Bill’s been in touch with his Lionel model railroad:
“Al: I have been enjoying your daily emails for a number of years.
Many of your contributors have much better train layouts and more realistic landscapes than I do and they certainly have nothing to learn from me. Nevertheless I think that there are a group of model train enthusiasts who might benefit from my story.
In 1950 when I was 11 years old I received a much sought after Lionel 027 starter train set. Our family had no space for a permanent layout so I assembled and disassembled it many times. After I was married I sometimes set up a layout around the Christmas tree to entertain our children, but I took it down after the Holidays.
When my grandchildren were young I set up the train set at Christmas again. The second Christmas with grandchildren I put the layout on a couple of 4×8 sheets of plywood supported by saw horses in a spare room in the basement and added some rudimentary scenery.
For Christmas in 2007 my children (who always find it difficult to buy me presents) recognized my interest and bought me a new Lionel model railroad, the Polar Express set with Fastrack. For a while I had a mixed layout with part tubular track and part Fastrack. But the trains ran a lot better on the Fastrack and over time I replaced all of the tubular track.
The layout expanded until it filled the 15 x 17 foot basement room. I sometimes regret not taking the opportunity to switch to HO gauge so that I would have room for more train equipment.
Above is a SCARM diagram of my current Fastrack layout. I run two LionChief trains and occasionally a third conventional Lionel train. The layout is not meant to represent any particular time or place. The scenery however is typical of the sandstone cliffs in the Yellowstone Valley, where I live.
Although it is not clear from the diagram there are three tunnels, indicated with blue track, and the bottom left section is a level above the rest. The tunnel on the right is actually in a closet. (The closet door is open in Figure 02.)
I have wired the sidings in the closet with Azatrax’s D2X Exhibit controller with infrared sensors so that without human input two trains can run alternately in opposite directions around the upper loop.
Most of the scenery is carved from 2 inch sheets of insulating foam. The sheets of foam are supported by a simple framework as shown in Figure 05. No attempt has been made to conceal the line between layers of foam in many places, as it is meant to represent the layers of sediment in the sandstone cliffs. I found the best tool to carve the foam is a drywall saw, with a Shop-Vac handy to control the mess. (See the saw in Figure 06, next to the waterfall). The carved foam is painted and sprinkled with Woodland Scenics turf.
On the mountain side, the left side of the track diagram, the trees are mostly pine. They were meant to be table decorations. I purchased them in an after Christmas sale at Hobby Lobby. The deciduous trees are home-made … twigs from sage brush with bits of foam glued on (also from Woodland Scenics).
A few of the structures are Plasticville kits but most are scratch-built from 3/16 inch foam poster board covered with printouts from Evans Model Builder computer software. Most of the structures are lighted. I cut up strings of battery powered Christmas lights and use 3 AA batteries to power the lights. The asphalt roadway is cut from asphalt shingles left over from my recently repaired house roof.
In order to provide more track power than the Lionel CW80 transformers I acquired with my LionChief train sets, I recently purchased an MTH Z1000 transformer from a local hobby shop. When I was in the hobby shop the other day I mentioned that the Z1000 was working fine. The salesman said “Lionel model railroads make you feel like a kid again, don’t they?” I think it was a rhetorical question, but I answered, ‘Yes!’
Bill”
A huge thank you to Bill! It’s great to see a Lionel model railroad.
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did. Not only is it a wonderful layout, the narrative behind it makes this hobby what it is.
That’s all this time folks. Please do leave a comment below, and keep ’em coming.
I leave you with this thought – 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.
What you have is called F U N. Great job.
I like it . the “closet ” tunnel is a suburb idea . and he can enjoy his train before and after Christmas . track inspectors can “walk the tunnel”.
awesome story Bill, neat layout
Congrats, Bill. Great story!
Really nice layout with lots of info. I always thought about using xmas lights for lighting, I think its a great idea and not to complicated, Plus I’ve always said to use insulating foam for mountains and tunnels then trim with a saw. When doing this wear rubber gloves. it is very messy and sticky. I use chicken wire and news paper
( wet the paper first and let dry) to make a frame for the foam to form to. then trim after drying. Good job Bill! Farmer AL
Fantastic work Bill, love the rocks and waterfall, quite an impressive spread you have there, This is what real modelling is all about, building what you like, how you like it, it’s all about pleasing yourself. Keep up the good work.
Eric (Leeds) UK.
You are very modest. Your layout is wonderful! You show great creativity in creating the rock layers and it can only inspire! Cheers! NJ Mark
Great job, enjoyed the article, grand kids must be in awe. The FUN is only half of it.
Bill
Nice job. Please include some videos of running trains and a little more info on the Azatrak controller.
George from NY
Hey Bill, you have done a great job. I have just moved and am about to build my trainset in a shed that is 9 metres X 6 metres and I’ll be tickled pink if my layout turns out to be half as good as yours. Great Job.
Gary from Australia
I wish I was a the stage Bill is at he has many years on me as far as experience goes. He makes it sound easy, I know it’s not.
I received my new Zephyr and LNWI control last week. I am working on rolloung stock , locos and buildings. I have 4 older DC locos from an earlier attempt and 3 DCC locos with no sound such I also intend to upgrade. I am hooked on paper models. Your friends video got me started, not only are they a low cost alternative, they speak to my two great grandson imagination and ingenuity. We purchased several gondola cars on line and made paper containers for them.
We do not have any track laid yet still planning, Your web site and all the contributors are an inspiration. Thank you for doing this.
The only thing to make this better would be a video…
Great layout. Enjoyed the pictures & and looking at the scenery. Amazing. Post a video would be great.
Allen in CA
Nice. You’ve done a great job of modeling, especially the rock formations. Thanks for sharing.
Jim AZ
loved it. Very impressive
I wish I had the money to go back to HO sometimes but I have to much invested In N scale to do that now !
I love what you have built whit the O27 it looks as real as life !
George
Bill, it looks like a great layout that most certainly provides lot of fun for ALL the children young and old ! I hope you are able to enjoy it for MANY YEARS !
Dave, in NY
Absolutely love the track plan, Bill! Its not complicated, yet has plenty of passing sidings & reverse loops to let you do all kinds of switching trains out unseen if you want, plus able to get them in different directions to keep things interesting! And love the scenery job you have done and , as you say, it fits with the theme you were inteding!! Great job and hope to see a video soon of the trains running, being swapped out in the hidden passing sidings, and swicthing back and forth on the reversing loops! Bring it on, my friend!! 🙂 -Scott-
Bill….. Great story that I think many of us can relate to…I know I can……..I only hope my layout can be as impressive as yours ( I am still in the beginning stages of my layout which is HO scale). Great scenery and lots of color. Love the closet.
Gary M
I too thought the closet idea a “superb” one. However, my wife was not too pleased when she discovered that I had cut a whole in the wall for the tunnel entrance to the closet.
The Azatrack controller comes with two pairs of infrared sensors. I mounted both pairs at an angle across the tracks, one pair at one end on the outside siding and the other at the other end of the inside siding. When the controller is switched on and it detects a train say on the outside track it stops the train and starts a second train waiting on the inside track going the opposite direction. The switches are wired so that the second train returns to the same track it left. It is stopped when the other detector “sees” it and after a few seconds the first train is started again, and so on.
Perhaps I will try a movie of the trains running but it will be a new experience for me so I don’t expect you’ll see a video for a while.
Thanks for your generous comments.
Bill
It wasn’t a “whole”wall, only a hole in the wall.
Bill
Bill, you grossly understate your abilities to model. I am in awe of your practical skills, and with using insulating foam board. I too am an avid 3 rail “O” gauge fan, but my persuasion is with the Swiss “Buco” system, although I do have a small collection of Lionel, Williams, and RailKing loco’s that I love dearly.
I only wish my layout was half as interesting as yours.
Peter on the Gold Coast in sunny Queensland, Australia.
Bill, I really love the layout, fantastic work
Congratulations
Are you kidding Bill, You are way too modest. Your O scale layout out is amazing. Thanks for sharing your story. What you have built is awesome
Cary B
Fantastic story and very impressive layout.
As to those with regrets about not changing to HO scale… Each scale has its own strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. N gauge has an advantage with what can be put in minimum space. The disadvantage comes with older eyes and its lack of mass. O scale has the mass but eats space at a voracious rate. Lionel O gauge is in many ways its own world — One it share with American Flyer — Toy trains are flat out fun! There is fun in Lionel and American Flyer that is considerably attenuated in scale train modeling.
All that said: If I had a bit more space than I do, and if I was more open to starting over… Given that I model American style short line railroading, I would strongly consider choosing S scale as the compromise between HO and O scales.
woww great layout Bill
funnz a million for you and the grandkids
keep em runnin fellas
stjohn in long beach calif
Fantastic
Hi Bill
It’s finally nice to see some O scale layouts especially with Lionel fast track, I am afraid it doesn’t seem to be as popular over her in the UK.
I have 10 Lionel legacy locomotives but only run two at a time due to my lack of space, I your layout is awesome thank you for sharing.
I really must get down to taking more photos of the layout in my summerhouse, it’s very simple by comparison to others and yours.
Keep up the great work.
Regards
Ernie
Essex UK.
I think your layout is great, Can you tell me more about the DX2 exhibit controller.
I think that is something I would like to add to a three rail layout I am building.
Thanks for sharing.
Dan N
Northfield NJ
Looks Awesome Bill. You have done a Superb job! I bet you and your grandkids have a Great time running it!
It’s the Best Hobby in the world! Unlike Fishing and Golf. It never rains or snows in your train room! (Unless of coarse you want it to!)
God has given to you a gift of art.
I sure am glad to see some O gauge Lionel Fastrack Layouts, this is a great layout and I am sure it took a long time to get it to where it is now. (you never get finished) this is a (10) STAR Layout
I think your layout looks great. I don’t think you’d want to pop all the way down to HO from O. Maybe S as I think that is about the right size for aging eyes and is a great compromise to be able to still put a lot in a smaller space and still have a lot of fun like you are having.
WOW !! Bill you have nailed it, GOOD JOB.
What a beauty job, a 2nd cousin to me I think may have the same engine, as the Santa Fe, from way back, I have not seen him for a while, may have to check in on him he has had them since I can remember, at my 64 he has 10 years on me, and where my inspired notions started. I am started back with a simple N oval for the time being, see where it goes, I really want My beloved HO out, and get a layout going soons as I get the right of way. Still have a fond spot for all that old O gauge stuff. Dan
AWESOME!!
Great story and layout Bill. I run O gauge now after growing up with HO. We ran my father’s pre-war Lionel’s at Christmas and something about them always interested me. I wish I had more space than a 4X8 but one day when the kids are out of the house I will have more room. You packed a lot of action in the space you have. Great scenery work too.
Give the video thing a try. I’m sure your grand kids could help you if needed.
Bob
Again, It’s great to see what ca be done with “good old reliable Lionel.”
Shlack in NC
At first glance I thought the rocks were real rocks.. Amazing job !!
Bill you did a wonderful job, I am sure your children and grandchildren love that layout. Everything looks great and now you will never be done.
Eric the firefighter
Terrific layout. Thanks for sharing.
Very impressive layout to say the least!
Your attention to detail is most appreciated.
Not sure what year this was written, but when I was a kid (60 years ago) my dad had made a Lionel Rock Island Line for my brother for Christmas one year. He NEVER had any interest in it so I converted it to HO Scale and never looked back.
From the benchwork to the rock work, wonderful O gauge layout. I am sure it brings enjoyment to anyone that witnesses it. Rob McCrain – Farland Howe
Neat layout.!!!! Nice workmanship.
WOW – I wish I had the room… Beautifully don!
This is a general question for the group, I am planning a new start, What type of batteries are used on dcc controled layouts and the run time vs recharge time ?
Finally a Lionel layout that is worthy of the creative ideas….. Great ideas 💡 and the closest interaction is well coordinated. Just like a Doctor friend from the Island of Long. Keep up the good work. From Vinnie from the island of Staten.
Bill you need NO apologies about your layout. It is great and the backstory brings it to life. Many of us on here have similar stories of how the train bug bit us.
To Al: Thanks for all you do in keeping this website alive!
Now a sad note. The first large indoor layout with inter-active featureshas closed for good and sold off equipment and the building/land. Roadside America in Shartlesville, PA was another Covid-19 victim. It was started in a row home in Reading, PA created by Laurence Gieringer in 1935 and located the new area in 1953.
Bill, that is a beautiful layout. I appreciate folks working in S scale; I’ve stuck with AF. But your detail is amazing!
Bill – an excellent layout. You have created a wonderful Yellowstone Valley scene. Hooray for more O scale layouts! I too have been a fan of Lionel and have added Williams, MTH, etc. and have a loft O scale layout. But having had HO earlier on I needed to create a second layout for that scale. You and other railroad modelers use so many skills from benchwork building, to artistic scenery, electrical and rolling stock maintenance it is no wonder we all find the challenge so enjoyable. Oh, and yes, it is a hobby that there is never a finished product. Thanks for sharing and I await your video.
Best looking landscaping on a FasTrack O gauge layout in a long time! Really great fob and ingenuity(enginuity).
Bob Muhme- I miss my Lionel
Charles from New Jersey
Bill, great layout. Enjoyed every picture of the fine work. I am biased towards HO and it is a shame that you weren’t able to transition to it before you went whole hog on O gauge. You could have had so much more fun detailing so much more in that gigantic basement! Better luck next life! Keep up the great work and I too, look forward to a forthcoming video of the working layout. God Bless all.
AL, THANK YOU for what you do . YOU are an asset……..The reason I sent this…….I checked the EBay sheet for American Flyer locos. There were nine
pages at 50 per page!!..Good Lord…….I got my first AF in 1947 and it’s in EBay,
although I still have my original set. My Dad bought it because he thought it
was more scale than the others. I’m 80 yrs. old and still prefer AF however, HO
now is more realistic. Thanks for listening to an old man’s memories. RJL
Hello Bill,
Thanks for sharing your story… very similar to mine. I received my .027 five car freight (2026 loco w/ smoke) about the same age (early 1950’s). Simple figure 8 track set up and down for years at Christmas. It now occupies a permanent 15’x15′ layout in a portion of a basement room and travels through the wall into the next room and back again adding an additional 3’x12′ to the layout. It is still a work in progress and hopefully I can share some pics at a later date.
I think your layout is great and your creative skill shows itself quite well in your layout. It is good to see an O gauge layout displayed. Thanks again.
Jim in Northern Michigan
This is a great layout, and your story is a perfect parallel to mine. I set up three 4×8 ft plywood sheets every October and take it down around April. I think half the fun is building the layout every year. I’m always trying to do something different every year. And the grand kids love it. My biggest challenge is getting them away from the electronics and developing an appreciation for building the scenery, understanding the electrical aspects, and just plain enjoying the hobby. Thanks and keep up the fantastic work.
Love the layout and love Lionel
Very well put together. One of the best O gage layouts iv’e seen. I’m into HO, but love the way you have put this layout together. Rocco from Haskell New Jersey.
Finally someone put up an O gauge layout. I was raised on Lionel O27 trains in the late 50s. I love the larger scale and this is a sweet layout. I’m thinking of getting back into it, just kicking myself for selling all of my trains 20 years ago. My parents used to take me to Roadside America in Hamburg, Pa. The largest O gauge layout that you can imagine. Good work. Let’s see more O Gauge layouts.
Someone said and I quote “Model railroading is fun in any gauge” and I 1000% agree.
Lester in Jawja, USA
Bill….wow…great layout…..I’m jealous, I wish I had the room you have.
A word from down under. bloody terrific Bill – inspiring work and obviously much enjoyment had been derived from the hours of work put into the layout.
PLEASE send in some train running video’s. Your layout is awesome…
Great use for leftover shingles. Looks just like the real thing. Send a video. Would love to see these trains in action.
Harold from Florida
I am still in the middle of planning but you have inspired me to get my butt out of the chair and down stairs building my base and laying track. I have a dedicated corner that is 12×14 and I can expand in one direction. Your track plan would be ideal to adapt in my corner. I have a suggestion for cutting the foam board. I have used an old electric carving knife that has way less crumbs as the cuts are very clean and if blades are not serrated all the better. Electric knives can be found in thrift stores as many people never use them and end up donating. All the better for us.
You have created a VERY impressive layout. One can see you have a very creative nature. I am looking forward to see your finished layout. It looks great now. I am sure it will be jaw-dropping when it is finished. GREAT WORK !!!
Great job!
Great also to see a Lionel O gauge layout. Please show more of those!
Fantastic looking layout. Some great scenes along with the scenery. You illustrate what one can do with O gauge trains.
Bill
PERFECT..!
The perfect balance between action and realism. And best of all O Gauge. Wow!
Don’t forget Mr. Lee’s Big Kahuna building, which can be enlarged o reduced to fit any scale.I don’ have the percentage enlargement for O scale, but it is available on this site.
Nice looking layout! Well done!
Always a treat to see “O” scale.
“Shlacik” in NC
Always fascinating how we all come up with such varied ideas, plans etc to enjoy this hobby. This another example of just that.
Bill
Great job, great plan, & craftsmanship. Your O ga. will treat you better as you get older and dust & grit gets in the tracks. Love to see a video. I think Lionel hit a home run with the Polar Express- ” Aaall Abaaawd.”
Nice layout!!!!!!!!!!!!! i hope mine comes out that good.
I really like the mountain work, nice job on on all the detail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really terrific layout, Bill. It really calls to mind the old Lionel Postwar catalogues of the ’50’s. They posed the Lionel offerings in front of meticulously detailed backdrops, and it’s impressive to see how well you have managed to duplicate that effect. I have an O gauge layout in my home attic space. It uses Allas track and switches. I thought that they were the most realistic looking system at the time. I run mostly Lionel, but on occasion, I do have a selection of MTH, Atlas, Bachman, Weaver and even some postwar Lionel locomotives and rolling stock that operate well on the track. The Atlas track looks and acts just fine, the only thing was that I was missing the switch lighting of the old postwar switches. They were admittedly huge, but added a lot of colorful light and life to a layout. Once I saw the new Fast Track switches though, I was really sold on them just by their appearance of almost scale fidelity. The only drawback to the switches is the connection Lionel has made for the switch light heads that are only semi-attached to the switch itself. If you take some time to overcome the reluctance of the signal head(s) to click on, and stay on the switch itself though, they work fine…just don’t breathe on them, or they’ll repeatedly pop off the switch. I’ve currently started a new layout using the FastTrack elements. It can be inconvenient not being able to cut up the Fast Track sections to provide a less predictable standard right of way, but for the most part, Lionel provides a selection of smaller track sections both straight & curved so that almost any track plan can be accommodated eventually. Adding a very little scale ballast and some subtle paint weathering to the standard already “ballasted” Fast Track adds more realism to the track as well. Thank you for posting.
Being a Lionel guy, I really enjoyed your layout
Love that track plan! Thanks for including it. I’m always looking at track plans and gleaning ideas for “the next” layout! You’ve got some great opportunities there!
This is the first Lionel layout that I enjoyed seeing. It is less “toylike” with the fastrack.
Great job Bill. I also run the Lionel 3 rail Fastrack and also have 5 Lion Chief Locomotives. The real serious modelers on this site give the Fastrack a big thumbs down, I say to each his own, and Lionel O gauge is the right choice for entertaining the grandchildren (we have 5 boys, so my investment dollars are well spent). I plan on forwarding pictures of my layout and will prepare for any critics taking pot shots at my layout. Nicely done Bill.
TJK
Great layout and your scenery is beautiful. I am building an “O” scale layout and I can do track and wiring, but I can’t do scenery. You have done a wonderful job.
bill it’s a great lionel layout. don’t sell yourself short. i am a lionel post war collector and operator. i built an 8? x 20? three level layout and enjoy it very much. you can’t beat post war lionel trains with a stick!
Great story and Great looking layout Bill WTG keep O scale moving join OGR Forum HAGD
Great layout, Bill. The closet is a great way to conceal part of the layout. You mentioned leaving the foam boards all in their original thickness. An alternative is to collect various pieces of styrofoam packing from the constant flow of the stuff in shipping cartons for furniture, electronics and other things we all purchase. Some of it is as thin as 1/2”. Thinner sheet tends to flex too much. Big blocks can be custom formed into all kinds of stuff and a ring protecting the new food processor we just got will someday be a part of a “natural” amphitheater! As you continue to add or change things, you’ll think of all sorts of variations.
Keep up the good work! You’ve done a great job so far.