Layout size - How much is enough?

[D&J RailRoad]

Maybe this is big enough. the picture was taken from the top left corner of the layout diagram area. The basement is 55' long by 35' wide.

[Cjcrescent]

How big is big enough? For me the fact I ain't as young as I once was, dictated to me that the ease of maintenance was the most important. So except for a small 4' section against a wall, I have access from inside the layout and the outside, to all areas of the layout.

Mine is built with operations in mind. It can be operated as, point to point, point to loop and continuous running. Just whatever I have a desire to do that day.

[otiscnj]

CJ, I was younger once tooo.... No matter what the size, there's always something more to do, than you planned, or expected.

[joed2323]

I honestly think a person can not have too much mainline run. We always want more and more mainline run.

[Iron Horseman]

Originally Posted by fmjnax

I want to try again and I am planning an N scale layout.

As for my plans with the layout, I'm going for kind of a Rocky Mountain/valley diorama. I grew up in Idaho and I remember the pine-covered, rocky mountain switchbacks with the trains running through the mountains and along the river and finally coming out into the valley/town. I need to make sure I have enough space to handle the switchbacks and the grades.

It is never a problem to get a grade. It us usually a problem to reduce the grades . But, more importantly talk to me a little more about what you mean by switch-backs? The only switchbacks I know of in main stream railroading were the Northern Pacifics in 1886 before they got Stampede Tunnel built (6.5% grade too!), and The Denver & Rio Grande Western's Monarch Branch that switch-backed over US highway 50.

While I am certain there were other switchbacks, the only ones I know of were on mining or logging railroads.

What do you mean by switchback?

[videobruce]

Originally Posted by SecretWeapon

There's never enough!

+1

Layouts are like HDTV's, most always undersize, finding out later it's too small. I could never understand small layouts with very limited 'operation' options. Boring!

[RBMNfan]

Sometimes I wish I had a smaller layout. It depends on how much time and energy you want to spend on your layout. I think a well planned layout can be better than a huge layout. If you have extra space you can expand later.

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[montanan]

Agreed. Never enough space. I am happy with my current layout, but an aircraft hangar would be nice to have, like for a 747 or two.

[John P]

It depends on how you plan to build your railroad. If you have an enormous space to fill, will you live long enough to feel that you've accomplished anything, and even if you plan to live to be 90, will you be willing to work hard enough to do it? We know that a model railroad is "never finished" but if your layout is in a tiny corner of a great empty cavern, it's just not going to be satisfying. And even if you filled a large area with "wide open spaces", would it be interesting to run a train on it? I mean, trains run across Kansas, but the crews probably find it pretty boring; they do it because they're being paid.

[montanan]

Originally Posted by John P

It depends on how you plan to build your railroad. If you have an enormous space to fill, will you live long enough to feel that you've accomplished anything, and even if you plan to live to be 90, will you be willing to work hard enough to do it? We know that a model railroad is "never finished" but if your layout is in a tiny corner of a great empty cavern, it's just not going to be satisfying. And even if you filled a large area with "wide open spaces", would it be interesting to run a train on it? I mean, trains run across Kansas, but the crews probably find it pretty boring; they do it because they're being paid.

Building alone won't be the problem, but the maintenence will be something else to consider. My layout in in a room that is about 28'x 16' and I unfortunately don't really have time to work on it during the summer due to outdoor duties, the maintenence even on a small layout like mine can take up a lot of time.