Model railroad layouts plans

Dan’s been back in touch with more of his train layout HO scale:

“Al, this set will wrap up my layout. I have a gazillion photos of my layout. As I said, I have completed several other layouts. I would be glad to share them with your readers.

HO Bench work completed

Gold spike. I used gold paint on a rail spike.

The monument for all to see. I have done this to all of the layouts I have built.

Some night views. I do not normally run in the dark. Looks like someone in in the bank after hours.

Railroads are a 24/7 operation. The engine house is no exception.

Another view of the engine house on the layout.

Train layout HO scale:

Looks as if there is some overtime work to be done at the welding shop.

At work late at the layout freight house.

Dressing up the shop windows. The mannequin in the left window, in white, has been cut off at the legs to show just clothing item to be sold.

I often put a figure in a window.

Something that does not exist today. Full service gas station. That is a Walther’s cast metal kit. The “oil” cans are short lengths of dowel rod.

A rail fan at a tunnel. In this photo I used a kicker incandescent light for a little shadow and again warmer look. My layout is considered flat lighting with very little shadowing. I did this on purpose so I could add shadows where I wanted them.

The higher the layout bench work the more light you need.

My HO layout uses florescent lighting. I used a strip of “GE Light Sticks” for the section of the layout with the

The GE lights were a redder, warmer, light. In this photo I used a kicker incandescent light for a little shadow and again warmer look. You can see these in this photo. They were 24 inches verses the 48 tubes.

The basement had a strip of 3 foot ceiling panels rather than 4 foot panels. The room is 15 feet wide and not 16 feet.

This wraps up photos of my home layout. This has been a great pleasure sharing my layout with you. I have four others I hope to share with you. Al has some video of the layout.

Dan*”

A big thanks to Dan for sharing more pics of his train layout HO scale.

You can see more of Dan’s work in the Hall of Fame.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you stop dreaming and start doing, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

PPS More HO scale here if that’s your thing.

Brian’s been in touch with a blast from the past – his old HO scale 8×4 layout:

“Hi Alastair.

As mentioned in my previous post, I said I would find the photos of the 8 X 4 display that I made for the Hobbies fair after the previous one.

This layout below in the second photo loosely resembles the late John Allen’s Gorre & Daphetid 6 X 4 layout shown below. (Courtesy of Benchmark publications). it was modified to fit on an 8ft X 4ft board.

The photo below shows where I needed help to get the board Into my friends workshop to continue with the build of my version of it.

Below is a view from the opposite side of it showing the cork roadbed.

Here I was testing building positions to what would be a good solution for them.

Foam and plaster work started and the wooden trestle in place. All the tunnel portals we set in place.

Cork roadbed was used under the track to raise it and partially deaden the sound.

Woodland Scenics ground was used to give me the look of greenery where needed.

Continuing with the foam and covering it with plaster.

Adding plaster to the opposite side.

More green woodland scenic ground foam added as well as the base of the lake bed.

The cast in place plaster arch viaduct has been painted.

Here the water (resin) has been added to the lake. Trees have been added around the layout. I stopped using resin after this as there is heat involved during the curing process and when it cools down, it shrinks. I then had to repair the edges to hide where the resin had shrunk. Woodland Scenics realistic water was not available at that time,

An overall view showing a train crossing over the wood trestle bridge.

A station and water tank was added at the top section and more industry added on the right hand side below the hill. Bushes and shrubbery was added here also on the left hand side of the layout

Final placement of the town and the roads. Everything was glued down including the vehicles in preparation for the move to the hobbies fair.

This stand was double the size of the previous one and was 20ft 10ft in size. Because of its size, a young friend of mine who also had an interest in model trains asked me if he could display his small finished HO scale layout on the stand

His HO scale well detailed layout can be seen below and also received a lot of comments especially when told that a 15 year old kid built it. He was on the stand with me for the duration of the show to answer any questions about his layout.

The main 8ft X 4ft layout was also sold at the hobbies fair which was a week long from Monday to Sunday during school holidays. The small layout was returned home again.

This was my last foray into HO scale standard gauge (1:87 and 16mm track gauge).

From here on it was all HO three foot narrow gauge – HOn3.

A big thank you to Alastair for all the hard work that he does in keeping this site going. A great round of applause for Al.

Brian – the HOn3 guy in Knysna RSA.”

A big thanks to Brian for sharing his HO scale 8×4 layout.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you poke boredom in the eye, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.

Peter’s been in touch and added to the HO scale Kato model layouts on the blog:

“Hi Alastair,

My name is Peter and I retired about two years ago and decided to get back in to model railroading a year ago.

I really want to share with you and your followers what can be done with some limitations.

Firstly, I rent and I know I will have to pack up my whole layout and move within the year. My entire model layout sits on folding tables and can be packed up into a few boxes.

Secondly, I have a limited budget and have not purchased one new engine nor rolling stock. I picked up a lot of items for near free, such as a $10 HO scale box with a bridge, 3 engines, buildings and some rolling stock.

I repainted, stenciled, and repaired many items. I made all my mountains out of insulation and used dollar store paint.

The single largest purchase, and probably the best for me was a huge lot of HO scale kato unitrack for $200, and some used switches at the local hobby shop.

My next most expensive item is my one HO scale Kato engine: $105 CN. I stick to my limit for items, stay patient, and buy combined lots of items when I can, and average about $10 a car / building etc.

I decided to focus my layout on Castlegar, British Columbia circa 1974. I spend a year there when I was fourteen.

Castlegar’s unique railway station was till within the wye at that time. The other locations on my layout are the Nelson, B.C. rail yard and the Taghum bridge.

It’s not completely prototypical, but it’s close. What I love about this transition era is the variety of rolling stock and paint themes that were actually on the rails together.

I was a school teacher and I often reflect on the interdisciplinary learning that goes on: in the research: history and geography, in the modelling: art, all the math: scale, the electronics and the mechanical understanding rebuilding thirty year old locomotives and getting them running. All that without even touching the DCC side of things.

Anyways, here are a few pictures of my HO scale. I hope someone can enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed seeing others’.

Peter”

HO scale Kato model layouts:

A big thanks to Peter for adding to the Kato HO scale model layouts.

Here’s a few more of them if that’s your thing:

Kato track plans.

Now on to Dave:

“Hi Al,

Just a short video well 7 minutes… Running a few trains, it’s so cold up here in the North and grey with rain on and off… so what better than run a few trains.

It’s all action with various ones all with there own sound… Soon be warmer weather then can get back to gardening??

Regards

Dave”

A big thanks to Dave and Peter.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you stop dreaming and start doing, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.