Model railroad layouts plans

Cal’s been in touch with something he’s found for cleaning model train track:

“Al:

Here is a new tip I found out about the other day. I tried it and it works WONDERS!!!

First. I used the “QD contact cleaner” on my engines and locomotives. I spray a light rag or paper towel with this stuff. Then I put the towel on the track and run my engine or loco over the wet part at full speed holding onto it so it doesn’t run off on me.

I run it back and forth till the wheels are clean. You would not believe the gunk and buildup that comes off the wheels. Then I turned the loco around and did the same thing for the rear wheels.

I then did this same thing to each and every car. The buildup that came off the wheels was amazing.

Then I took a rag and rubbed all the track down with this contact cleaner.

Second, I then fashioned a block with 2 scraps of wood and a piece of roadbed cork and hot glued them to make an applicator.

I took the “2-26 multi purpose precision lubricant” and sprayed it onto the cork part of my block I made. I then rubbed it along the entire track system. The rails shined up like a new penny.

Now my trains crawl at low speeds and run MUCH MUCH better and the best part is the guy who told me about this system hasn’t cleaned his track in over a year and it still runs like a top.

This system is supposed to last MONTHS before you have to clean again! I cannot believe how much better my trains run.

I used to use goof off or goo gone, but this is much better.

To clean my engines I used to use rubbing alcohol on the wheels but it just took off surface dirt. I’ve noticed by using the QD contact cleaner it took off all the gunk and build up from over the years.

I am very very happy with the results.

Here are pictures of the product I bought in a hardware store, the block I made and an example of the rag with dirty track stains on it so you can see how it cleans.

Best of luck to all fellow Model railroaders with your track cleaning!!!

I found my system I will be using from now on!!!

Cal from Oregon USA”

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Cleaning model train track is something that comes up a lot on the blog – it really can cause problems.

A big thanks to Cal. It reminded me of Bob’s post: Track cleaner.

And Kim’s: Homemade model train track cleaner.

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Now on to Ben.

“Hi Al!

My name is Ben and I’ve enjoyed your emails for a few months.

Thought I would share some pics of the switching layout I’m building. It’s 8×4 and HO scale. I haven’t had a layout in 20 years. I’ve always wanted a switching layout because that’s my favorite thing about trains, switching yards and industries.

Keep the great emails going!

Ben”

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“Hi Alastair

Here is a little tip for all of the model railway fans out there.

Before throwing out that old mobile phone, modem, Christmas tree lights etc or whatever. Keep the power supply back (unless its faulty of course) as many of these are rated at 12 volts DC and most are also rated at about 500ma (half an amp) to 1 amp sometimes you might find them rated at 1500ma.

these are great for powering station or building lighting when using LED lights. The centre pin on a female jack is generally the positive and may be marked on the wire with a tracer marking, making it easier to cut of the female jack and identify the positive wire.

I have several of these around my small Lionel O gauge layout. works a treat. My Modified Hobo Hotel with all the electronics I added is powered from an old Power adaptor rated at 1 amp. (shown)

keep up the good work with the site

Regards

Ernie

Essex UK”

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“Alastair–always look forward to your daily e-mails with questions and answers from other modelers…so when I ran into a problem I figured that someone in your group might have the answer to a problem I’m currently having.

Here’s the situation: I’m adding a 72×76″ extension to the existing Damnit RR using Atlas snap track and flex track. There is only 2 ways to connect it to the existing tracks and they are colored BLACK in the pictures and can’t be moved. The new section must have a 22-24” radius in order to take existing cars and there needs to be sidings to park the cars when not in use, yet not block the whole line. In addition to providing storage space, the extension must create a way to reverse a complete train in both directions–i.e. eastbound has option to become westbound and vice versa.

The first picture shows the complete layout with the extension with a proposed solution, the second is just the extension itself.

(all pics are clickable)

As you can see, the proposed ladder portion in light green doesn’t meet the requirements and involves a lot of back and forth shuffling of a single car at a time. That doesn’t work because one of the cars is the SP triple unit (coffee shop, diner, kitchen–28″ long) and can’t be unhooked. The same applies to the rest of the SP units which are double units of 19″ long each. They too can’t be uncoupled.

Any ideas your members can provide would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been working on this for weeks and am at a complete loss.

Thanks so much

Terry”

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A big thanks to everyone for today’s post, especially to Cal for sharing his way way cleaning model train track.

And who can help Terry? Sometimes we all get problems that vex that the most seasoned modeler.

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.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

And I have something nearly as good as present – Fred’s only gone and sent me a video of his stunning layout.

Hope you enjoy it as much as me.

And don’t forget, the clock’s ticking for my $9 silly sale on the Beginner’s Guide.

Course, I’m biased, but why not treat yourself?

Don’t forget, it comes with this free tunnel.

Have a wonderful Christmas and thank you all for the support over the years.

Best

Al

Fred’s been in touch. He’s been busy N scale railroading and shared pics of his stunning layout:

“Hi Al –

Since we last traded notes I’ve been very busy on the western end (The city of Port Charles) of my layout. I’ll send some slides and a video if i can figure out how. Hope you like ’em.

I think one of my personal triumphs was figuring out how to light up all my cars with fiber optic strands.

I’ve been using .75 mm single strand fiber optic line for all the back drop lights, so I managed to drill out the headlights of a couple dozen plastic N scale autos, pushed the strands out through the lights, and through the floor of the car, then passed them through a 1/8″ hole in the street to a light source under the layout.

In my street scene, half were drilled (oncoming) for white headlights, half for red taillights. It really provides some visual excitement to the street at night.

Together with high rise kits, neon signage, I was pleased to see my city really come alive these last few months.

My city backdrop is just a sketch at this point, but I’ve installed hundreds and hundreds of fibre optic strands to simulate night high rise windows, flashing beacons, aircraft strobe lights, etc.

I’ll send some pics for now, and try to send some more in the next day or two.

best,

Fred”

Stunning N scale railroading stuff from Fred (his last post is here).

Here’s what I really like about Fred though. I asked him if his layout was a ‘professional’ one. Here’s what he came back with:

“My layout is just for fun. Although one of your group during the last comment session sounded frustrated with the extent of some of my detailing, I think, because he felt I was overlooking the trains. In so many words he was saying “what’s the point?”

What he didn’t understand, clearly, were my motives. I’m not particularly interested in the trains (I once was, as a boy) but rather the process of modeling.

I did a lot of it as an architect, but never had an opportunity to do it in color, or with backdrops (I used to paint landscapes in oils) and certainly never had a chance to model anything this large.

N scale is great in one sense – that it offers you the elbow room to design plausible vales and hills, rivers, cities, ports, without that dreadful look that everything has been crammed in there simply because you couldn’t bear to give something up that you really wanted to include.

The bad side of N scale, I think, is that it’s so ridiculously small that most architectural details and surfaces have to be purchased rather than scratch built. Can you imagine scoring scale brick out of plaster at 1:160? I tried, and gave in to the kits. The other thing that is frustrating about N is the fussiness of anything mechanical, and I have to say that the only reliable locomotives I’ve found are all Kato.

I think your group has a majority contingent that IS in it for the trains, which is great, but it’s just a different thing. I don’t want to diminish from their pleasure at operating trains by setting a different standard for scenic modeling which they may temporarily envy, but for which they don’t have the desire to put in the money, time, or risk. It’s about priorities, really.

If each of us can help the other with pointers, tricks, or even by inspiring, I think that’s great. But when I see comments like “I wish my backdrop looked like that,” it saddens me that I might inadvertently be puncturing someone’s ballon.

If it makes them feel any better, you can assure them that I am a frustrated model train operator who is a technical luddite, and can barely get a successful locomotive circuit of the layout without drive rods coming off, electrical short circuits form “frog juicers”that were supposed to work, and all sorts of other things that guarantee none of my friends will want to participate in an “operating session” whatsoever. The personal blessing is that it’s not why I’m doing this, so I don’t care!

So in conclusion I think this is a wonderful hobby, whether or not you view it as modeling where you employ moving parts of the model to enliven the static, or operating scale models of railroads with necessary scenic embellishments, but it is very important that we each remember why we got into this in the first place. So your question of me is an important one in the deepest sense, and I hope I’ve answered it.

Fred”

So love what Fred wrote. This hobby is all about having fun – just as the Hall of Fame members (and others) said in the last post.

A huge thanks to Fred for his N scale railroading pics, narrative, and the wise words.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you stop dreaming and start doing, 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.

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