Model railroad layouts plans

Gary’s been back in touch with his rather impressive ceiling layout:

“Alastair:

As always, I appreciate all you do for me and the other model railroad folks. I look forward to your information every morning.

Several weeks ago you published my first submittal on my “National Park” theme and it generated some interesting observations, requests and questions.

Here are my responses to four of them. I hope you particularly like #4.

First, my granddaughter (Taylor’s Tunnel, from my earlier submission) came to visit me and my wife from her home in the mountains of Montana.

She was surprised how large the layout was, but had a couple of observations. She’s a 19 year-old and has her opinions!

She wondered what the people on Leanne’s Lookout (named for her mother) were looking at and suggested that there should be a bear for them to observe.

Then she noted that one of my mountain meadows was not realistic since there were not any of the typical wildflowers.

Her thoughts were noted and then “corrected”.

Secondly, I’ve had some questions about the hoist to lift the layout to the ceiling – it truly is a hoist and not a winch.

It takes about 15 seconds for the total lift, then I fold the 4 legs which takes about 30 seconds.

I attach 4 safety cables (another 30 seconds) to save the car in case the hoist should fail somehow.

Here is the layout at the ceiling:

The car fits in quite easily.

Thirdly, my earlier submission focused mainly on the detail of all the National Park areas and not much view of the overall layout, so here are some requested distance views from various angles.

View of track layout (without the highline track) and before the gorge cutout:

Same view (back) – mostly completed and including the highline loop at this point:

Then the view from the front (below grade so as not to interfere with the garage door opener)

Then the view from the left front corner all the way to the background poster:

Then the view from the right side (the switches have not yet been camouflaged at this point):

Lastly, I have had innumerable questions on how I made the “National Park” signs.

So here are the details and a “before” and “after photo of a new feature with an interesting twist at the end so keep viewing.

Before:

A new path will be constructed to the left of the upright of the highline route. After:

The feature is a newly constructed path and dock that gives the visitors access to the mountain stream that feeds into Gary’s Gulch. But first, back to the sign before it gets installed in this view.

I merely use Microsoft WORD and create labels for the various attractions.

I ”borrowed” the National Park insignia from the internet, incorporated it into the labels, created yellow lettering on a brown background and printed them out on my inkjet printer.

From there, the labels are peeled and then attached to both side of a medium card stock. I then glue the signs to my “logs” (HO scale) which are actually small branches (life-size scale) from a Bald Cypress tree.

Here is Sample New sign ready to install:

The sign is then attached to the feature:

I belief If we zoom in and you look closely, that looks like Alastair standing on the dock.

On another note, I randomly selected a BNSF engine for my layout and it had the #8288 on it.

My wife was going through some photographs from our visit to Montana a few years ago and came across the following photo:

I probably have not taken a dozen train pictures in my life. What are the odds that out of the thousands of locomotives I would have a picture of the real-life locomotive of my model?

That’s all for today. I promise a video once I get my old car couplers working well with my new engine couplers.

Gary”

A huge big thank you to Gary for the update on his ceiling layout.

I do love seeing the updates, and I think Gary’s idea of adding personal touches is very good.

I confess I did smile when I saw his new path’s name.

What’s more, it doubley nice to see some of the printable building scenery in there too:

You can see Gary’s first HO scale post here.

It really is worth revisiting:

And it also brings us nicely onto James.

“Love your ideas and love of model trains!! I own a restaurant in Key Largo Fl. In the Florida Keys.

We have a rich history of “Flagler’s Railroad to the Sea” from 1916-1935 when it was destroyed by a powerful hurricane.

I have this idea/ dream to install a model train hung from the walls and suspended from the ceiling which would be historically accurate to tFlagler’s train and rich history.

It is about an 8 1/2 – 9 foot ceiling. It has a suspended ceiling At this point, I have 2 big “gotta start somewhere” questions:

1) what gauge should I consider based on weight, cost, availability and visual presentation

2) certainly modelers have already figured out the suspended off the drop ceiling thing but I have problems finding resources.

Thanks! Jim, Doc’s Diner,
Key Largo, Fl.”

Well, I hope today’s post has helped James, but please do leave a comment below if you can help, or if you just want to pat Gary on the back.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you scratch that model railroad itch, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Still think about those vintage model trains but it’s been decades since you’ve played with trains?

Well, if the memories of all those years ago has you smiling, why not get involved again?

Perhaps you’re like Bill.

He hasn’t even thought about trains for decades, but look what he’s doing now.

Or perhaps you are like Jay?

He still treasures his Grandfather’s American Flyer set.

Maybe you have pictures of you and the old man, happily playing with trains, like Eric?

Either way, if you’ve ever promised yourself that model railroad, even though it was decades ago, now’s the time to make it happen.

Some folk just jump straight back in, like Wayne.

Others ease themselves in, step by step, like Ben.

Or take Gary, it’s been 40 years since his last layout.

But he made good use of lockdown with his HO scale.

And then there’s Doug.

He’s still playing with his 1959 Lionel trains.

Of course, I’m biased, but it’s the perfect hobby.

It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you last laid any track.

Just jump on the newsletter, watch and lurk for as long as you like – we’re a friendly bunch – then you can make it happen at your own pace.

And if you’re still not convinced, have a look at some more posts.

Vintage model railroad

There are hundreds of model railroads on the blog.

There’s hundreds of step-by-steps too.

Why not join in the fun? If you still think of your vintage model trains, give it a go.

Jump on the newsletter right now and that model railroad you always promised yourself may just happen.

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.

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

And there’s the Silly Discount bundle too.

Charles has been in touch with his railroad build.

Was it an April fool? Or was it proof that your model railroad can be anything you want it to be.

And I really mean that, as you’ll see:

“In the early 1900s, short-line railroads proliferated in Oregon.

In the agricultural and timber area of Linn County, about 70 miles south of Portland, along the Willamette River, the locals built a house called the Linn County Poorfarm.

Today, it remains as a farmhouse, but old-timers remember it as a place where the indigent and those with mental illnesses lived; those who were able worked the farm, with food supplemented by the charity of others.

In 1976, my wife, our infant daughter and I moved to Linn County, not too far from an old community called Oakville, not far from Oregon Electric RR tracks.

Our house had a workshop, and this soon became home to a 4×6 foot board with an HO railroad, aptly named The Oakville & Poorfarm Railroad.

I drove past the Poorfarm daily on the way to my psychiatric practice.

It was logical to imagine that a short line could have built between Oakville and the Poorfarm, and with something a bit more than logic, that it would have been built by a fictitious ancestor of mine, Col. Cornelius Kuttner, who just happened to be the superintendent of the Poorfarm, collecting government subsidies to house the patients while putting them to work as laborers laying the track.

We moved to Portland 25 years later, in a house much too compact to set up the HO railroad.

Using a space I found in the basement (a past homeowner had used this as a place to have his own railroad on a board that was hinged and would block the hallway), I realized I had to find some way to fit a railroad onto a shelf 2 feet (0.6 m) deep.

A trip to a local model railroad show had me asking questions of those running Z and N scale trains. Finally, with the excellent advice I got from the members of Cascade Z Modelers, I made the plunge to Z.

I did it all wrong.

Before, I had fastened my rail to cork on a flat plywood sheet, just not having the confidence that I could actually make good scenery. I got a 2×4 foot sheet of white foam, double-stick roadbed, and flextrack, and went to work.

I learned how to make a mountain out of instant papier-mache, use Woodland Scenics risers, ballast and put on greenery, and it actually looked good.

Oh, the disasters!

My trackwork was not great, the rail joints not the best, and I had to re-do them. Then came one really cold winter week, when it got so cold in the basement that the foam curved up off the plywood base, taking the track with it.

I asked around on the forums, and learned that the white foam I used was just a bunch of little foam pills that were stuck together, whereas pink foam is actually molded as one piece. OK, I’ll just rebuild it all from scratch.

But first–hmm, let’s try just gluing down the white foam to the plywood base with Gorilla Glue. Amazingly, it worked, and the layout has stayed intact since.

The layout is set in a time & space continuum that resulted from the arrival of the Yellow Submarine, which is simultaneously resting on the mountain and flying through the air. As a result, the combined tavern-workshop has the signs “Rotgut and Smoothies” and “Velocipedes and Jet-Packs Fixed Here.” S

tonehenge is here, as are the Easter Island heads, not to mention the Empire State Building.

One of my favorite discoveries has been No-Ox-Id, which has kept my diesel engine running reliably, although my trackwork just isn’t smooth enough for my steam locomotive.

Charles”

Hope that made you smile and scratch your head as much as me.

Now on to Brian:

“Hi Alastair,

I have made a start on my next long term project (may be a 3 month long one).

It is a very detailed building and will end up being a super detailed one as it is right on the front edge of my layout.

This is the kit that I obtained through a swap (built a kit for a friend in return for this kit) I think that I got the better side of the deal. (See my previous post of the kit that I built for the swap.)

The FSM Seafood Emporium kit is a kit that I wanted for many years and I now have it to build on my HO Scale narrow gauge layout.

I have to modify (kit-bash) it to fit the area at Pelican Bay.

It will have to be flipped horizontally as well as a mirror image of it to be able to install it the way I want it to be.

The track comes onto the wharf from the opposite side in the kit. From left to right but I have to have it from right to left.

As with all my buildings, I make a cardboard mock up of the kit to be able to visualise how it should look (being a foreground model) it had to be right.

From this I was able to cut the layout baseboard to suit the wharf.

Here I have temporarily assembled the original parts to visualise the building.

Unfortunately was not able to use the front and back pieces as the scribed siding would be on the inside, therefore will have to cut new pieces from my wood stock in order for them to be correct.

I used the original pieces to mark out the sides on the card stock.

The area for the wharf has now been cut out and the cardboard wharf is test fitted in the correct position.

Now to build the wharf.

The template is used to lay out the main beams under the deck.

Here are a couple of photographs showing the construction of the board by board construction of the deck. Above shows the single strips of the boards being placed on the template.

The nail holes were added using a ‘ponce wheel’ against a metal ruler. I obtained the ‘ponce wheel’ from a dress makers shop (It is used by dress makers to mark out dress patterns) You do get different size wheels with different amounts of teeth per inch.

The above shows the test fit of the pilings to ensure the correct height.

The side pilling wall was made using skewer sticks, cut, stained, weathered and glued to fit the cutout area.

The ‘wood wall’ behind the wharf was from a wood wall casting that I made using casting resin and painted accordingly.

Another view taken of the wharf. The wall on the left is a long piece of Masonite painted with Woodland Scenics concrete colour and has the wood support posts added. Still needs to be weathered once fixed in place.

The photo below shows where it fits in on my layout (Pelican Bay).

Unfortunately this is as far as I have progressed on this build. Now to start on the main and side buildings.

Will keep you all posted in future articles on the build.Have fun and keep modelling.

Brian – the HOn3 guy in Knysna.”

A big thanks to Brian.

Whenever I see his name in my inbox I’m always reminded of his HO scale dock.

That’s all for today folks – please do keep ’em coming.

Hope today’s post made you smile.

And if today is the day you build your own space-time continium layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.