Model railroad layouts plans

George has been in touch – he’s shared his HO scale bench work tips, all found out the hard way.

I always think it’s an overlooked part of the hobby.

Get it wrong and it makes the rest of the project an uphill battle:

“Hi Al,

I thought I would share my thoughts on my HO layout after it has been around for some time and has proven structurally that it is a viable solution for all HO and smaller scales.

It consists of a baseboard frame of 1×4 with minimum framing, 2×4 legs (6) & a minimum 3/8” to ½” plywood top, and it is only 2’-6” high.

My layout is 5’x12’ & requires some thought how to frame it with 4×8 ply & I am not going to into those framing details here.

On top of this frame is another one made up of the white compressed fiber board, 1 ½” thick, with 9” high fiber board joists on 16” centers.

The total height of the assembly is 3’-4 ½” which is OK for me. DO NOT use the pink insulation it is not strong enough. Use pink for scenery on top.

The reason for all this is that I don’t have to crawl under the ply for wiring. The under switch motors wound up close to edges and are do-able and cut the joist where you have to.

Pros:

This HO scale bench work easy to install track, wiring, devices, and adjust heights for more complex schemes.


Light but strong enough that warping was not an issue.


You have a space below the track for transformers and complicated stuff.

Cons:

Not strong enough for anything larger than HO.


U shaped layouts need some thought about access.


After a long time to prove this system is strong enough for a layout with mountains and stuff on top I can safely say this is one of my achievements against many failures.


I have abused this system enough and it is standing up well.

Here is an old pic to show the concept of a fiberboard structure on a baseboard. The cut out- lower right is the water front one level below.

This layout is the old over & under loop that is fabulous for running long trains but brutal for scenery work.

My fat gut destroys the track when I lean over and since I am really bad at scenery work the layout suffers.

As time moved on more stuff got into the “Storage space” but that’s OK when you have limited space.

Again the wiring was so easy to do. Perhaps there is a little more wire but it’s worth it.

Latest schemes demand higher tracks in the middle, S scale which is too heavy for this concept, and more scenery access.

So much to think about but it keeps old brain cells alive. Slow but alive. LOL.

Thanks for all your hard work!

George from LI, NY”

A huge big thanks to George for sharing his HO scale bench work tips.

Now on to Dan:

“Dan’s had fun with this project. He’s turned one of his freight cars in to a pumpkin shipper:

“It is pumpkin time and I came across a 1960’s Mantua gondola car that was Union Pacific orange and looked to be the perfect customer to turn into a pumpkin shipper. Some 91% alcohol and a Q-tip took care of the UP MOW markings.

The next step is to mask the sides with painters tape, being sure to burnish the outer posts so no paint seeps in. I primed the interior and upper sill then followed up with black gloss enamel. I wanted a color break between the car and the pumpkins.

Now to the new stuff. At Hobby Lobby I purchased TesTors decal paper for inkjet printers. I used my 40% coupon for this. Once I got home and opened it up I realized I should have also bought the TesTors decal bonding spray. Don’t try this without the bonding spray. Fortunately, my wife had to make a trip, so I followed along to pick up the spray.

I pulled some likely clip art from the internet and played with the sizing in Word so they would fit on the car. You do some dry fitting, just printing on regular paper.

As with any decal project, it is a good idea to wash the car in warm soapy water and let it dry. Once dry I sprayed the sides with a glossy coat. These TesTor decals require that kind of finish, as do most decals. Then wash your hands and glove up. There was a question a week or so back about the need to use gloves. It is just that the same oils that leave fingerprints for the CSI folks can also spoil paint and decal jobs.

I printed my decals, ganging them so they would fit on the smaller decal paper, and when dry, gave them 2-3 passes with the TesTors bonding spray. I let this dry overnight.

The next day I followed the instructions on the decal pac, cutting and soaking for 5-7 seconds in water [I use distilled] then placing it on a paper towel. I also dabbed a drop of water on top of the decal after placing it on the towel. 15-30 seconds later the decal would slide off the paper. Using tweezers and a very small straight cut brush I placed the decals where I wanted them. I put a dab of water on the spot before placement. I let it sit for a bit, then dabbed with a Q-tip very carefully to pick up excess moisture. Then on to the next decal. As the photos show, a smooth-sided car will make this process easier and faster. My next holiday car (Christmas) will have this advantage.

Now I needed some railroad markings, so I pulled out my D&H decals and dropped the seal and car reporting # on the car. These decals were followed up by a setting fluid as normal, but the printed decals only really needed a good gloss surface.

I was very happy with how they turned out, and actually, I found them sturdier than the decals you buy at the store. With this product, you can make any decals you want with your inkjet printer.

Now to the “pumpkins.” I found this ORB Micro Mosaics also at Hobby Lobby in a variety of colors. The black makes for good coal, and this material is malleable with a sticky back. One pack had two different orange colors and the scale seems to work for HO scale pumpkins. I dummied the gondola with foam, inserted a steel washer for a magnetic release if needed, then pulled apart the mosaics and placed them in the gondola, mixing up the colors.

The final step, a dull coat application, trucks, couplers and on to the produce distributor.

I did not weather the car, as this car had just been repainted at the shops in Oneonta. That is my story, and I am sticking to it.

I hope this provides some useful info for you folks.

MN Dan”

That’s all for today folks. A big thanks to George for his HO scale bench work and to Dan for sharing his pumpkin freight car.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get going on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Dean’s been in touch with a useful post about model train inclines.

The transition from incline to flat track can be troublesome at times, here’s what Dean did to fix that:

“Al, cheers from Dean in New Mexico.

First of all, thanks to you, Al, for your great blog and many thanks to the people who watch my stuff. I appreciate their continual support and feedback.

The problem was, using Woodland Scenics inclined track supports with a 4% grade, trains had trouble passing over the transitions at each end as they are too severe.

I needed to smooth out the transitions at top and bottom of the grade.

Here’s a short update series on track repairs which helped to fix the transitions.

First, the upper bridge and track before their removal and track fixing.

The old abutments and supports were removed, and lengths of flex track were shaped and placed, then supported on foam roadbed before ballasting.

I made sure the grade transition was smooth and even. Next, I needed to install and glue (with white glue) the bridge abutment and supports under the flex track.

Here, I installed and glued the other abutment.

Then, I taped, put down, and shaped plaster (with a flat-end knife).

Put down ground cover over dark brown paint.

A bit more touch-up will be needed, but finally, the job was finished.

The lower transition from flat to a 4% grade was finished in a similar manner: Tear out old track, replace new track, add supports, and finish scenery. This is a photo after the fix.

Here are some more photos of the railroad as of now:

A big thanks to Dean for sharing his model train inclines – he has done a fine job of documenting his layout from start to finish.

Here’s a link to a one of his previous posts (which also links to the previous one, and so on…)

Dean’s Union Pacific N scale

Dean also posted this on his 3d printer:

Dean’s 3d model train print

There is also a very good incline post by Chris which will save you hours of toil: How to make inclines.

Now on to Steve, who has sent in a very useful tip, which again, is very useful when it comes to model train inclines:

“Hi Al,

Here is a tip I picked up from another source.

Did you know that you can bend Polystyrene with a soldering iron?

Cut the polystyrene to the required length.

Heat up a soldering iron.

Hold the polystyrene over the iron tip where you want a bend. After a few seconds, it should be possible to gently bend the material.

Remove the material and hold the bend for a short time.

Be careful not to burn the polystyrene in case the fumes are toxic.

I usually do a bend in a number of stages.

I find this trick very useful.

Regards

Steve (Sydney)”

A big thanks to Steve.

If you have a tip you’d like to share, just mail me. I’d love to hear from you.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you stop dreaming, starr doing and press the fun button, 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.

And there’s the Silly Discount bundle too.

Rob’s been in touch – this time he shows us how he adds his model train lights:

“Hi Al,

I have been looking for ways to put flashing for modern stock or flickering oil light lantern simulators in older pre-electronics stock.

I have discovered battery operated movement switched devices and small circuit boards for DCC track powered flashers.

The video I’m sending over shows how I installed a battery operated flickering oil lamp simulation in a brake van.

These are similar in many way to the caboose or way car in North America. The video was made in response to a viewers request. Perhaps some of your readers will enjoy it.

This one shows how I added a track powered light to a train.

Thank you, I really appreciate you and what you do for the modeling community around the world.

Rob”

“

If you’re after adding lights to your buildings, Bob’s post is very good too: Model train LED lights.

Now on to Tony:

“Hi Al,

Finally it’s off a graph paper pad! We’re making a nice trolley barn for 4-tracks with your modified ‘Engine Shed 3′ kits.

My son is doing a really great job doing the reliefs and making the modifications as per your very talented friend teaches in the videos.

I’ll have a reasonable car house and yard complex in a 4’x 3.5’ module after much redesign to optimize the available space.

The initial track is laid out in ETS tram track from the Czech Republic as I have powered all my trolleys (trams) to negotiate the sharpest radius curves they sell.

The four shortest stub ended tracks will be under the modified Engine Shed 3 building:

You can see from the existing wooden ties that I was once into HO. There is a small corner of the module at the right side of the bottom photo with wood HO ties. It’s there I’d like to put a small operator’s office/lounge building similar to the photo below only MUCH smaller.

Above the centermost windows is “PITTSBURGH RAILWAYS COMPANY” in the masonry. This was the company’s standard design with building sizing modifications to fit the available property at the trolley barns.

Do you have any suggestions from the buildings available – – – Or on your drawing board? My model is a reflection of the Plummer Street Car House in Pittsburgh below. Note the abbreviated office/lobby size in the drawing in the lower left of the drawing:

Best

Tony”

I do love what Tony is doing, over the years I have noticed the layouts based on a theme always turn out the best.

And it reminded me of Joe’s 1930s HO layout post from a few days ago too.

With regards to Tony’s question on the printable buildings, I think to build the operation office, I’d go with the first scratch build kit:

It would be simple enough to recreate – most buildings are just squares and rectangles in various disguises.

A big thanks to Rob for sharing his model train lights, and to Tony too.

Please do leave a comment below if Rob or Tony has got you thinking.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.