Forsaking Railroad


Brakeman Hal

Brakeman Hal

Well-Known Member
I'll be moving from a 2800 sq. ft. home to a 975 sq. ft. apartment soon, and because of rheumatoid arthritis, I don't have the strength to dismantle my 130-foot O-Scale 2 Rail layout which is bolted to the framework of the building, so I'll just let it go with the house when I sell it.

At age 85, maybe I can set up a simple N-Scale layout in the apartment. That would be some change; going from 1/48 scale to 1/160 scale!

Hal
 
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Brakeman Hal said:
I'll be moving from a 2800 sq. ft. home to a 975 sq. ft. apartment soon, and because of rheumatoid arthritis, I don't have the strength to dismantle my 130-foot O-Scale 2 Rail layout which is bolted to the framework of the building, so I'll just let it go with the house when I sell it.

At age 85, maybe I can set up a simple N-Scale layout in the apartment. That would be some change; going from 1/48 scale to 1/160 scale!

Hal
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In some ways, that is going to be a blessing, With a little planning, you could have even a nice HO switching layout, maybe along an entire wall. Passenger trains are a thing of the past, unfortunately, unless you can manage an around-the-room shelf at the 7' level. But switchers and some freight cars could do very nicely over a 20" X 12' shelf. I will never be more than 20 steps away, say from the toilet or from your bed. In my case, I have to trudge through the rain and across a soggy lawn to get to my garage to run trains.
 
Sorry to hear that you have to move but no matter what, don't give up model railroading! You can have a lot of fun with a switching layout or an N-scale layout. It doesn't need to be fancy - just watching trains moving around the layout is great therapy :)
 
I think I would consider some sort of old style 'hideaway bed' arrangement for the apt. Something like that could be put onto a wall of an apt with very little disruption to the wall surfaces. You could likely have 4x8 layout pretty easy.
 
Mixed news Hal.

Been going through my head to downsize as well as the wife and I don't need 1800sq feet either. After the house gets paid off, the taxes and insurance are still going to run us $600 a month (at current levels), just to stay in a place we own.

I would consider HO before N as I have an N-scale for the grandson, and find it too small for my hands.
 
I would tend to say HO as well,...N is just a little too small for my older hands and eyes (78 yrs)

Here is an example of a rather compact but useful layout with sidings for running several trains at a time
1633522554704.png


Could be made in the size of a box springs for a bed. I have more images of this plan SOMEWHERE?
 
On the subject of HO scale,...it is much easier to handle than N scale, especially at our older age. i recall doing some repais on a fellow N scale layout he had at his office, and it was much more challenging to correct put on the rails, and keep on the rails (and this was good 10 years ago when I was only 67).

I think you would fine more versatility and cheaper pricing in HO scale as well.

You could also run On30 trains on that HO track (O scale trains on HO track). I even have a nice Bachmann 'North Pole Express set I just got from a friend to resell for him. Here is a similar ebay listing
https://www.ebay.com/itm/203627235078?hash=item2f69210706:g:KDMAAOSwoalhT7Ll

Entire train set with track and power pack, and lighted cars,....179
 
If you were to look at HO, here is a vary nice Broadway E-7 diesel engine I have listed on this site
https://modelrailroadforums.com/for...-7-diesel-locomotive-a-unit-with-sound.32792/
with sound.

This is a good heavy engine that will run and track very well.

I might also suggest that you consider a Proto 1000 model termed the DL-109. It is a very heavy good running loco. I have purchased a number of these engines with various roadnames for my kitbashing project
https://modelrailroadforums.com/for...ong-shark-bp20-and-a-b-unit-for-dl-109.21934/

They are great running engines, and I probably have more than I will ever use.
 
One advantage of HO over N is the authentic sounds coming from the engine itself, not from a fixed off-track source.
However, an HO layout in a much smaller space than my 130 feet of O scale track is not going to look so impressive...

Maybe I could build a shelf railroad on the long wall of the 2nd bedroom, as long as the shelf was wide enough to permit a radius big enough for a reversing loop.

Hal
 
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If the HO layout is up at eye level it will look more impressive,...but at your advancing age I would not suggest an eye level layout unless it can be a sitting eye level,...adjustable height seat.

I was assuming you would be running straight DC,...not DCC. That 'blueline' Broadway ltd engine I spoke of has sound with just DC operation.
 
Brakeman Hal said:
One advantage of HO over N is the authentic sounds coming from the engine itself, not from a fixed off-track source.
However, an HO layout in a much smaller space than my 130 feet of O scale track is not going to look so impressive...

Maybe I could build a shelf railroad on the long wall of the 2nd bedroom, as long as the shelf was wide enough to permit a radius big enough for a reversing loop.

Hal
Click to expand...
If the reversing loop is in a corner, or 2 corners if you want continuous running, then the connecting shelf can be narrower with the loops as 'blobs'. As you would know MTH is no longer in business and anything that was left of the production is already sold or close to it. Atlas picked up his "O" scale and Scale Trains his HO scale from what I've read or heard. Steamers only I believe too. As Mike was exceedingly protective of his DCS system, I doubt anyone will ever get the rights to that.
 
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