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Is expansion of a layout a norm with O gaugers?

TexSpecialTexSpecialOGR Forum Member
This probably occurs with all railroad modelers, but what I have seen on the forum and with myself, is expansion or growth of a layout part of our hobby?
Do we ever have enough space for our trains? Do you have any tips relating to layout expansion or building a larger more complex layout?

TEX
Steve
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LORDtryzAlotLORDtryzAlotOGR Forum Member
When you build a layout figure out what you want in your layout and how you want to scenic it. Every layout i've built I took into account expansion and if the layout will make sense when you expand it and just doesnt look like you just slapped some track together. also dont build a layout bigger then you can finish for if you do you;ll just get discouraged. Take pictures of scenes on your real railroad and try to duplicate it on your railroad.just remember nature is not perfect.
jd-trainjd-trainOGR Forum Member
As space in the basement has become available, I've slowly been able to find a use for it! Big Grin

I have a table-top layout that started about 9'x12'. I then added a 2'x15' yard onto the short side. Then I built a turntable and needed to add a 4'x7' extension on the otherside of the layout so I could accomodate the turntable. Lastly, I added a 1'x12' extension onto the backside of the layout to accomodate two more rail sidings. LOL, for each extension, I thought I was done with the layout.

Jim

p.s.

I've cleared up some more room in the basement area adjacent to the trainroom and plan on adding a 12'x15' "U" to the current layout. Smile
Lee 145Lee 145OGR Forum Member
Sorta.

Ok, I am greedy when it comes to space. I thought 3 foot radius in HO was big, been thinking REALLY big and find myself in a cat carrier of a room so to speak.

What I have done is staked out a room to start in and work on one part of a rather simple plan.

In the future more room will become available in a roundabout way. Until then I stick to my givens and save the druthers for later.
jd-trainjd-trainOGR Forum Member
Michael, the key is to come up with a plan and be able to convince you wife that you are helping her out. Wink

Originally, when we built our house, we decided that we would use 1/4 of the basement for my hobbies, and 1/4 for my wife's hobbies. Since we only had one child and we never finished the basement, it was a no-brainer for my wife to turn the 3rd bedroom into her craft room. Thus, her 1/4 of the basement became a storage area, that quite honestly is in sore need of being organized. I made a drawing showing my wife how I could organize her 1/4 of the basement so that she can more easily access all of her supplies. Just by coincidence ( Wink ), totes two high would fit underneath a 2' wide around the room expansion of my layout!

Jim
John PignatelliJohn PignatelliOGR Forum Member
I started with a 8x12 then to a 16x16 in a two car garage, then to a 23x8'now I am building a house that will have 1250 sq.ft. in the basement. It will have a l shaped area apx. 25 x 100 it seem it will have to do as I am getting well up in the years and long on the fangs for anything bigger luckily my son in law is into trains. The area I have for me will not be all trains, a good part will be but I have other hobbies but The trains will always come first.
One other point, When I belonged to the AGHR club everything was voted on and the majority wins, some you win some you lose. I had and still have great friends at AGHR and we all did not agree from time to time. So now I will be the CEO of my new railroad. it will not be a democratic republic and only one person will get to vote and there will be no uprising like those Arab folk over there. The Benevolent dictator (ME) will not tolerate any thing like" I think it will look better if you did it this way" That kind of talking will bring swift retribution and it will make those Arab dictators look like sissy's.
I think I may have gotten off track here, part of getting old. The answer to your question is. YES it gets bigger!
fisch330fisch330OGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER
My layout, overall, is 22' x 24' and is already in two rooms of the basement. The real estate department has denied me any additional right of way so I'm pretty much stuck with these dimensions. So, what I had to do is build up; the lowest level on the layout is about 30" above the floor and there are three more levels going up to about 60" above the floor. There is about 750' of track crowded into that small space, but it doesn't look too bad because, perhaps 1/4 of the track is hidden from general view.

Yeah, I'd like to go larger, but short of digging out the back yard and extending the house, there's no way. Hmm? We could always use a family room out there, couldn't we?

Paul Fischer
juniata guyjuniata guyOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER
One of our fellow club members has a beautiful custom built L shaped layout in his basement. Dimensions on this beauty were roughly 20 feet long and then 10 feet wide on the main portion and about 16 feet wide on the bottom of the L. The layout essentially took up all of the open space in half of his finished basement. The first time he hosted an open house for club members I facetiously asked him when he was going to expand. He surprised me by opening a door into another room off the train room and told me he already had the same custom layout builder working on a New York City expansion and that the wall with the door in it was going to come out when the new part of the layout was completed and ready for installation. The expansion added about another 12 to 15 feet in length to the original layout.

He essentially confirmed something I had long suspected and that is no matter how big the layout, the dreams of the owner are always bigger.

Curt
TexSpecialTexSpecialOGR Forum Member
quote:
Originally posted by juniata guy:
One of our fellow club members has a beautiful custom built L shaped layout in his basement. Dimensions on this beauty were roughly 20 feet long and then 10 feet wide on the main portion and about 16 feet wide on the bottom of the L. The layout essentially took up all of the open space in half of his finished basement. The first time he hosted an open house for club members I facetiously asked him when he was going to expand. He surprised me by opening a door into another room off the train room and told me he already had the same custom layout builder working on a New York City expansion and that the wall with the door in it was going to come out when the new part of the layout was completed and ready for installation. The expansion added about another 12 to 15 feet in length to the original layout.

He essentially confirmed something I had long suspected and that is no matter how big the layout, the dreams of the owner are always bigger.

How true Curt.......reminds me of when I purchased my first boat while living in Alaska.....A 10 ft skiff, then a 19 ft runabout, then a 22 ft cabin cruiser, and finally a 28 ft fishing boat. Then I learned a boat was a hole in the water you throw money into.

TEX
Steve

Curt
PM paul m.OGR Forum Member
For those who haven't started a layout yet (but are ready now), I recommend first determining the maximum amount of space you'll ever have. Then you can plan your track layout, freight yard and passenger yard locations, towns, mountains, etc. By knowing youe ultimate space available, you know where and how large each specific item can be. You can also determine a best sequence for construction of your model railroad empire.

Take your time, test things out as you go, and realize that there will always be things you'll want to change as you go. But knowing your available space from the start you'll know exactly what works best and you'll end up (some day, maybe)with your dream fulfilled.

paul m.
FM Former Member
Tex:

This is a very interesting subject. I think that most of us at one point thought about expanding the layout. About 16 years ago when I got back into the hobby again, I started with a layout in the basement. The space did not allow for 0-72 or greater radius, so I finished a room in the attic that did provide for this.

When we moved to Maine, I made sure this time I would not have to expand again with the new layout. So far, so good, no present thoughts about expansion other than a seasonal layout in the basement for the North Pole/Polar Express. But wait, that is expansion. I guess this never ends.
TexSpecialTexSpecialOGR Forum Member
quote:
This is a very interesting subject. I think that most of us at one point thought about expanding the layout. About 16 years ago when I got back into the hobby again, I started with a layout in the basement. The space did not allow for 0-72 or greater radius, so I finished a room in the attic that did provide for this.

When we moved to Maine, I made sure this time I would not have to expand again with the new layout. So far, so good, no present thoughts about expansion other than a seasonal layout in the basement for the North Pole/Polar Express. But wait, that is expansion. I guess this never ends.


Thanks for your comments. I don't believe, especially with new comers to O gauge trains, that one is prepared to expand on what their first layout attempt was. Usually a board layout starts out small, 4' X 8', with 027 or 036" track, then when the person graduates to larger engines that require larger radius track.....Wammo.... Depending on the location of the small layout, the newcomer might face big challenges like space, moving small layout, etc. But I think this is the norm.

TEX
Steve
AGHRMattAGHRMattOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERMEMORIAL SUPPORTER
It is a requirement under the "Fundamental Truths of O Scale in All Its Sacred Forms."

"If you don't have enough space on your layout for your equipment, you don't have too much equipment. You have insufficient layout space -- EXPAND
IT!" Wink

All kidding aside, I think expansion is the norm. You build the first phase of the layout and get it near completion. As you get near completion you get an inspiration to include something else and there's not space for it on the existing platform. Expansion is required. The only way around that might be sectional/modular construction whereby you just build a new module to support your new industry or layout design element.
TheClutchGuyTheClutchGuyOGR Forum Member
Expansion is definitely the norm. Just think of your very first layout. Whether you were a 7 year old kid or a 30 year old "adult", you probably had a Lionel starter set with a simple 027 oval. That oval was originally setup on your living room floor and then graduated to a 4x8 sheet of plywood after you ran to the hobby store for more track. Then you wanted to add accessories and buildings. Then the 4x8 was too small so you had to go bigger.
A train layout is almost a living structure. It is constantly being expanded, upgraded, refurbished, relandscaped or moved.
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