2-Rail Home Layouts - How Many Really Exist?

I'm aware of one club and three home 2-rail O-scale layouts in the Cincinnati area.

While they may seem scarce in the Poughkeepsie, NY area, they are a lot easier to find in the northeast than in the Houston, TX area.  I am told there were once many O Scale layouts.  Now, there only seem to be two left.  In one of the largest cities in the country.

@ecd15 posted:

While they may seem scarce in the Poughkeepsie, NY area, they are a lot easier to find in the northeast than in the Houston, TX area.  I am told there were once many O Scale layouts.  Now, there only seem to be two left.  In one of the largest cities in the country.

Are those home layouts or club?  Thanks

@Bob posted:

I'm aware of one club and three home 2-rail O-scale layouts in the Cincinnati area.

Thanks!

I don't know much about them but I do know that a 2 rail club is around St. Louis someplace and they have a nice club layout. I have never visited them in person though.

I know 1 3 rail/2rail club and two home layouts in P'burg and south Bethlehem, PA.

https://youtu.be/_WBVWzOrTmY

@MainLine Steam posted:

As I get further into O Scale I get the impression that VERY few people have 2R HOME Layouts.

There are a good number of folks that simply do not advertise that they are model RR'ers, let alone 2R O scale. Some folks are actually rather private.

2R equipment is much more scarce than 3R.  Within 70 miles of me (Poughkeepsie,NY), I know of 3 Club 2R layouts, but only 1 person who has a home layout.

Not seeing that availability of equipment enters into having a layout; it takes very little equipment to actually have a layout.

I understand the challenges due to size.  It is often pointed out as the reason for the rise of HO post WW2 among scale model railroaders.

Size is also not really relevant either - size is dependent on choices made, not actual need

Please respond if you have a HOME 2R layout, or know of some near where you live.

Yup. In a "huge" 11x16 space,   And, there's at least 5 others in the area that I am aware of although that has decreased a wee bit over the past decade with deaths and relocations.

I am Blessed to have a layout in my finished daylight basement. It's an L shape. 20x12, 18x12 roughly. I have 150 feet of mainline ( 2 mainlines separate,  continuous ) Yard is roughly 4 tracks 6ft long that come together at both ends.

I'm in Coeurd Alene, Idaho. Don't know of any 2railers in Coeurd Alene. Making contact with a fellow in Spokane ( 35mi. West ) that reached out to me last week.

Would like to meet more 2railers if any were to be known.

John

Coeurd Alene, Idaho

@mwb posted:

There are a good number of folks that simply do not advertise that they are model RR'ers, let alone 2R O scale. Some folks are actually rather private.

Not seeing that availability of equipment enters into having a layout; it takes very little equipment to actually have a layout.

Size is also not really relevant either - size is dependent on choices made, not actual need

Yup. In a "huge" 11x16 space,   And, there's at least 5 others in the area that I am aware of although that has decreased a wee bit over the past decade with deaths and relocations.

Thank you for the perspective. You have very valid points.  Starting out in O gauge less than 2 years ago I have been surprised how much more prevalent 3R is versus 2R.  Just trying to "get a better handle on it".

@MainLine Steam posted:

Are those home layouts or club?  Thanks

They are both home layouts.  One is in a two story garage and the other is the second floor of the house.  The layout in the garage is also dual gauge.

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

I know 1 3 rail/2rail club and two home layouts in P'burg and south Bethlehem, PA.

https://youtu.be/_WBVWzOrTmY

Thanks for the video.  I know what I am going to be doing for the next 1/2 hour.

@Derailed10o posted:

I am Blessed to have a layout in my finished daylight basement. It's an L shape. 20x12, 18x12 roughly. I have 150 feet of mainline ( 2 mainlines separate,  continuous ) Yard is roughly 4 tracks 6ft long that come together at both ends.

I'm in Coeurd Alene, Idaho. Don't know of any 2railers in Coeurd Alene. Making contact with a fellow in Spokane ( 35mi. West ) that reached out to me last week.

Would like to meet more 2railers if any were to be known.

John

Coeurd Alene, Idaho

Sounds like a great layout.  Wish I had the space to do something similar.

@ecd15 posted:

They are both home layouts.  One is in a two story garage and the other is the second floor of the house.  The layout in the garage is also dual gauge.

Thanks Bob for the reply!

I actually personally know 2 people...one lives in Beech Grove, Indiana.  The other in Carmel.  And, I seem to remember that are a few more in central Indiana that I can't recall at the moment.

There are at least four 2-rail home layouts north of Denver, including Jeff MacDonald's High Plaines Route and David Stewart's Appalachian & Ohio. There are more near Denver. Several will host layout tours during the 2023 O Scale National convention.

I'm not aware of any club layouts.

Edited to count another layout.

there are at least 3 of us in Rochester NY , just lost the forth a bit ago Harold Russels. mine is not large for O scale 16 X 30 but will keep me bust for a long time. seems that lots of O scale two railers are lone wolfs so there might be more locals. I know of several in nearby buffalo.

Four known in Colo. On a percapita basis 330 divided by 5 times 66 is 264 nationally? Probably somewhere in the low hunderds of 2 rail O scale layouts. Many more toy train set ups.     

I have one

I know of a few here in the Chicago area, and in nearby (well, relatively speaking) Rockford, Illinois.    Any of you whom have attended the March Meet, will know who I am referring to.    Two are home / club layouts, while the others are home layouts.     Like Martin stated, some are quiet about advertising their layouts to the world.   I am a two railer, no layout, but would love the space for one.    I generally do not advertise my collection, not only for security reasons, but to not have people with a bunch of kiddos from knocking on my doors wanting to look at what I own!    Now don't mark me as a snoot.......  I do not mind sharing my hobby with other serious modelers, but most kids, and some adults, just do not understand the  delicate nature of some of our models.   And like many, I don't desire someone grabbing an expensive Overland brass diesel and knocking parts off with heavy handedness.