Model railroad layouts plans

“Dear Al,

A few of your readers asked for a track plan of the layout.

Following is a track plan and a series of photos of the layout during construction.

The layout of the buildings and roads changed a bit as I went along but the track layout is pretty much the same.

You can run two trains at once with another shunting in the yard. It is far from being a prototypical layout but it is fun to play with.

The whole layout sits within a large box which helps keep the dust off and perhaps will limit the fading over time. If I was doing it again I would try and make the box a bit lighter as it now weighs over 200kg!

Happy modelling,

Cameron”

Wonderful to see Cameron’s track plan and how it took shape.

If you missed his fantastic film, it’s here.

Have a look at the comments below too – Cam seems to have struck a chord.

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.

Who remembers this one from Barry?

“Al,

Being new I’m not sure if this has been mentioned or not ….. more of a tool tip than a modeling tip.
Revlon makes a pair of tweezers that have a built in LED, very handing when working in small dark spaces.
I picked one up today and have already used it a number of times.
Revlon 15119, attached is a picture of one.

Unfortunately, all they had at Wal-Mart today were pink. LOL.”

Well guess what? You can get ’em on ebay.

“Hi Alistair.

I have enjoyed your posts for a few months now and learnt a lot from your contributors.

I’d like to offer a video of my latest layout featuring a modern Japanese urban scene. It is one half of a double sided N Scale layout. It’s a bit different to what most folk here in Australia model and probably VERY different to favoured subjects in other parts of the world.

The second half of the layout is a small town in Montana,USA. I’ll send a link on to that if people are interested.

Cheers

Paul
Brisbane, Australia”

Ebay cheat sheet packed with stuff at the mo: it’s here.

Please keep ’em coming.

Best

Al

“I do a lot of kit bashing and detailing, I especially enjoy taking an Athearn blue box car or locomotive (or something similar) and making it into a quality model.

This is not an earthshaking revelation, but I find 91% alcohol usually works well for stripping most paint. Just soak the body shell, scrub with a tooth brush and then scrub with soap and water.

Sometimes I have let it soak for several days, but it usually works. The alcohol can be bought at CVS or Walgreens at a reasonable price.

Jack Monette”

“Dear Al,

Firstly just wanted to thank you for hosting this fabulous site and service you provide to the model railroad community.

I look forward to each and every post that is sent in. It is great to see others enjoying this hobby and there is something to be learned from all contributers.

I was thrilled with the feedback from your site on my last video about Buster and the Black Lamb so I have created yet another short clip following the same theme.

The idea for this story line came from my wife who who knows I enjoy fixing and restoring things.

This one took some time to make as it features a Schools Class Locomotive in various states of repair.

Each verson required a different model, all made from Dapol kits. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil what there is of a plot. Please enjoy the movie.

Don’t forget to have look-see at the latest ebay cheat sheet. It’s here.

Keep ’em coming.

Best

Al