Model railroad layouts plans

Before we get to Doug’s Lionel trains, Hall of Fame member Dave has been back in touch with his loft railway:

“Hi Al, just uploaded this short video…

All the Very best to Yourself ..and may your site continue for years to come.

Regards

Dave”

A huge big thanks to Hall of Fame member, Dave. Don’t thing I’ll ever tire of his loft railway.

Now on to Doug.

You’ll remember him from his Lionel train set.

A lot of the comments Rob got were, “Where are the trains?” – so Rob has been kind enough to send in some train pics:

In fact, he sent in lots of pics.

You can see all the trains on his Lionel train layout here.

Now on to something completely different.

Over the years, certain tips and gems of advice keep popping up in different posts, from different people.

And I thought it might be quite fun to list a few “does and do nots”, and then see what’s added to them in the comments.

So here you go, let’s start with these pearls of wisdom for when you’re starting your layout:

1. Don’t build a complicated analogue train layout – it’s really worth the time to get your head around DCC. It’s easier and you’ll have a lot more fun with your model trains.

2. Making the curves too tight, or not making the baseboard big enough. Derailments are soul destroying, and there’s nothing worse than a train track that doesn’t run flawlessly, or a track that won’t run a new larger locomotives when you add to your fleet.

3. The train rack being right on the edge of the baseboard. Trains have a habit of jumping off the edge when they derail. And adding scenery like mountains and tunnels when your track is rightup against the side is impossible.

4. Not building your tunnels so you can get inside them. It’s no fun fishing out derailments and cleaning the track when you can can’t get to where you need to.

5. Not being able to reach (comfortably) every square inch of your layout. This is why some layouts have holes in the middle.

6. Making the baseboard too high. Sure, it makes wiring underneath your layout easier, but it also make things harder to reach (see above) and harder for the grandkids to enjoy your model railroad.

7. Making your baseboard too low. You’ll get constant backache and wish you’d never started the hobby.

Please do leave a comment below if you have any advice you’d like to share.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you pick the hobby back up, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Dean’s been back in touch – he’s been busy with his N scale mountains.

“Hi Al,

Greetings from Dean in New Mexico.

Here is the sixth video in an 8-part series discussing my construction of the N-Scale Scenic Ridge layout.

In this session, I show how I created the terrain of the layout using plaster cloth and Hydrocal plaster placed over glued 1/4” foam strips.

I also talk about making and using paper mache (recipe included) or joint compound to smooth out ridges and valleys.

And I talk about making and installing Hydrocal rock formations on the mountains.

Finally, I include a video that discussed the construction and which begins with shots of a train running on my layout.

Layout after painting with Earth Undercoat

Constructing a foam support for a stream and pond.

Adding foam strips to support the plaster cloth

Adding More Cloth

Layout Before Smoothing

Smoothing with Joint Compound

Smoothing with paper mache – Recipe:

Grind up strips of newspaper with water in a blender
Add some binder such as white glue or flour (3-5% by volume)
Drain off excess water through a colander
Place on layout where needed and allow to dry

Dean’s N scale mountains post is his 6th post for his his Scenic Ridge railroad layout:

1. He gets going with his first post and makes that all important start to his N scale.

2. His second post covered the table/bench work.

3. His third post deals with the turnouts (it’s at the bottom).

4. Dean does his wiring and control panel

5. Tunnels and bridges. for Dean’s N scale.

A big thanks to Dean for his latest N scale layout update.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you pick the hobby back up, the model train Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Henry’s been back in touch – I love the passengers he’s added to his HO platform.

He sends in a video and pics every year of his progess:

“Hello Alastair,

As usual, I did a layout update video on the date when I started with my current layout.

This year marks 5 years and though there has been a lot of progress, it is still not complete.

The video this year is long, just under 20 minutes, but a lot has been done.

Regards

Henry”

A big thanks to Henry – the passengers on his HO platform really do bring it to life. Love the girls on the platfrom scales machine!

If you want to see how much his layout has changed, his last update is here: it’s under Mike’s Lionel / HO scale post.

Personally, I think think one of the wonderful things about this hobby is just how long a layout takes, and that even then it’s never really ‘finished’.

I know that puts a lot of people off, but once you make that all important start, it becomes strangely addictive.

Over the years I’ve noticed the folk who are unhurried but relentless seem to get the most pleasure from their layouts.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if you want to start your model train layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.