Model railroad layouts plans

Cliff’s a man of few words – but the pictures of his HO scale buildings say a lot:

“Hi guys, just some pictures of my platform. Thanks for all the tips.

Trying to make it as real as possible. Need some people walking around and some more detail.

One picture is a hydrangea which I make trees out of. It’s a great hobby.

Cliff”

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Wonderful HO scale buildings from Cliff. I particularly liked the waterfall and the warehouse.

I’ve emailed Cliff because I’d love to know how long the layout has taken him so far.

I say, ‘so far’ because as we all know, layouts are never finished. But the trick is to get started – so if that’s you, now’s a great time to grab the guide.

Now on to Don.

He’s sent in something that had me nodding my head:

““Hey, Alastair:

Just a note to say how much I enjoy the messages you send out, although every one of them is way beyond me. I am a mere beginner, although I am 73 years old! Right now, I’m cursing (and not under my breath!) Bachmann’s turnouts and the seeming inability of one’s tracks in the turnouts and those “regular” tracks not meshing. Seems that the track in the turnout is just a shade higher than the other tracks, and so far, I have not been able to use a single turnout for that reason. From the reading I’ve been doing, it seems like I ought to try out an Atlas turnout and see if it would be compatible to what I already have (HO, Eze-track (spelling?!) Well, enough for now. Thanks again, and I drool each time I have a look at the wonderful layouts your readers share.

Don”

I’ve lost count of the people who have put together a layout with different track manufacturers. It usually ends in blood, sweat and tears.

That’s all for today folks. A big thanks to Cliff for shaing his HO scale buildings.

Please keep ’em coming. It’s getting a little thin on the ground this end.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

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

Jim’s been in touch with his scratch built HO train trestles – and what a layout it sits on:

“Hi Al.

I really enjoy & look forward to your daily e-mails. Very informative & lots of helpful tips. I’m 68 & live in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.

I’ve been modeling in HO scale off & on now for about 30 years and have been a railway enthusiast ever since my dad, or should I say Santa, gave me a wind-up train when I was only 3. The memory of it running with a smoking cigarette butt sticking out of it’s stack is still vivid.

My layout is HO in a 12’x14′ room.

I scratch-built the curved trestle upside down on my work table with 3/16″ x 3/16″ strips of pine sawed with a bandsaw.

It took approx. 500 pieces of various lengths to assemble & with a 36″ section of flex-track, it was placed on the layout & the mountain & gulch was then fitted around the HO train trestles.

Keep up the great e-mails.

Jim”

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“Good morning Al,

I just got back from a nice vacation visiting my daughter and inlaws in Holland. I had lived there for a while after college and my wife is Dutch. We go there often and I am always so impressed with their Rail system. So organized, so clean, and so easy to get anywhere in the country. So of course I had to visit as many hobby shops as possible and add a couple Dutch locos to my collection. I purchased a beautiful NS “hondakop” and a NS Grey-Yellow loco and a bunch of NS passenger wagons.

I also visited the Dutch Railway Museum in Utrecht which was awesome. A must take for anyone who visits the Netherlands

I have appreciated you posting a few of my entries (photos) in the past so I figured I would try a video. This is a real amateur video entry compared to some that you post,but here are my new Dutch NS loco on my New England layout together with one of my older “switchers”.

Best,

Ray”

Two fantastic layouts from Ray and James for sharing his HO train trestles – thanks to both of them for sharing. Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

And if they have inspired you, grab the guide and get to work on yours today. There’s no point sitting on the side lines…

Thanks for all the nice comments on the guide and the site by the way. I really do appreciate them.

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.>

Steve has been in touch and added to the Atlas N scale code 55 track plans on the blog.

(As always, it’s the comments at the bottom that shed the most light.)

“Hi Al,
 
I am fairly new at model railroading & are in the process of planning a second layout that I hope to be able to show one day.

Like most I guess, I am very constrained for space.
 
The idea is to have a realistic junction with trains able to enter from both ends with some shunting.
 
Below is my current proposal. 

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Overall dimensions are 4500mm x 700mm  (will fit a small bukkie. (“pick-up” in american))
Track is atlas code-55
Minimum radius is 11.25in: 
All switches are #5
DCC will be used
 
There needs to be plenty of storage so a variety of rolling stock can enter without to much delay.

Continuous running must also be possible.

Comments and criticisms from your users will be appreciated.

I include some images from my existing layout

Regards,

Steve Perlman”

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“Hi Al,

Here are some pics of my n scale layout, a work in progress. Once this side is finished I intend adding a similar sized section and having a walkway in the middle betwwen sections which will be joined at the far wall in the poc.

This is the Byron Bay to Lismore lone in northern NSW Australia, near where I live. The actual line has been a topic of contention and debate in this region as a section, from the town of Casino to Murwillumbah via Byron Bay was shut down due to it’s poor conditon and the then governments shortsightedness in not paying to maintain it.

Now there are bridges being demolished and not replaced as the debate over what to do with it continues. Being what was once a large rainforest area which is recovering from over clearing I have tried to make the scenery as lush and ‘wet’ looking as possible. Hope you like it.

Cheers

Mike Mizzi”

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Thanks to Steve for adding to the Atlas N scale code 55 track plans and to Mike for sharing. Can’t wait to read your comments on Steve’s plan.

Please do keep ’em coming folks – it’s all getting a bit thin on ground this end. Just mail me and I’ll do the rest.

That’s all this time folks.

And if you want to roll your sleeves up and get stuck back in, 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.