Model Railway Forum

Let me set the scene.
I live in a 1 bed flat , so both the living room and the bedroom are taken with the usual home furnishing.so that`s out of the question
However I have a garage 100meters away , I can get power to the garage via a long extension lead , good so far , but if it rains hard , the garage is prone to damp , nothing I can do about that , Or I have a garden , approx 4 meters X 4 meters , any ideas ??

Are you able to construct a layout that hinges on a wall or can slide under the bed when not being used? Presumably as you live in a flat the garden is a shared space? R-

I have never thought and about a hinged layout , I shall see what my better half has to say , the garden is all mine , the flat above is 2 bed with a balcony up stairs , so I have total use of the garden

Garage - too far away, damp as you say, cold and a long cable is not a good idea. What about a good quality insulated shed with light and power? I model in card and my models are fine in a shed as described. You can also close the door and leave any mess behind instead of having to clear away. A fridge with beers moves a shed to another level!

Have you thought about 0-16.5 (Narrow gauge) as I can turn locos around on a 2ft (60cm) wide board. Is just a thought.

Bandit Mick wrote: ↑Mon Mar 07, 2022 5:51 pm Garage - too far away, damp as you say, cold and a long cable is not a good idea. What about a good quality insulated shed with light and power? I model in card and my models are fine in a shed as described. You can also close the door and leave any mess behind instead of having to clear away. A fridge with beers moves a shed to another level!

I agree with Bandit Mick - locating your layout in a damp shed is far from ideal. Another point to take into consider is security, so as well as insulation, light and power, I would add a decent door with a good lock to the specification for a replacement shed (if you decide to go down that route).

Otherwise it looks like the hinged layout idea may be the way to go. I suggest that your first job should be to decide what you want on your layout and in which scale. That will determine the size of baseboard you're going to need and hence may determine where it will fit.

Good luck!

A damp garage may be all that is available to some people. If that is the case just do the best you can. The important thing is not to leave locos in the garage. I had a friend who had a similar situation. He used to cover the layout in polystyrene sheets when not in use.

in my view, N gauge would be a solution, using storage under the bed. You can produce a reasonable layout this way We have a pasting type table, where legs clip completely inside frame so, not bulky. worth a thought.

Forgot about stock. WTD is right - a good lock and remove stock inside the house if possible. Mind you, a lock is only as strong as the door/timber it is screwed to, but any deterrent to slow possible theft is a good idea. My rottie is the ultimate deterrent and lots of signage to say she is on the property - but obviously she lives in the house.

Hi Daryll have you thought about using a plastic Christmas tree box or wrapping paper box. These are ideal for storing and building a micro layout in.
Scalemodelscenery make baseboard for these types of boxes.