How many of you have collections without layout?

I don't but... My solution is run at my clubs at least once a week during school and when not 2 times a week.

I do.   I have a "temporary layout" which consists of some Fastrack on the floor of my garage.  It is a double tracked loop which is approximately 9'x16'  with O84 & O72 curves and switches with a 4 track yard inside.  I've had it set up since August 2014, so my poor pickup has had to sit out in the weather since then. 

Larry

I don't have a layout, but view myself as an operator since I run down at the club every weekend. I don't view myself as a collector since I don't display any of the items I have.

Bossman, I could have written that paragraph. I haven't had a large layout in 15 years. I do have a single loop carpet central. The lack of a real layout has not slowed my acquisitions. I keep looking at my collection to see if I can thin out a few things, and it doesn't happen. Meanwhile more items keep showing up at my door.

I have put up a wall of shelving to display my engines, but there are racks full of rolling stock that need to see the light of day.

I remain convinced I will have that layout some day.

Paul

While I do have a O-gauge layout, I possess engines and rolling stock in "S" with no permanent layout.  From time to time I will put down a loop of MTH/S-helper track on the living room floor and run my 1:64 stuff.  Since it is similar to o-gauge Fastrack, the MTH s-gauge track is pretty quick to set up and then put away later.

Given that there is still about a 50' "hole" in the layout where I'm still laying track, I'm still in the "no layout" category. My collection is run on our club's modular layout. Today is a snow day. When I get home from work, hopefully I'll get to the attic and get some more track laid. Still amazed at how fast I burn through cases of Gargraves 37" straights. It's beginning to look like 5 will be enough.

*** Update *** Since I retired January 2018, all of my track is laid and wired. We've had trains running for almost 2 years now.  Funny, how work got in the way of trains...….

I don't.  And i still keep buying. I have a 32'x40' hobby building but all my trains are still new in the boxes. I need to get my priority's in order and start building a layout in this building. I am 59 years old and have some health issues. If i don't and i pass on somebody's going to get a lot of trains that i should have enjoyed.

I had a massive dream of a layout if I won that $1.5 billion Powerball.   Someday.....

At least my collection of JLC and Vision engines are meticulously detailed and makes them nice stationary pieces to stare at and dream of the possibilities...

I do not have a layout as took mine down that was in the beginning stages ( had 3 loops and that was about it with a couple of switches but it was 8' x 16' but we moved to a even smaller place so now I'm buying still but wife is complaining your still buying but your running out of room my reply your still buying purse and there's no more room for them either.  

I hope someday to close-off the detached garage and use it for a train room. ( add heat/air conditioning ) which would give me about 14' x 18' But I'll probably lose that too even thou it's suppose to be mine. ( yeah I've heard that before as boxes and other junk start taking over lol. ( glad I have a pick-up truck   

But yes at present I do not have a layout but still am buying

I have a 12' x 20' loop.  I have a train sitting on the loop but rarely run.  I still buy trains but not as many as I used to.  I feel the same way FEET feels.  I am in my 60's and my health isn't that great either.  If I go my wife will sell all my trains in a heartbeat and go to Aruba.  What a waste.  Collecting all those trains and letting them just sit there waiting to be sold.  One of these days I'll stop procrastinating and put up a layout.  Maybe.

Rick

I have a double track floor layout for my O scale trains and a separate oval track on the floor for just subway trains which keeps me very busy. Not having a permanent layout did not stop me from adding some buildings,accessories, scenery and lots of trains.

* I do have an N scale permanent layout, which helps me with the "I don't have a permanent layout blues" for O scale.

I fall within this group. Lost my train space when we sold the family business. This action has not hampered collecting whatsoever. The problem is that there's no room in my modest home for neither a layout or the trains. Incredibly, things continue to be set outside my front door and I bring them in. I'll display a few items for a period of time, then off they go to the storage unit. It is them that I'm confronted with the fact that I have more stuff than even the largest layout could ever digest. I guess it must be some sort of out of sight, out of mind thing. Is there a twelve-step program out there for this?

Other than this years first ever tinplate Christmas layout, I haven't run any trains in three years. I'm feeling a bit left out the fun.

I have a 6x10 oval of 060 fastrack on the carpet of our spare bed room. If that counts as a layout then I have a layout. If not, then I don't, but I do have a ton of trains just waiting for a real layout. 

I'm guilty. What's worse is, I can't stay in one scale. I buy O, HO, N, and G. I also have been thinking about the Polar Express in S. I have also been looking at building a 7.5" gauge car or two. A 40' boxcar is 60" and with trucks, runs around $1,100 in kit form. (I'm thinking about learning how to weld) 

No layout, except for Christmas.  I do belong to a club and have a key that allows me to run my trains when I want. 

Gilly@N&W posted:

Given that there is still about a 50' "hole" in the layout where I'm still laying track, I'm still in the "no layout" category. My collection is run on our club's modular layout. Today is a snow day. When I get home from work, hopefully I'll get to the attic and get some more track laid. Still amazed at how fast I burn through cases of Gargraves 37" straights. It's beginning to look like 5 will be enough.

We will get you finished this winter!

Peter

I run my trains and i don't have room to put up a permanent layout but set up lionel fastrack on the carpet and run and i also run at the club and at shows when we have them at the club and i do collect some train items and also getting stuff to do a layout one of these days.    

Waiting for a move that hopefully will happen this summer, then I'll have a permanent place to finally build a real layout.  Now I run anywhere I can.  I have my carpet central that goes around three rooms, but that's not the same as having a real place to run the trains. 

Nope. Always at least the floor

Guilty. Moving this summer. Unfinished basement is my wish list! And at least a 3 car garage! 

Guilty!

Some may call it a test track but  if you can count  5' of straight track hooked to a transformer a layout....... Then I have a layout

OK, 5 feet of track is pushing the term "layout".

 

..... I have a 32'x40' hobby building but all my trains are still new in the boxes.....

I have a friend that was in a similar position up until about 5 years ago. He decided to take action and had a carpenter build a massive table. As he opened items, he found about a 90% defect rate. Things would not work, issues everywhere with almost everything he unpacked. Today all his trains are gone, the table was demolished, and he even let his TCA membership lapse. Don't let this happen to you. If he had a loop on the carpet he could have tested everything, learned the ins and outs and peculiarities of the pieces in his collection. I think he would still have his trains today if he just did that little bit.

Dan65train posted:

Some may call it a test track but  if you can count  5' of straight track hooked to a transformer a layout....... Then I have a layout

When you have nothing, that's a layout to me! 

I had an awesome ceiling layout up until about 3 years ago when a divorce happened. I have been selling off a lot of my collection but keeping the "chosen" special items for a hopeful layout again one day. If I sell off a lot of items I will treat myself to one or two new items such as Atlas O Zephyr cars to complete my set. I don't think I will ever stop treating myself to a nice piece of rolling stock every once in a while. I will be in the hobby for the long run!

Jeff T posted:

Dan65train posted:

Some may call it a test track but  if you can count  5' of straight track hooked to a transformer a layout....... Then I have a layout

When you have nothing, that's a layout to me! 

Sure Jeff, but then you didn't actually claim to have a layout.

bigo426 posted:

 

..... I have a 32'x40' hobby building but all my trains are still new in the boxes.....

I have a friend that was in a similar position up until about 5 years ago. He decided to take action and had a carpenter build a massive table. As he opened items, he found about a 90% defect rate. Things would not work, issues everywhere with almost everything he unpacked. Today all his trains are gone, the table was demolished, and he even let his TCA membership lapse. Don't let this happen to you. If he had a loop on the carpet he could have tested everything, learned the ins and outs and peculiarities of the pieces in his collection. I think he would still have his trains today if he just did that little bit.

Thanks for cheering us up.

I have a suspended layout attached to my work shop, but I have only had trains on it once in 2015. I am planning to take the track down and make a garden layout this summer. I guess that counts me as not having a permanent layout, as there are no buildings or scenery. The only embellishments are three wood bridges, and a steel bridge across the door. My modest collection is on shelves on the walls of our closed in deck.

Don

Dan65train posted:

Some may call it a test track but  if you can count  5' of straight track hooked to a transformer a layout....... Then I have a layout

I have you beat by about three feet! My test track is about eight feet, maybe a little longer. I just grabbed several sections of old Gargraves and hooked them together on the counter top in the shop, and alligator clipped the wires from a Z4000. What a waste of power!

Don 

rail posted:

Dan65train posted:

Some may call it a test track but  if you can count  5' of straight track hooked to a transformer a layout....... Then I have a layout

I have you beat by about three feet! My test track is about eight feet, maybe a little longer. I just grabbed several sections of old Gargraves and hooked them together on the counter top in the shop, and alligator clipped the wires from a Z4000. What a waste of power!

Don 

I have about 3' of O-27 and use a ZW 

GVDobler posted:

bigo426 posted:

 

..... I have a 32'x40' hobby building but all my trains are still new in the boxes.....

I have a friend that was in a similar position up until about 5 years ago. He decided to take action and had a carpenter build a massive table. As he opened items, he found about a 90% defect rate. Things would not work, issues everywhere with almost everything he unpacked. Today all his trains are gone, the table was demolished, and he even let his TCA membership lapse. Don't let this happen to you. If he had a loop on the carpet he could have tested everything, learned the ins and outs and peculiarities of the pieces in his collection. I think he would still have his trains today if he just did that little bit.

Thanks for cheering us up.

I plan to get a set of Crest rollers and build a test track. You have given me some very sound advice, thanks. I like to work on this stuff, if mine don't work hopefully i can repair them.  Some engines i have run on a short piece of track.  One thing i did do was remove the battery's in all engines that had them.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Waiting for a move that hopefully will happen this summer, then I'll have a permanent place to finally build a real layout.  Now I run anywhere I can.  I have my carpet central that goes around three rooms, but that's not the same as having a real place to run the trains. 

We moved in late summer 2013 after living in the previous house for 35 years, I am still recovering (we had movers too) and looking for stuff, everything is in a different place... Never moving again, this is it! It is also absolutely amazing how much stuff one can accumulate in 35 years.

Jeff T posted:

Guilty. Moving this summer. Unfinished basement is my wish list! And at least a 3 car garage! 

Unfinished basement (large) was top priority on my list as well. We got a two car garage and a lawn service, no more mowing.  Thought the 2 car would be plenty with mowing stuff gone. After being here about 2-1/2 years, a third garage bay may have been a good idea? Oh, well, see above...about never moving again, the 2 car will have to do.

Good luck to both of you if your moves go through.

I have a modest collection and don't have a permanent layout. When I want to run trains, I take down the sections of my little portable or my sections of mounted GG track. It has to be put away after I run the trains, so I don't run them often. It is a pain carrying all of that stuff from the shed to the house and back. I haven't been buying much in the way of O-gauge in large part because I have just about everything I want and to a lesser extent because I don't have room for more. Plans are in the works for more room and a permanent layout at a later date.

I have been doing more with my N-scale lately because of the portability issue.

The 12 step program is called E.B.A.Y.

The problem is the cure is worst than the disease.

I'm not alone,, we had trains at Christmas,  had 23 trains running,  std to n,  just about all my trains back then, last big layout was 1990, ,, video is lost, but its out there,  sent it to people,  in PS1 post you can see my test track,,

It's probably been about 10 years now since I had a real, permanent, layout set up. I had 2 reliable engines at the time and about 30 pieces of rolling stock on an 8X12 board crammed into a 10x12 room.  Since then I've pretty much just had an oval on the floor or a table when the mood to run trains struck me.  At the moment it's about 3'x8' of fast track with a KW.  meanwhile, the collection has grown substantially to over a dozen engines, and a few hundred pieces of rolling stock.  Perhaps when the housing situation gets sorted out I'll be able to build a proper home for the trains to run.  The thing I miss is switches.  Running on an oval is ok, but building trains on a yard and having a choice of routes to take is much more fun for me.  On the floor or in a small area I haven't had a chance to pull out the switches.  

JGL

Ya I have been collecting for about 4 years now still no layout  But I do have a house now with about a 900 sq' room for trains just need to get some other things done before I can start the layout eh. 

The big three resource constraints (Time, space, $$) keep me from even attempting a large permanent layout.  Instead, I created an 8 ft by 16 in portable shelf "layout."  Its actually more of an operating diorama with two parallel tracks and a siding.  This modest project allowed me to add more detail that in any layout I've attempted previously.  My Gargraves track is painted and ballasted and I've added some basic ground cover.  My Plasticville coal tower kitbash project is well underway.   With such limited space I don't plan to collect rolling stock, but I do like watching my steamers pull up to the coal dock or spot a hopper or two.  At the other end is a future deport site.  I plan to enjoy watching my steamers make a station stops, bells clanging and whistles blowing.  When I'm not railroading the layout is stored in a closet so the space is given back to my family. 

I've never had so much fun with the hobby since I left HO for O Hi Rail and abandoned big layout plans.  Rivet counting days behind me, I'm now enjoying trains more than ever before with a project that is manageable and affordable.  Of course, if I ever want to highball on the main line my version of a Carpet Central is always an option.  For me, trains on tracks is more fun than trains in boxes.  I left the latter behind with my HO stuff.