I have a huge basement in a building I just bought. I am thinking of building a layout around the room. I am looking for ideas of how to add man cave features for those who do not like trains or for nights when we want to do something else. I would love to see your photos or get ideas.
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You know people who don't like trains? Shocking.
Why you askin' us for? Real men think for themselves.
Pete
A pool table and an air hockey table goes really well with a train room. A big screen TV and a bar is also a plus. If your into Poker put in a table for that. All these are definitely guy things so they all go great together. If you want to go old school look into knotty pine paneling, not sure if they even make it anymore,if not how about a sports theme featuring your home teams or alma maters.
Jerry
Jerry hit the nail on the head. With perhaps a wet-bar for drinks with a mini-fridge and a microwave.
Fun !
Refrigerator stocked with Beer and a Dart board. Alcohol and flying sharp projectiles. What possibly could go wrong????
"Hey Bubba, watch this!!"
Gilly
Good thought on the dart board. I didn't even think about that.
Here's my list.
Pool Table - Useful for storing unused locos and rolling stock from the layout
Dart Board
Projector with remote drop down screen. 2.1 Meters is better than a big screen TV especially as you have a basement which you can easily black out.
Surround sound system for above with DVD, Playstation etc.
Fridge with Beer. (Highly important
)
Sound activated multi coloured LED lights for Disco effect
Juke Box (Not one of the naff modern ones. Must play 45s or 78s)
Plenty of man cave wall decor think TGI style tin signs etc. Tack that the Wife won't allow you to have anywhere else in the house
.
Nick
I don't need a "man cave" because my wife told me I didn't need one.
Don
If you have the space:
The trains can run around the room and you can integrate the train shelves into the decor and/or set up the storage cabinets underneath if you're clever.
If you want to keep the wives, daughters, and girlfriends out, install minimal plumbing and put in a "saloon door" bathroom with a water-less urinal (required to get rid of the beer). No female will come within 20 feet of the thing, so locate it close to the basement entrance. You will have to clean the thing, though.
Darts and trains = moving targets
Don't forget Nascar! 
Hey jvega2 nice cave! Can you show a closer pic of your minilayout? I have a 5x10 table and would like some ideas. Yours looks great! Thanks!
That basement is as corny as Kansas in August.
No pistol range, unless you do without the alcohol. The boys may be tempted to start shooting at those expensive moving target we call trains 
A golf driving range simulator might be a good thing.
I've always wanted a huge slot car race track.
That basement is as corny as Kansas in August.
Kansas is not all that corny compared to Nebraska. Kansas is a wheat state! 
Here is a tour of a Lionel man cave from my good friend on You Tube, Train Room Gary!
Here is a how to do it feature for a train man cave from DIY TV. If you are doing a train man cave should it only be stocked with Atlas O? I like AGHR Matt's shopping list above for cave features - top of the list big screen, blu ray player, train DVDs, popcorn maker, fridge, beer!!
A pistol range isn't a bad idea, but strictly for pellet guns! You can get a good pellet trap without spending too much (mine is actually rated for .22's but I don't want the noise and hassle in the house). I certainly wouldn't advise target practice and drinking at the same time - pellet guns are nowhere near as dangerous as firearms, but somebody could lose an eye if they got hit with a pellet. 25 feet is the normal distance for shooting a pellet pistol.
...and trapeze?
A pistol range isn't a bad idea, but strictly for pellet guns! You can get a good pellet trap without spending too much (mine is actually rated for .22's but I don't want the noise and hassle in the house).
When I was in my teens I got a Ruger Mk1 .22 for my birthday. One day I went next door to ask the neighbor a question and he was in his garage (doors closed) plinking away with his .22 rifle using .22 shorts. He suggested I bring over my pistol and have some fun. I got off about 3 rounds before he started yelling to stop, because of all the noise it was making (using .22 long rifle bullets). This was around 1967-68 and he had no noise abatement program in his garage 
There's an enormous difference in noise between a rifle firing shorts and a pistol with Long Rifle ammo. CB caps would be more like it for indoors, but of course they wouldn't work the action on a semiauto like a Mark I. I used to have a Ruger .22 rifle with an integral sound suppressor. That's the ideal solution for indoor target practice, but it requires a $200 Federal transfer tax, a bunch of Federal paperwork, and is illegal in some states. More trouble than it's worth for most folks.
In my old job I once got to fire a full-auto M-16 that had been converted to .22 and fitted with a military-grade silencer. That was fun. On an indoor range wearing ear protectors, the only way you could tell it was going off was a slight vibration. Zero recoil and not enough noise to be audible through the ear protectors.
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Originally Posted by Bob Delbridge:
A pistol range isn't a bad idea, but strictly for pellet guns! You can get a good pellet trap without spending too much (mine is actually rated for .22's but I don't want the noise and hassle in the house).
When I was in my teens I got a Ruger Mk1 .22 for my birthday. One day I went next door to ask the neighbor a question and he was in his garage (doors closed) plinking away with his .22 rifle using .22 shorts. He suggested I bring over my pistol and have some fun. I got off about 3 rounds before he started yelling to stop, because of all the noise it was making (using .22 long rifle bullets). This was around 1967-68 and he had no noise abatement program in his garage
NJCJOE, that room looks terrific... Love the Polar Express movie poster!
Now you gotta fill that wall shelf with more trains!!! York is just a month away!
David
Visitors who don't like toy trains? I have a great entertainment suggestion for them: there is a great bar about a mile down the street - why don't you go there?
Such people are not allowed in my space.
big screen tv-small frig. for beer-lazy boy chair-big sign-no woman allowed-joe
Now really? Do you really want to see a bunch of model railroaders on a dance pole?????? That makes me cringe.
Rick
Now really? Do you really want to see a bunch of model railroaders on a dance pole?????? That makes me cringe.
Rick
I have a huge basement in a building I just bought. I am thinking of building a layout around the room. I am looking for ideas of how to add man cave features for those who do not like trains or for nights when we want to do something else. I would love to see your photos or get ideas.
A nice Jukebox.
I would use all of the available space for the layout. There are other resources for non-train related activities.
NJCJOE, that room looks terrific... Love the Polar Express movie poster!
Now you gotta fill that wall shelf with more trains!!! York is just a month away!
David
Big Screen TV--Atleast 65"
Frig
Microwave
Stove
Blender
Well stocks snacks
Bathroom
Easy chairs
sofa's
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