How to set up a train room for my husband?

Question

My husband and son just inherited 6 boxes of trains, tracks, and such. It isn't set up yet, and thought it would be nice to get the basics of what he would need to get it up and running. I have no idea what would be needed. What size table or plywood is needed, what a good size space would be (I'm willing to give up my office for the train room). Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Very generous of you to be willing to make space for this.

A train layout can be a lot of fun and a source of ongoing interaction time for a lot of years.
The layout space needs to be flexible, that is, it needs to accomodate making changes down through time. This is something your guys will be tinkering with continuously.
The surface must be sturdy so it doesn't flex around.

It's possible to devote a lot of square-footage to a layout, and there are many discussions about how to take advantage of room space. One layout method that seems to work very well is to wrap the layout around two walls of a room in an L shape. Make the surfaces around 3 feet wide, with wider 'teardrops' at both ends for turn arounds, and wider in the corner for a town or a roundhouse. Three feet is deep enough to do interesting things but not so deep as to not be able to reach across it to work, or to replace a derailed train.

The two-walls approach has the added appeal that you can still have cabinets with drawers, or shelves, under the layout so it doesn't completely slam your office space.

Build the platform out of a double thickness of A/C grade plywood (sanded on one side) so the working surface is nice and smooth. Screw a 1x2 to the wall to attach the platform to; that will make it secure at the back. Then work out a way to support the front - either cabinets the right height, or legs.
Make sure to have easy access to electrical power. Consider a power strip attached to the underside of the platform on one end or the other.

After that, let your guys know it's okay to run the layout up the wall. That way, they can build mountains, paint backdrop scenery, all that good stuff. (You can always patch and paint the wall 15 years from now...)

Have fun. I hope this turns out to be a great experience for them.

Answer 2

Well, If you have a basement it would certainly help. It sounds like you have a much larger set than just one train set. For just one or two sets an office would be plenty big enough, but if there are several sets, you need a fairly large room. The set-up is not at all difficult. All you really need is about 4 to 6 saw horses and either one large 7ft by 10ft sheets of 1/2 inch plywood of if that is not possible, you can get joiners that can attach the pieces togather with screws so that they do not come apart. Then you set up the tracks however they go and set the rest up around the tracks as either a town or a country scene. It depends on what you have to work with with the sets. Most come with little towns and trees ect. to set up your own as to your imagination. The track will just snap together so that should not be a problem and there should also be some instructions with the sets as well. Really, it is not difficult but will take quite some time to set this up. Especially if you really want to let your imagination go wild and you decide to paint and make from scratch most or all of your scenery. Let you mind go free and just enjoy. You will have a great time doing this and it would be a great activity that you and your whole family can enjoy. That way you can use all of your imaginations

Answer 3

Rather than trying to set up something ahead of time, I'd suggest that you take a sample of the trains (an engine or car) to your nearest train shop (not a general hobby shop, but a shop that has at least a focus on model trains). Let them tell you the scale of the trains, and let them suggest some books with sample layouts using the same scale of trains.

A significant source of enjoyment from model trains is planning a layout and building it (creating your own little world). Your husband and son could actually spend months planning what they might want to build, and then another few months building the framework, laying the track, wiring the track, and creating the scenery and buildings. By knowing the scale of the trains and looking through the layout design/scenery books, they can come up with a good idea of how much space they need to build the layout they want, or - based on the space you allow them, they can determine how much layout can fit into the defined space.

If you get them some books, and they decide that they're not quite ready to tackle building their own layout from scratch, then you/they could always set up a sheet of plywood or homasote (thick enough to not flex) onto a table and build a "starter" layout on the sheet to see how they like it. Laying the track on the sheet, and also creating the scenery/buildings on there will give them an idea as to if they want to get more involved into the hobby of model railroading.

BTW, I think knowing the scale of the trains would also be important even if you want to set up a sheet of plywood. If the trains are Z or N scale, you can do quite a lot on a 4'x8' board; if the trains are HO scale (most common), then 4'x8' would be just enough to build a first layout with. 4'x8' won't be big enough to do much with the scales larger than HO.

One thing about the size of the board - from many years of experience. If you set up the train board (or layout) against a wall, anything wider than 30-36 inches is hard to reach across after it's been scenicked and everything is in place. And - the trains will always derail at the back side of the board where they can't be easily reached (I think it's some kind of law of nature).

Finally, a lot of model trains (especially older ones that have been inherited) can be collector's items - especially if they are unused (haven't been run) and are still in their original boxes. If the trains are older and in like new condition, they may be worth more than you think. However, if they've obviously been used and run, then don't worry about their value and enjoy running them on the new layout.

If they are both interested in setting up a layout together, it will probably become a very good father/son bonding hobby. My father got me involved in model railroading, and a lot of my memories of him involve working with him on our different layouts (making the layout better or replacing the layout is an ongoing thing), running the trains together, and even going to the train shop together to pick out our newest acquisition for the railroad. It's a hobby with many facets - carpentry, electrical, design, painting for example - besides just running the trains. And, I also got started just about 40 years ago, and am still doing it with my son.

Answer 4

I'll do my "once upon a time" here. My dad and brother built a table for mine. 8 foot x 8 foot. It was in the basement. It really depends on how far they want to go. My track was cool and I enjoyed it for many years. I would say something in the neighborhood of a 10x10 room would be fine. give it a shout. Nothing like some legal "male bonding"

Answer 5

http://atlasrr.com/

Go here and at the top of page see, layouts, beginners ,etc. Get some books on the subject in the gage you have, ho,n,o, etc. Don't buy any wood or anything till you have a plan. The books for beginners will lead you through the process from track plans to wiring and scenery.

Answer 6

NIce Some cordless tools to start and a budget say 200 dollars 3 times a year.

http://cgi.ebay.com/18-VOLT-FIRESTORM-4-PIECE-CORDLESS-COMBO-FS418AC-2-NEW_W0QQitemZ170175693091QQcmdZViewItem

Answer 7

Hope this helps, http://www.tnatrainlayouts.com/
also try:http://www.trains.com/mrr/

Both are excellent resources.

I'm sure they will thank you for the sacrifice! Model railroading lasts a lifetime.

Answer 8

go to a hobby store, i am sure they can give you some great suggestions.

Answer 9

im still stuck on..
*for my husband*
lmaoo. :D