Apartment Layout, what scale is best?


F

fullsteam88

New Member
I live in a small apartment (a total of 4 rooms including the bathroom). I have always wanted a model railroad but have never had anywhere to put it. I have finally decided that with moving a few things out into storage that I don't need or use that I will have the space to finally do so.

If I use the area I am intending I will have roughly two options, a 3'x7' table or a 4'x6' table. I was wondering what the best scale would be to use and actually make something that will look nice. I was thinking HO Scale would be the largest, would it be better to move down to N Scale? I would really like it to be more then one track if at all possible.

I also need to keep the project affordable. I am a single guy living on my own with a modest income, I don't have a lot of money to throw into my hobbies. Most of the buildings and scenery I will scratch build myself. I build a lot of models and other projects so I don't think I will have much difficulty there.

I guess the first thing is I need help selecting the best scale for my space and likes. Then I need help coming up with a plan to start working on actually being able to piece this together. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
fullsteam88
 
I really think that N scale is going to give you more fun per square inch in that situation. The smaller size will allow you to have lots of inexpensive scenery and more realistic curves.

3x7 / 4x6 are really going to cramp you in HO. It's doable, but I would definitely go with N in your space.
 
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If you are youngish, and if you are quite firmly constrained to that space, and you want something other than a switching puzzle or yard-type layout, there is no question that N scale is the way to go. On the other hand, HO stuff is more plentiful, covers more "ground" in terms of railroads modelled, and is easier to see and to handle...especially to repair and maintain. HO will really limit what you can do in that space, though.

N scale has come into its own in the past 10 years or so with the buying market growing enough that the manufacturers have begun to populate the available material more heavily and with better products.
 
I am in the same situation with the apartment layout, I only had one bedroom (12'x14'), and minimal furniture, so I started planning a walkaround layout in HO scale. I chose HO because I build custom locomotives, and the larger scale works wonders for details. If you are going with a table design, I would recommend N scale (wow...never thought I would be saying that!), simply because it gives you greater flexibility.

Out of curiosity do you have an ideas in mind as far as era, railroad, etc.?
 
Don't forget about Z! Oh, wait, he has a budget :D

I also would suggest N. It has come a long way in the last few years. I've even considered it, but to far along in HO to switch now.
 
Okay, so finally got home from work. Measured the space that I have to dedicate to the layout. I will be able to do a 3'x8' table. I won't be able to go to a full fledged 4' wide as it will hit the attic door and prevent it from opening (which isn't good for heater maintenance).

As far as a range of theme...I'm not sure, been rolling that one around quite a bit. I have always loved things with engines (planes, trains, trucks, tractors, etc.) So my first thoughts always land towards early to mid diesel years...not the more modern diesels like the big BNSF engines you see out west. I have always liked the 50's looks. I also like the late steam power years, the larger engines. Things like the a 4-6-4 engines or larger, even up to the big boy stuff.

I would probably center the layout more around a freight line then a passenger line as well. Just never been into the whole sleek super-liner look. Although, some of the classic steam-turbine engines catch my fancy. But, I bet there isn't anyone making N-scale replica's of those.

fullsteam88
 
I think it has to be N scale, unless you plan to be a trolley nut. In HO you simply cannot get a 180 degree bend in a 3 foot width, and without that, you'll never use the full width of the table. All you'll be able to do is go back and forth along the 8ft length.

Could you rearrange the square footage and make it a shelf layout, long and narrow? Then the constraint wouldn't be in the form of curve radius.

"Big boy stuff"? Bwahahaha! Sorry, but you aren't in that league.

Is there a club in your area? One advantage in joining a club is that you get to work on and operate a big layout, without having to fit it into your home.
 
I doubt there are any clubs, but I haven't really looked into it a whole lot. I spose if I really got to thinking about it I could put it in what is now my kitchen/office/dining room area. That would give me probably the same 3' depth but I could make it into an L shape then...I will have to do some looking into rearranging the area, see what I could come up with there.

I had some time here after the girlfriend left to look over some of my books. Engines I had post-it-noted were as follows:

Fairbanks Morse H16-44 & H24-66
GP-50
GP-7
RS-3 & RS-2

In steam I had a 4-8-2 and 4-8-4 flagged

Also, given my location I was thinking about doing something local. Maybe going after one of the Ohio Short Lines like Great Miami & Scioto or Cuyahoga Valley. I also have put in serious consideration on doing an Erie Lackawanna setup.

fullsteam88
 
All those engines are available in N scale so no problem there. The more space you can get along a wall, the more interesting a layout you can build. There's a fine line between having enough room to run trains where you don't see the same one every 10 seconds and one that never seems to go away.

The Cuyahoga Valley would be an interesting line to model since you can run just about any diesel or steam engine you want. The only issue is that it's a scenic railroad so about all they do is run trains back and forth. If you want to include some switching and industry, you'd be better off with another short line.
 
Okay, attached is an image of the maximum amount of space I could dedicate to the layout. I really couldn't pull much more space just for the sake of the fact that it is an apartment, and it will get extremely cramped extremely fast. I think with N-scale and that much room I should be able to present a pretty dern good layout.

The more I get to thinking about a line to follow I think Erie Lackawanna would be the most fun for me. My father will have a bunch of info on their stuff in all of his train stuff. Being that they are somewhat local to me I think it would mean a little more that way.

fullsteam88
 
Looks like a real interesting track plan and you lucked out finding one that almost exactly matches your measurments. There's plenty of room for yard by replacing the paper mill with a few smaller industries and a small town. I like building cityscapes so I always cringe when I see a layout where there's no place for anyone to live or buy a loaf of bread. :)
 
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