Model railroad layouts plans

Kaustav’s been back in touch with his N scale small switching layout.

Have a look at the vid to see how he operates his train in his working port – nothing happens too fast, and for good reason too.

(His last post is here if you want to catch up).

“Hi Al,

I just want to thank all the viewers and subscribers for the overwhelming response on the last post about Wrightsville Port.

As much as people liked the photos, I think the next obvious question is how well does it run?

I started Wrightsville Port as a 2 year project; 9 years on and it’s still not done yet!

The layout definitely has become a part of my life, so much so that it has been with me through 6 relocations across 2 cities over a 1000 miles apart.

I also started the hobby with a very limited income; earning in Indian Rupee and spending in US Dollar. One way, that forced me to be creative and bring out the best of my model making abilities, but on the other hand, technologically I had to stay simple; therefore, no DCC, block detection or even a fancy DC controller with momentum.

And to make things even more complicated, 80% of my track is modeled to be embedded in concrete including several turnouts – in N scale!

So how well does a layout that had its track laid 9 years ago, modeled to be embedded in concrete, relocated 6 times across 2 cities whilst running on conventional DC with two very basic controllers operate?

Take a look!

Kaustav”

“Hi Al,

Thank you to all your readers and to you for sharing good ideas.

I saw your recent post from Roberto with recycled tracks rails as a cargo for his wagons. Attached are some photos of my use for the spare sleepers. I made coal bunkers with the redundant sleepers and coal from the foam that protected my last computer. Coal in the trucks is random lumps off the sole of old flip-flops (thongs in Australia)

Best wishes to you and all your readers

Andrew

Andrew”

“Hi need some help with wiring the attached plan.

It’s been about 25 years since I last modeled. I dug this plan up from my old files, but can’t find wiring.

Can you or one of your subscribers help? All turnouts are manual, and at this time only power to the tracks.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to further our love for this wonderful medium.

Many thanks.

Bob”

Who can help Bob? And a big thanks to Kaustav and Andrew.

It’s wonderful to see more of Kaustav’s N scale small switching layout, and Andrew’s coal bunker shows how effective a little imagination can be.

That’s all for today, folks.

Please do keep ’em coming, and if today is the day you start your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

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

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

John’s been in touch with his ho scale switches and turnouts:

“Al, Copy-cat John here.

I want to share with you a test project I just completed to insure it would work as planned.

I have two turnouts on my yet to be finished HO layout. I decided to use manual Caboose throw switches. Boy they look so much bigger on the Internet. The two turnouts must coincide with each other. I was concerned at a distance how would I know if the two turnouts were in sink with each other.

I watch westerns on TV where the train man comes out to the track and moves the switch handle for the on coming train and then he goes back to where ever he was. I always wondering how did they know if the track was set correctly for the next train, without going out and looking at the switch. I devised a system using LED lights, a push-on push-off switch and a 12 volt automotive Relay.

I made a cabinet to house the push button switch that I hope looks like it belongs next to a train track. This cabinet in two parts, the bottom has the push button switch and the top slides over the bottom with an aspirin like button in the under side of the top which makes contract with the push button switch.

A 12 volt adapter provides juice to a particular terminal (#30)of the Relay and comes out of another terminal (#87a) which in my case goes to a “green” LED light beside the turnout indicating that the turnout is in the straight position.12 volts is also going to the push button switch and when the switch is activated it sends juice to terminal (#86).

When terminal #86 receives juice , terminal #30 is no longer connected to #87a (tuning off the “green” LED light) but instead it’s now connected to terminal #87 which in my case turns on the “red” LED light..The concept is that if I see a “green” light at one turnout and a “red” at the other I need to change one of them.

I hope the pictures below will make this a little more clearer.

The first picture is the test project using a 9 volt battery. On the left top corner is the second switch cabinet. The top is upside down to show the aspirin like button that touches the push button switch, You have to assume I have thrown the Caboose throw to move the turnout to the straight position and pushed down the cabinet to turn the “green” LED light on.

The second picture shows me changing the position of the Caboose throw to change the turnout to the curved position.

The third picture I am pushing down the cabinet to change the light to “red”. I plan to have these LED .

John”

A big thanks to John – his last post is at the bottom of this one.

Now on to Rob:

“Hi Alastair,

Thought you might like this video. I go into the various parts of a point, turnout, switch which some of your subscribers might find interesting.

Rob”

Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

A big thanks to Rob and to John for sharing his HO scale switches and turnouts.

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.

Dominic’s been back in touch with a Brick school building HO scale to add to his layout.

You’ll remember his last post – what a church! (You can see it here.)

“I recently found a used school building at a hobby store. I don’t know why I bought it, but I did.

After studying it I knew this would become Saint Isidore School and be part of the Saints Peter and Paul Parish, along with the Basilian Fathers Monastery.

Then I thought: “where’s the convent?” So I totally scratch built the convent named Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska Convent for the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate.

This order of Ukrainian Catholic nuns ran the hospital and the orphanage in Mundare, Alberta. which is where I lived for two years back in the 1950’s.

They were just a great bunch of God-dedicated women. Among them was Sister Isidore. She was a friend to me and I’ve never forgotten her. This is why my school is named for Saint Isidore.

I need to remodel a small portion of the layout just north of the big church and monastery to accommodate the school and convent.

I still owe some refinements to both buildings such as rain gutters, electric and gas metres, some nice benches for sitting, and a bevy of nuns and children.

I also need to install LED lighting in both buildings, which are divided into floors and rooms.

The little Siamese cat in front of the school is my George Frederick!

Dominic”

“Hi Alastair,

I have been sending photos periodically of the progress on my East London harbour rebuild on my South African railways layout.

Here is a youtube video of the completed rebuild.

Regards from Sunny South Africa

Henry in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal”

You can see Henry’s last post here (it’s at the bottom).

Thanks to Henry, and to Dominic for sharing Brick school building HO scale.

That’s all for this time, folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide is here it today is the day you start your own model railroad journey.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

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