Fernando has been in touch with his O scale lionel layout:
“Hello Al:
My name is Fernando Gomes and I live in Longueuil, Québec.
I have been following your site with all comments, ideas, counselling’s and pictures.
Today I am sending you pictures of my layout O scale that took about 2 years to build.
Although I started with old Lionel stuff, gradually I change everything to Atlas tracks and Railking to the rolling stock.
All the buildings, electrical posts, fences and most off the trees were hand made from scratch.
I am thinking to eventually change everything to DCS but that is another story.
Is not perfect but is my work. I hope that you like it.
Thanks for your site.
Fernando”
O scale Lionel layout:
“HI Al.
I have been railroading since my first train set back in the 50’s…. I thought your readers would like to know how I made a lake…. Well, my mom being a Disney artist took a mirror and some realistic rubber shrubbery she lined the mirror with the shrubs and wow it sure looked great
One can use their imagination on trees and shrubs…Sorry to say I have moved to Idaho and am waiting to build another railroad
Thanks.
Danny”
“Al: Regarding your dust cover note today, here’s what works for me on my 6 x 10 foot S Gauge island style layout. It’s a 16’ army surplus parachute elevated by a $10 Tripod from the second hand store. The layout is in the loft of Wyoming un- air- conditioned house, with the windows open most of the summer and gravel roads and driveway. So it gets dusty within but this provides adequate protection from dust and pterodactyl sized flies. FYI. You are welcome to republish. Thanks what you do for our hobby. All the best,
John”
“Well Alastair.. The best model Railroad tip that I use ta use, when I was a boy, was to use green and yellow spongie craft stuff from my local Hobby Shop.. And use craft glue to glue it to real small ( like only 2″s to 4″s long ends from real trees out in our yard, and some of the bottoms of the tree/sticks could simply be stuck into 1/16th to 1/8th holes drilled into the fiberboard, or plywood or what have you, Friend !!!
Or if ya used some clay that is molded while it is wet, you can just use it to stick this small tree branches into the soft clay, and wait while it hardens over night Brother !!! Hope those ideas help ya Guy !!! :o)
Curtis”
A big thanks to John, Curtis, Danny and to Fernando for sharing his O scale Lionel layout. I never know what will turn up in my inbox – I do enjoy seeing all the different styles, scenes and scales.
It just goes to show this hobby really is for everyone. You can do whatever you want on your own layout – the golden rule is there are no rules!
That’s all for today folks. Don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide is you’ve got an itch you just have to scratch.
Or if you just want to ease yourself in with a few buildings, the store is here.
Please do keep ’em coming.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.
Buy cheap cans of hairspray, spray on twigs that you have found and measured for scale you are modeling, then roll in ground cover, (tufted kind) and you have great looking and cheap trees.
Very nice pictures.
A question for Fernando? How did you make the Insulators & transformer for your light poles?? Layout is very nice looking.
Fernando Nice to see someone else doing O gauge. You did a real nice job and have interesting idea. I am into O and try to use things I find laying around. It drives my wife crazy. I am always picking up stuff laying around and saying, now what does this remind me of or what can I make with this. It keeps me young and my mind is always going. Keep up the fun work.
Steve from Toms River
That is a darn good model, I love the way he did the electric weirs on the poles. That is a good set up, for the average person to do.
Mel
Very well thought out and put together gives us something to inspire and want to achieve on my own layout or maybe an idea or three for someone else great work
Fernando
really interesting layout fernando…
and all the scratch made details are priceless
keep em runnin fellas
stjohn in long beach calif
Very nice layout Fernando. It is always much more satisfying to build things from scratch,if you have the talent as you do, than to use kits. Keep up the good work.
Very creative work…. nice to see some O gauge stuff…. keep up the good work Fernando!
Thank you for sending me all these interesting ideas.
Bravo, Fernando!!! Always great to see the efforts of fellow O scalers/ high
railers/Lionel afficianadi. Your results/comments inspire the rest of us.
Hi Fernando — Nice work on a layout to which you’ve devoted so much scratch building effort. I particularly like the natural wood look of your stepped walkway and overpass. — Arnie, Staten Island, NY
Finally some ‘O’ scale. Thanks
Fernando–very nice O-scale layout! The stairways, walkways, and buildings look fantastic! I also have an O-scale layout–so I appreciate your work! Jerry
I am Glad to See some O Scale Layouts, Please get and show more, More and More People are going back to this Gauge
Finally someone has made realistic-looking telephone poles with wires on them!
Nice looking layout Fernandos……..nice to see a O gauge layout once in awhile
Nice work; your good on details,I ,too have O scale it is mostly MTH and scattered with a couple of Lionel,Williamsand and K-Line. Keep up your talents.
great work on the O scale Fernando ,my father always had this scale when I was very young and it got me started in the modeling along with the u-control plane he gave me for Christmas one year ! I think there needs to be more people to get back into the larger scales , I went from O to Ho then to N-scale because of space constrictions but I still love the larger scales just as much as ever !
George
Fantastic work Fernando. I love your power poles and transformers, they are probably as good as the best I’ve seen.
I would love to see some street level photos so that we can see it from an inhabitants point of view rather than looking down from above.
Gary, Australia.
Building from scratch especially with scrap material is an art and gives so much pleasure and satisfaction rather than placing ready made stuff in the layout. Since I have been doing this for years, I can understand how you feel. Keep up the good work. Your layout looks great especially the telegraph poles. But I wish you had made them a bit to scale. The foot over bridge is great.
Lionel is O gauge, not O scale. O-Scale is 1/48. O gauge is 1 to whatever fits in the orange box. There is a world of difference. One of which is that O-scale costs about 48 times as much as O gauge.
Very nice looking layout, Fernando.Thanks for sharing.
Nice work Fernando. What is the size of your layout. I don’t have enough dedicated space to set up a perminate layout for my O or Standard trains so I fabricated panel sections to put on the floor of our family room.
Once, when I had no room for a layout I noticed someone in the family throwing out an old Belling cooker cover which had an enamelled steel top flanged over a blockboard core (they made stuff hefty in those days!) and it slid beautifully under a chest of drawers without catching on the carpet pile, ideal layout base, since I was into N scale then. I suppose a modern equivalent might be the lid from a plastic storage case, you could easily cut some chipboard to fit inside and it would likely be rigid enough for a small layout eg N or Z without underbracing.
Rod
Nice to see the ‘O’ gauge work, Fernando. It makes me want to re-open my older ‘Lionel’ boxes and perhaps reconsider their restitution..
Bullfrogeh in Ontario
great layout nice scenery.
WELL DONE
Nicely done! Great to see scratch built items. Keep it up!
Good job, nice layout and good imagination, love the O scale.
It was Great to see an O Gauge Layout and it looks Great
I love to people walkway. I think making it from ice cream sticks is a great idea. Very nice layout. Keep us posted.
way to go Fernando nice to see o scale, nice job look into OGR Forum lots of O scale layouts and tips you will find some outstanding looking layouts. HAGD
Brilliant scratch building. This layout is about the essence of model railroading. Many excellent elements to admire. I love the buildings, they look so authentic. A layout to be very proud of.
Rob McCrain – Farland Howe
Félicitation Fernando, I too am a Lionel owner since late 40’s.
You did a good job on your layout, I love many details like the electrical lines all around, the coil at the poles and so on.
I hope to start my new instalation sometime this year.
Beau travail
Léo, Longueuikl, Québec
Fernando, Your layout looks great. I’m certain that Lionel Cohen would have loved the way you’ve managed to combine artistic talent with whimsey and charm to develop a unique and stunning layout. Thank you for posting.–T.
Fantastic Workman; I love the walkway you got made of popsicle stick. I hope mine turn out that good.
Some nice creative ideas.
Danny,
Welcome to Idaho! I’ve been in Kimberly nearly 4 years. We have a wonderful Model Railroad Club at the Twin Falls County Fairgrounds. G, O, HO and N.
Al,
If you could forward my contact information to Danny, it would be much appreciated.
Randy
Kimberly Idaho