Space available to dedicate a good size layout .
I've always since a child liked running at good speed.. O scale requires a fairly large space and straight runs of distance I'd like 10 feet or more just calls for a big space.
WIFE
Michael,
IMO the biggest obstacle to building an O Gauge layout is space, no matter how you cut it, you must have the space to build the layout, if you want it in your home. I have always wanted a large enough space in my home to leave up a big multi-level layout year around. I did use our office and game room for about 8 years, this definitely disrupted our home, and limited our living space severely. If we ever do purchase another home, it will have enough floor space in our home for me to construct a large multi-level O Gauge Train layout, on a permanent basis.
PCRR/Dave
86TA355SR posted:WIFE
Hmm, that does rank up there... but I am not buying. There are always replacements. 
J Daddy posted:86TA355SR posted:WIFE
Hmm, that does rank up there... but I am not buying. There are always replacements.
Those are expensive...
TIME and time is money.
I get to distracted too with other things in life as my life is busy like most of you. For example I spend to much "time" designing a layout. I call it design paralysis. The other is space. I want a huge 0; 3 rail layout but then I say to myself I will never finish a 20'x 40' layout and right now I do not have that space. I have a space in a finished attic which is 1/2 that. So I will eventually settle on something that is smaller-medium sized that will not take up that much time. OGR is a good example of the time I spent on "distractions" however good they seem.
I have been told by some H.O. guys I know that space matters to them, however I have seen the track sizes sold by H.O. companies and dis-agree because 027 curves are 3 inches smaller in diameter then H.O. 15 inch radius curves. Also 031 is only one inch larger then the smallest H.O. factory size curve. Also the H.O. curve sizes go up to 22 inches that I know of or 44 inch curves. The only size savings might be the width of the tracks but other then that I don't really see that much of a size savings with H.O. verse O gauge track. There are some people though who use up to 100 inch radius curves in O gauge so again it depends on curved track sizes as to which scale is better for you.
Price might be more expensive for brand new items but I have seen some H.O. catalogs in the past 6 weeks that puzzle me about prices. In other words the H.O. item is just as much as the O gauge item if not more! So no real monetary savings with H.O. anymore from what I see. I am comparing MTH O gauge with MTH H.O. stuff.
Lee Fritz
My flight instructor once asked me "what makes an airplane fly"? After I gave the usual responses about thrust and lift he said no, it's money. Same holds true for O scale layouts. Time and money always are the rate limiting factors.
With me it's always been TIME!
I let money keep from getting back into trains for too long. Probably gonna sell my Harley eventually also. If my girlfriend doesn't dump me, I'll have the room....lol
There is one small thing about H.O. when it comes to buying buildings that are pre-made, they seem to less expensive then O gauge buildings; even Plasticville buildings have that price difference.
The only other saving I can see is if you have more then three tracks side by side in H.O. verses O gauge you can save an inch or two, that's all. The curve diameters for H.O. are a little more at times then some of the curve diameters for O gauge track, so not always a space saving there.
Lee Fritz
Space, but money would have to be number one. We question why more young people aren't in the hobby, not many can fork out 400.00 or 500.00 or more for a locomotive. It's an expensive hobby, but I'll never sell my Harley.
Space and then track planning would be next. I love building I think as much if not more as running the trains. I'm just sick of circles and that's all i can come up with in small spaces. Hopefully very soon I will be purchasing a new home with plenty of space in the very near future and I'm going to be asking on this board for some ideas.
Space and Time (sounds like something from Sat trek)
I have lots of layout items for my layout!
Wives who don't for the life of them don't understand "hobbies" and why that time can't be better put into remodeling tasks.
The biggest obstacle is "us". The rule of three P's dominate, let me explain.
"P" number one: Perfection, we all want that perfect layout.
"P" number two: Procrastination, to achieve "P 1" we delay for every reason possible, size, location,type of track, budget, design, etc.
"P" number three: Paralysis, not sure how to achieve all our requirements in "P 1" we simply freeze and do nothing but continue to think about everything we want in our layout but it never seems to measure up to our "P 1" standard.
Therefore: Perfection leads to Procrastination that leads to paralysis, NO LAYOUT.
My #1 obstacle is time. I don't have enough time in the day to take care of everything I need to do and still make it downstairs to get enough quality time working on the layout.
Space
There are a few factors:
- Space
- Time
- Approval from the "Secretary of the Interior"
- Cost.
Work-arounds:
- For space, a small switching layout can be done in as little as 96"x16"
- Time -- smaller layouts can get built/detailed faster
- Approval from the "Secretary of the Interior" -- submit some concept sketches. If it doesn't look intrusive, or better still, looks decorative you've got a better shot.
- Cost -- keep materials simple and inexpensive.
Rescued Trains posted:The biggest obstacle is "us". The rule of three P's dominate, let me explain.
"P" number one: Perfection, we all want that perfect layout.
"P" number two: Procrastination, to achieve "P 1" we delay for every reason possible, size, location,type of track, budget, design, etc.
"P" number three: Paralysis, not sure how to achieve all our requirements in "P 1" we simply freeze and do nothing but continue to think about everything we want in our layout but it never seems to measure up to our "P 1" standard.
Therefore: Perfection leads to Procrastination that leads to paralysis, NO LAYOUT.
I was just about to post, in a general way, your sequence of enthusiasm killing pitfalls. Add to it, the time spent in front of the monitor or boob toob, and it's a wonder that any layout planning or building gets accomplished at all.
Bruce
