Jason has been in touch with his Kato WGH track plan:
“Hello,
Here is a photo of my layout at present.
The layout is HO scale, and was expanded from the Kato WGH Track plan.
It measures approximately 10 ½ feet long and 4 feet wide, with future plans to include a 9 feet long by 1 ½ feet wide staging yard and a 3 foot removable bridge to connect the main (this section) to the yard.
It features two reversing loops (which I’ve wired with auto-reversing units) and sidings for industries where cars can be picked up or set out.
It’s also taken me 5+ years of designing (primarily in AnyRail), planning, purchasing, running simulations, and asking hundreds of questions on model train forums and at my local model railroad club to get to this point.
I did not make the bench, as while I’m very passionate about trains and railroads, I don’t have much in the way of being mechanically inclined.
I enlisted the help of a fellow model railroad club member who’s a carpenter by trade to build the benchwork, and he and his son brought it down to my basement in sections before putting it together.
I had it put on rollers so it can be moved to the side in the event our heating unit and water heater need to be serviced, and also will be able to take the sections of the layout apart whenever I move.
Best regards,
Jason”
A big thanks to Jason for sharing his layout so far.
Two thoughts struck me, because I’m always banging on about them:
1) A little planning goes a long way.
2) Make that start, with or without planning.
My fave ‘non planner’ is Wayne. No planning whatsoever, but have a look at what he did:
Now on to Henry:
“Hello Alastair
Compliments of the season, may you have a very good new year.
As is customary, I do an annual layout update on the 4th of January, the date when construction on this layout began.
It is now 7 years later, and both levels are almost complete.
The track work, wiring and electronics are all complete, so it is only the scenery that needs to be completed.
I also attach a few pictures of some more detail scenes on the layout.
Regards
Henry
Pietermaritzburg,
South Africa”
That’s all for today folks. A big thanks to Jason for sharing his Kato WGH track plan, and to Henry too.
Please do keep ’em coming and don’t forget the new forum if there is model train question holding up your layout.
Which reminds me, can anyone help Jeff with this track plan?
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.
very nice detail, good layout.
Soundtrack sounds like Brian Eno and Robert Fripp..Am I close?
Jason,
You have insured that your HVAC system and water heater will never fail.
(If they were inaccessible, they stop working the first week.)
Tom in Mississippi
Really appreciate modelers who share the early starts to their layouts, proof that you have to start somewhere to get anywhere. (If that makes sense)
Well done!
Jason, It looks like you are off to a great start on your model rail journey. Best of luck with it.
Henry, what an imaginative layo9ut you are building. I can see it is providing good entertainment and excersize of your imagination. Best of luck going forward.
Thank for sharing, Rob
TJK it is a youtube royalty free track, called growth/decay. I could not find any other details re artist or composer.
Rob McCrain, thank you for the compliment, I hope to have regular operating sessions in the future.
The layout looks really nice and it look’s like you still have a lot of work to do but what you have done look’s great.
Henry, I have watched your layout grow from the beginning. Well done so far.
From a fellow South African and long time friend. Keep up the good work.
I will send you some of my latest photos on the progress of my layout via email.
Brian – the HOn3 guy in Knysna RSA 🇿🇦
Two magnificent layouts, both to give hours, no days, months and years of enjoyment to operate.
Thank you Jason and Henry
Andrew in Oz
I like your functional track plan. The Kato is a wonderful, well made product that I have found very smooth and trouble free.It saves lots of time and and can be easily reconfigured as you go. I am in my 70’s now so the HO Kato system is looking more attractive to me. The cost is reasonable, considering you don’t need to purchase ballast, roadbed, glue, and time saved. It may be a compromise in realism but it makes up for that in accolades by getting trains running very quickly. Scenery detail will help blend it all together and look awesome. We’ll done sir. I can’t wait to see more pictures as you progress, to help me with my project. I am also curious about electronics you used.