Model railroad layouts plans

Mark has been in touch with his post war Lionel trains:

“This layout is a downsized after moving its 10 x 18 the old layout was 20 x 18.

You will see a brewery that I made its from Utica, NY started in 1888 and still going strong.

I been in this hobby since my father had 027 lionel and HO Lionel as a child since I can remember.

I have over 60 Post War lionel trains, and MTH , Williams, K-Line and MPC Lionel.

Have over 300 pieces of rolling stock and 8 Passenger Sets.

I use Tubular 027 Track and have Lionel, K-line and Gargrave switchs.

I use a few blocks to park engine and to bring on line. The best part of being a operator is Having a cold beer and watching Trains..

Thanks

Mark”

A big thanks to Mark for sharing his post war Lionel trains.

Now on to Marv – although he had a lucky escape, I’ve lost count of the people who have lost locos over their table edge:

“Al,

Currently dismantling my layout in preparation for a move to smaller quarters, no more 2500 sq ft basement.

When I decided to add a freight yard about 4 years ago, I enlisted the help of my grandsons in building a 3 x 7 foot yard connecting to the mainline.

Whenever I lay new track, I first test it by running a 4 wheel trolley, but in this case forgot to isolate the yard track from the main. So when the trolley reached the yard switch, an engine parked in the engine house left the yard at exactly the same time the trolley approached the yard junction.

Photo below shows the result, but luckily nothing left the table for a several hundred scale foot dive to the concrete below.

Marv Johnson, Kildeer, IL”

Lastly on to Dave, who has just sent in this:

“Hi Al,

just uploaded a new video showing a change to the layout I intend making, also trying to explain how I have overcome the problem I was having with the ECOS controller …and of course a good session with a few of my Trains …showing off the great sounds from my Ballymoss Deltic Loco …..with a mention of sadly, a fellow modeller who tried to help , but sadly past away after making a few videos demonstrating the Ecos ….

Regards

Dave”

the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Andrew’s been in touch with his Inglenook siding layout:

“Dear Al,

Reading one of your blogs a few weeks ago I discovered that I was building an Inglenook Siding layout, the British shunting puzzle with simplicity in terms of track layout.

Mine uses 4 or 5 trucks, the original using 8 trucks has 6,720 different shunting orders possible and was the brainchild of Alan Wright (1928 – 2005) so no shortage of shunting options.

Plus, one can add a challenge requiring the least number of locomotive movements or the quickest time.

My layout is made from bits from my main layout which is now being dismantled and re-built for the fourth time.

Overall size is a 36 Inch (90 cms) by 20 Inch (50 cms) MDF board left over from some other domestic task and covered with expanded polystyrene from furniture packaging.

The track pinned and ballast stuck with diluted PVA. The ballast and roads are made from grit scooped from the gutter at the side of the road and sieved to different grades. Expanded polystyrene packaging carved, covered with Plaster of Paris, painted and coated with sawdust made the landscape.

Fencing is matchsticks and cotton thread or strips of balsa wood.

Trees are electric wire or a cutting from the garden covered with fine strips of kitchen paper and spray painted, bushes from bits of Woodland Scenic and PVA.

Buildings from printouts, some from your excellent range, scrap and a bespoke balsa wood crane designed after looking at photos on the web. Plenty of pencil sucking and head scratching but at very little cost.

It’s been fun and provides plenty of entertainment while locked-down and subject to strict travel restrictions. A highly recommended layout for people with limited space and/or low budget to have a go at railway modelling.

Best wishes to you and all your followers,

Andrew

Andrew
Cooroy, Queensland, Australia”

Now on to Jerry:

“I have a layout I’ve been working on or started on in 2010… My wife gave me permission to actually take over a spare bedroom and after a while took down a wall between the bedroom and the living room.

I built a double decker layout and started building a helix but halfway through building I had an accident at work and almost severed my spinal column doing by a dislocated spine misalignment.

Pulling too many pallets of water and windshield washing fluid. Didn’t have it fused but had a rod inserted next to the spine screwed into it. The layout went on hold for at least six to eight months, then I found out I couldn’t finish the helix because my reach and bending were limited.

That’s still where I’m at today. Helix is not finished.. I can’t get help… Only comments that came back is “I’ll buy your rolling stock and track to help you!”

Yeah right! If that was my intention all the time! Idiots!

So it has been left unfinished for years…

Jerry”

“Hi Al,

Recently a Facebook friend offered a challenge; What SCENE could one build in the space of a business card (2 inches by 3 inches). The preference is O scale.

I shared with you a structure that I built for that space. Now I have also done two scenes with more on the way.

For one of the scenes, I used your new brick paper. I am sure you did not intend for that new offering to be used this way but… I do intend to use it for some other more appropriate structures as well.

Hopefully these two little scenes will give you a chuckle or three…

Sincerely,

John”

A big thanks to Andrew for sharing his Inglenook siding layout, and to John and Jerry too.

I know I’m biased, but I think Andrew has done a great job with his buildings – particularly his crane.

And poor old Jerry. Sometimes it’s never plain sailing.

Lastly, I always find John’s creativity inspiring. It did make me smile.

I still enjoy seeing what you are all up to, even after all these years.

And if today’s post has inspired you, and you want to make a start on your own layout, don’t forget The Beginner’s Guide is here.

Please do keep ’em coming.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Rob’s been in touch with his vintage O gauge trains:

“This O gauge layout has been over 25 years in the making and, like all model railroads, can never be finished.

Some of the locomotives were Christmas presents from the early 1950s and some are less than a year old.

There are scratch built cars, structures and a “Doodlebug” along with numerous scenes along about 300 feet of track in two attic rooms.

The Pine Island Railroad runs from the city of Basura (Spanish for garbage) out passed a dirty industrial area into the countryside. There is a town along the way named Katonah (where I grew up in N.Y. State) and a flag stop at the small resort settlement of Pine Island.

Various scenes along the way, some not shown in these limited views, show life and activities in the towns, farms and forests.

We have busy crowd scenes at the Union Station; kids playing basketball in the back streets or baseball in the park; a family farm is working the land and selling produce in a roadside stand; hippies are getting busted for a growing a greenhouse full of pot; a flying saucer has landed drawing the whole neighborhood over to see, and a hapless railfan is oblivious to the cougar and alligator creeping up behind him.

Soon I will send you some more photos, I hope you enjoy them.

I live in Southwest Oregon in the Siskiyou Mountains. The nearest town is Cave Junction, about 10 miles away, and the nearest railroad is the storied “Siskiyou Line”, formerly Southern Pacific, which runs through Grants Pass and Medford, connecting the mainline at Eugene, OR and Weed, CA.

As a child, I grew up with the New York Central back east.

peace and joy,

Robert”

My word, what a layout: 25 years of fun!

A huge thank you to Robert for sharing his vintage O gauge trains. Loved it.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And don’t forget the The Beginner’s Guide is here if today is the day you take your first step towards your very own layout.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.