Model railroad layouts plans

Michel has been in touch – he’s added to the European model train layouts on the blog:

“Dear Alastair,

I send you my train story, please feel free to correct my English.

What you do with your blog is of great interest, in particulate to me.

I thank you very much for all the work done. I enjoy reading what all the contributors write and it helps me get updated with all the model train story.

I have enjoyed your daily e-mails for years now and finally have decided to share my layout with everyone.

First a little about myself, I am French, 77 years old, and I have always been interested in running model trains. I live in the east of France, in the Alps, close to Geneva and the Swiss amazing mountain trains.

I am not a “real” modeler (my hand skill is not very good) and I don’t spend a lot of time to make things look real although I appreciate a lot reading all what is done in your daily post.

When I was 10, I received an electric model train (HO) as a Christmas present and since, I made a lot of layouts till university.

When I got married and had children, I made another one hanged in my boy’s bedroom, but this was not very convenient. I kept some HO locomotives, carriages and buildings. Few years after retirement I decided to build the layout I am sharing now.

My grandchildren used to play in a small attic room at the top of our house but now they don’t use it anymore and in agreement with my wife I decided it was the place to build a train layout. I started to use my previous DC models but soon lots of electrical problems appeared and I decided to switch to DCC.

I choose to use Roco’s DCC system because it appeared to me it was one of the more complete and simple at a reasonable cost.

Ballasting is not my favourite task, although it gives a real look, and I choose Roco HO Geoline track system with its realistic plastic ballast bedding. Turnouts are equipped with electromagnetic motor and decoder in the ballast and do not need any additional cabling. Locomotives and turnouts are controlled by the same application.

DCC Control system Roco Z21, on the left train control and on the right control of the turnouts at the touch of the screen of the tablet.

The layout comprises four loops and block systems with detection and breaking modules allowing up to 8 trains to run simultaneously. Light signals are monitored by the system or by the turnouts.

Block-type installation (Lectix or Lenz):

This block system is only working with locomotive decoder compatible with the Lenz’s ABC breaking system. My locos are mainly 8 Roco, 1 REE, 1 Jouef, 1 Pico, 2 Trix and 2 old ones now fitted with Zimo decoders. Only the Trix (Marklin) locos are not compatible with this breaking system.

A loop timer relay module allows the trains to stop at the station and starts the selected station announcement using recordable sound modules.

Infra-red sensors are used to help train parking, a small video camera is also used to see trains hidden under the first layer of the layout.

Electronic board:

Electronic modules are connected to the layout using ethernet (phone) connectors.

Details of the layout (AnyRail).

3D view (AnyRail).

Some elements of the layout are 3D-printed such as bridges, platforms, train station footbridges and advertising boards. Roads and some walls are paper printed.

Traffic lights in the village are controlled by a microcontroller AT-Tiny 84 programmed with an Arduino. Sounds have been added to some buildings (Disney castle, entertainments …).

I use an old smartphone as a video advertising board with old ads videos.

Most of the buildings are from previous layouts kept for several years. The Disney’s castle and station have been built with paper by my wife, a huge work!

The main supply for buildings is 12V, other voltages 5V, 4.5V and 3.3V are obtained with adjustable voltage converters.

The carriages are illuminated by LED strips with diode bridge fitted with capacitor and resistor. The buildings are lit by LED strips.

The mountain is made up of several sheets of MDF, adjusted in height by threaded rods, then covered with wire mesh, plaster tape and paper.

Overview

Main station

Mountain

Video wall

Naturist camp

Main station

Siding

Lack of space can lead to funny situations like the night club located near Disney’s Main Street!

The village

Village station

Small station

Disney castle

Railway sidings with infra red detection

All these elements can be seen on the video. A Sony FDR X-3000 was used to record the on-board videos.

Again, thank you so much for your daily email and congratulation to all the contributors.

Michel”

A huge big thank you to Michel for adding to the European model train layouts on the blog – I love what he’s done.

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.

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

Ray’s been in touch with an update – have a look at his HO scale camping scene:

“Hey Al,

Here’s some updated pics on my 3 Loop Layout. I’ve made a lot of progress with 2 sections of my layout!

The side with the cattle corral and the side I call the residential area with pond and camp ground. There are still lots of things to do, so I imagine this will be an ongoing project. I have learned so much from reviewing your posts and I get a lot of great ideas.

I’ve done a lot of work on my HO camp ground and residential area, I do need some people and vehicles to enhance it. I realize the campground is up against the tracks and may be unrealistic, but I have limited space. Nothing like sleeping in your camper while a train comes rumbling by!

The side with the cattle corral and farm has come along very well! I found some cattle for a reasonable price on Ebay! Notice the green John Deere tractor, I swiped that off of the light pull chain you had pointed out in the past!

I do plan on putting some ballast down, all in good time!

I appreciate all the comments, they were very encouraging and I love looking at all your posts. There are a lot of talented model railroaders out there, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading!

Take Care & God Bless,

Ray”

A big thanks to Ray for sharing his HO scale camping scene update. It’s really taking shape and I’m already looking forward ot the next one.

(Ray’s last post is here: 3 loop HO layout update)

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get going on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Remember, it’s the start that stops most people.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

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

Dan’s been back in touch with different uses for his model train box cars:

“Just because a piece of rolling stock has become less than useful, consider making it useful in another way. I was even able to use a “gift” from a well meaning relative.

This reefer car was part of 10 I bought to fill out my reefer train. A friend’s dad passed ans was taking down his layout. It was a type that was incompatible with the others.

I needed something for my module at the club I belong to. As the railroads phased out the older ice bunker cars, they sold them to rancher as out building, sheds, and storage of all types. They are still seen allover the west in the U.S.

The support for the car are railroad ties (sleepers). I distressed the sides with fine grit sand paper. I cut holes for the windows. This is the rear side.

Finished product. The windows were from the ever ready boxes of left over parts. The awnings were from a corrugated roof. The privy was scrap pieces of wood.

The owner is resting before getting back to work. His truck has more awning material for the rear windows.

You can see the reason he needed a new house. (The dilapidated house was an old kit someone gave me.) The scene is of a sho-fly, the railroad is replacing some older bridges with new ones. The work has not been completed yet. The construction crew had to go to a wash out and will return when that work is done.

If you think the sunset is overdone, Google Arizona Sunsets. I have been to Arizona several times, once for a month. They can look this way.

I painted the backdrop with craft paints. I got the colors about where I wanted them and then used my fingers to “blend” the colors. Good old finger painting came in handy.

Model train box cars:

This is my grain elevator. The the silos can are Pringles potato chip cans. The STAX can is a different can. This is the one I had in hand used as an example. The cans are a scale 85 feet tall. I wrapped them in teletype paper. This probably no longer exists. Construction paper should work. Then I sprayed grey paint to get a rough concrete look.

I had an old tank car and needed an oil supply for my steam locos that visit Burnt Lake. The western railroads used oil because it was plentiful and did not cause fires in the dry western US as coal sparks could. My trestle experience made the project easy. Sprue pieces made most of the piping. The red coil at the lower end of the long pip is a short length of solder.

I cut off the legs of a switch tower and made it a shanty for the switch men.

Photo 11 and 12 A length of “welded” rail ready for replacement of an older worn piece. These can be in place for up to a year before installation.

A well meaning relative gave me the “Street Car Named Desire” as a Christmas gift. I do my best to keep theses things from happening. They know not to give me train gifts. So, I made it a car load on the way for a repair job.

You have seen this car before. The load is a leftover piece from a building…in the parts box, where else?

This is a Rail Diesel Car (RDC) used as a yard office.

An old box car for storage.

An old time passenger car as a diner.

A caboose used as a lumber yard office. To the far left these is an old boxcar used for storage. A bonus for building layouts for others, your name shows up!

Always time for a lying session.

Probably enough.

Dan*”

A big thanks to Dan for sharing how he repurposes his model train box cars.

One thing I do like about this hobby is nothing ever goes to waste with a little imagination.

It reminded me of Dale’s: HO scale diner.

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.

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