Starting Over Part Two: Location

One of the decisions that must be made in conjunction with, if not directly impacting, other decisions is the location of the model railroad. I have three options and started the process by analyzing the pros and cons of each. 

Our Garage

Pros:

• One half of the two car garage is available. 

Cons:

• Interior is not finished
• Electrical needs to be updated
• No heat or insulation
• Where will the woodshop go if the model railroad is located here?
• Access in winter or other inclement weather is problematic  

Current Thinking: Woodshop in the garage, not the model railroad.

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The Basement

Pros:

• Stairs into the middle of the basement
• Direct access from outside or from the inside
• Headroom is fine for me, even with steam pipes and ductwork
• Lots of room, including space for workbench and storage
• Cool in the summer, heat from boiler and steam pipes in winter

Cons:

• It is a basement, not really finished
• Not totally dry, "french drain" around walls, with sump
• So, edge will be wet/damp
• Musty; dehumidifier needs to run continuously in summer
• Needs painting/finishing
• Only one exit
• Shares with utilities (well, hot water heater, boiler)
• Will share with laundry in near future

Current Thinking: The basement is the most likely choice, but island rather than around the walls approach to layout design will be necessary.

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One of the Attic Rooms

Pros:

• Finished space
• Electrical outlets and lights
• Easy access with wide stairs
• Radiators in two attic rooms, so heat in winter
• Shelves already there for model railroad magazines

Cons:

• Wallpaper torn, stained, and wrinkled;  needs work
• Hot in summer
• Smaller rooms and cut up spaces
• Visitors would have to troop through entire house

Current Thinking: I will be storing my collection of model railroad magazines in the attic. If I end up with just a compact layout or a gallery of layouts, the attic may still be in the running as a possible location. 

Existing Shelves for Magazines

Starting Over Part One: Decisions, Decisions

As we are starting to settle in to our 1930 colonial revival home in the Poconos, I am starting over with Version 2 of the 4th Subdivision of the Cascade Division of the Great Northern. While I have made a few decisions, I still have quite a few more to make to move forward with planning/designing the new railroad.  

Tobyhanna Station

While a lot of railroad history exists near here, suggesting a switch to a different theme, I am definitely staying with my Great Northern and Pacific Northwest theme. On a basic level, I have invested a fair amount in research and equipment. Both time and money are scarce enough resources that I am not prepared to totally start over. On a more esoteric level, I have emotional and aesthetic investments and interests in that modeling theme. My planning will continue to be based on a freelanced 4th Subdivision.

Moving forward, I will need to contemplate a series of decisions in conjunction with initial planning. While I don't want to be bogged down with layout room preparations or paralysis by analysis, I don't want to start slapping things together willy-nilly either. 

Decisions to Make: 

• Strategic Planning: What are my interests and vision for the railroad?
• Location of the layout: Where will the railroad be built (attic, basement, garage)? What about the work area and storage?
• Size of the layout: This will be based somewhat on the answers to the questions above. If I decide that I want a small initial section that can be completed in a reasonable amount of time, will it be a TOMA section or a separate one, not intended to later be part of the larger railroad?

As I attempt to make these decisions, I expect that this blog will be the workplace for working out the questions and answers or pros and cons.