Question: Who runs their trains at club layouts only?

1. only run at club.

2. can run long trains that a home layout does not permit.

3. can make scenery and show it off.

4. can make fun trains and show them off.

I currently don't have a home layout, but do have a 8x16 modular layout that I have set up in the past.  It's in storage now so my club, the Paradise and Pacific is the only place for me to operate.

Clubs can be interesting politically, but we are blessed with a great group of people in the club and excellent leadership.  We have a dedicated group of retirees who spend every day working out issues, making improvements, and trouble shooting the little things so that members like me who still work an average 60+ hour work week can enjoy the layout when we have a run day.  With an over 1200 s.f. layout that is no small task.  5 TIUs, 4 mainlines, automatic operation when members are not present, and being open 364 days a year is quite an endeavor.

For me, I like the relaxation of bringing my trains, running them for the public for about 6 hours, and taking them back home.  I like long prototypical trains so I can run 18-20 scale passenger cars and upwards of 75 freight cars consistently.  I don't worry about era or road.  I just like to run trains there.

However, I also hugely enjoy layout building.  Unfortunately life events have prevented me from following that dream, so the club layout is my best alternative these days.  My dream layout is in 2R O.  Don't have the space now.  I'm considering going back to N for a home layout.  Wish I had time to run more than two or three times a year though!

Paradise and Pacific Website

Pretty much only at the club anymore. I seem to just use my home layout for testing.

It's the reason I belong to 3 o scale clubs.

I should mention that I'm fortunate to have two model train clubs in my area (South Florida) and I'm a member of both. 

My family and I have moved again recently and all my hobby stuff, including trains, is still packed away. So right now for the time being I will take out a trainset and carry them to run on the weekends and get my fix (thus the reason for my creating this post topic) 

I do not have a home layout and don't plan to have one. I run my trains at my club only. I also build models, do scenery and electrical work for my club. I've been there almost every Wednesday night and sometimes on other nights for 31 years. 

Got no room right now working on that now. Mainly wont have scenery just open mainline.

love running at clubs 

I'm also in the club-only camp, at least until my mortgage is paid off and I can build an outbuilding for a dedicated layout (my basement isn't really suited for a layout big enough to make me happy).

Andy

While technically not a club, I volunteer with the Glancy Trains modular layout which is a traveling ambassador for the Detroit Historical Museum.  I don’t have the room in the two bedroom apartment my girlfriend and I share for a permanent layout.  Even a small track to tinker with my collection takes up a good portion of our dining/living area.  The modular group operates mainly in the fall and winter at various events.  A big one is the Christmas holiday event at Greenfield Village, where I work.  That makes it easy to go run Trains for the evening events after I get off work.  I don’t really have the time or desire to run my models during the spring/fall/summer months because I’m typically working on the real thing for 40+ hours a week, so the winter is when I get the most enjoyment out of it.  

I also set up a fairly large Christmas display at the Redford Theatre in Detroit, which is often up between December and March.  While I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to run my nicer models on that display, it gives me something to tinker with during the season.

I’d love to have the room for a layout at home, but I’m content with running on the modular display and my Christmas display until that day comes.

Until I get my layout going, hopefully later this summer, I'm in that camp.   However, that will change soon!

Kevin

Although I have a 12x20 home layout, I run mostly at the club. There I can run on a 4,000 SqFt layout, with a choice of many lines to run on. The one real benefit of belonging to a club is the many friendships made as well as the sharing of skills. Luckily on the New York City area there are several Hi-Rail clubs and the clubs do support social activities with each other. 

My home layout is mainly a practice layout to test out repairs but it also serves to satisfy a quick train fix. 

Steve

I am on the other end of the spectrum. I tend to only run on my home layout because I really do not a have any O-Scale 3-Rail clubs around me, the only club close to me runs HO Scale. Though I haven't been doing much on my layout lately, been busy with college and a redesign of my current layout.

I run all of my large, scale-length stuff at the club. My home 3-by-8-foot layout naturally serves as a place to run my traditional-sized stuff.