How do you "show" your layout?

Pretty simple in our case. Take the visitor/visitors upstairs, and when the first see the steam locomotive servicing terminal to their left, the response is generally, "WOW". Upon turning around the wall to their right, the see the yard and rural area, which generally solicits another "WOW". That pretty much covers it, until they watch various steam locomotive models hauling 1950s era trains.

My wife is working on a list to give to the kids /vistors of "things" to locate/find on our "0" gauge  layout, from very easy for smaller kids to more difficult for older kids. We did this with our "HO" layout years ago with the kids and they enjoyed the "hunt". I have the sign to "Hidden Lake" - but no lake!!!  What's the elevation for "Humdinger Hill" - sign gives elevation, etc.  Where is "OLAF?"

I have used the "I spy" game too.  I'll put trains on the tracks that I think the particular crowd may like to see run.  Other than that, I just clean the rails and maybe do a little dusting if it hasn't been done in a while.

Well, this is a Really Great Post, I think Showing Our Interest in Model Trains, Scale/Tinplate/or Toy, is A Great Way to Keep this Hobby Alive! I Love to bring folks to my home to run trains. We created a neat way to bring people into the basement, train room, as when folks come down the stairs, they see a G GUAGE LGB Train coming through the Wall.  Then one more step and they are in the train room with shelves of trains...On around the corner is the Multi Level Legacy Lionel  Train Layout....We run 4 Trains simotaniously on different levels through Mountains, Tunnels, rivers, villages, and the big thrill is the turntable....Its just fun getting people involved in the hobby.   Great thread....

I keep waiting for Rebecca Demornay to show up near my layout, like she did in Risky Business.

When I last had a layout, my kids were 14 and under.  Even in those days video games were the toy of choice for most kids.  But when my son would bring his buddies down the basement to watch an operating session, they would be enthralled and genuinely interested.  

My layout is far from complete, there is no scenery yet, but it has a different wow factor. People can't believe the magnitude of it when they step inside. I don't typically entertain groups, most of the time it's just one or two visitors at a time. For now, I like it that way.

Mine isn't kid oriented per se, it's about as adult as a train layout can get, but that doesn't make it any less fun.  My step brother's girlfriend, brought her grandson one time. That kid had the best afternoon. I actually put him to work, helping me match up cars with their cards. But it didn't seem like work to him, he loved it. I let him take the Cab-1 and run a few trains. He was a natural at age 6. Almost couldn't get him out of here. It was nice to give him one on one attention.

The Reece layout (2 levels) in no way will compare with what Y'all have, it is 7 loops going round and round my family could care less about the trains but now and then a Mom, Dad or Grandparent will be walking down the alley, kids in tow  and , you guessed it THEY LIKED THE TRAINS, and made my day.

Brent

My wife and I love entertaining with our  trains. Our philosophy is a simple one in how we "show our layout." Folks who have or may have an interest in seeing model trains operate, who have been invited to our home for a celebratory purpose, which may include just seeing trains, are welcomed into our home. The layout is in our home, not in a hall or clubhouse.

Thus, our guests are welcomed into our living room first for some light hors d'oeruvrs and champagne. After some conversation, we ask if our guests would like to see the trains. At that, while my wife continues the conversation, I go down to the basement to get the whole shebang cranked-up. She ushers them down the cellar stairs when she hears the first whistle sound, signifying that I am ready and that everything is ready to roll, literally.

In the basement, which is filled end-to-end with the layout, Moon Township, I am not in view, but around an L-shaped corner at the ZW-bank. As soon as I am aware of the first footsteps or voices that have reached the bottom of the stairs, I sound two more whistles of steam locomotives that I have lurking at the end of the layout that borders the foot of the stairs (seen in these shots of where the layout begins, which are of what guests to the trainroom see first).

The show begins, right at the first, "OMG!!!!!"

Guests stay in the basement as long as they like. We don't insist. And I do not give tours, saying things that draw attention to various parts or details of the landscape. I let the layout, with its ten trains and one trolley, speak for itself. If it becomes 10minutes of fun for folks, that's fine with me. If they stay at their own volition for the typical 45min.- hour+ event, I find myself encouraging them that we have a hot buffet awaiting them upstairs, but usually they elect to stay at the layout just a bit longer.

A group I had not anticipated being particularly involved in seeing the layout, a camaraderie of fifteen Catholic seminarians and our parish's pastor, turned out to be absolutely gleeful. You should have seen them in their black cassocks (I wish  I had taken photos!) moving among the various areas of the layout and chatting about everything. One of them commented that seeing all the intimate details suggested to him that we had a love of life and of God, for all His creation. We have not forgotten that. They were so happy. And so were we.

Berkshire President posted:

I keep waiting for Rebecca Demornay to show up near my layout, like she did in Risky Business.

Berkshire President posted:

I keep waiting for Rebecca Demornay to show up near my layout, like she did in Risky Business.

"Lana likes the choo-choo".   

Normally, I don't care for ELs.  But in her case, I'll make an exception. 

George

Frank - that sounds like a wonderful way to show your layout!

George

I haven't shown the layout off in a very long time.  But the last time I did, I held a "train smoker".   This was an invitation to friends and their kids to come and run trains.  We had food and drinks in the basement (about 20 people).  Everyone over the age of 4 ran trains.  We had 2 trains running using CAB-1 remotes.  There were a few rear-end collisions, but nothing serious.  And everyone had a great time.

I hope to repeat this sometime soon (as soon as I can get the layout rebuilt).

George

Mine, I show to no one; it's too embarrassing. Little bits and pieces get shown here when I post some photos, but not on purpose. One day I'll get to it, but there's that loco or gondola project that I need to do first...

Our layout is but a memory and some boxes... Now I usually just show them the magazine 

We have had over 300 guests, not counting repeated visits, to look at my Hidden Pass Junction RR layout over the past four years. These have included guests of ages ranging from three years old to over 80 years old, both boys and girls. (No real grownups when it comes to enjoying model trains.)

 After a few visits, some of which had more than a dozen people, I came up with a program, which I have used for the past 150 guests or so over the last 10 months, and works just fine.

 Note that except for a few exceptions, I have not known the people who have come to visit us, all of whom have either called or emailed me to arrange the visit. I make a point of suggesting that they allow at least one hour for the visit as most people spend about two hours or longer. Also, the overwhelming majority of our guests have not been model railroaders.

 After all the guests arrive and while still upstairs, I show them a 12” x 14” drawing of the layout depicting where the aisles and viewing platforms are. If the group includes youngsters 17 or younger, I challenge them to look for the lumberjack with pink pants, the dog that is ready to eat the picnic food, the man emerging from the sewer hole, the bald man looking at the locomotives, the word “Arnold”, and a few other details. We then proceed to the basement.

 Times are approximate but rather close.

5 Minutes – Allow the guests to look around with all the lights in the room turned off and only the layout lights on; e.g., lighted buildings, street lights, light towers, signals, etc

15 Minutes – Turn the room low lights on and allow guests to look at details. During this time, I will answer questions. 

10 Minutes – I run one of my the TMCC cranes through several maneuvers. Sometimes I let one of the kids control the crane with the remote, and for some reason girls really like doing this. I also operate the turntable – run one of the engines onto it, rotate it, run the engine out, and back again. Besides the actual turntable, guests like the ‘steam’ and the whistle of the locomotives.

5 Minutes – I run a dump car with logs, and the saw mill; all of which I have wired for automatic operation. Invariably, someone asks if the logs really are being cut as we watch. (This is an older, noisy saw mill, and the sound is much like a wood saw.)

10 minutes – I let the kids run the 10 operating accessories for which I have push buttons along the layout fascia, or proximity sensors that activate the operation when someone looks ‘closely’.

15 minutes – While the subway car and the “L” train run around their independent loops making periodic stops, I run the Big Boy train with 27 cars, and the Southern Pacific Daylight steam passenger train with four cars, one time around the layout. Once they reach their destinations, I ‘refill’ the Big Boy’s tender with coal, and this gets a lot of positive comments.

15 minutes – By this time most everyone, and especially the youngsters, are fascinated by the routes the trains follow. I run two more trains; a double-headed UP diesel freight train with 24 cars (auto-racks and intermodal), and an Amtrak passenger train with seven cars. Now the youngsters, and some adults, attempt to follow or try to be where they anticipate the trains will go.

When the trains are back, I ask if they want to see any other trains run (I have several more on sidings and spurs), or tour the rest of the basement, including my shop – and we do as they wish. At this point, many times the adults have more specific questions about the layout, its construction, etc., but no one has ever asked me how much the trains cost.

I also offer to take the youngsters for a tour 'under' the layout, and allow them to pop up through some if the hatches. Occasionally, an adult (man) may join in the tour. A lot of pictures are taken when the kids pop up through a hatch or access area. When all done, we go upstairs where Judy has snacks and drinks ready for everyone.

I have never seen anyone of any age reach for or touch anything on the layout, nor have I heard a parent have to tell a toddler not to touch anything once we are downstairs. Maybe they were told ahead of time?

So far all the visits have been very, very enjoyable, and we have made many new friends. Several of the families have returned to visit us more than once. We have had guests from several states, including as far as California; and from Peru, Germany, and China.

And that's my 2¢

Alex (Alexander Müller)