Model railroad layouts plans

“Hi Al,

The first video is showing a loop line which is what is used on single line Railways without a turntable, this of course is how they can run with one loco taking the rake of coaches to the destination and then use the loop to put the loco at the other end of the rake ready for the return journey , this method is used on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, as most of that is single track line without a turntable at either end.

The 2nd video is a running session showing a lot of my different sound Loco`s running singularly with the different sounds from each Loco its always difficult to get a good sound from these small 00 gauge Loco`s, but I think the diesel class 37 `s which are shown on here are as near as one can get to the sound of the full scale Loco.

Hope that this gives some ideas of the different sounds we have on UK Trains . There are different ways of adding sound, some sell these with sound decoders already fitted, but there is also a good choice of suppliers of decoders with sound added and a large choice of speakers which are not too difficult to fit to a DCC ready Loco .

Not a lot new to show on my videos of late, but hope you can enjoy these videos.

Regards

Dave”

A huge thanks to Hall of Fame member, Dave – and everybody else who has submitted tips recently. I’m still getting emails on Chris’ coffee table layout, and the same goes for Mark’s lighting tip too.

Thanks to everyone, you really make this site what it is.

That’s all this time folks, please do keep ’em coming. If the last few posts have inspired you, the Beginner’s Guide will get you going.

And lastly, if you are wondering how Dangerous Dave got his name, the answer is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat here – still going strong.

Mark has been in touch with a really easy way for adding lights to model railroad buildings:

“Hi Al.

Here is my ‘Tip of the Day’… or perhaps I should say ‘Tip of the NIGHT’.

Lighting your layout, especially for “night running” of trains brings a whole new dimension of excitement and joy to your modeling.

Most people like the idea, but the comments I hear frequently are “I don’t know how”, or “it’s just too much trouble or work”, or “I don’t want to end up with a ‘rats nest’ of wiring to sort out”, or “I’m just too old and stiff to be crawling around under the layout”, etc…

Here is a simple way to solve ALL those concerns.

Using LED’s for lighting, you only have to drill ONE (1) small hole for approximately every 400 sq feet of layout space full of lighting opportunities.

Connect two wires from your power source through this hole to a simple “above board buss” line using 1/4 inch flat copper tape.

This tape is readily available at most craft stores that sell Stained Glass materials. It is self-adhesive – just peel and stick – it will stick securely to just about anything, even rough grained plywood. It is ABSOLUTLY flat and can be covered instantly with buildings, scenery, etc.

Now just solder your LED lighting to the bus, set the structure in place and you’re done!

The copper tape is designed to accept solder readily and a small low wattage iron is all that is needed.

Need to move a building somewhere else? A 10 second clip or un-solder and re-solder and you’re done.

Need to run branch lines down several different streets? Simple – the just lay another line of copper tape at a right angle and a quick drop of solder will connect the two pieces of copper tape electrically together.

Attached are photos of several LED lit structures on my layout using this system along with a short video of fun with “night running”

Cheers!

Mark”

Adding lights to model railroad buildings:

A huge thank you to Mark for showing us his way of adding lights to model railroad buildings – it’s an excellent ‘how to’ – it’s no wonder Mark is in the Hall of Fame. You get in there by sharing stuff like this…

And don’t forget all the Hall of Fame members have contributed to the Beginner’s Guide ebook too.

That’s all this time folks. Please do keep ’em coming.

Best

Al

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

Chris has been in touch with his coffee table layout – quite a project! Just look at all the comments below!

“Hi Al,

One of your subscribers suggested that I send you the link to the YouTube video of my computerized N-scale coffee table model railroad.

I do not consider myself to be an expert model railroader, but I have a lot of fun applying my electrical engineering and computer systems experience to model trains.

The coffee table project was an experiment to see if I could build a programmable computer-controlled fully automated model railroad into a coffee table for my living room.

To make an already complex project even more challenging, the wood sculptor who designed and built the coffee table furniture suggested that I design the layout to rise up to the surface of the table as part of the automated operation.

He hated to look down into a box to see artwork, so he wanted the layout to be mounted on some sort of lift mechanism.

The design and construction of the layout, furniture, lift mechanism, and computer system hardware took almost six years to complete.

However, development of the controlling computer program is ongoing.

Presently, only one train (and the trolley) can run on the layout; however, it should be possible to run two trains in the same direction or opposite directions.

Programming the system so that the trains will avoid each other and the trolley should keep me busy for quite awhile.

Regards,

Chris”

Coffee table layout:

“Sorry I haven’t been in touch haven’t had much to ask show of my layout,but I’ve finished a couple of sections.

Raymond”

A big thanks to Ray and to Chris for sharing his coffee table layout.

There have been lots of coffee tables featured on the site over the years, and I’m happy to add Chris to the list – he’s done a fantastic job.

And Ray’s layout is coming along nicely – just goes to show they look like a mess before everything drops in to place – but that’s half the fun.

So if you feel like rolling your sleeves up and getting involved, don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide is here.

That’s all this time folks.

Please keep ’em coming.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here. It’s updated every single day…