Model railroad layouts plans

Joesph has been back in touch – he shares his take on how to make HO scale utility poles with wires.

“Hi Al; It’s been a while and I don’t remember where I left off but here goes. I know I didn’t send these.

I spent most of the year finishing up my lighting projects.

Below is the Power Generating plant for the Saw Mill and Planning facility.

Saw mill

Overview of “San Juan Creek just past twilight

Inside detail of the San Juan Creek station.

A lot of action around the saw mill and planning facility.

Another look at the planning facility.

Looking westward to United Cold Storage, Ochs tank farm, the local church and Ochs Oil office. (Since this picture, power poles have been installed and the office has a light on the platform).

Another “touch’ was tp extend the background beyond the layout so it doesn’t mess up the photos as much. This is the west end.

This is the engine yard with lights installed on the coaling tower and looking at the the background extension to the east. (Power poles have been installed since this picture).

Another shot of the background to the east. This shot also shows the interior detail of the fire station.

“New” forklift at the Grants, NM passenger and freight terminal.

Downtown at night.

The San Juan Mountains area of NM has its own short line, the San Juan and Central. I needed to have a mainline pass through the area and the closest is the Santa Fe, hence, the depot at Grants, NM. I “re-branded” this Berkshire to Santa Fe 4113 (making all my own number board decals) as Santa Fe did use Berkshire locos for freight.

I also “re-branded” a Pacific loco to pull the Santa Fe passenger consist.

Another addition is “Sonny’s Texaco service station. Again, power poles and an additional sub-station have been added.

Twilight at the Grants, NM station.

Power poles serving the San Juan Coal Co. mine.

This is how I put the power poles together. Rix cross arms on 7/64” dowels.

Power poles installed at the engine yard

More poles installed.

And more.

The owner of “Ma’s Place” has a new, custom Chevy truck. It is larger than HO Scale but in the background, looks ok. And, yes, it IS out of era.

Jospeh”

A huge big thanks to Joseph.

If you’d like to see his first post – the very start of his HO scale, it’s here.

Joseph’s pics on how to make HO scale utility poles reminded me of one of Rob’s: Model railroad electric utility details.

And one of John’s too: John adds a substation.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get stuck in, the model train Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

And there’s the Silly Discount bundle too.

Gary’s been back in touch with his Atlas HO flex track layout, which is 17×17 (well it’s not exactly square as you’ll read…)

“Hi Al

It’s been over a year since we last spoke.

Been working on it now for eight months. Finally was able to run a train around the room, last week.

Right now it’s just a Plywood Pacific. But I’d like to share with you some photos of the future CSX Monon Division Railroad.

To give you a little history of what I’m doing. This is a Prototypical freelance Railroad. Not modeled after any specific place just kind of a general area.

I am modeling modern times. The train layout sits in a 24 x 20 detached building. The actual layout is built in a trapezoidal shape. 17 1/2 feet across the bottom, 17 feet up the right side 12 feet up the left side. In 19 feet across the diagonal.

I’m using code 100 atlas flex track. Most of my switches are Peco and Shinahara. Merry With a few Atlas mixed in.

I am running Digitrax DCC system. Plan on setting up so I can have occupancy detectors in the lower staging yards. I’ve already to these tracks individually to be able to do this down the road when I’m ready.

Unfortunately with no place else to store all my trains, buildings and scenery the room is a little crowded and stays messy I apologize for the disarray. But I wanted to share a few photos with you.

I will check back in periodically and let you know how the progress is coming.

My Layout is being featured on our division eight NMRA zoom meeting next Saturday, so I’m trying to get as much done before then as possible.

The beginning with no room to work!

Laying out the lower staging yard.

To the left goes down to the lower staging yard.

Layout starting to take shape. Working on the swing gate to get into the center peninsula.

Atlas ho flex track layout:

Was able to complete the swing gate with the help of a very good friend a retired Air Force Colonel Bruce Sanders. He has been instrumental in helping me design and create this layout.

By using brass tubing and nails with a spring he was able to make connectors for me to transfer power from the main Layout over to the swing gate without any wires hanging down. I simply solder a wire on the backside of these. And then there’s another nail on the swing gate that is stationary that I solder the wire onto there.

Laying out the main yard. You can see the swing gate at the bottom of the picture.

Laying out the town above the upper staging yard.

I hope to have more updates for you soon.

Thanks again for all you do for the hobby I always enjoy looking at your post. And Marvel at the workmanship of all the Modelers that you share.

Gary
Sellersburg Indiana.”

Now on to Wayne.

He’s living proof that where there is a will, there’s a way:

“I came up with a very tight hole that I needed to work from.

Due to my Parkinson I don’t have the strength to lift myself up in that small hole. My work back there came to a holt.

About the same time I broke my elbow. This put me in the hospital for a week.

This gave me time to think of a way to get up in that small hole.

I bought a 1/4 ton elect. cable hoist. I got it mounted it to the ceiling on rollers with unstrut channel.

All I need to do is push a button and up I go far enough to stand. Now I can get back to work.

Something to think about for us old guys and the cost was less than $200.

Thanks Al”

(You can see Wayne’s last post here.)

That’s all for today folks. Let us know your thoughts below.

A big thanks to Wayne and to Gary for sharing his Atlas HO flex track layout.

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.

Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the Silly Discount bundle.

Dean’s been in touch with another instalment on his Scenic Ridge layout:

“This is the seventh video in an 8-part series discussing my construction of the N-Scale Scenic Ridge layout (kit from Woodland Scenics).

The layout is 3 feet by 6 feet in size.

In this session, I will discuss the buildings I’m adding to the layout and construction of roads and streets.

We’re coming to almost the end of this series as I plan on having only one more main video on final scenery (grass and ground cover, trees, coloring rocks, ballast the track, etc).

Here are some photos of the overall layout and of the buildings.

Al, thanks for all your support and help in this endeavor. Cheers!

And, finally, the video.

A big thanks to Dean for sharing his update on his Scenic Ridge layout – I know a layout is never finished but it looks like he’s getting close.

If you want to see his last post (on mountains), it’s right here.

Or if you want to fast forward and see the one after this, it’s here:

Woodland scenics ridge layout.

Now on to Ross:

“Hi Alastair,

Attached photo is a S-534 Locomotive ‘Bakewell’ on static display, since 1976, at the Perth Western Australia Rail Terminal.

The loco was built in 1943 (with 9 others) at the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) workshops in Midland Junction where my father worked for 44 years only interrupted by 4 years in the UK during WW2.

Just 3 remain in static condition around Australia.

With best wishes

Ross”

Now on to Nick – who sent this track plan in after a post – but it got lost in the cracks:

“Alastair

Many thanks for your kind comments!

Please post the following replies to comments posted:-

To Roger: Thanks for your comments. I am in fact English from the London area but now live in Canada.

My son was a train fanatic, never missing an opportunity to travel on real ones, so the rolling stock I bought represented trains he had travelled on – Network South East and Eurostar!

To Michael: Thanks for your comments. Hornby track plan attached

To Dangerous Dave: I do have a bit of a derailment issue at the bottom of the short gradient.

I didn’t have enough room to put in the correct gradient angle so it will only allow a small tank engine with one car to travel on it, otherwise rolling stock derails! Any advice would be much appreciated.

Best regards.

Nick”

You can see Nick’s post here

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

Please just email me if you’d like to share anything.

And don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide is here if today is the day you start on your own layout.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.