Thank you Jim Reising

[Catt]

Thanks to the write up on your layout my wife no longer thinks mine is to big. 

Your layout is 26'-6" wide, mine is 10'-6"

Your layout is 52'-0" long, mine is 25'-6"

Did I mention she likes your layout too.

[jereising]

ALWAYS glad to help, Catt. 

The basement was the price of my beloved getting a new house on retirement.  She got the house, I got the basement.  When looking, the basement was a major consideration - if a house had no basement, we didn't look.

Only wish it wasn't a walkout, would have rather been able to go around all four sides, but hey, no complaints!

[John]

if a house had no basement, we didn't look.

That was my requirement also when I got my house

[davefoxx]

That was my requirement also when I got my house

+2.

[seusscaboose]

yup...   i can pretty much ditto that remark...

i am at the point now ...  either remodelling or moving...  if i remodel, i get to keep the basement.. if i move... i will have a basement and room to expand

Ep

[Dave Schneider]

For those who don't subscribe, the Oakville Sub is featured in the July 2012 issue of Model Railroader. The article and photos really highlight the very nice modeling and demonstrate the (obvious) advantages of N scale. Congratulations Jim on having this published!

Best wishes, Dave

[Philip H]

We got a basement that works for the table saw, and I got an above ground room for the trains. It's a good start.

And I agree with dave's assessment of the layout article - very well done Jim. And heck if Gary can go across a garage door, you ought to be able to close the loop on a walkout.

[nscalemike]

Another vote for an excellent layout and an equally as good MR article.  It just so happens that I was in the middle of reading Jim's thread over on Trainboard on the construction of the layout and find it very interesting and motivating.  The work that was accomplished in the short time frame is great.  It's just like a good book, I'm on page 128 of 142 and can't wait to see the end but also don't want it to be over!

On a side note Jim, where did you get your construction equipment that you posed in various scenes, such as the back hoe and flatbed trailers?

Mike

[jereising]

Another vote for an excellent layout and an equally as good MR article.  It just so happens that I was in the middle of reading Jim's thread over on Trainboard on the construction of the layout and find it very interesting and motivating.  The work that was accomplished in the short time frame is great.  It's just like a good book, I'm on page 128 of 142 and can't wait to see the end but also don't want it to be over!

On a side note Jim, where did you get your construction equipment that you posed in various scenes, such as the back hoe and flatbed trailers?

Mike

Thanks everyone for the kind words. 

Mike, it's not over 'til I'm over...God willin' an' the crick don't rise that'll be a while.   

The trailer and the bobcat that rides on it are GHQ - I think some of the others are also but they could be others.  I'd pick 'em up here and there as I'd see them...that was back when I had a LHS up north - now?  Nuttin'.  I really miss just browsing in a well stocked shop.

[eja]

What's a basement .....

     ....eja in SoCal.

[Freight Train]

I didn't get a basement as homes here in A.Z. don't usually have them especially here in the south part of the state. But at lease I got a dedicated train room which was part of the deal when we got this house. Though my wife doesn't have interest in the hobby she does know what railroading & the hobby means to me. Gotta love her more for that!! ( -:

[kalbert]

It was nice to see your work published, showing that an exceptional layout need not have a spur and industry every 3 feet all the way around. I have always liked your work.  My next layout will be much like yours, long trains in motion, minimal fiddling around. I've decided that I much prefer mainline running to classification yard sorting.

[rogergperkins]

Jim, et. al., seems we all have our story and are now inspired to tell or retell it.
We already had a house with a perfect basement for my dream layout.  I was using about 24 x 28' of the space, but had room to expand.  Retirement came in mid 2005, we moved from MN where we lived 30 years to IL to a home with very little layout space.   I was told by the realtor that some remodeling in the basement could occur by removing walls and a bedroom, wine cellar and exercise room opened up into a nice L-shaped space.  IT NEVER HAPPENED.  After six months of other work on the house, we stopped changing it. Seven years later.   

This is the staging yard off the back of a 2x24' long section three months before we retired. Already had started to pack the layout.

[peteski]

I also thoroughly enjoy reading Jim's article and seeing how big the full layout is. It really captures the look of the prototype location!  As others have mentioned, it demonstrates how good N scale is for modeling great expanses of the midwest USA. Great job Jim!

Personally I don't care much for switching puzzles on a layout or fast-clock operations (it seems too much like work to me rather than having fun running or watching trains) but I would still love to see Jim add at least a hint of an urban setting to his layout.  Maybe simply a village or some Indian settlement?

[robert3985]

Loved the MR article.  It's great to see little trains running on a big layout! 

One of N-scale's main advantages is its fabulous scenery-to-track ratio, and I was very happy to see it well represented by your layout Jim...as well as modeling an actual prototype location!

Nice to see N-scale represented by something other than an under-the-coffee-table layout, or spaghetti-bowl on a HCD.

I also use splined Masonite as my subroadbed.  One of the main benefits I've noticed (especially since I have gone DCC-sound) is the extreme sound-deadening qualities of it.  When my trains transition from splined subroadbed to 3/4 plywood in the yard areas, they get noticeably noisier. 

Excellent work!

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore