Model railroad layouts plans

We’re going to start with an update from Bill today and his garage model railroad.

“Good Morning Al

With more evenings available to enjoy the hobby I decided I wanted to expand my garage model railroad.

Looking at my options I landed on an idea to use the counter space I have but rather than expand the HO switching layout I’m going to build an N Scale layout. I have a tote full of N Scale items and I thought it time to bring them out after about 25 years in storage.

I’ve attached some pictures and a video link of what I’m doing this time around. I still need to be able to bring a vehicle in the garage so I came up with an idea to add folding legs to one side of the table so I can push it up on the counter when not in use. When stored this way I only lose about one foot in the garage so more than enough space is left to bring in the Jeep.

This layout will have a continuous run with two laps around a 3×15 foot layout. On this layout I’ll be able to run trains and sit back and watch while sipping coffee. This one will have mountains as well as a fair amount of switching and be run off DCC.

My wife thinks I’m crazy and she may be right but I’m having fun.

Cheers!

Bill in Virginia”

Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

“Hello Al,

Greetings from Johannesburg, South Africa.

My name is Heinrich and I am 45 years old.

The hobby took fire in me about 5 years ago when my family and I still resided in a smallish townhouse.

I started with a relatively small 4×8 board but alas, this was still too big for my townhouse and I had to contend with a board that had to be assembled and disassembled whenever I had to run my trains. Not good… The board only had tracks on it and I could not fix any scenery items to it.

From the get go I had a plan in mind for what I wanted to achieve. My models are predominantly old Lima, South African Railways models (some rare and extremely collectible). In my collection I have diesels, electric and steam. I always wanted to model the 1960’s to 1980’s era of the South African Railways and specifically the Karoo landscape.

In 2018 my wife and I bought a proper house and my wife was kind enough to allocate me a room specifically for my trains.

My “train” room is about the size of a single garage and I could finally set my layout ideas in motion.

I decided on double level, wall mounted layouts that would run separate from each other. The top layout will be my Karoo layout and limited to steam locomotive operations and the bottom will be a mix of rural and city.

I work in aviation security and I am away from home frequently. In order to ensure that I spend enough time with my family and on my trains (good balance must be maintained), I approached a layout builder (pensioner) to put my layout ideas and plans into reality.

Due to upgrades being done on the new home and issues at work, the work on my train room and layout could only commence this year. But o my, the progress…

The modules, and scenery) are being assembled away from my home and will be transported and installed once complete (about 60km away from me).

I attach a couple of photos from what has been done to date. Due to size issues, I may have to send more photos in a separate email…

In the previous photos, you will observe the models being measured and fitted. The idea is that should we sell the house and move away, I can dismantle the modules and (hopefully) reinstall them again in a new room/location.

In the attached photos you will observe my layout plan, the laying of the track and ballast and also weathering of the tracks.

I must ad, the ballast stone is original Karoo sand (collected by a friend) that has been sifted to HO scale.

The top part/Karoo layout is nearing completion.

I hope you enjoy the pics!

Heinrich”

A big thanks to Bill for sharing his garage model railroad, and to Heinrich too.

I think Bill’s come up with a fab solution for expanding. Very inventive.

And Heinrich hasn’t let lack of time rob him of a layout.

As I keep saying, your layout is whatever you want it to be, and if that’s somebody else building it, that’s fine too.

That’s all for today.

Please do keep ’em coming

And don’t forget the the Beginner’s Guide is here if today is the day you take your leap of faith.

Best

Al

Karl’s been in touch – his layout even features a HO scale cemetery:

“Hi Al,

Every morning I enjoy your blog with tons of news with a cup of coffee and the dog “Charlie” on my lab.

Originally I am from the Netherlands but lived in the US since 1974.

I am pushing 90 and started my layout 2 years ago. I am not as skilled and creative as most Modelers.

I live in Issaquah, WA. Which was a mining and logging City. It also had rail services.

It’s all gone and it now is a traffic congested City.

So my theme became “Issaquah ”

The layout is HO scale on a 13×6 table with DCC in the garage.

Covered the floor of the garage with interlocking 2×2′ foamrubber tiles to keep the cold out in the winter. The furnace and water heater keep the place pretty comfortable.

Karl”

My over and under the table assistants with the work table on the cargo bed of the golf cart.

Issaquah station

Turn out switch board

Container yard. The last 22 years of my working career I was Port Captain for Ocean going container companies. Before that I spent 24 years on the “high seas”.

Layout on paper

Part of Lake Sammamish. Yes, the water is too blue.i am working on it to look more real.

Congested Front Street

Cemetery with funeral. Backdrop made from photo’s

Switching yard

Burlington Northern train with “consist”

Backdrop is montage of photo’s of Lake Sammamish. Early stage of city.

Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

A big thanks to Karl for sharing his HO scale cemetery ans other pics. 90 years young and it’s a fab layout too.

That’s all for today.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

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

Fred’s been back in touch with his stunning layout – have a look at what he does with his N scale white LEDs:

(His last post is here.)

“Hi Alastair –

I hope you are secure, well stocked, and relatively safe in your corner of the world.

Boston is in a surge right now, and I’m more than ever thankful for this wonderful hobby of ours, where I can hunker down and lose all my cares in a world of my own, free from cover, job loss, and fear!

Anyhow, I sent you a video via mail drop to show you the progress of my harbor.

Check out the backdrop, for which some separate photos, and also some photos showing the weird perspective of my oil refinery access road through the refinery. It always amazes me to see the kinks in a straight line you have to impose between modeled road and rendered extension on a vertical backdrop.

I think that the visual tricks of backdrop making are probably the most stimulating and satisfying parts of my project.

Amy questions, please let me know.

Fred”

It’s a bit of a squint to see Fred’s video, but sorry, not much I can do about that.

A huge thanks to Fred – his layout is a real joy to see. It looks just as good at night as it does in the day.

Now on to Mike:

“Hi Al,

With time on my hands, bought a coffee at the local coffee shop and grabbed a stir stick, my imagination went off the rails.

$5 bought me a box of 1000 stir sticks, a quick drawing, small saw and glue and I was off.

The framing is mostly done now the roofing and siding, followed by trim and windows. I can stay locked down for a bit longer.

Shed fits my 4-8-4 American Flyer steamer.

Mike Acebo

East Marion NY”

A big thanks to Fred for sharing his N scale white LEDs – stunning pics. Thanks to Mike too.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And don’t forget, if want to make your start on your layout, just like Mike did, 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 N scale layouts here if that’s your thing.