Paul,

If the layout was not designed to be moved then I would forget about trying to move it. It's an unfortunate reality that very few model railway layouts in a permanent situation can ever be moved successfully and most are scrapped in situ. Sometimes parts of a layout can be saved and that's about as good as it can get since chopping up the baseboards to get them out of the venue usually causes a large amount of damage to the layout as a whole.

The best that can be done is collect and sell all the locomotives and rolling stock and what buildings and other accessories can be removed easily without damage. It might also be possible to lift the track and sell that off as well. You'll need to get a lot of help to do this – especially in five weeks. I would try and contact a local model railway club to get advice and help.

Jim.

Edited By Jim Guthrie on 27/05/2017 09:00:08

Paul,

Cutting into manageable pieces could be possible but a major consideration would be the wiring and control circuitry. In permanent layout the wiring tends to "grow like Topsy" and can become a major job to re-instate it after a move. It would probably be quicker to start all over again. You've also got to find someone who has 9m x 7m of space to spare. I don't know about houses in Australia, but houses with a spare room of that size would be getting into the mansion size in the UK. Your local model railway club members should be able to give you good on-the-spot advice.

Jim.

Why not leave it where it is and sell it as a feature of the house?

Dave

I recognise a lot of 'Faller' houses there along with the Marklin track. Must have cost a pretty penny to build. It would be a terrible shame for it to be destroyed.

Regards

Richard.