Model railway inside Campervan: Opinions and ideas

[Someone]

I saw a video about a guy who lives in a converted van full time and still does gaming as his hobby. And while someone who has no interest in doing this, I was thinking how would a space eating hobby such as model railways be achieved in a van, I was thinking of a drop down layout which lifts up to the ceiling when not In use. If you we're to attempt something likes this how would you do it? It would be interested to hear railway modellers opinion on this.



PS: I hope I posted this in the correct place.

[End2end]

One answer.
Z gauge.
Thanks
End2end

[Bufferstop]

There have been numerous articles over the years describing layouts in most kinds of caravans, converted motor homes, you name it somebody has probably done it. One of the first editions of Railway Modeller that I read described a layout accommodated in a caravan, home to the modeller and his wife. There was no electricity to the van so when using the layout he parked his Land Rover next to the van and plugged into the 12V dashboard socket.
You could certainly operate an "inglenook" shunting layout across the width of a Transit type van, the ideal vehicle would be a van with an "over the cab" extension.

[End2end]

There was no electricity to the van so when using the layout he parked his Land Rover next to the van and plugged into the 12V dashboard socket.

Now THAT'S committed!

Was he? ...perhaps by the wife?

Thanks
End2end

[Bigmet]

...I was thinking how would a space eating hobby such as model railways be achieved in a van...

This has proved a useful option for modellers stuck for space, find an old caravan that is 'tired' or marginally roadworthy and thus low cost, and park it on blocks or screw jacks, good and level. Both cheaper and with more flexibility than building extensions or sheds, because a parked caravan can be much closer to walls or property boundaries, because it is treated as moveable, even if the tyres are flat...

[Chops]

In the USA, space can be at a premium in a congested city, but beyond there one often has a bit more flexibility. As an outsider looking in, it has been an education to watch some Englishmen fit the most extraordinary track plans into the smallest of spaces or unusual locations. I do not ever recall hearing about someone building a layout in the attic crawl space, for example, in North America. Nor a pantry shelf. The smallest ever was a dedicated fellow: he ran a Pacific type locomotive in N scale upon a dynameter upon a shelf in his single window of this tiny flat. Moreover, the British modeller has this fascination with passenger rail and services, which is secondary, if at all, on a great many North American layouts, whereas in Britain it is often the focal element. It has been a pleasure, and a challenge, to try to imitate many of these uniquely British trends.

[Bufferstop]

There was a fellow in Scotland lived in a ground floor apartment' so no loft or attic, but a trap in the floor of a cupboard led to an underfloor crawl space. The floor was covered by a rough cement oversite. By excavating a trench in the centre of the crawl space and putting a couple of lintels in the supporting (sleeper) walls that propped up his floor he was able to utilise the whole area of his house. I understand he smuggled the excavated earth out so the other residents wouldn't get worried by his operations. As it was in Scotland he used the space to model the Campbelltown and Macrahanish narrow gauge railway, in 7mm scale if I remember rightly.

[Bigmet]

... the British modeller has this fascination with passenger rail and services, which is secondary, if at all, on a great many North American layouts, whereas in Britain it is often the focal element...

It's a small island, and rail is still competitive with road and air for getting around: today, if not for the rest of the week. (All major road routes with moderate to heavy traffic most of the time, all airports worth the name 'international' with what that entails in security and consequent 'time not flying but waiting', and private light aviation very expensive, and with severe route restrictions because the UK is the Eastern Atlantic flight hub.)

The UK's railway began as a freight mover, and freight was dominant for most of its existence, until the post WWII road network improvement made direct 'door to door' delivery by road the winner for all but bulk haulage. Freight by rail is pretty dull now, typically block trains from (restricted access) loading point to (restricted access) unloading point, and quite a lot of the mileage on tracks with no passenger operations. So whereas sixty years ago you could still see much of the nation's trade going by on most train journeys, now it is just occasional glimpses, mostly of fairly anonymous containers...

[Bufferstop]

Containerisation has altered the look of the freight train, no more small open wagons with recognisable contents just bulk minerals, tankers and containers. This may explain the number of models of engineering wagons, they are something different. Last week I found myself at a loose end in Warwick, save someone a trip to collect me I came home by train. My train was the second on the display, but the fifth if you counted the three long conflat trains that came through, all pulled by Class 66s. One virtually empty the other two with approaching 100 containers between them. Very disappointing they rumbled up Hatton Bank accelerating all the time not a hint of a struggle. Could it be that the BR diesel types were just under specified and overweight?

[Bigmet]

... Could it be that the BR diesel types were just under specified and overweight?

Some were significantly underweight when it came to traction for freight, all of the hydraulic disaster courtesy of Swindon for a start.

But it is mostly down to the advance of technology, for optimised power production and effective power delivery at the rail-wheel interface. The American manufacturers had a solid decade lead over BR, and had already solved their heavy freight problem with well developed MU-ing for ample horsepower; and then seriously moved on into efficiency in the wake of the 70's oil crisis. Both better engines that actually output their power rating with lower fuel consumption, and much refined control on each traction motor to keep the wheel turning on the verge of slipping for maximum power delivery. The heavy freight operations traction is monitored continuously on the road by the railroads and manufacturers nowadays, to ensure it's always working as it should.