Is your layout too big?


Is your layout too big?

  • No. My layout size is perfect

    Votes: 45 26.5%

  • No. My layout is too small

    Votes: 97 57.1%

  • Yes. My layout is too big

    Votes: 7 4.1%

  • Yes. I am reducing the size of my layout

    Votes: 4 2.4%

  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 17 10.0%
  • Total voters
    170
MLW

MLW

Active Member
I’ve been reading various magazine lately and visited some home layout and It got me thinking: “Is my layout too big”?
I have a spare bedroom in the basement and at one point I had plans to make it part of my “layout room” but not anymore.

Since I started to rebuilt and rejuvenate my layout I decided to stick with the same room and not to fill it completely with benchwork etc..
The main line is slightly longer then before but the layout occupies less space. It’s just better designed this time around.

So here’s the question:

Do you think your layout is too big?
 
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Mine is too small because of poor space planning. I could have had about three feet more room on either end if I had come around the walls at a different angle. Poor planning takes its evil toll. :)
 
I just started over using parts and pieces from the "Frankenstein" I almost had finished.
It was great to operate and had tons of switching and mainline running with meets, but it also was a bit of a nightmare to maintain and blocked out the windows. The new one still retains the basics of the old one but the smaller size allows more light into the room and even room for a crews lounge area.
I'll post some pice when I get time.
 
At about 8' x 10' mine is almost too big for the room which is 8' x 13'. It shares that space with the front door, a medium-size refrigerator and a small kitchen. My computer (the one I'm using now) is under the layout.
 
My layout has just the right mix of yards and trackside industries to keep me occupied, but if I could find additional space, I'd put more distance between the towns on my main line.
 
Mine is perfect. I don't have much of a space problem since I only have 4, 2x4 modules that are to Free-Mo standards.
 
Hi: I have to agree with John Armstrong's opinion in his book "TRACK PLANNING for REALISTIC OPERATION". On page 55 is a box entitled "HOW BIG IS TOO BIG? He says "Operationally, a good big layout still beats a good little layout". But there are pitfalls to a big layout. One is, "not too big or too much main line, as too much track complexity". The other is, "it may take too long to get operating, that interest may be lost". That's why I believe mine is just right.
 
Someday I might win the lottery & then I'm going to add onto my 24by40ft building & then my layout will be 24by80ft. Your layout will never be too biig.
 
Mine is right for me right now. As a beginner lone wolf, I am learning so much that a larger layout would be overwhelming. Operation is enjoyable, and I slowly scenic it. And I get to clean a much more manageable amount of track. (Bet that one struck a cord.)

It is 4x10. I stretched a 4x8 from a Kalbach book. Still a long way to go, but I am enjoying the trip. If I decide to redo things in a bigger way, I will then have a better idea of what I want. I should also be able to reuse a lot of sunk costs (engines, rolling stock, structures, switches and some scenic items.)
 
I ran my router for about 2 hrs. the other day & although I had everything covered w/plastic drop cloths, some of the dust snuck in anyway. Now, it's about 2 hrs. of cleaning track,so, you guys w/small layouts got it made. LOL
 
As for me, my layout is to small:( I plan to make a larger one that not only fit's my budget but also is not a Maint. headache! I'm just going to model a typical western mainline with hiden staging enough to hold four diffrent trains and one or two large industrys. Another goal is to keep switches to the min. while maintaining intrest:rolleyes: Plus to movable, If we move I want to take it with me:eek: Lofty goal I know but I just might have the plan for it!:D
 
Ive recently dismantled my layouts, (2 levels in an 8' x 6' space) By most standards they are tiny but they were too big for the space I had. Im now approaching the space in a different way, several small modules that can be used a couple at a time in the shed, several at a time outside in the summmer or in conjunction with friends modules that are being started too.

Johhn
 
My home layout is basicly a 15' long "L" shaped dog bone. Its great for running two 8 car trains. I have some nice switching that can be done wile one freight does laps on the main or I can use both passing sidings to run both trains in diffrent directions. Small layouts are nice as I can add alot of detail to it. Im in a town home and know one day this layout will be left behind so I cant get to attached to it. right now its small but I have little choice but to live with it. When I retire 30 some years from now I will hopefully have a larger home that I can have a larger layout room?.
 
I went from 8' x 16' to 24' x 30' in one giant leap for one already overworked dude (me). I'm not sorry I did it (I have 4 scale miles of main line), but after almost a year all that's done is the benchwork and track laid. I sure am glad I painted those blue foam panels 'dirt brown' or it would really look silly... :rolleyes:
 
My layout is 17'X23'. At one time I had plans for a layout that was even bigger. Then as I started getting older I remembered something a good friend told me once in Mobile. "Its not how well you can build a layout that makes it perfect. Its how easy it is to maintain as you get older that makes it perfect."

Right now, I believe that I can maintain this one easily. When I'm 80 in 25yrs, I hope that I am right.
 
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