My family wants to get back into model railroading have been out for 10 years or so. Today I took a look at a 10 x 15 or 17 rectangle HO layout track is all layed & complete wiring is 90% complete some of it might be need to be updated & the scenery is 40% to 50% complete no buildings or trees. Over all it looks like a well build layout so far even has a display case in the fron for lots of trains. To move the layout it comes apart in sections. The price for this decnet sized layout is $1500 a little high for us but I would say it is worth 2 times the price. Only bad thing is we really have no place to store it other than the garage with the high hummidity here it might be a problem. Do you guys think it would be worth buying it right now, it would be really nice to have something like this. We have always loved building the scenery we never loved laying track & wiring.
Thinking About Buying A Decent Sized Layout
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5,996 Posts
Welcome to the forum. While I'd love to come upon a layout in my next rental house, the prospect of paying so much to take on what could be someone else's ill planned headache is a daunting one. At that price, does it come with locomotives and rolling stock?
How secure and well laid is the track? How long would you be storing it and what kind of wood is it built with? Screws or nails? Particle board, wafer board and lower grade lumber would give you a fit in anything that wasn't climate controlled. Long term storage of anything wooden would require a couple coats of varnish to keep it from warping.
Is the wiring orderly and well planned or a spaghetti bowl? Is the display case nicely done with glass doors or open shelves? These things would speak volumes about the kind of person the builder is and ultimately the kind of layout you'd be buying.
In the end, you're the one who will set the price. $1500 is some serious green to part with without looking into just what it is you're buying.
How secure and well laid is the track? How long would you be storing it and what kind of wood is it built with? Screws or nails? Particle board, wafer board and lower grade lumber would give you a fit in anything that wasn't climate controlled. Long term storage of anything wooden would require a couple coats of varnish to keep it from warping.
Is the wiring orderly and well planned or a spaghetti bowl? Is the display case nicely done with glass doors or open shelves? These things would speak volumes about the kind of person the builder is and ultimately the kind of layout you'd be buying.
In the end, you're the one who will set the price. $1500 is some serious green to part with without looking into just what it is you're buying.
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96 Posts
Layout
At $1500, you should set it up right away. As stated , wood could buckle storing it in a gurage. If you have to wait, better toforget this layout, and start , from scratch , a new layout at a lesser price.
At $1500, you should set it up right away. As stated , wood could buckle storing it in a gurage. If you have to wait, better toforget this layout, and start , from scratch , a new layout at a lesser price.
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