Model railroad layouts plans

Steve’s been in touch with his steam era rolling stock:

“Hi Al

Thanks for the emails. It’s always interesting to hear what other railway modellers are up to and to pick up ideas and tips.

I’m probably not alone in being guilty of acquiring rather more stock than I can justify (especially locos – but then if you’ve bought a loco from a different region, company, era or even country(!) it needs some rolling stock to match 🙂).

My justification for having such a mixed bag of stuff, amassed over some 60 years of interest, is that the layout I am building now is a “heritage” line – a preserved railway based in ex-LMS/LNER territory, which covers my main areas of interest, but which also has a main line connection plus a reputation as a centre of excellence for repair and maintenance so that stock from heritage lines all over the U.K. (some of which operate European stock – think Nene Valley) can appear.

I have attached a few photos. A couple feature classic car/traction engine events, which are the sort of thing one sees hosted by heritage railways as fund-raising efforts.

In others, you can see a mix of pre-grouping stock which in real life would have been rarely, if ever, seen together (Midland Railway, Southern Railway and South Eastern and Chatham Railway).

Thanks again for all you do,

Steve, Lincs, UK”

A big thanks to Steve for sharing his steam era rolling stock. It just goes to show (again!) your layout can be anything you want it it to be.

Steve’s post reminded me a lot of Peter’s post:

Model train layout ideas.

And now on to Terry, who has been busy with his backdrop:

“I decided to make my own back drop for my Oil City Railroad.

I used a piece of foam board and decided not to purchase a photo back drop but instead to use woodland scene products and make it myself.

I have about 12 inches in the middle to finish.

I am waiting for a particular flat building to create a wheatfield and a grain building. I will send you pictures of the railroad with backdrop installed.

Terry”

There have been quite a few posts on 3D backdrops over the years. Here are a few of them:

Model railroad backdrop.

Model railroad backdrop construction

Painting backdrop.

Model train 3D backdrop

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you grab the bull by the horns, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Remember, it’s the start that stops most people…

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.

Ken’s been back in touch with the latest on his Kato model railroad:

“Hi Al

Update number 3 coming your way.

My layout is loosely themed on the area known as the Short North – the area immediately north of Sydney which is rich in coal fields which fed the steel industry for a century. Quite a bit of coal was also used to fire the local power stations which are now giving way to renewable energy. Thank goodness.

I’ve made only a few changes since my December update, and mostly in wiring (all DC) and making incremental improvements to track and alignments.

I also built a new through station at Macquarie, based on an Australian prototype. I love these laser-cut timber kits. Lighting is currently LED, however I’ve acquired an optic fibre kit to start experiments as the weather warms through spring.

All of the track is Kato, and mostly with No. 6 turnouts. I have a modified No.4 turnout which gives me problems when shunting cars which are a bit too light. More issues to solve!

The video gives a small snapshot of a running session, starting with 3801 hauling an excursion train, with 4836 in 125 Anniversary livery banking. As an aside, 3801 is one of the most celebrated locos in NSW, and has run from Sydney to Perth along with LNER loco Flying Scotsman in 1988 during the bicentennial celebrations.

The coal train is hauled by two Pacific National current era locos, hauling newly-graffitied coal hoppers. The final scene shows a 44 class backing out of Yanderah (terminus) station with a rake of coaches.

For the future I realised I made a huge mistake in the planning stages by not allowing for sufficient storage sidings. I have heaps of gear stored away. So stay tuned for more!

Ken”

Kato model railroad:

A big thanks to Ken for sharing his Kato model railroad.

If you want to see his last missive, it’s here:

N scale multi line layout.

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.

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

Rob’s been back in touch with some very useful tips on LED lighting for model trains:

“Hi Al,

Here is one for you. Recently, I have had a lot of fun putting lights on various vehicles on my model train layout, Farland.

When I turn down the room’s lights, they look lifelike and add another dimension to the layout.

Since I have now added lighting to a number of vehicles, I would like to share a few tips. Some modelers might find it helpful if I outline some of the basics when doing this and list the parts needed and where they can be acquired.

In some cases, you can buy cars and trucks with installed lighting, but these are relatively expensive and may not be the model year or the exact type or scale a person wants.

Sometimes, people already have the cars, trucks, and buses they want, but they must be lit. In those cases, it would make sense to add the lighting as a project for themselves.

The methods I use in the video can quickly be adapted to trucks, buses, and cars.

I will define the material I am using and the sources for this material below—that way, anyone wishing to try this can quickly find the things they’ll need.

A) Prewired pico SMD LEDs in any color, white, green, red, yellow, and blue, from eBay 20 for $10-$20US
(SMD means surface-mounted diode)

B) Suggested resistors 1K ohms 1/2 watt and 5K ohms 1/2 watt from eBay about $2-$4US for 20+

C) 1/16″ (1.5mm) ID Black Heat Shrink Tube 2:1 ratio shrink (6 pcs x 9″ long) $2.50US

I hope this helps someone.

Thank you, Alastair, for all the great things you do in helping the modeling community worldwide.

Cheers,

Rob”

(Watch on youtube.)

A huge big thank you for Rob for sharing his take on LED lighting for model trains.

That’s all for this time 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.

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