How old is your layout?

[Christian]

I watched a video this morning from a modeler who is tearing out his layout. That started me thinking about how long a layout lasts. This poll is inadequate because it doesn't allow branching questions. Think of it as two questions using the same answers.

1. How old is your current layout?
                        OR
2. How long did your earlier layout(s) last?

Certainly feel free to post clarifying comments.

[riogrande]

I never seem to be in on place long enough. I had a layout built to benchwork stage and could run trains around it in Indiana while in grad school in a garage. I moved there in 1989 and sold the layout as-is about 4 years later. Later I built a layout in Central New York in my basement and had to tear it down when I moved. My wife and I moved into our townhouse at the end of 2013 and she wants to sell this fall and move. The current layout, despite some delays while we did work in the basement has made it to early scenery stages:













It's a little further along that this but not much.

Stability is a key factor of course and most of my life hasn't had enough of it. I just read that Joe Fugate is tearing his Siskiyou layout after 26 years. He plans to move and build a Siskiyou 2 layout.

[The Ferro Kid]

Wow! Hopefully there's a way you can take that river water-work with you.

[Deleted]

Just under 2 years, as that's how long I've lived in this house. I plan on taking it down and starting over towards the end of the year though, as the placement just doesn't work well in the room.

[keystonecrossings]

Been under construction for 7 years now...2 1/2 levels in 24 x 32 foot space... all on my own. Just completed the last of the through trackage. Scenery and local trackage well under way.

jbritton.pennsyrr.com

[Deleted]

Apr 22, 2017 5:59:42 GMT -8 riogrande said:

I never seem to be in on place long enough. I had a layout built to benchwork stage and could run trains around it in Indiana while in grad school in a garage. I moved there in 1989 and sold the layout as-is about 4 years later. Later I built a layout in Central New York in my basement and had to tear it down when I moved. My wife and I moved into our townhouse at the end of 2013 and she wants to sell this fall and move. The current layout, despite some delays while we did work in the basement has made it to early scenery stages:













It's a little further along that this but not much.

Stability is a key factor of course and most of my life hasn't had enough of it. I just read that Joe Fugate is tearing his Siskiyou layout after 26 years. He plans to move and build a Siskiyou 2 layout.

Superb WORK, JIM!!!!   Very NEAT and the yard looks fantastic!  Water is very realistic, too!

[valenciajim]

My layout is celebrating its 15th anniversary this week. I started it the last weekend in April 2002.

[riogrande]

Thanks Ferrokid and Thomas. For me it's something! =P I just wish I had more room and more time, but maybe next year? Who knows.

[lvrr325]

I purposely built mine such that it can be moved. It's built in domino sections. But it's been in the same place for about 20 years.

[bobschuknecht]

I started building my layout in the fall of 2012 after being out of the hobby for 22 years.

[Deleted]

Apr 22, 2017 15:45:15 GMT -8 riogrande said:

Thanks Ferrokid and Thomas. For me it's something! =P I just wish I had more room and more time, but maybe next year? Who knows.

I know what you are saying in regards to more room needed...

My current layout is less than a year old...technically.  But I am under a major revision and thinking about what the layout should represent and how much real estate is depicted or modeled.

[BATMAN]

Laid down the keel on September 30, 2007. I built it to be moved with the largest bench being 6' x 18'. I will have to rent a 5-ton truck to move it, however, we are now planning to move to Vancouver Island in three to five years. The cost of renting the truck and paying passage on the ferry both ways is a whole lot of money. Any of the truck rental firms I have talked to don't allow one-way rentals to the Island. So it looks like it may be in for a dismantling, we shall see.

Since I have built it, I have not wanted to change a thing as far as the layout goes. I had lots of obstacles to deal with and I think I done gooood. LOL.

You can check out some old video's of the beast in the link below. I am a lot further along since they were posted and will have to figure out how to post pic's on here so you can have a more recent peek.

The video called San Jose Shark Train was from when I lost a Hockey playoff bet over on the MRR forum.

[Brakie]

My 1' x 12' Slate Creek ISL was approximately 4 1/2 years old..I ripped it out 2 weeks ago.

The new Slate Creek/Lakeside Industrial park layout will be 18" x 12' and will be based loosely on Progressive Rail Air Lake industrial park operation and SMS Pureland Industrial Park operation.

Lakeside Industrial park will be near beautiful Lake Erie while Slate Creek will remain a generic location due to my SCL, Family Lines, NS,CR Summerset, Huron River and Ohio Central locomotives...

[roadkill]

What's a "layout"

[bucketlist]

Had a nice size layout, 9x13, from 90 to 95. We moved several times after that so there was no real opportunity to do another one. So I collected for when I retire. Retired in March of 16. Started the layout by building a room in DEC of 15. The layout is now about 50% done, give or take. This time it's 10 X 18. I lurked around all the boards collecting information for 20 years. My wife told me I had a model railroad in  kit form and so much stuff I should start a store of my own. 

What is is clear is that over time my hobby focus had changed. The things I liked in 2000 are not the things I want today. Not that they are bad, just different. I collected 80 locomotives, all with DCC now, most with sound and about 300 pieces of rolling stock.  About 40% are what interests me today. Would I do it over? You bet, even just collecting, DCC conversions for the test track, detailing rolling stock and making buildings was fun.  

[riogrande]

bucketlist

Show us some progress photos when you get the chance. Btw, my layout above is 10 x 18' also.

[valenciajim]

I started my layout in April 2002. It is about 40% complete. I retired two years ago thinking that I would spend a lot of time completing the layout. It turns out that retirement has kept me very busy and I spend less time on the layout now than when I was working. I hope to change that soon!

[Amboy Secondary]

I didn't realize it until I was searching for a photo in an old laptop, but my current build is roughly 30 months old already. . Amazing how time flies...

[Deleted]

My current layout is slightly less than 10 years old. I want to tear part of it out completely, and repurpose/completely redo the other part. I plan to downsize to a true shelf layout with no return loops at some point in the future.

[riogrande]

It looks like we are in early stages to get the house ready to sell this fall. While I want to work on the layout, I'm kind of at the point of, why bother, since I'm going to have to dismantle it in the next few months. I do plan on saving the track and basic bench-work framing for re-use as it is somewhat modular in nature - sections bolted together with carriage bolts although area's of scenery will be cut off.

[scalecraft]

Started the basement HiRail over 30 years ago. Ten years in, we started the outdoor railroad, took a wall out of the basement, excavated for storage and furnace access, used the dirt to build the outdoor pike. Since the wall was out, and the layout "broken", it sat for 20 years.

I started rehabbing it, extending into the new basement section, oh, 3-4 years ago.

I put a second lift out bridge across the doorway, so for the first time in 65 years of Model railroading, I have full double-tracked main line.

I had one memory walkaround controller..needed three...been out of production for over 25 years.

I just finished tearing out my good friend's 26-year-old HiRail pike, and now have all three walkarounds...plus over 400 feet more track..plus 50 switches.

I am contemplating loose ballast instead of glued, as it took us two weeks full time to get it out with all the glued down ballast (33' X 13" room).

Something has to be done to make it easier to get out when that time comes...but been in this house 40 years....