to the ceiling and not making the room seem overly small?

 

I imagine spotlights on pivoting booms out from the wall, rather than a lighting canopy to further reduce the visual impact?

 

[Zomboid]

I don't think that an attempt to hide it will really work, model railways that circle the room aren't insignificant things, and it's probably better to "own it". The earlier image with the glass fronted cabinets is a more successful integration than the sofa one, in my opinion.

 

That said, it depends on the space. Whatever you do will benefit from things like properly boxing in the underside wiring etc. How much "full width" board you can fit in depends on the other uses for the room and how much space there is. The old trick of hinging non-scenic boards to the wall might help, though if you've used super-narrow ones then there wouldn't be any benefit.

[woodenhead]

21 hours ago, mdvle said:

So, in our new world, what does an office mean - is it to do the occasional work from home, home finances, or is it the now much more common 40+ hours a week because you can't go in to a proper business office?

 

If it is the full time office then I would be designing the office first, and once I have figured out what I need for the office - in terms of desk/shelves/tables/chairs/light/window access - then I would (likely with some regret) decide on what space was left for a layout and the likely significant concessions to the dreams.

Mine is the 40 hours a week, 48 weeks a year type so it did come first, nice office desk from Ikea, reclining comfy Ikea office chair, then bookcases and finally the railway - I did cock it up with an initial 4 foot by 4 foot baseboard set up - it looked great on the floor but as soon as I raised it up I realised my mistake as it took over the room, then I added an extension from one side and made it worse.  I've now pulled it back to something much more appropriate.

[Lacathedrale]

Well, offer has been accepted on the house and the solicitors and mortgage lenders are sorting it out - the Spare Bedroom layout discussed here will need to fit into one of these three, or another room downstairs underneath the bay-window bedroom with exactly the same footprint:

 

 

As very adroitly pointed out earlier - each room could be 'just a bit more perfect' - but that's exactly the kind of restriction us creative types thrive on, eh?  Bottom-left has two opposing doors and a large window. Top-left is probably the most suitable, but also the most likely to be need ot be used as an actual bedroom, and top-right (or the room below) demands either a P-shape and to be situated low enough to not block the bay window.

 

Of course, the 100' x 50' garden is crying out for a Gauge 1 or even 5" gauge railway that might fulfill the same function...

Edited January 14, 2021 by Lacathedrale

[Kris]

I you put it in the bay windowed room you want to rip out the cupboards to give you some more room. You could also look at installing electric blinds to save you having to reach over. If you want really fancy ones you can get them to be "smart".

[woodenhead]

So room three 10 x 9 probably gives you an L shaped 10 x 5 modelling area without fouling doors and not being under a window.

 

The space between the internal door and the window then being a suitable desk space.

[DCB]

Think big, Three big stations, continuous run, three separate control areas, block bells...

[Keith Addenbrooke]

If I’m reading the plans correctly, there is 10’2” x 9’ in the left hand end of the top-left bedroom that doesn’t block the door, and still gives some access to the wardrobe?  But as you say, this is the room least likely to be available.
 

Turning to Bedroom 3 (bottom left), it looks like the space off to the left is marked “Storage” - is that correct?  A complete guess suggests it might be over a garage, but quite likely with a sloping roof down to nil headroom (ie: not a candidate for a layout)?  However, if it is storage, I wonder if the doorway marked at the left of Bedroom 3 might be one that could be crossed with a lift out / lift up section, especially once you’ve properly moved in and unpacked?  I think I’d bid for that.

[DCB]

I dug out the last surviving bit of my spare bedroom layout, (dismantled 24 years ago,)  a lifting section,  and measured it. Its about 33mm or 1 3/8" thick, 2 X 1 planed down with a groove planed lengthwise to to take 3mm (?) MDF and braced by 2 X1 on its side.  The top of the track is level with the top of the sides leaving a "Lip" at the sleeper ends to guide errant stock away from the abyss

It was 62" to the top with 60" clearance below, a lift out or more normally a duck or nod under. It was a lot less prominent than the layouts illustrated on the previous page.   In my opinion   keeping the baseboard edge thin and elegant is the key to integrating layout into a habitable room.  Too many start looking like store rooms with storage racks with crude squared off edges instead of something actually designed.   There are few people who would hit their head while aiming to sit on a  settee under a 6"wide baseboard with 60" clearance under it, or while trying to stand up.

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by DavidCBroad

[GWR-fan]

There was a movie (Malcolm) made many years ago in Melbourne that had a 1/24 scale tram layout running throughout the whole house.  From memory the track was below eye level.  Link to movie.  The track layout plus trams are featured throughout the movie.  The movie is in English with no subtitles.

 

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by GWR-fan
Additional information

[Zomboid]

According to the estate agent's floorplan, my spare room is 9'5" x 8'5". I have no plan on building a layout in the room because I have a 1 year old so layout building time is a mere fantasy, but if I were going to then something along these lines would be the idea:

 

The door and radiator are in the bottom left corner, and the window is along the top edge, but the sill is higher than usual, so building a layout under it would still be at a sensible height. There's also space for a desk (probably under the station) so it can be office/ layout room, but whether having the layout there would make it a less than perfect workspace would remain to be seen,

 

It's curved points galore, and no space for freight, but I reckon there's fun to be had here...

 

I did try to do a US style roundy, but the long wall is probably 1' too short to do that effectively.

Edited January 15, 2021 by Zomboid

[Nearholmer]

Any sensible 1yo would be overjoyed to have that in their room.

 

I think of LaCathedrale's options, I would go for bottom-left, assuming that the area to the left is an infrequently accessed store, and I might be trying to think of devious ways of actually getting track into the store, and putting a modest FY in there.

[Zomboid]

7 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Any sensible 1yo would be overjoyed to have that in their room.

There are a lot of words I'd use to describe her, and many of them highly complimentary. Sensible isn't one of them.

 

She does have some Brio, but so far when we get that out it just gets eaten...

[Keith Addenbrooke]

25 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

According to the estate agent's floorplan, my spare room is 9'5" x 8'5". I have no plan on building a layout in the room because I have a 1 year old so layout building time is a mere fantasy, but if I were going to then something along these lines would be the idea:

 

If @Lacathedrale will forgive the thread hi-jack for a moment, I would put the reversing loop along the longer wall, and the Terminus along the shorter wall to ease the S-curves.  Curve the platforms of Seironim inwards (original version credit @Harlequin ) to compensate for the loss of length.  Just a thought, Keith.

[Lacathedrale]

17 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Any sensible 1yo would be overjoyed to have that in their room.

 

I think of LaCathedrale's options, I would go for bottom-left, assuming that the area to the left is an infrequently accessed store, and I might be trying to think of devious ways of actually getting track into the store, and putting a modest FY in there.

 

Bottom left is eaves access - that wall of the room is vertical only from the floor to the top of the access door - here's a pic looking at that door:

 

 

The slope of the eves is visible just above the RH side of the bed frame and continues at roughly that angle, unfortunately not wide enough for a balloon loop.

 

Incidentally, this is a picture of the top-left room:

 

 

@DavidCBroad I love that but I am fairly certain the other half would have my guts for garters

 

@Zomboid your plan is very interesting and a terminus-to-balloon-loop in OO/H0 seems like a very solid, logical choice - particularly if there's a suitable dividing point between the layout and the balloon loop, so it could be re-sited or extended as caprice wills.

 

[Nearholmer]

Hmmm ......is that a stud and board wall between the bed-head and the void? If it is, you might be able to punch a hole and have a dead-end FY in the void, accessed via the little door.

 

I’ve got almost exactly the same situation in our study/spare-room, although the door into the void-cupboard is full-height, and I’ve multiple times thought about doing what I suggest above. So far, I haven’t, because my above-bookshelf mini-layout is at a height at which the void is too narrow to be useful.

 

IMO, such voids are a bit of a PITA, because the far-end becomes all but inaccessible if you store much in them. The one on my son’s bedroom is rammed with stuff and my heart sinks when good lady says “Could you just pop upstairs and get the XYZ.”, which I know is at the very end, and necessitates emptying and refilling the entire blasted space!

[woodenhead]

Could access to the eaves be a crawl space and split the door in two so only the bottom half needs to open to access?

 

All that window and radiator doesn't look like a railway friendly side to the room - I personally would be looking at Zomboid's suggestion - it offers intense operation confined to two walls.

[woodenhead]

2 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Hmmm ......is that a stud and board wall between the bed-head and the void? If it is, you might be able to punch a hole and have a dead-end FY in the void, accessed via the little door.

When I see a door like that I just think - that belongs to the spiders, they are welcome to it as long as they don't come into my space.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

On 14/01/2021 at 21:13, Keith Addenbrooke said:

If I’m reading the plans correctly, there is 10’2” x 9’ in the left hand end of the top-left bedroom that doesn’t block the door, and still gives some access to the wardrobe?  But as you say, this is the room least likely to be available.
 

Turning to Bedroom 3 (bottom left), it looks like the space off to the left is marked “Storage” - is that correct?  A complete guess suggests it might be over a garage, but quite likely with a sloping roof down to nil headroom (ie: not a candidate for a layout)?  However, if it is storage, I wonder if the doorway marked at the left of Bedroom 3 might be one that could be crossed with a lift out / lift up section, especially once you’ve properly moved in and unpacked?  I think I’d bid for that.

 

So it looks like I was half-right: I hadn’t guessed the roof would start to slope before the eaves storage.

 

2 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

 

Bottom left is eaves access - that wall of the room is vertical only from the floor to the top of the access door - here's a pic looking at that door:

 

 

The slope of the eves is visible just above the RH side of the bed frame and continues at roughly that angle, unfortunately not wide enough for a balloon loop.

 

I’ve seen shelf layout which take advantage of this sloping roof: although scenery at the back has to be low (there’s always a catch) the ‘dead width’ before the ceiling gets tall enough for standing gives room for a shelf layout that doesn’t eat into the rest of the room.  Like others, I think @Zomboid’s L-shape seems a good proposition for starters.

 

[Nearholmer]

Yes, I think I'll throw my vote in for something based on Zomboid's scheme too. You could even put half of the loop on a fold up leaf, so as to minimise space-invasion when not playing trains.

 

It is a bit operationally restricted/restrictive in some ways, but if you were to adopt an era/theme that requires a lot of creativity (like those Holborn Viaduct and Ludgate Hill ideas), it could sustain interest over a long period. I think I'd possibly put the station up on arches, rather than in a cutting, allowing the development of a rich street scene in the foreground, which could work especially well on the inside of the curve. I might also widen the island platform and run a cab road part-way along it, one of those that slopes out to street level at the country end, so that the 'bottom' platform could serve for newspaper and parcel vans.

[Lacathedrale]

How about a helix in the blob, to give space for another small cameo before looping around into a storage yard?

[Zomboid]

I wouldn't do a helix myself, but that's just because the balloon loop would be my ideal opposite to a terminus. But no reason why you couldn't if you wanted to.

 

If you did want a helix, you'd want to mirror it (probably appropriate for your space anyhow) because it's better to have the uphill track on the outside of a helix to ease the gradient. But that shouldn't be too much of a problem because the terminus isn't going to be handling anything much longer than 3 bogie coaches anyway, so gutless hill climbing from modern kettles shouldn't be a problem.

 

The terminus I drew was intended to have more of a quiet, secondary, Bath Green Park kind of feel, but you could replace it with something more inner suburban, or even something quieter (I remember discussing Sligo in the Minories thread for example). It's designed for my preferences and spare room, after all...

[Nearholmer]

If you are going to the trouble of creating a helix, create a tall one, and build another terminal station 18" above the first one.

[Lacathedrale]

"Oh so which room were you thinking of for an office?"  The conversation started so innocently, "because I'm preparing myself not to have an argument about where you put your trains..." .  No conclusions yet and the field is open. We have very little in the way of clutter and knick-knacks, so I imagine that eaves storage is going to be suitcases and seasonal clothes. I'm not entirely sure I want to start punching holes through the wall at this early stage! I think by the same token while I'm still not entirely sure I should be discounting a continuous run around the perimeter of the rooms, domestic bliss probably comes from starting smaller.

 

I think for either option having a 'break' at the exit from the station to support both, or infact neither (should the layout need to be moved or remodelled) is a good idea - for what it's worth, I wouldn't do a helix for 2mmFS/OO/H0, only for N/FineTrax presuming diesel/electric motive power.

 

I sketched up all three rooms in QCAD for some practise, and this is what I ended up with:

 

 

The solid cyan line is a 6" wide baseboard, and I'm working under the assumption this is the minimum if required to pass by functional areas such as behind a desk or infront of a windowsill. The dashed cyan parallel line shows how a baseboard might be extended into the room by about 16". The purple and yellow circles - 18" and 12" radius. For 2mmFS/4mm the larger radius must be accounted for, and both radii are tight enough to not be desirable as visible curves.

 

A comfortable area for my desk is about 5' x 5' x 5' - which means that if a layout is going to traverse the desk, it has to go behind rather than above - otherwise it'd end up crossing in front of the windows and both left-hand rooms would lose about 18" to 2' in lenth due to the eaves.

 

I think the top-right room would be best if I got rid of the built-in cupboards and had my desk there. I think the top-left room would be best if the cupboards had to stay. Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Zomboid]

What do you need the third room for? I'm assuming you're looking at Bedroom and Train/Office for two, but what's the third going to be? If it's a spare, are you in a situation where a child may come along in future, or are there any other foreseeable changes to room use?

 

You probably don't want to use a bigger room and then have to move out of it in a year or two and start again in a less favourable space.