Model railroad layouts plans

Bob’s been in touch with a great step by steo – How to build portable bench work for model train:

“Hi Al

I got interested in trains because my grandfather Davis was a Union Pacific railroad man from age 17 until retirement as a very senior engineer in 1960.

As kids, my brother and I had Lionel steam and diesel engines, and eventually HO gauge.

Off and on over the years I’ve gotten back into the hobby, and built a few layouts, including a well reinforced board that we put our live Christmas tree on.

We’ve moved across the country a few times, and it’s made the trip with a little repair and redo. I’ve really enjoyed your Model railroad layout plans blog, and hope my contribution is interesting to others as well.

A couple years ago I wanted to do something different for our gift exchange at Christmas for my son Brian, who likes N gauge. He didn’t have a board, and he lived out of state, so I decided to build a “freelance” modular board of my own design.

It needed to be very light weight, since we were going to haul it 800 miles on the top of our SUV, but big enough to have some fun with. I used some of the same woodworking ideas I’ve borrowed and modified, including using folding leg braces so it can be put up and taken down quickly. I really like doing pocket screws to hide the funky look of straight screws. It also needed a lightweight crate for storage and transportation.

It has three modules, with two sides bolted to each one, plus a top with minimal bracing. The whole thing weighs about fifty pounds.

A couple minutes to unbolt everything –

From below, the legs fold up and lock in place. It’s a 1/4” plywood top with bracing, plywood legs, and 1 x 2 finished wood for table edges. Note the thin wood strips that are suspended below the underside – they allow wiring to be quickly draped around the underside for quick and easy setup and takedown. Here’s how the legs fold up underneath.

And the legs unfold and lock down like so –

A closeup of the locking leg brackets and the pocket screw construction –

There are two end modules with legs, and a shorter center module that’s supported by the ends.

When it’s all together it’s about three feet wide by seven feet long.

Naturally Brian is trying out his UP passenger with diesel A/B – I think they are F7’s?

Robert”

And now on to Bill. Here’s the post about his Lionel layout. This time, he talks us through it:

“Al. After you published my photos and story about my Lionel Fastrack Layout a number of people who commented mentioned that they would like to see a video. So I have created one.

It is about 5 1/2 minute long. I called it “Bill’s Yellowstone Valley Railroad”.

Bill”

A huge thanks to Bill, and to Robert for sharing how to build portable bench work for model train.

I know some folk struggle with finding space so I thought Bill’s post was a good answer to that, even if it is just to run some trains. It’s all about taking small steps and getting started.

And talking of getting started, the Beginner’s Guide is here if you want to start your very own journey today.

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.

Cassio has been in touch with his Union Pacific locomotives HO scale.

He is a man of new words, but I think it’s a language barrier more than anything else:

“Dear Alister

I take the liberty of sending photo of the construction of my lauout.

I hope you enjoy.

Scale HO 1:87

Cassio”

Now on to Allan:

“Al,

Nearly 20 years ago, I had a company build this layout which was shaped to fit into a architectural niche in my then house.

After getting it in place & plugged in, it never functioned well from day 1.

You could clean the wheels of the locos, clean tracks etc. but there never seemed to be adequate power & would completely bog down in switch areas

It became more of a night light & conversation piece than anything else.

Ten years ago I retired & moved from my then house in Petaluma, Ca. to my now house here in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

I tried to sell the layout before leaving California for half of what I had invested, but no cigar. So, I had it crated & on the moving van it went.

It stayed in that crate in the garage here for about two years, until i was sick of it being there. Given its shape, I didn’t have a great place for it in this new house, but I had a cabinet maker build a base for it.

It’s now tucked into a corner of my game room at a height that is below my pool table.

It largely survived the transit & storage with just minor damage to a building or two, but as far as function, now it really doesn’t work. The transfer station is balky & nearly dysfunctional. At least that part worked previous to the move.

So what to do?

If I knew how to fix it to a functional state, I would, but I’m old & not talented as a craftsperson.

I would invest more $ into it if doing so would be the answer. I see that there are way more sophisticated controllers available now than the transformers in use here, plus 5 pole locos & such.

If any of that would provide a fix, wonderful. Barring a fix, I’d be willing to sell it if it has any value as is…

Any advice, suggestions, would be appreciated. What I need is a traveling “Z” gauge tech, but those probably don’t exist…

Thanks,

Allan”

A big thank to Allan, Bob and to Cassio for sharing his Union Pacific locomotives HO scale.

What I liked about Cassio’s and Bob’s posts is how they are far from finishing, but both having fun along the way.

And as Bob’s layout shows, it’s certainly not a race. Course, I’m biased, but tinkering away on your layout is pleasant way to pass the time.

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

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

Gary’s been in touch with his HO scale wiring block.

If you missed his earlier posts, here’s the first, and here’s the second.

“Hi Alastair…. Gary from Elmont, NY, USA, here with an interim update on my Sunnyside Yard project.

My last blog to you was that I had completed the track work for the passenger yard and was going to start planning for the engine yard.

My steps are still the same and that is to complete all the track work, switches and signals before working on any scenery.

Picture 1 that I sent was the layout plan that I designed using SCARM but that did not work out because I did not have enough room because the radius of the turn track I need to use for the long engines, GG1s, and passenger cars has to be at a minimum of 22 degrees.

I am using 24 degree as much as possible. So I had to redesign the engine yard. Picture 2 is what I designed in order to fit within the 7 foot length that I had to work with.

Nothing in these pictures is permanent and the few structures and trackside scenery are only temporary to give me some ideas on how it would look.

The tracks are laid down with temporary rail spikes. This actually worked out better than using SCARM because now I know that this design will fit.

I tested each above table switch machine to make sure they worked. I will be using Tortoise and Atlas under table switch machines for the rest of the turnouts.

Pictures 3 & 4 I will print out and use to plan my wiring for all the blocks, switches and signals.

I am not using DCC so I needed to develop induvial 13 inch blocks for each engine. If you look at PICTURE 5 closely you can see where I used insulated rail joiners to create the blocks.

All told I have 16 small 13 inch blocks; each can hold a long GG1 engine. I also will have two work trains. If you go back and look PICTURE 2, the track to the right of the GG1 in the forefront of the picture is no complete on purpose. This is a dummy track that I am going to use to have a track crew working on the rail, to connect it up.

In PICTURE 2 again, you will see the SLIP Switch in the left hand corner that I am using to give any engine the ability to access and be parked in any of the yard sidings.
PICTURE 6 is what the layout looks like right now before I start working on the electrical wiring for the engine yard.

I am leaning towards have this engine yard be its own block section with a separate power supply and have a control panel catty-corner in the layout to the passenger yard control panel.
Each block will be controlled with a DPDT toggle which will control the power to the block and the changing of the dwarf signal from RED to Green when the power is on and Green to Red when the power is off.

I know that I can use the Tortoise and Atlas switch machines be able to throw the switch and change the color of the signal indicating the direction of the turnout. I would like to also be able to control power to certain blocks when a switch is thrown. I do not know if I can throw the switch, change the signal and provide power to the block that the engine is leaving. I will be calling Circuitron to talk to their tech people to find out if that is possible and how to do the wiring.

Hooking up the power to control a block is not a problem……doing it for 16 small blocks might be a wiring nightmare?

In my last blog, I received many suggestions from many of the readers……. If anyone has suggestions on the wiring, please don’t hesitate to comment. One question….is it better to use a Power Distribution board or Terminal Blocks?

Once I complete the track work for this section, I can then start on the scenery and figures for the engine yard. I am planning a two stall engine house with maintenance crews; a track crew working on completing a section of track; a road maintenance crew; some maintenance sheds and maintenance crews. Then I will go back to the passenger yard.

Am I crazy doing this because I love it. But I think I am going to be here a long time.

Keep you posted and I love reading and looking at all your layouts.

Gary”

A huge thanks to Gary for sharing his HO scale wiring block. If you can help out with his questions, please do leave a comment below.

It’s so wonderful seeing all your layouts take shape from the very beginning – especially with a good narrative too. And I know it inspires a lot of readers too, so please do keep ’em coming.

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.