Move or teardown?

In my experience I built everything on modules anticipating a move. Each module was 26 inches wide and 6 foot long. I was not able to save any scenery, and I had to remove all the track. When I set up in the new home, the layout opportunities were endless, so the only thing that I was able to salvage was the 26 inch by 6 foot long wood grid bases.

I did move about five years ago and I found that moving the layout was not feasible. So I just cut it apart and junked it. 

It would be more of a hassle then it is worth IMO. 

It also gave me a chance to try something new when building my present layout. 

Good luck in whatever you decide. 

Hi Sam;

Just an observation from someone who hasn't been through this.  From the way you describe your existing layout, it sounds like it wouldn't too great a hassle to disassemble and relocate it to your new home.  One of the things that occurs to me is the amount of money you will save on the materials you would have to purchase to start all over again.

Sam,

If you haven't already done so, maybe you should also consider the logistics involved in moving the salvaged layout pieces?

• If you could save the pieces, would you easily (and affordably) be able to transport it to the new house?
• Would you be able to get the pieces out of the current area and navigate the pieces through any doorways, hallways, or steps?
• Can you move the pieces directly into the new house or will they need to be temporarily stored somewhere?
• Maybe related to the above question, can you leave the layout up until you are ready to move or might you have to remove it early so that the house can be shown for sale?
• Given the space in the new house, would it be better (maybe amount of work or cost of materials) to retrofit the old layout to the new house or just rebuild it from scratch to fit the new area?

Jim

Well, it's your layout and it depends on you.  LOL I just had to say that.

But, in this case it's all true.  You know your layout better than anyone else.  You know what things you like the most and what you like the least about your layout.  If you were to build again from scratch,  what would you like to add and what would you like to get rid of?  Maybe you could use some of the old layout and build new in other places.

What about those "man, I wish I had that on my layout" moments.  And, "boy, that looks like a lot of work.  Glad I didn't do that on my layout".

So, it is all up to you.  Save what you like, trash what you don't like.  Build new to get what you always dreamed to have.  And, just have fun.

Rick

In my opinion, to take apart an L-girder based layout and be able to reassemble it is a pretty difficult thing to do.

I had a very similar situation as you, although it was over 20 years ago when I moved. I basically took everything apart but salvaged a lot of lumber, especially the L-girders, saving a significant amount of money on material and time when I rebuilt. I also didn't want to have to oversee the movers who wouldn't have known what to make of the layout and I'm sure would have damaged a lot of track had I let them undertake it. Also, they would have charged more.

Very little of the original track layout remains, but a lot of lumber does.

Mine was built with moving in mind, just in case.  I think I would take it apart to a point, if you thought you could reuse and move sections, and save those.  If it was built well, then there is no reason to start completely from scratch unless you have to.  

Mine is made from layouts I built two houses ago and four layouts ago. Still using the same Gargraves track and Ross turnouts. The last two layouts are in mostly 2'x8' sections. The last rebuild was this winter. I use to put track joints at the end of each section but now I just cut with dremel. Works better that way and gets me operating faster. Scenery is blue foam that also comes off in sections.

If it were me, I would start over. I would take this as an opportunity to perhaps add new ideas that you may have come up with in every aspect of the layout.

Good luck with the move. Let us know what you decide to do.

WOW, thanks so much for your valued inputs.   There were somethings I had not considered, like the doorway issues and getting it out ASAP so house can go on market sooner.

Another thought was it better to remove the all track and switches or leave them alone where possible?  Track is not ballasted, though I am sure some has gotten glued down when we ballasted the sides of the ROW foam shapes.

I've done this tear-down thing twice in the last five years. I originally built the stanchions (benchwork supports) separately from the top/horizontal benchwork just for this eventuality. It allowed me to redesign my layout each time while using the stanchions again. Saved me a lot of work and time in 2012. Current layout is 12 X 24. I'm trying to figure out how to expand to add more DCS trains. I have a small mountain in the back so upward may be difficult direction to expand.

 Wally

If you can afford to start over it would be a great excuse.  You can use the experience you gained from building the last layout on your new one. 

If you are going to pull all of the track off then you might as well start over. If not, I would just remove tracks at the joints so the track ends back from the joint/cut line. This protects the track ends from inevitable damage otherwise. Saving and moving pieces definitely cuts down on putting things back up again.

Peter

The big question - how soon do you want to be up and running once you move?  I'm sure that other things will be demanding your attention with all that will be going on, and at least if you try to section it up and move it you can run right off the bat even if it's far from where you'd like it to be,

I built L-girder sectional so it could be disassembled and tightly moved out of the train-room, but this is my "carry me out house" so I'll be here until they carry me out feet first.

The thinking is grand-kids or whomever could take it on if they wanted.

Building a new layout is fun, your move is an opportunity.

I go along with fellow posters who suggest starting a new.  Cut and run.  The enjoyment of creating a new layout with lessons learned is priceless.  Don't be afraid of building a new layout, like the statement above, a great opportunity awaits.

TEX

Steve

If you have nicely scenicked buildings and areas you could always cut those out and save them to be placed and blended into a new layout.  I think keeping the track sections would be difficult.  Transporting small 2x2 sections of buildings and scenery should be easier through doors.

My plan is to remove these size sections to keep a few city blocks or buildings here and there, and then build a wooden box around each to protect in storage while the house is showing and before moving.  Planning ahead, as hopefully I will not be moving anytime soon.

Lumber costs for a medium sized layout =  couple few hundred dollars

Track and switches for a medium sized layout = couple few thousand dollars.

Fitting a non modular layout into a different location = harder than finding a good spouse.

IMO, Along with the buildings and power save the track,switches and longer clean wood and start over. tt

I'm planning on moving to a new house myself in a year... with a BIGGER train room!  

So I think you have to ask yourself this... do you enjoy running trains around your layout more, or do you enjoy building and working on the layout more?  If you like running trains more, then maybe move your layout.  But if you are like me and enjoy building and designing and all.... then salvage anything you can and scrap the rest and REBUILD!!!!  

I have moved five times and each time I moved, I torn the layout down, but saved the framework lumber for the next layout.  Each layout was an improvement over the one before.

With the present layout, I have taken a different approach.  The layout I'm building now is modular.  It is designed to fit my existing 14 X 25 foot space.  The beauty of the layout being modular is I can take it apart when the time comes to move again.  If my new train space is larger, I'll build additional modules and plug them in.  If the space is smaller, I'll leave some of the existing modules out or construct new one to take full advantage of the space.

Having a modular railroad may present some scenic challenges, but the task of building another railroad empire is reduced.  Heck, I don't want to keep rebuilding, I want to run my railroad with the time I have left on this earth.

Below is a snapshot of my existing layout plan.

I think tackindy had a very good point, after the practical considerations others have brought up are considered:  Do you like running trains or building the layout more?  Myself, when I moved once I did cut the layout apart and reuse it in the new home, saving a lot of time.  The only downside was seeing one of my mountains go sailing off from the pickup into the river:  The wind had caught underneath it.  The chicken wire under it stayed put though, so it was a piece of cake to rebuild it. 

When we move to our new "carry me out house" where we will live until they literally carry me out, we had to tear out the "trial layout" in the basement; the buyer would not close until it was gone (not a train person at all.)

I re-used some of the lumber and track (relay rail) on the new layout, but most of it went to the dump.

Glad I did the first attempt because the mistakes and errors made taught me what not to do on the "final layout".

Good Morning Sam,

Start over fresh and take your time in building your new layout. I believe you will be happier doing it this way.

Jimmy

I just went through a move...of sorts.  Went from a garage layout to a room over the garage with HVAC!  I actually thought about cutting out some sections I really liked on the old layout and "moving" them up, but decided to just save as much as I could, scenery and track wise, and start over.  I also saved just about every piece of benchwork I could, as well as scrap pieces I could use in my re-build.  I guess the cost of moving all of the supplies might come up, but I didn't have to worry about that.

i say start fresh, but save as much as you can!  

I have lost track of how many tear downs I have done, and my current layout is built atop folding tables complete with handles, with a harder but thin wood surface laminated to them that appears seamless.  If and when I move, the connecting track sections can be loosened, accessories removed, and they can be easily carried by one person. Frankly,  it took me so long to get the layout the way I wanted it, the idea of doing it a second time just was not appealing as I am satisfied with the way it is. If I were younger perhaps it would be more permanent..but crawling and bending around the layout to rebuild this one can be miserable at my age.

I would tear down the existing and make the new one more movable.I think tear downs are not easy or fun and I don't want to set myself up for aches and pains the next time. Should I kick the bucket, no one is left with a big mess of plaster and  a ton of lumber.Another consideration is where the layout is located. Mine is in a spare bedroom on the second floor. Carrying lumber etc in a million trips up and down to build the new one and the mess, made me look at alternatives.

Oh hecky darn!!  Here I was leaning towards teardown.  Now with these helpful inputs, I am back sitting atop the yes/no fence again.  Both arguments make sense.

Tearing down layouts is an unhappy event and attempting to move them intact in sections has been equally sad for me.

Like many others I moved often during the 1970s-80s-'90s.  During the '70s I unsuccessfully tried moving a couple of HO layouts in sections followed by a sectioned O gauge operation from Morristown, N.J. in 1978 that eventually ended up as trashed scenery and structural  firewood kindling out at the Farm. Since then I have built all my layouts using only deck screws and bolts as fasteners--the only nails being brads in the cork roadbed. 

I dismantled my 1992 5-track operation at the mountain retirement cottage Mar.'08 and gave the components to an emerging O-gauger which included over 300' of Gargraves flex track and several switches.

The 1997 built 15x25/8x12 [unscenicked] layout upstairs here in our Condo was dismantled in Oct. '09 one screw at a time when we had to move back to Greensboro and needed the space to deal with age and health issues. In this case as I dismantled I saved and bundled the structural components and electrical components including wiring for temporary storage in the garage while I awaited a healthier time to build a 9x16 final, simple "senior citizen's" layout in a small attic room. With the exception of new screws/bolts and a couple sheets of plywood and construction foam, the new little attic layout is built entirely of recycled components from the '97 dismantled layout including recycled Gargraves flextrack and Ross turnouts.

[pictures below of '97 layout while being dismantled].

It takes a fraction of the time to disassemble the layout that took years to build.

I often wonder what the next owner of my house will think of the train room in the attic. "Who built this mess and what was it good for?"

Well today July 9th, layout moved from old to new home.  Had three professional mover men do work.  I had previously disconnected and marked every wire and cable from layout board.  Then marked and removed the joiner boards between the plywood sheets underlayment.  A borrowed Sawzall made short work of foam between sheets and through a plywood and chickenwire hill.  The layout moved in four pieces.  Amazing how heavy and akward 3/4 plywood and foam can get.  Then the L girder framework sections was dissassembeled just enough to get through doorway.

At other end, process was reversed.  I previously made a measurement map of new room, and the layouts outer dimensions.  Then I measured the offset of framework to outer layout edges which in turn allowed me to place a tape marker where the first framework corner post should go.  From then on, the rest of L girder was re-attached, and aligned with room walls.  Then the layout was wrangled through the doors and down steps and centered on top of framework (I was helping with one section as it weighed the proverbial ton).  When done, layout was within inch of mapped location.  Close enough for government work!

Word to wise, get professionals to do the move.  Saving pennies is not worth hurting your back or having heavy piece(s) get away from you and injure you.

Very impressive. I always think I'll do things in a logical fashion but it usually ends up helter-skelter.

Very good.  Glad that your decision to move worked out so well for you.

Sam

moving the layout is amazing; I could never do it. But think of all the time you saved in rebuilding now you can just re-wire and re-glue a bit and play!

I never had to move a layout. When I had the basement done about eighteen years ago I just trashed what I had.

When I started the new layout I was thinking about being able to move it in the future but as things developed over the years I found it almost imposssible to stay plan "A". For that reason I don't know how much of the super structure I will be able to save if a move ever did come to pass.

What I did do is to build special vignettes, such as my transfer table, bascule and truss bridges so they could be moved as individual units. Things like that are what is really worth saving, so I guess the best could be saved.

Good luck.

Move or teardown?

Since I wanted to avoid this problem in the first place I am building a totally modular "plug and play" layout.  Everything is designed to allow easy teardown and re-assembly.

See my post Building a Modular Style "Plug and Play" Layout for details.

See Train Forums track plans and layout design for my post.