Do not let your wife's girl friends in your train cave!

Ha,

Good Woman you have!

Some how this story reminds me of a concept I discovered in my thirties. "Critical Mass"  That is when the collection reaches the point where your wife cannot tell when something is added to the pile.     John

Fortunately, I don't have that problem. Wendy, my wife-to-be effective Dec. 18 when we will make it official, and I are renovating a ranch-style home and the agreement we made was that the upstairs living area, aside from my home office, is her's to do anything she cares to do with it. Since cooking is her passion, she now has a kitchen that includes everything she wanted and/or needs. The basement, aside from the laundry area, is mine, and it is currently being worked on by my contractor, with layout benchwork to get underway before the end of the year. About half the basement will be a train room exclusive to  the layout, and the other half, which includes a fireplace,  will be a lounge/man cave/safe space, or whatever other term one might want to apply to an area when train friends can gather to watch videos or TV, enjoy some snacks and beverages, and engage in train talk.

I will be posting progress reports on the forum, and also documenting building of the layout (lessons learned, in particular) in the magazine over the next couple of years. It will be a medium-size layout, not an expansive empire, because I want something that I can comfortably manage, maintain, and have fun with well into the future. I hope to incorporate a good number of operational capabilities in this layout since that is an aspect of the hobby that increasingly interests me and I want to be able to do more than just watch trains run around in circles (although continuous running will also be possible).

A comfortable home office upstairs and a train room downstairs... does it get any better than that?

Allan Miller posted:

.... The basement, aside from the laundry area, is mine,

.. does it get any better than that?

Yes, .....

I moved the laundry upstairs!

Your wife is showing her friends your train layout?...... really sounds positive to me.

You have to prove its UN-Livable space... a simple fake rubber snake or LARGE dead spider carefully placed in the basement will resolve all wants of a lady going to the basement. Let alone living in one.

We had a wounded bat in our fully refinished basement, a mouse, and Gardner snake found over the course of 20 years in our home (It just happens) . All of them my wife found on accident, She has never returned in the last 8 years, let alone wanted to sleep down there.  Ah train heaven!

Engineer-Joe posted:

Allan Miller posted:

.... The basement, aside from the laundry area, is mine,

.. does it get any better than that?

Yes, .....

I moved the laundry upstairs!

Can't argue with that, I guess, but I have a fairly decent-size basement already (whole-home footprint) and have relatively modest layout needs (after many years of building layouts and many moves). The area I have for the layout will serve me quite well, and equally important to me is the lounge area which has cable TV, leather sofa and recliner, dining room-type table and chairs, and a fireplace. Will eventually have a refrigerator, microwave, popcorn maker, coffee maker, and ample wall space for my train display cases. Should result in quite a comfortable space for me and any visitors (train buddies) and the trains can still be easily viewed from that area.

After 30 years we finally got smart and moved the laundry upstairs into a large closet.  Makes it much easier to do the laundry and enabled me to double the size of the operating train room.

Lew

lewrail posted:

After 30 years we finally got smart and moved the laundry upstairs into a large closet.  Makes it much easier to do the laundry and enabled me to double the size of the operating train room.

 

Lew

It made perfect sense to us as well... until the clothes washer sprung a leak... I was lucky, caught it before it flooded us out. I since have installed a drain in the floor.

well the best of both worlds a really deep wallet a really huge lot and main living part and train room on a single level as in same area for trains as the main house has and no more stairs for either to deal with.

J DADDY  my wife loves all those snakes n spiders and other things aren't you a lucky man yours does not!

It made perfect sense to us as well... until the clothes washer sprung a leak... I was lucky, caught it before it flooded us out. I since have installed a drain in the floor.

We moved our laundry up to the second floor during a recent remodel.  The washer sits in a shallow basin designed to capture any leaks. Plus the area has a ceramic tile floor. My wife loves having the laundry in its new location. I reclaimed the space in the basement.

troubler makers and gossipers that's all they are.

i am quite lucky my lovely doesnt care much for trains themselves but loves the layout and buying stuff to do "crafts". We was talking about making pine trees together lol

To fully utilize the around the wall space I wanted I replaced the hot water tank with a Rinnai  tankless water heater, raised the water meter, raised the circuit breakers, ran wire molding around the outside door, moved the washer/dryer to the main floor, cut right a way holes in two walls,  removed a non supporting cinder block wall and replaced 40 feet of wall mounted cast iron sewer pipe. 

Allan Miller posted:

Fortunately, I don't have that problem. Wendy, my wife-to-be effective Dec. 18 when we will make it official, and I are renovating a ranch-style home and the agreement we made was that the upstairs living area, aside from my home office, is her's to do anything she cares to do with it. Since cooking is her passion, she now has a kitchen that includes everything she wanted and/or needs. The basement, aside from the laundry area, is mine, and it is currently being worked on by my contractor, with layout benchwork to get underway before the end of the year. About half the basement will be a train room exclusive to  the layout, and the other half, which includes a fireplace,  will be a lounge/man cave/safe space, or whatever other term one might want to apply to an area when train friends can gather to watch videos or TV, enjoy some snacks and beverages, and engage in train talk.

I will be posting progress reports on the forum, and also documenting building of the layout (lessons learned, in particular) in the magazine over the next couple of years. It will be a medium-size layout, not an expansive empire, because I want something that I can comfortably manage, maintain, and have fun with well into the future. I hope to incorporate a good number of operational capabilities in this layout since that is an aspect of the hobby that increasingly interests me and I want to be able to do more than just watch trains run around in circles (although continuous running will also be possible).

A comfortable home office upstairs and a train room downstairs... does it get any better than that?

Congratulations on the marriage. Many happy years to you both!

Between our classic cars and my trains I can basically do what I want, as long as she gets what she wants too. Works really well for us.

NO! NO!  and NO!!!!

AS I am the wife, and my hubby loves my trains- I have no such problem! We've been looking at a larger house out of CA, and I've already commandeered a large loft bedroom for my Std. Gauge, and its accompanying sitting room for my O-scale layout. On the main floor next to the master bedroom, I've pegged the second bedroom for my ladies boudoir/sitting room/guest room.  A second loft bedroom is for a guest bedroom. My husband looked at me one day, and asked me  "Can you tell me what rooms I get?". There is a library room, so he has that. As long as his pool table can fit in the house, and his baby grand piano can fit in the house- (and they both can) he's good with it all! He gets the two car garage too.

All these love stories and plans are great until reality hits. You think you have it all and BOOM  !!   A phone call,"Honey, our house is on fire!!" Hope it doesn't happen to you.

jim pastorius posted:

All these love stories and plans are great until reality hits. You think you have it all and BOOM  !!   A phone call,"Honey, our house is on fire!!" Hope it doesn't happen to you.

As a collector of various things and someone that is paranoid at times this my biggest fear. I had to get insurance on my Onesheet collection; not my trains...yet

When we got serious with trains our local hobby shop owner at the time told my Wife, "He's not in the bar with the guys and he's not out chasing other women.  He's in the basement playing with trains".

My Wife has no trouble with me in the basement, the hobby shop or a train show.  

Of course it didn't hurt every Christmas season he would give the spouses a very large Hershey bar as a present.

Have Fun! Ron

Carey TeaRose posted:

AS I am the wife, and my hubby loves my trains- I have no such problem! We've been looking at a larger house out of CA, and I've already commandeered a large loft bedroom for my Std. Gauge, and its accompanying sitting room for my O-scale layout. On the main floor next to the master bedroom, I've pegged the second bedroom for my ladies boudoir/sitting room/guest room.  A second loft bedroom is for a guest bedroom. My husband looked at me one day, and asked me  "Can you tell me what rooms I get?". There is a library room, so he has that. As long as his pool table can fit in the house, and his baby grand piano can fit in the house- (and they both can) he's good with it all! He gets the two car garage too.

Excuse me folks, but.......what universe have I landed in?  LOL, love it!

Mike A.

Tom Tee posted:

To fully utilize the around the wall space I wanted I replaced the hot water tank with a Rinnai  tankless water heater, raised the water meter, raised the circuit breakers, ran wire molding around the outside door, moved the washer/dryer to the main floor, cut right a way holes in two walls,  removed a non supporting cinder block wall and replaced 40 feet of wall mounted cast iron sewer pipe. 

other than my water meter I have matched all this work myself. It seems like even more, to read it listed here now.

Someday, I would like to start over in a new place. I like Ed Rapps method of utilizing what we learn and applying it to the next build. I think I'll get more experienced with each build. For example, I didn't realize how smooth bench work needed to be coming from G scale.

 I was joking with Allan as my girl used to limit my use of space in the basement. We had to have larger gatherings down there before I built more space upstairs.

While I was managing a construction site in Terre Haute, back in 2007-08, my wife decided we needed a 3 car garage for when I returned back to the OKC area.  Plus, not good to have one of the vehicles out when the storms roll in.   So, with the 3 car garage, she had a train room built on top, an open area 26 ft by 34 ft floor space to utilize.... and all for trains !   Best, sweetest, most lovely woman in the world and my life...........    Now that I have retired, 2014, working on the layout and all else.........

Jesse     TCA   12-68275

Best to keep your wives and girlfriends far from each other. 

texastrain posted:

While I was managing a construction site in Terre Haute, back in 2007-08, my wife decided we needed a 3 car garage for when I returned back to the OKC area.  Plus, not good to have one of the vehicles out when the storms roll in.   So, with the 3 car garage, she had a train room built on top, an open area 26 ft by 34 ft floor space to utilize.... and all for trains !   Best, sweetest, most lovely woman in the world and my life...........    Now that I have retired, 2014, working on the layout and all else.........

Jesse     TCA   12-68275

Some guys have all the luck,     Back in Dec 84 I traded some guns for an enormous Flyer collection, on my fourth pickup load the wife came to the back door and shouted down to me at the garage door.  "The trains go or I go!" I responded,   " So sorry you feel that way."  We divorced two months later.       We went to TCA meets through out the southeast the whole time we were dating ten years earlier and she seemed to like the trains.  Once we married she lost all interest in the trains.  J

JohnActon posted:

Back in Dec 84 I traded some guns for an enormous Flyer collection, on my fourth pickup load the wife came to the back door and shouted down to me at the garage door.  "The trains go or I go!" I responded,   " So sorry you feel that way."  We divorced two months later.       We went to TCA meets through out the southeast the whole time we were dating ten years earlier and she seemed to like the trains.  Once we married she lost all interest in the trains.  J

I emphasized that last line for effect. If I had a nickel for every guy who had the same thing happen.

I'm now convinced that when women tell you that you want to be honest and open with them, they really mean they want t know all the stuff they'll have to make you change once you get married. I saw so many friends in re-enacting circles who left the hobby within months of getting married (many of whom met their wives at such events or they were in the hobby after meeting them). It got to a point that if a pal in that hobby got married, I'd tell him that when she forced him out of the hobby, to give me a call. Sad part was, I was right at least 75% of the time. Anyone I knew in the hobby who was married got into after he had been married.

My wife tried it, too. I was ready, and deep inside I'd never been so scared, when she started the, "You need to think of what's important" talk (woman speak for, "I call the shots now for everything"), I walked over to the phone, grabbed the phone book, handed it to her and said, "I understand compromise is something I'll need to learn, but you knew this is who I am. If that's not acceptable, you made a huge mistake in getting married to me. I'm sure there's plenty of lawyers in there who can help you if you want out." Inside, I was just shy of having a heart attack I was so scared. 

Now, I realize she was testing me. Things are totally different now, and we've adapted well to one another. She even pointed stuff out to me in a hobby shop recently. 

But at first? That could have been me as well. If she'd grabbed that phone book and started making calls, I'd miss her horribly today. But it still would have been the right thing for me, even if she had.

Women who demand their man changes everything make me sick. If a guy did that to a woman (and also blocking her from her friends and family, things I've seen countless times in newly-married pals), we'd call that abuse. I'm not saying they all do that, but I've seen it so many times...

I agree 100%. Women are like the weather-they change all the time so you have to learn to live with it. If possible. With me, I was re-enacting for  10 years then all of a sudden my wife wanted to-so I got her in to the hobby. She liked trains but  never liked guns. Such is life. There are some good women out there, though, so if you have one, treat her right.

Great advice TOM TEE. Women have a natural instinct to control their nest and mother the people in it. It helps to convince them that the basement is only the tree that holds the nest up. So when your outside the nest, in the basement, she should understand it's OK not to be concerned about you or that space. Wish I had a basement for a layout space back when my only choice was a room in the nest. I got back into trains after the little birds left the nest. Started a layout and that started the end to a 31 year marriage. That was 7 years ago and a hard lesson learned understanding the way instincts work in women. I guess I fell into that category P51 is talking about.   As for us guys, explain to your wives how our instincts drive us to be creative and making things better. It's very hard for us to just sit doing nothing while waiting to be mothered. We crave being engaged using our hands and mind. If we didn't, mankind would have never advanced and we would still be living in caves. Now on the second time around, that logic helped in my new relationship. It's so nice to hear those words "go to your basement"! 

Congratulations Allen. Thank God your passion is also your career,  puts food on the table and keeps a roof over your head. Your layout would just be an extension of your career and help to contribute to the magazine. No women can argue with that. If you remember you met my present wife when we looked at the OGR building when we lived in Lake Milton. She says "hello" and "go to your basement"! Lol

Two totally different animals. Like night and day.

My wife fully supports my hobby. It started out late 1999. She purchased the postwar engine I lost years ago and always wanted to replace.

Have not looked back since😁!

Every year year since we have done a Christmas layout. About ten years ago I was bit hard by the TINPLATE bug.

For my 60th, she bought me a black/brass 400E.

In a few weeks we will be starting my permanent layout, and she is already making me redwood trees.

I am fortunate to have such a great partner in life.

Joe Gozzo

C W Burfle posted:

It made perfect sense to us as well... until the clothes washer sprung a leak... I was lucky, caught it before it flooded us out. I since have installed a drain in the floor.

We moved our laundry up to the second floor during a recent remodel.  The washer sits in a shallow basin designed to capture any leaks. Plus the area has a ceramic tile floor. My wife loves having the laundry in its new location. I reclaimed the space in the basement.

I had a water heater expansion tank leak, we were lucky,  not much damage.  We were told about water sensors.  I found these on Amazon,  they have alarms and are easy to install.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Brewman1973 posted:

... We were told about water sensors.  I found these on Amazon,  they have alarms and are easy to install.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I found them at a local Ace Hardware store. I have them in the room in my basement that houses the mechanicals. Since the house we are renovating is likely going to need a new water heater within the next couple of years, I didn't want to take any chances. Replacement will be with a tankless water heater...costly, but worth it.

I don't want folks here to think I married a controlling monster (well, she is a little controlling). Sure, we butted heads for a while as she was raised to be totally self-sufficient and I was 30 at the time (and an Army officer), so it took a few years for us to chill and gel with one another.

It's hardly perfect, but I truly feel that we're much closer than we were at first and get more so every day. Frankly, I love and like (which I think is more important that loving) my wife more each day. I feel like I'm living with my best friend now. I have adapted substantially to being a partner and spouse, I think.

She's adapted as well, too. In fact, she came up with idea to have some large stuff to be moved out of the room so the layout could go in there (as otherwise, there was little wall space). Without that, I wouldn't have but a short 'L-shaped' switching layout along 2 walls. The final day my favorite hobby shop was open, she saw me drooling over a 50-tonner diesel I'd wanted to get for the Army use on the layout and said to just get it. I never would have bought it otherwise.

She also made the curtains for underneath the fascia, having realized my vision of a completed 'presentation worthy' part of the room. Heck, the last time we went to a big hobby shop last month, she was picking stuff off the wall asking if I needed it. Most of it wouldn't work (city style light posts on a layout where hardly anyone had electricity, etc) but I deeply appreciated the effort and told her the same.

When we moved to our current home (we plan to die here) my wife said the unfinished basement was mine to do what I pleased. I put an office on one side. I was left with a 25 X 25 train room. When I was finished (you're never really finished my wife came down to look at the layout. She stood there looking around and then said, " Honey I think you can put some more trains over here." Eyes raised to heaven I said, "God I love this woman!"  LOL

Doug

p51 posted:

Now, I realize she was testing me. Things are totally different now, and we've adapted well to one

 That reminds me of a phrase I learned of in my YouTube travels.

If anyone should happen to go there, look up the phrase "poop testing" (replace 'poop' with the word you and I both know is supposed to be there )

"About 1,190,000 results"

(very...'edumacational' )

---PCJ

If anyone is worried about a water source upstairs flooding your basement layout, use metal roofing for your basement ceiling. Also use the recommended screws that have the hex head with the rubber washer. Your drop down furring strips only need to be 4 feet apart and it can be ordered pre-cut to any length you want, so installation goes really fast. This was a great concern for myself since there was so much plumbing above. Now if we have a leak or over flow a sink or tub, the water will run in the ribs of the roofing to the walls. At the base of my walls into is a sump pump trench that leads to the sump pump chamber. I only wish I would have went with the black to get that museum look.

We found an draftsman who didn't think we were nuts when we told him we wanted a 45' x 30' post-less 8' ceiling on top of which we wanted the house with the trimmings Kyrian wanted (HER kitchen, etc.,) .. and it worked out very well!

Allen, I love your description of your "man" space! All you need is a bathroom and you never have to leave the space! LOL