# Ideas requested



## Wolferz (Aug 20, 2015)

I am looking into putting a building on my property for my son and I's trains and am not sure where to start. 

We have Thomas range HO an OO and British OO trains that I would like to build a model railway of the Island of Sodor with perhaps some UK area influence.

We have European (mostly German) HO steam and would like to build a scenic railway for mostly passenger trains with an area for shunting and running my so far one goods train.

I also have a Netherlands, a Swiss, and a Swedish HO electric passenger trains and would like a small snowy layout maybe after the alps or something to run those three.

The largest prefab building I have found is a 12x32 Cook shed, which would finish inside of 10x30 or so. I am afraid that it would not be large enough for three layouts that would keep my son and I busy. Are there creative ways of getting three layouts into the building with long runs for passenger services? I thought about possibly building my own building at 24x24. I have architectural experience and built the addition on my house so it is feasible but not sure of cost compared to buying a ready-made one. Are there other avenues for pre-fabs that I haven't considered? And what space would I need for the three layouts? Does anyone have a creative way of how to place the three into a building together and what realestate they would take up? Right now we just have a little circle track and the oval set that came with my son's Thomas train. They are fun to play with but I'd like to expand after the new year. All thoughts and ideas are welcome. Thanks!


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

there seem to be continual ads for future steel buildings .. those are easy to assemble, and can be spray insulation coated to help AC work better ...easy to set on a concrete pad..


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Since you live in Florida I'm sure you are planning
air conditioning or a heat pump.

You could build a very nice HO / 00 layout in a
10 X 30 space. I recognize that you want a separate
layout for the Thomas trains. I don't understand
what your plans are for the 'other two' layouts.

HO and 00 use the same tracks so it would seem
easy to plan for snow covered mountains or
scenery relative to the island but on the same
benchwork. 4.

However, if you can go with the larger building
it would be much easier to find spaces for three
separate layouts. With DCC you could even control
trains on all three layouts from one system.

Our members will be glad to help you as we can.
Give us as much information about your plans as
you can so we have a better idea of your thinking.

Don


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## Wolferz (Aug 20, 2015)

DonR said:


> Since you live in Florida I'm sure you are planning
> air conditioning or a heat pump.
> 
> You could build a very nice HO / 00 layout in a
> ...


Thanks Don. The reason for wanting three layouts is for the three different types of trains. One would have parts of the "Island of Sodor" for the Thomas trains and all the British trains. Passenger station, roundhouse, shunting yard w mine, dock area. The next layout in wwii era Europe. Couple war trains, orient and rheingold expresses, kpev, some goods... All steam, passenger terminal, goods area, small military outpost. The third layout would be alps region, modern, all electric. Passenger station and travel through alps only. Photos of most of my sets so far are in photo and video sections here and are described in my op. I am not against using same bench for the two euro ideas, but don't know how to keep with the two drastically different eras. Thanks.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

Go up or go wide, I'm thinking "pole barn" or something like that. You could stack em in there one above the other OR make it "yoooge" and lay em out side by side!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Well, this is my take on it. 

Personally, I think a 10'x30' area would be more than enough space -- unless you have gobs of time on your hands, your son is going to be off to college before you can finish a huge space like that. Thomas is likely to be a transient interest anyway. My son and I built his first layout as a Thomas themed one, and that lasted less than 3 years (just before his 7th birthday), when he declared that Thomas was "stupid". Other than the trains themselves, how much of the Thomas stuff is really unique? (Although I will say that the oil distributor on my son's current layout DOES prominently display the "Sodor Fuel" logo on one of the tanks).

I would do this by making the layout in two layers, do your British / WWII European layout on one level and your snow / modern Alps on a different one. By selectively replacing the buildings and trading out the Thomas-specific stuff, you should be able to use that layout for both purposes. Since your trains won't journey back and forth between eras and locations, you don't have to deal with the biggest problem of a two level layout, which is how to get the trains back and forth between them. An "around the walls" version with a liftout section or drop gate (or a lift bridge for the upper level and a swing bridge or drop gate for the lower) would give you lots of room for long runs.


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