I looked this morning in my profile under Pending Posts and realized I never posted this thread I wrote after the first of the year!
So 2023 saw a major lifestyle change for me that will have a huge impact on how I pursue this hobby. A couple of years ago we bought a summer house in New England. And after my wife retired and we became empty nesters, we decided —- after 26 years in northern NJ — to sell the NJ house and move up here full time. It was difficult leaving the New Jersey Hi-Railers, which I joined about 10 years ago. Such an awesome layout and a terrific bunch of people. And it was bittersweet when it came time to dismantle my small 8x12 garage layout. (I would’ve thought inheriting a functioning multi-level O Gauge layout with lights and scenery would’ve been an attractive selling point but our realtor seemed to think otherwise.). It was sad for me, I’ve never been much of a handyman or woodworker type. This was the biggest undertaking I’d ever attempted. You can see the reference book I needed sitting on the hood of the car in the garage.
This was what I used as my guide and although the finished product wasn’t museum-quality by any means, it stood for 17 years and allowed me the opportunity to buy and operate model trains, and have a lot of fun doing so.
This was the last run on the layout before “deconstruction” commenced.
It took a couple years to put it all together. A depressingly less amount of time to reduce it to this! (Another sad moment….watching guys tossing the remnants into a dumpster to haul it away. LOL)
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust? I didn't think of it at the time but I should have kept some of the ashes in an urn. Could’ve put it on the shelf next to the urn holding our Shetland Sheepdog. 😁
Now that chapter of my hobby life is over. This new location offers a lot more room than the previous place. Full basement (unfinished) with lot of storage area. Huge detached two-car garage should I decide to go the garage-layout route again. And then above the garage is an unfinished area that is probably the best candidate for a train room. Measures about 26 x 30. Here’s what that space looks like. First shot is the view looking in from the entryway. Second shot is from the side….both sides have three windows. If I used this space I’d probably have the windows on one side removed to allow one solid wall where for some display shelves. Or maybe a backdrop. 🤷♂️
So lots of options. Still trying to sort things out. To make matters more complicated, my wife and I haven’t decided whether or not we”ll live here year round. We’ll see. What I do know is that I haven’t run trains since last June and I certainly miss it. Meanwhile, I’ll get my train fix looking at the photos and videos here on the Forum. 👍
Will heat be an issue in the area above the garage (should you choose it)?
