Well, in the '80's I acquired a collection of brass steam locos with the intention of re-creating Bellows Falls VT in 1953. It was an awesome collection, I had every B&M, CV, and Rutland variant. But about 12 years ago, I realized I was never going to build it, so I liquidated.  It was a good decision, I really don't miss them, and they weren't going to appreciate in value.  And even though I'm officially "out" of the hobby, I now have an excuse to buy an occasional mass-produced loco. ;) I once saw a G-scale ATSF PA-1 that I almost bought for a shelf decoration. Starting over is good. The hobby is about the process more than the result.

Anyway, I'm still immobile, but I've been looking for ways to build a sizable office/workspace into a trailer or 5th wheel. And I see some models with a rear bunkhouse that could be cleared out to 8' wide x 6'-8' deep.  Remember, you only need 18"-24" of vertical, the rest can be storage or whatever.  Maybe you could build a layout with a removable modular section?  Pull-out workspace underneath? Or just build atop the bunks?

Build it in front of a window and you can have a constantly changing background. ;) Build a reversible module, so the terrain can change to match your location.  All you need is some space, there are a lot of creative things you can do.

Perhaps a 5th wheel would have enough headroom so it could be lowered from the ceiling?

Like you, the idea of toy haulers came up, but there are a lot of negatives that make them undesirable for living.  It's too bad no builder offers a "spare room" floorplan.

Anyway, I say go for it. ;)

Because of Bobk's comment, it spurred a memory in my mind of a m.)odel railroad we used to enjoy many, many years ago.  There was a restaurant in Amarillo, Texas that had suspended a track from the ceiling.  (I think it was called Myers Restaurant  This track ran in and out of at least two different rooms and was continuously running during restaurant hours.  Since I was a kid at the time, when we went to Amarillo, I always wanted to go to that restaurant, and we'd ask for a table or booth where I could see as much of the train and its track as possible.

That said, maybe Brian ought to go with a fifth wheel with a straight-line roof, giving more headroom in the rear, and suspend his track as well?

Terry

A couple of years ago we took a ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. A tour of the Lionel Train Museum is part of the tour. I took a lot pictures and put them into a blog about the train ride and tour.

Here is the blog address to that train ride.  http://fasteagle-scenic-train-rides.blogspot.com/2012/06/are-you-going-up-into-great-smoky.html

Brian,

All I can say is that as one gets into this lifestyle, one finds ways to manage to do things.  Fortunately for us, my interests (primarily photography) don't take up much space.  Even with my new HUGE camera bag, I don't take up near as much space as Jo does with her sewing and embroidery center.

Now, if you really get desperate, check out the Continental Coach 49-foot fifth wheel.  It might have the room for you.

When we began to purge things, we had to get rid of my mother's original oil paintings.  In our 2250 square foot home, we were surrounded by about 55 to 65 of her paintings.  It was difficult for me to give those up, but at least they went to my sister's, so if we ever move back into a house, we might get some back.  We did keep a few of her smaller ones to hang on our RV walls.  So far, only one of my photos are on the wall.  I use them for a slideshow on my computer, so if I want to look at the good photos, I just back away from the computer and let it set idle.  (By the way, if you look closely in that photo above, you can see 5 of my mother's small paintings on the walls.  A sixth is just barely visible through the shelves of Jo's storage unit, but it is called "Terry's Unfinished Work" because it was an attempt on my part to do an oil painting.  Mother and I both "worked" on that one, but it never got finished.)

Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Tuesday 20th of October 2015 10:53:08 AM

Terry and Jo wrote:

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... Fortunately for us, my interests (primarily photography) don't take up much space.  Even with my new HUGE camera bag, I don't take up near as much space as Jo does with her sewing and embroidery center.

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Tuesday 20th of October 2015 10:53:08 AM

---

Well don't take up 3D photography, and definitely don't shoot slide film. ;)  I've been doing it on and off for 30 years, and in this age of InstaFaceSnap, it's become a been great way to differentiate from the pack. 3D has been a dud for video, for good reasons, but stills can be pretty striking when done right.  I make worthwhile income from it, so I need to take my show on the road somehow. But I have 2-3 twin-camera rigs, 5-6 film cameras, and the Fuji X digital kit that I use for regular stuff. Processed film takes up space, and I need a table to sort and mount film, and I need to carry some inventory. Two film scanners and probably a flatbed. An office printer and a dye sub. And all of that stuff is pretty non-negotiable. Dual-monitor PC, I can't work full time on a laptop.

Oh, and battery chargers... I've lost count. And did I mention lights? Stands. Sandbags. Ugh.

Anyway, model trains are starting to look simple by comparison. Fortunately, sitting at my desk here while envisioning it has given me some ideas how I can save space by modularizing and storing; I usually work on only one thing at a time. I'd be fine if I could take over a double bunkhouse, but that seems extreme. I can probably make it work by replacing a sofa with a desk and using a folding table, as long as I have some extra storage space. But geez, even my pared-down kit involves a lot of stuff.

For a bit, I thought we were crazy for searching for an RV specifically to accommodate five (soon to be six) mountain and road bikes. Glad to see we're in good company with all the other big hobbies!

Brian, I hope you're able to make your train room and Cindi's crafting room a reality!

Nearly everybody who does photography for income wishes they could strip down to the basics and just do what they enjoy, so keep at it. That's the kind of photography I'll be doing on a daily basis, but I usually shoot 3D when it's not too much extra work. There will be plenty of scenic train photos, but 3D lets me shoot the same overused angles as everybody else and still be different. ;)

For scenic shots, I have a pair of Canon Rebels that link together, they just work better for 3D than the pro models or full-frame. Even so, it's a beast of a rig to lug around. And the film stuff... all I can say is that you have to see it done well to appreciate it, and it's rarely done well. I was fortunate enough to have been inspired by some bartender/artists in my youth, a small group who were creative enough to get a feature in Life magazine, 09/81. I shot a lot of 3D trains in the 80's, but I was an early adopter of digital (1997), so 3D went on hold for a while. Then I reconnected with my 3D friends in 2008, and they were still working away at it, so I dived in head first. And since they meet monthly, I know I'll always have an audience of at least six. :)

My main 2D cameras are now a Fuji XT-10 and X-Pro; I downsized from a full-frame Canon because I live in a condo and I have to take the camera with me when I go out. The Fuji kit is so much lighter and more compact, the Canon was getting left at home unless I had a specific reason to need it. Image quality is pretty comparable, the Fuji is better in many ways. Canon's sensor technology has really fallen behind over the last few years. I'd love to try one of the new Nikon or Sony full-frame models.

Shooting people is a whole other skill that I only started 5-6 years ago; I don't claim to be good at it, but I'm passable, occasionally creative, and I've gotten over the fear that paralyzed me when I started. It's really more of a people skill than a photography skill, I'm glad I've learned what I have, but I can see my limits, too. And it's an emotional roller coaster... it's so weird to take somebody's money when you think the photos you took for them suck. I could never get over that. I keep a placeholder page on the web, rarely updated: http://bobk.com

 

Love it. Call it crazy but the "imagineered" history he has created adds a real flavor to his passion. At the peak of construction on my own home layout, I had fictitiously named my railroad the the Piedmont Subdivision of the CSX. It ran through parts of TN, GA and NC and was headquartered in Bostic, NC. I even created the "Bostic Bugle" (fake newspaper) with a cast of fictitious characters that were the subject of several news reports for my model RR friends. These characters had tongue in cheek names like Willie Maykitt, (the local johnny come lately), Ivanna Biastar (celebrity wannabe and socialite) or Detective Jess Duffacks (always commenting to this reporter on suspicious unusual phenomena around the railroad property) just to name a few. All in good fun. A recurring theme was the presence of benevolent giant aliens lurking in the woods near the train tracks that were always ready to help with the construction of the mainline.... true story!!!....who'd a thunk it? There's even reports that the aliens have been caught on film.  WOW!

I have in mind, doing something similar if we ever get a blog off the ground for our future adventures. There is a rich tapestry, fodder for the grist mill that would make some great story telling for the amusement of all readers. 

Thanks for sharing the link.

Brian

-- Edited by biggaRView on Thursday 22nd of October 2015 02:02:42 PM

He was one of the masters. The Gorre & Daphetid RR will live on in my memory forever.

-- Edited by biggaRView on Thursday 22nd of October 2015 03:19:10 PM

You know, it dawned on me that there are some large model exhibits open to the public. I've never made it to any, but I know there was a big one in San Diego at Balboa Park, several clubs run it. There's also an attraction called Roadside America, I think it is, along I-81 in Pennsylvania. Again, I haven't been, but a friend shot some 3D there, and it looks like fun. You usually don't have to be a train enthusiast to enjoy them, I think of them as folk art.

There are also some good full-size museums. I'm ashamed that I haven't visited Steamtown since it was in Vermont; since it's now National Park Service, it's oriented toward the broader public with a focus on history. Cal State RR Museum in Sacramento is also very good like that. There are dozens more that would appeal mostly to train enthusiasts.

Unfortunately I don't have any links handy, but now that it's on my mind, perhaps I'll come up with some.

With any luck, a year from now I'll have collected a good list of places to camp trackside.

Yes, apparently there are a couple of parks in Silverton, and along US550 just north of Durango.  I think the D&S only runs one round trip a day, but it's a beautiful area.  Late September, wow. It does get crowded around then.

Here are are the best candidates I've found on a map search:

Jame M Robb State Park, just across the Colorado from the D&RGW, which currently sees about 16 trains/day.

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/JamesMRobbColoradoRiver/Pages/MapsDirections.aspx#1

In Oregon, Memaloose State Park along the Columbia River, right on the UP with BNSF across the way.

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=118

There are also some campsites along Cal 70 in Feather River Canyon. Cal State parks and as I recall, they're expensive and no hookups. Feather River Canyon from Portola to Oroville is a must-do route; train traffic can be spotty but it's so scenic that you don't care. Museum in Portola.

Crystal Hot Springs, Honeyville, UT; I think the UP line behind it is pretty busy, but I've never been to the area.

http://www.crystalhotsprings.net/

Thousand Trails has a park in Soledad Canyon, CA, along the UP/Metrolink.

Afton Canyon east of Barstow has dry camping, and it's close to the UP main.

One place I've always wished I could go is the Meadow Valley Wash on the UP between Moapa and Caliente, Nevada. I once rode it eastbound on Amtrak leaving Vegas in the evening, and we kept passing campfires along this winding canyon route, it seemed like the ideal spot. But it's a remote dirt road, I don't think it's RV territory. We might find out.

https://goo.gl/maps/UjWfxBoyqXB2

Colorado River Road going north from Dotsero, CO. is a maintained dirt road, and there are 2-3 free state campsites trackside on the UP/D&RGW. I'm not sure it's worth the trouble in an RV, but it's a really fun and scenic drive in an SUV.  This curve is ridiculously scary when there's a train passing: https://goo.gl/maps/2Xm9HHtteXF2 It narrows to 1.5 lanes, rock wall on one side and trains on the other. If somebody were coming the other way, a head-on might be the best outcome.

-- Edited by bobk3d on Saturday 24th of October 2015 12:54:28 AM

-- Edited by bobk3d on Saturday 24th of October 2015 12:56:55 AM

I think the parks in Durango are across the 550 from the tracks, but close enough to walk since they're on a schedule. The one time I passed through, I found some photo locations just north of town.



Funny, one thing I don't enjoy is riding steam trains. I did some x-country trips in Amtrak sleepers back when it was affordable, those were fun. But riding inside an old train isn't any nicer than riding a new one, you never even get to see the loco. The D&S route might be interesting just because it's so extreme.

My dad, who actually rode steam trains for transportation, had no nostalgia for them.  All he talked about was how dirty they were. 

-- Edited by bobk3d on Saturday 24th of October 2015 12:02:04 PM

I have worked out a design for a modular layout, that could be transported in an RV... if the floorplan or available storage compartments will allow. Assembled, 4 modules would be roughly 6'x15' (maximum size I have under consideration) plus an extension for staging trains on. Obviously I could only set it up outside on a campsite or at a CG community center building if available. After an "operating session", it would be disassembled and put away for the next time. Stowing it would require roughly 90-100 cu ft of space and would weigh about 240-300 pounds for everything depending on construction methods employed. Using Free-Mo standards I could attach the entire set-up to a larger train show or club layout or other modules similarly designed for added modelling or operating possibilities. Alternatively, I have considered switching scales and going to N scale from HO. It would require half the space to stow it... an important consideration.

Discussions on here about electrical situations at CGs has me rethinking some options as most of my equipment has digital command control circuit boards in them and might not take kindly to voltage fluctuations. Frying electronics is not my idea of fun. At least with N scale, it could be set and run safely more easily from protected rig power equipped with one of those Progressive surge protection systems. So much to think about.

Maybe I should take up RC , an earlier love of mine from way back. Might be safer from a success perspective and take up less space. Good thing I have time to weigh the options.

Brian