Spare Bedroom Layouts

Hi`, i`m also in a spare bedroom, 12 x 10, although it`s still under construction, hoping to mimic the Lionel 57 catalog layout, good luck, stay safe and have Fun, Phil

Sure! The Plywood Empire Route is an around-the-walls pike occupying a 12.5'X11.5' second floor bedroom. Cape Cod so 43" knee-walls on two sides but it's all good.

That's a cozy room, Gazer! My son has a similar photo collection on his walls, although of celebrates and not trains (I'd prefer trains).

..and, Phil, that '57 layout is one of my favorites! I may have done the same, but the "L" extensions was too long for my available space. Be sure to share your photos.!

12'6" X 10 under construction. Atlas O curved O54/72 turnouts have opened a whole new world for this layout. Plenty of action anticipated with at least O-54 track throughout. Will be switching out the Lionel Truss bridge for the Ross Switches 30" girder bridge in the background.

Since I'm currently living in an apartment and don't really have a bedroom to spare, I put together a semi-temporary floor layout under/inside my bed.  It's nothing big and nothing special, but at least it's a place to run some of my smaller trains for now until I move on to bigger housing hopefully in the not to distant future.  The space is just under 5'x7' which is certainly better than nothing and it doesn't take up any more floor space than the bed that's there anyway.

Here is my spare bedroom layout here in New Jersey. I moved here after hurricane Sandy in 2013. I had a permanent layout in my house on a lagoon in the loft. It killed me to dismantle it when I moved to my present location inland.

SantaFe158,   If that's not the Cat's Meow, I don't know what is !!!!! Great layout !!!!

Taconite Hauler posted:

SantaFe158,   If that's not the Cat's Meow, I don't know what is !!!!! Great layout !!!!

Thanks!  Speaking of cats, that's the one downside.  Mine like to sleep on the bed when the sun shines in the room, so I get to run trains on their schedule 

I am in the benchwork stage of building a layout in an 11' 4" x 11' 6" room.  You can see the latest here Blackwater Canyon Line.

Yep. Another Californian here. 4x8’ is all I can have in a very small extra bedroom. The one good thing, though, is that I have one wall of built in shelving for storage which is REALLY HELPFUL.

NOTE: I posted three pics of my train as described here room in a separate entry further along. Scroll down to see them. My computer wasn’t letting me add them to this post. Thanks.

Although my O Gauge layout is in the basement play room and laundry room, since my wife and I are empty nesters, I may build a much smaller American Flyer S Gauge layout in the mud room (between the main living area of the house and garage), which was previously used, at times, as a spare bedroom. It currently has a small bed in it.

Layouts in small spaces can be great, and OGR Magazine welcomes articles and photos about them.

My basement O Gauge layout is not huge. I believe it would be regarded as medium in size, quite long at 35 feet, but quite narrow at 3 and one-half to four feet, depending on the location. If possible, I recommend an around the walls layout so you can use backdrops as part of your scenery. Arnold

Here’s a few shots of my bedroom layout here in NC. About the only thing I miss living up north is the basements. A lot more room for a layout! 

Wow-those are some great layouts!

SantaFe158, that under the bed layout is amazing! (Did you ever see the under the bed Lionel layout in the classic sci-fi "The Day the Earth Stood Still"?)

Don Winslow posted:

Wow-those are some great layouts!

SantaFe158, that under the bed layout is amazing! (Did you ever see the under the bed Lionel layout in the classic sci-fi "The Day the Earth Stood Still"?)

Thank you!  I have not seen that movie before, but I'll have to look into it while I have the time.

My wife graciously allowed me to use a spare room (10 1/2' x 12') that we previously used for storage.  The deal was that she could still store things under the layout.  I do have wall storage for locomotives and an under layout cabinet for rolling stock.

It is an around the walls layout. Basically a folded dog bone.  There is a "branch line" that interchanges with the main line in two places.  A small two track yard greets one as they walk into the room.  There is a lift-out bridge to allow continuous running on the branch line.  It is designed as a switching layout, but I can run trains in a loop if I want.

Tom

SantaFe158 posted:

Thanks!  Speaking of cats, that's the one downside.  Mine like to sleep on the bed when the sun shines in the room, so I get to run trains on their schedule 

Like they say "dogs have owners, cats have staff!"; mine is scared of the trains, at least when they are moving.

Tom-I like all the Penn Central rolling stock!

Where did you get those PC F-units in your last photo?

geysergazer posted:

Sure! The Plywood Empire Route is an around-the-walls pike occupying a 12.5'X11.5' second floor bedroom. Cape Cod so 43" knee-walls on two sides but it's all good.

         

 

         

 

         

 

         

That is a very nice layout. I'll bet spending time there is fun and cozy both.

Hah, great topic. I just tore down a spare bedroom layout. I had the basement 'til about 2013, but the kids asked for more socializing space in the basement. Since two were in college and one in high school, they agreed to bunk up when home and gave me a bedroom. It was 8'x11' plus an around-the-ceiling two-loop.  Tore down the 8'x11' now that the former high schooler is graduating from college, and the 3 at home each want their own bedroom, so I agreed to adding a sunroom in exchange for having the basement back. So, I'm reconstructing the basement. Perhaps a waste of time, but part of the fun IS the construction.

In my spare bedroom, in a luxury condo hi-rise, 19 stories in the sky: 

Not quite a true spare bedroom layout, mine takes up a 10’ x 13’ nook in the basement.  It has a couple advantages, such as no windows and a wide open entrance.   No scenery yet, and for now I just sit back and watch my MPC and Postwar burn up the rails.  

I really need to get around to replacing my 2 year old ‘temporary’ bridge, too. 

My spare bedroom space is 13 feet 8 inches wide by 14 feet 3.5 inches long. This is free space; doors are outside of this space. There are windows: One window sill is 32 inches above the floor; the other window is recessed into a small alcove so not a concern.

I definitely need an O-72 outer loop due to having a DC-3 inspection car and at least one rail car that requires O-72. I'm thinking an inner loop using O-60 with O-72 switches turning off from the outer loop to the O-60 inner loop. I am using Lionel FasTrack.

paulp575: If possible, go around the room, you'll end up with more layout space to work with.

As for a center walkway, I'd say no less than 24 inches, more if at all possible, just for more ease of turning around, ect.

I wouldn't make bench work more than 30 inches wide, so that you can reach things without getting on the table.

Don W. thank you for starting this thread, I've enjoyed seeing the photographs of the layouts here, so far!

Rusty

My little layout is 100% a spare room layout. It was originally in a 10’x11’ bedroom. My father and I built it to be taken apart and moved. It’s odd shape allowed for the closet door and door to the room to open inward. 
We had used MTH RealTrax to replace the 0-27 tubular on the layout we built at his house so we were comfortable using it. All the turnouts are 0-42 remote. The ZW-R provides power to both loops, lights, accessories, and switch machines. It’s connected to the track via two track power controllers and a Legacy system. The track is divided into six separate power blocks. I can operate conventional, TMCC, and Legacy locomotives at the same time. 
Eventually, I’ll have the scenery finished. It’s just too much fun operating trains. 

What a great topic, this will come in very handy for our new home in Flower Mound, TX.  Tom, I got cheated, your video was just sound, nothing else.  Very nice layout, I really liked your design, in fact, I liked everyone's designs.  Thanks for a great topic with some terrific answers and photos.

Enjoy your rest of the weekend, stay safe and healthy, hopefully all this will be behind us soon and things will get back to normal or close to it.   Cheers!!!!

So here is my tiny California bedroom train room. Note built in shelves on one wall which are really helpful for storage. Layout is only 4x8 ft. 

Tommy, i love your train area. Alot can be said about that area. i love it. 

Wow! Some inspiring work within limited space, guys.  I am tres impressed. What a great topic - hope others join in with their work. 

OGR admins please take note: this subject would make a super continuing theme in the magazine, too!  

I have a layout in the garage for my Grandson and I. However, my longterm goal is to build a layout in our spare 12'x13' bedroom. This has become a drawn out project, as it has 3 doors and a window that I have to deal with. I am also using the room for train storage. I built across a door door we don not need that goes into one of the bathrooms. I took the door off the room entrance, then built swing-up shelf/bridges across the closet door and room entrance. The window has a take-out section that is just clamped in place, in case we need access to it for cleaning. I finally, just this week, got around to painting the walls a nice sky blue. now, if I can just find room to store all the train stuff, I might get some track down. Until then, I can run trains on the garage layout. Here are a couple of photos of the room with paint.

I wonder if, in fact, the "spare room/garage" layout isn't actually as common as, or more common than, the "basement" layout. Many houses have no basements, of course, even those above the Snow Line, especially newer ones. Many basements are short, dank places, anyway, so do not exist as an option.

Just musing.

I bet you are correct. Here in Texas, you will have to look hard to find a basement anywhere in the state.

Jeff

Tom Densel posted:

Don WinslowMember

Tom-I like all the Penn Central rolling stock!

Where did you get those PC F-units in your last photo?

 

Don,  The Penn Central F-units are Williams by Bachmann. They have been upgraded with ERR TMCC and Railsounds.  I also have a couple of matching B-units.  I didn't like how the B-units looked from the factory so I re-lettered them.  All units have been slightly weathered.

Here is a short video of the ABBA consist in action:

Tom

Great video!  Thanks for posting.  Love the detail on your layout.  And I have those Williams PC F-units too.  They are good soldiers.

mowingman posted:

I bet you are correct. Here in Texas, you will have to look hard to find a basement anywhere in the state.

Jeff

Which seems kinda odd to me as I often use the basement to hide from heat without resorting to AC. It's at least 5° cooler, often more.

I get it where water tables and rock make it too hard to dig; but I often wonder "why not". It's "free" square footage imo. Beats any above ground three story home because you only walk one story to the ground level

I didn't like living in a ranch house much, but "age" does keep me off the steps sometimes 🤔

I'm already prepared for a one room apt. too.

Here in Pennsylvania and where we lived in West Virginia we have always had a basement level.  Walk out basements at that since nothing is level.  The front is at ground level and the rear is a story higher, one case it was a story and a half higher in the rear since as one friend said, we lived on the side of a cliff.  

Don Winslow posted:

That's a cozy room, Gazer! My son has a similar photo collection on his walls, although of celebrates and not trains (I'd prefer trains).

..and, Phil, that '57 layout is one of my favorites! I may have done the same, but the "L" extensions was too long for my available space. Be sure to share your photos.!

Don,

Any way you could share some more photos of your layout and your basic track plan? I have a space similar to your dimensions and am in the planning phase. I really like your use of tubular track and the landscaping.

John

raising4daughters posted:

Hah, great topic. I just tore down a spare bedroom layout. I had the basement 'til about 2013, but the kids asked for more socializing space in the basement. Since two were in college and one in high school, they agreed to bunk up when home and gave me a bedroom. It was 8'x11' plus an around-the-ceiling two-loop. 

We all should be so lucky!  I have a spare bedroom floor layout, established once our son moved to a place of his own. Unfortunately, the bed is still in the room just in case he wants to stay over. It (bed) is huge but stands well high enough above the floor to allow trains to pass underneath. I use that space for occasional sessions. My family puts up with my using the living room floor for special occasions and indeed if I am home alone I can commandeer the hallway as well. But very temporarily.

I took over the guest bedroom and built a 6 X  8 foot layout.  It consists of 3 loops and a siding.  I have 14 steam and 11 diesel engines which I switch out from time to time.   I run mixed freight and passenger trains with the occasional coal drag.  

I had mine in a spare bedroom, but when we had our son, I had to give up the room. My wife let me have to office for a layout. I currently have a 4x8 with an extension for a yard.  One day we plan to finish out the garage into a room & I can put a bigger layout in there, but that's a long time off at this point. 

John, you had asked for the track plan of my bedroom size "0" scale tubular track layout. Unfortunately, I do not have a drawn out plan, but I can tell you the layout is essentially a double-folded dog bone which allows trains to negotiate the upper lever, loop twice around the lower loop, reverse direction, and then return to the upper level. There is also a double lower loop for larger or non-cruise control locomotives.

Don Winslow posted:

John, you had asked for the track plan of my bedroom size "0" scale tubular track layout. Unfortunately, I do not have a drawn out plan, but I can tell you the layout is essentially a double-folded dog bone which allows trains to negotiate the upper lever, loop twice around the lower loop, reverse direction, and then return to the upper level. There is also a double lower loop for larger or non-cruise control locomotives.

 

Don,

Thank you for that additional information and great photos. You've really done a fine job with your layout. I see you are using some of the track and switches I've been stockpiling for my eventual layout. Are you using O72 or O54 for the outer curves? Also, how have the newer O72 switches and the O31 switches from the 1990s been functioning for you? I've read some complaints about them on the OGRR, but everyone seems to have different experience with them.

John

Great topic! My spare room layout is actually also a screen porch layout...

In mid-2019, we left behind a house with a large finished basement, where I had a 9x16 layout. Mid-sized, I guess, but big to me - especially now that it's gone!

In our new place, I'm building a removable layout in my college-student daughter's bedroom. It's 8x7 and straddles a twin bed. I made it in 5 sectional tables that sit on IKEA screw-on legs. When she comes home for the holidays, I can take the whole thing apart. The wiring of each table is self-contained, all leading to two quick-connect plugs per table - one for track and another for switches. The 10 plugs attach to to a cart that holds the transformers and a Cab-1L/Legacy Powermaster/SC-2 setup.

Well, the current health crisis means that my daughter's home from school early, and she needs her bed back. The bed fits underneath the layout, but not with someone sleeping in it! But a few days ago, we had some warm-ish weather here in Massachusetts, so I set up all 5 tables on our front porch. It took less than an hour, and everything worked, including the non-derailing switches. I also learned that I can stand in the living room and run trains through the window.

I didn't leave it out there overnight, as it quickly got cold and damp again. I can show more detail of the tables and wiring if anyone's curious. I'm eager to get more scenery done when spring finally arrives for good.

Thanks,

Alan