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3 loop HO train layout – Ray’s

Ray’s been in touch with his 3 loop HO train layout:

“Hi Al,

This is my first time writing to you although I have enjoyed your emails of all the various layouts for months now!

They inspired me to get started on this new hobby of mine that I have been thinking about for years! For what it’s worth I thought I would share my new evolving layout with you.

I am retired 66 YO living in Florida and need to fill my days. I started researching about a year ago various layouts and sizes.

I spent time on-line looking at the Union Pacific Bailey Railyard, supposedly the world’s largest, in North Platt, NE. I ran across the web site for the Golden Spike Tower which has live web cams!

Here’s a link: Live Cam – Golden Spike Tower It’s really interesting to watch. I used this as inspiration to get started and plan on visiting it this summer.

My layout consists of 3 – 4 ft x 4 ft sections bolted together.

The thought is to make it portable in case I move. The track will be able to be removed at the joints, and the wiring will have terminal blocks underneath to easily disconnect the wiring at the joints.

The first 3 pics you can see the framing and the joints as well as my preliminary layout. Each section has it’s own set of wheels. The entire table rolls very easily allowing me access to the back and side of the layout.

The next 5 pics show the progress I have made in the last two months.

I have started on a lake with a small river under the bridges. I wanted to give it some 3D effect. I’ve also laid the roadbed down however, the track has not been glued down yet. I wanted to build my control panel and complete some of the wiring first in case I have some issues. I added some buildings and things but they are not permanently placed.

My goal is to be able to run 3 trains at the time, that sounds ambitious for a first time layout but I am a retired Electrical Engineer and I have studied the Atlas Complete Wiring Book.

The layout consists of 3 loops with interconnecting capabilities. The inside loop is the most complex. It could be just a loop or a figure eight, but also has two reversing loops along with some sidings.

It will be interesting to see if I can wire it the way that I have envisioned it to work! Eventually I would like to convert to DCC but for a couple years will stick with just DC. Everything is so expensive!

I’ll close for now but perhaps I will send some updates as I go along. I did want to include a couple of pics showing this real cool mug my step-son made for me. It keeps my coffee hot for hours, It says:

A Perfect Day
Wake up
Trains
Breakfast
Trains
Lunch
Trains
Dinner
Trains
Sleep

Thanks for taking the time to read this,

God Bless.

Ray

North Port, FL.”

A big thanks to Ray for sharing his 3 loop HO train layout.

Curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask him about the tractor in the pic that is literally hanging about:

“The tractor is just a pull chain for the light fixture I have had for 20 plus years. I didn’t realize I captured it in the picture. It is pretty close to HO scale! I actually had a John Deer years ago!

Ray”

When ever a HO loop layout comes in, I’m always reminded of Ken’s: HO scale loop.

And this simple one too:

model railroad loop.

I do enjoy seeing the layouts in their early stages, it makes the updates very satisfying, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Ray’s post.

He’s made a great start, and that’s what this hobby is all about, making a that start…

And talking of making a start, don’t forget to have a look at the new forum. If there is a model train question that’s stopping your layout, just ask.

Now on to Andrew:

“Using cheap acrylic paint from the local Pound Store weather the sides to suit Photos Timber Sheds I and J.

Add corrugated iron roofing also from print outs and place on the layout Photo K

Best wishes to you and all who follow your wonderful and informative posts, I hope it may be of use to someone.

Andrew in Oz”

That’s all for today folks. A big thanks to Andrew and to Ray for sharing his 3 loop HO train layout.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you stop dreaming and start doing, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

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

Kato WGH track plan

Jason has been in touch with his Kato WGH track plan:

“Hello,

Here is a photo of my layout at present.

The layout is HO scale, and was expanded from the Kato WGH Track plan.

It measures approximately 10 ½ feet long and 4 feet wide, with future plans to include a 9 feet long by 1 ½ feet wide staging yard and a 3 foot removable bridge to connect the main (this section) to the yard.

It features two reversing loops (which I’ve wired with auto-reversing units) and sidings for industries where cars can be picked up or set out.

It’s also taken me 5+ years of designing (primarily in AnyRail), planning, purchasing, running simulations, and asking hundreds of questions on model train forums and at my local model railroad club to get to this point.

I did not make the bench, as while I’m very passionate about trains and railroads, I don’t have much in the way of being mechanically inclined.

I enlisted the help of a fellow model railroad club member who’s a carpenter by trade to build the benchwork, and he and his son brought it down to my basement in sections before putting it together.

I had it put on rollers so it can be moved to the side in the event our heating unit and water heater need to be serviced, and also will be able to take the sections of the layout apart whenever I move.

Best regards,

Jason”

A big thanks to Jason for sharing his layout so far.

Two thoughts struck me, because I’m always banging on about them:

1) A little planning goes a long way.

2) Make that start, with or without planning.

My fave ‘non planner’ is Wayne. No planning whatsoever, but have a look at what he did:

HO layout 8×15.

Now on to Henry:

“Hello Alastair

Compliments of the season, may you have a very good new year.

As is customary, I do an annual layout update on the 4th of January, the date when construction on this layout began.

It is now 7 years later, and both levels are almost complete.

The track work, wiring and electronics are all complete, so it is only the scenery that needs to be completed.

I also attach a few pictures of some more detail scenes on the layout.

Regards

Henry
Pietermaritzburg,
South Africa”

That’s all for today folks. A big thanks to Jason for sharing his Kato WGH track plan, and to Henry too.

Please do keep ’em coming and don’t forget the new forum if there is model train question holding up your layout.

Which reminds me, can anyone help Jeff with this track plan?

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

Best

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

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

Helix construction HO scale

Dan’s been back in touch. This time he talks us through his Helix construction HO scale:

“A lot of the layouts today have a helix to change the levels of the layout. As a scenery guy, why not make it part of the scenery if possible.

This post will be about how to include the helix as part of the scenery.

My previous post was the Gorge on a friend’s layout. On the same layout, he had a helix. His design for the helix was to get to three different levels.

The lowest was storage/staging and run through. On the top level of the helix, there was a problem with the track.

He had the upper level that was going down and the lower level coming up cross at a 30/60 diamond. (Part of the helix turns were thus double track, one up and one down.)

The major problem was the diamond. Those of you with DCC know about shorting at the frog or the guard rail. This was a problem with the 3 axle locos and some 3 axle
passenger cars with lighting.

Our first solution was to put nail polish on the inside of the offending rails. That would have been a good solution and would have worked on other layouts. There is always a
however.

If the helix were to be closed, normally done, there would be no way to know if the diamond was clear.

He did not want some kind of detector there. (His layout.) So out came the saber saw again. You will see later how this was done.

Everything was my basic: ceiling tile, plaster cloth ,scupta mold, and ground foam scenery technique.

The helix as it was before my “adjustments.” There is a top level. A middle level. Below the the middle level you can just see to the lower left, the lowest level.

The track from the upper right would have crossed at the 30/60 diamond, not seen in this view, the track from the upper left at grade. The black line is the new alignment. At the right end, the new mental meets the old down track. This eliminated the diamond. The dashed line is the old up track. Watch for the “special effect” this creates….stay tuned.

This is the new alignment. The track in the distance is where the diamond was. The two tracks on the upper level now pass each other with out crossing. He knew how to create a puzzle to fix. The tracks seen at the very bottom are for the staging/storage and run through tracks. One is for the up and one is for the down tracks. (I know this might be confusing to your normal naming of tracks.)