Model railroad layouts plans

Bill’s been back in touch with a missive on his model train tunnel.

Making the inside look good is just as important as the outside, and Bill shares how he’s done that:

“Hi Al

Hope this finds you well as we move into fall weather.

I’ve been having some fun on my O/On30 layout build and recently built a tunnel liner for my O standard gauge track. I looked at different methods then settled on building a liner using sculptamold using a jig to get the shape.

What I started with was cutting 1×2’s that were glued together to the shape of the tunnel portal. On that I nailed a cut plastic soda bottle strip – roughly 2 inch in width. I then cut grooves on the bottom of the jig so it fit on both rails. I then added a long bolt to hold the jig and pull it along as I built up sculptamold around the jig.

The process actually worked well and did not take much time to do. I was very happy with the results and stained the inside to match the rock colors around it.

I hope others will give this a try if they are able to. The results are worth it.

Best

Bill in Virginia”

A big thanks to Bill for the update – clever stuff with his little wooden jig for the tunnel.

And when it comes to the outside of your train tunnels – don’t forget there are quite a few in the store.

The bridges can also double as tunnels, my fave has to be the wooden tunnel though.

Now on to Heather and Jason, who despite a house move, have cracked on with their layout:

“Hi there Alastair, it’s Heather & Jason here.

I would like to say thank you very much for all you have done for us with this site of yours bringin all these members together in 1 spot.

To able to help others start their layouts is great & we thank you for this as well. It has helped Jason & I a lot with doing our layout.

We want to give you & the members a heads up on where we are with the layout & ask if any one can help us with something we know nothing about.

We have seen lift up’s & drop downs, for getting into & out of the control centre, but don’t know how they do it & that’s where we need help. How do we do it?? Sadly we have run out of room but can make it up a bit, by doing a table on wheels in the entryway, so the wheelchair can get through.

Can any one help with how the tracks meet up for trains to run without a problem & what to do about power to that area, thank you ??

We have 6 stages for our layout & number 7 about to be built. This one is where we need the help as I have planned a return track from the far side, back to the first table rather than go all the way back the long way.

We have sorted out the power problems we had in the first stage & are working on the power stuff in the other sections now.

We are just taking our time doing things but enjoying it all as we go, thanks again mate for all you do.

Heather & Jason.”

I really admire Heather and Jason’s tenacity – they have been up against it with their layout but they haven’t been discouraged.

As for the ‘up and down lifts’, I thought Lawrence’s lift bridge post may help (pic below also links to it).

That’s all for today folks.

A big thanks to Bill for his model train tunnel tips, and a huge ‘well-done-keep-going’ to Heather and Jason.

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.

Rolland has been in touch with his model railroad engine house:

“Just want to say thank you to Brian for his HO scale engine house photos.

It got me thinking and scrounging and for $3 ….probably less… I got a good start on mine.

Here are a couple of photos.

All the best

Rolland”

“At one time I had a huge ho layout and needed a lot of ground cover especially in the railroad yards.

Being cheap I wasn’t about to go to the store and buy packaged ballast/rock materials so looking around I realized that the rocks/and that the city uses on streets to make traction in snow easier, I simply took a bucket, walked out to the curb and scooped some up. Voila! easy, right scale, and FREE.

You can take advantage of this either in the winter when they first sand the streets, or in the spring after they sweep the stuff clear. There’s always some left near the curbs.

Here’s a couple of shots of the roundhouse area of one of my previous layouts to show how it looks:

Terry”

Now on to Raymond:

“Sorry I haven’t been in touch haven’t had much to ask show of my layout,but I’ve finished a couple of sections.

Raymond”

Now on to Mike. Some of you will remember him because he builds a new layout every year for a show.

Here’s his second last post, when he’s still on the thick of it.

And here’s the finished article.

So I can’t wait to see what his latest creation will end up looking like. Here’s where he’s up to so far:

A big thanks to Rolland for sharing his model railroad engine house, and to Terry and Raymond.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if you feel like you’re missing out on the fun, 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.

We’re starting with Allen today because today’s post is all about starting a model train layout.

He’s shared pics of something I am always banging on about: making a start.

It’s probably the most important part of any layout.

You can sit there day dreaming, cogitating or planning – but until you grab a table and start putting track down, it’s all pie in the sky.

That’s why I happily post pics and narratives of half built layouts (and it’s also good to see the journey – I do love an update).

Just remember, it’s the start that stops most people when it comes to a model railroad.

Take Allen, for example. There’s not a lot to see on his layout so far, but he’s made that start. He’s up and running!

“Hello Al.

i am sending a couple pictures of my ho model railroad i have most of the track layed and now the hardest part the scenery!

Allen”

Now on to Henry:

“Hello Alastair

Thank you for your daily emails, I always look forward to seeing them pop up in my inbox.

I have added names to all the towns represented on my layout, and in one of the small towns, semaphore signals are still in operation, so I had to add some LED lights so that it can be seen during the night time too.

The semaphore signals have a red and green lens, so depending on the position of the blade, the light either shows danger/red and when the blade is in the raised (upper quadrant) position, it shows green.

I would like to share a few photos and a video tour of my layout.

Regards

Henry”

A big thanks to Henry and Allen who have shown what starting a model train layout is all about – stop dreaming, start doing!

You can see Henry’s last post here.

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.