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This is our first train layout. It is a portable, 6.5' x 8' HO scale layout that can be "folded up" against the wall in order to allow our cars to park in the garage.
The 1/2" plywood base is covered with a 1 1/2" sheet of foam. The Atlas Code 83 flex-track is about 90% complete. It is wired and operational and runs off of a Digitrax Zephyr decoder. The Atlas Custom-Line turnouts are controlled by Circuitron Tortoise switches. The landscape will have mountains, tunnels, some water, a few removable structures, and fall colors.
So far, my son and I have thoroughly enjoyed building this fun project.
Welcome aboard. Looks like you have a very neat start on a fine layout. How exactly does it fold up against the wall? That's an interesting concept but I wonder how you plan to keep everything in place?
Thanks. The board is anchored to the wall using removable pins which act as hinges. When I store the board, I simply lift the front, remove the front legs, and then I secure it to the wall. The board doesn't lie flat against the wall but, instead, it rests at an angle. All of the buildings will either be secured with glue or will be removed prior to storing the board. Of course, the trains are removed prior to storing. It's not the ideal solution but it works for our situation.
Very ingenious way to fit a layout in a garage. Having lived in Diamond Bar, I know that a garage is often the only space you can use for a layout. As you say, not an ideal solution but at least get a layout to work with.
Thanks, Jim. I look forward to the day when I can buy a house with a basement and a yard. Of course that will not be in Southern California. By the way, Diamond Bar is a nice town.
Thanks, Jim. I look forward to the day when I can buy a house with a basement and a yard. Of course that will not be in Southern California. By the way, Diamond Bar is a nice town.
James,
When I lived in Diamond Bar, there were about 9,000 people, so that gives you an idea of how long ago I lived in southern California. We moved to Northern California in 1977 and lived there until 2005, when I sold my house before the collapse set in. I live in Alabama now and, not to make you jealous, have a 3400 square foot house with an 800 square foot basement on .6 acres of land. I paid about 1/3 what any similar property in California would have cost.
Chip, there really is no option to build a house with a basement in California because of the earthquake codes. Everything has to be built above grade and, at $200 per square feet average building cost, building a house with a train room can get to be a pretty expensive proposition.
Chip, there really is no option to build a house with a basement in California because of the earthquake codes. Everything has to be built above grade and, at $200 per square feet average building cost) building a house with a train room can get to be a pretty expensive proposition.
but I was a licenced contractor in So Cal for 15 years and although I never built a house with a basement, there were plenty of split-levels built into the hillside where the lower room was basement-like since it was 3/4 undergound and made of reinforced concrete brick.
However, such houses tended to be on the high end of the scale, and if you could afford the house, you could afford to make the lower level into a layout room.
My brother and his family and my parents have all moved to Northern Colorado from California in the past 3 years. They bought beautiful homes with full basements at a fraction of the cost I paid for my house (tiny lot, high taxes). No traffic, clean air, beautiful surroundings, great schools, English is the primary language, and full basements perfect for a large train set! Seems like a no-brainer to me.
I moved from So Cal and now I live in a home that would cost $1M+ in LA but costs $150K here. But my earnings are commiserate. Things cost what they do based upon ability to pay among other things.
That's the one advantage of having worked in California and then retiring to Alabama. I've taken all the money I made from my relatively high wages that I invested while working California and now Alabama gets the advantage of that wealth. Unfortunately, Colorado is being overrun by fleeing Californians and prices are going up there. My son just left the Boulder area because housing prices had gotten so high although Fort Collins is still pretty reasonable.
Luckily, most people haven't thought of Alabama as a place to retire. It's a terrible place to work because the average wage is so low but it's great if you've already made all your money and get to take advantage of the low prices. English, or at least a variant of English as I understand it, is still the primary language here, y'all. It does get a mite hot here in the summer but it's sunny and 77 degrees right now and I have a nice basement that holds not only my layout but a pool table, air hockey table, various exercise machines, and there's still space left. Life doesn't get much better.
