Space for a layout: building more room

 For my ENTIRE life every model magazine has been filled with articles devoted to utilizing available small spaces for a layout. I think I’ve read one, ONE, article devoted to building a larger space.

I’ve been in construction for more than half my adult life, 32 years, and I think building a larger space is easier than settling for a small one. This is our hobby. For most of us we are not spending thousands of dollars on other interests. Additionally if you add a room, that room will appreciate in value, and pay you back after you built it, when you sell it.

For example I built a building for my layout in Burbank, Ca. It was a four car garage with a second floor devoted to the trains. That room was 1230 sq ft. The real estate agent valued that room alone at $100,000.

The garage in questioned had actual space for two cars, a laundry room, a wood work shop, a train work shop, a garden tool storage area, and a half bath. That was the first floor. The second floor was the train room. The attic space was roughly 800 square feet and that was general storage, accessed by a pull down attic stair.

I built that entire structure for $42000.

Admittedly I am no longer building large buildings. At my age I’m no longer building large sandwich’s, but younger models should consider building more space FIRST as opposed to making do with the tiny spaces we all see out there.

If this is the hobby you’ve chosen, and this is how you are going to spend your life, with friends, then you should be planning your major life choices with this in mind. Either a very large basement, or space to expand. Then build more space!

If you can scratch build a contest winning car, you are easily capable of building a large train building.

I did all the wiring and plumbing in my current home as well, and believe me, JMRI is far more complex than my 400 amp residential electrical service. 

New Mini-split air conditioning heat pumps available from Your favorite big box store are affordable and simple to install. A big train room is an ideal space for one of these units. They heat too, but I’ve found that’s not as necessary as cooling. DIY systems for a home are as cheap as $3400, and for a large train room for around $1200 (I knew a modeler who spent $3400 on a brass model of the City of Denver passenger train, and that was 15 years ago).

Square footage is CHEAP! It’s when you start putting windows, kitchens, and deluxe bathrooms in there that it gets expensive, and all you need for the trains is a big box. In fact windows are a liability. Let the next guy add windows. 

So stop making do with small spaces for your layout and start building bigger spaces!

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