“Al, I sent in a few pictures last year so I thought I would share my new layout.
I went to Bachmann DCC this year.
I’m new to DCC so I went with a simple system.
This year I built a few more paper houses. they really add some realism to the layout.
Mike”
Big thanks to Mike. The ‘print out’ houses on his layout look fantastic – they add bags of character.
I also love the step by step nature of Mike’s post.
Course, I’m biased, but the prints that come with the Beginners Guide make it all great value.
Please keep ’em coming, folks.
Best
Al
PS Ebay cheat sheet still going strong: latest one is here.
Mike, Wow, there’s a lot going on there!! What a good job it looks too. Congratulations. Could have a few more written details about the layout at sometime please.
Norman (UK)
Very nice work Mike, a lot of interest for the observer.
Cheers, Steve R
A lovely wonderland smashing!!!
Well done with that layout Mike ..very nice ..Dave
Great job.Did you freelance this.
Thanks Joe
Mike – I particularly like the mountain and water landscapes! Thanks for sharing.
That’s simple? Looks great to me. Would like to have a layout like that.
Mike, you’ve done a terrific job. Your photography is great also.
Hi Mike
That’s is preaty cool, and preaty nice too!
I was whadering what is your lay out gage, N HO O gage!
Eugene
Great job, Mike!
Would love to see a video of the layout in action.
Keep up the good work, and happy railroading.
wow verry busy layout and lotsa detail
and yeh the building printouts would add even more….
goood layout…keep it runnin
I like the gazebo. What brandf is it?
nice layout lots of scenery detail . photos are great.keep them coming.
Amazing. I am 75. Have been retired 10yrs. Love modeling but just can’t seem to get started. So much to know. Just found this website. I think it will give me the inspiration I need…
Leon
Thanks for the comments. Here are a few more details. The layout is 6x10x10 HO gage. This was a 3 week project off and on. I used Bachmann eztrack with 2 crossovers and 2 turnouts DCC controlled. I got great deal on the Bachmann Dynamis system and it works for my level of complexity. I purchased a few new DCC locomotives with sound.
I purchased the Big Kahuna Bundle. You can see them in the village and farm settings.
I have a few scratch built items, the bridge, guardrails, chain link fence, and a bunch of building kits. Spent lots of time glueing and painting. I added some dimension to the layout but using a few background buildings.
The gazebo is a Woodland Scenic product as are all the water effects.
Mike,
WOWSER! What a fantastic layout. I am getting ready to set up an N scale using Bachman DCC. It will be 6′ X 2′ X 36″ in height. Thanks for sharing your railroad.
regards,
Tom
Leon.
I am 71 and getting ready to build an N scale railroad.
I just want to say you have just opened a world of model railroad. Knowledge, skills, sharing, helping … through spoken word, video and snapshots. Is a wonderful experience and wonderful place to be. From all over the world most wonderful people come in to share their stories there railroad and their expertise freely to help others. I have been on this website for about 2 years … and what I have learned it has been a world of knowledge. Things I never thought of or have dreamed of doing I am willing to try and do it. What you have accomplished with your knowledge, motivation, skills, trial and error … one can be proud of and enjoy for the rest of their life. Just remember a model railroad is never done?
I must say that if it was not for Al and this web site we could not have had this to share. I thank Al for this opportunity to learn about model railroading and to meet and greet so many people. Thank you AL, thanks!!!
good luck Leon,
best regards,
Tom
WOW, If that’s what you call SIMPLE. Then I would love to see what you call intricate. This one looks great. NICE JOB. !!! A nice video of your layout in action would be TOO COOL. !!!
Great job for a “first time” layout. Far more advanced than you give it credit for. Keep up the Good work & start enjoying your work. Awesome-Rog
I like your scenery. Tell me is it hard to convert to DCC from Dc?
Paul Otway
Mike, very nice work would love to see your layout in action.
kevin (UK)
Super looking layout, well done
The nice thing about snap track is when you tire of it all you can take it all apart and start all over again with a lot less trouble.
Mike
I would be very interested to hear about your experiences with DCC. I am progressing with a railway that I acquired recently. It’s half built and in EM gauge. However, it is set up with a standard DC system. Which is okay but I am looking to extend the system and am looking into the feasibility of using DCC.
I do have several locomotives and some are kit built and about 20 years old. interestingly they are not as well detailed as the high quality products from Bachmann and Hornby. Indeed I do have some of these and have had to widen the axles to fit the wider gauge. So we will have to see. The problem is that as far as I can gather that fitting the code links into the locos is not a cheap option. Therefore, 8 or 9 may be out of my budget.
However, with the opportunity to add potentially an additional 25 feet of track makes the concept of DCC of some interest as all I have at present is a hand held gaugemaster controller. Incidentally, the railway at present runs along one side of my garage with three boards of around 13 foot in length and a fiddle yard. It will be an end to end railway perhaps extending around three sides of the garage. Though we will see!
Jerry
DCC is the only way to go. Especially if starting from scratch.
Running your railroad from the loco, instead of from a transformer truly changes the whole experience. No more blocks to worry about. LOTS less wire as well as running as many train as you can keep up with.
I love my DCC.
Sheldon. Phoenix Az. USA
Hmmm, you say Mike made the big jump to DCC but all I saw was scenery, what does showing a bunch of pictures have to do with DCC? Looking at this post I can’t tell if it’s DC or DCC. All that being said, nicebut busy layout Mike. Good work…
Hey Mike.
How about a “bird’s eye view” of your work? Looks great, but I can’t tell how it all fits together.
Great layout….. beautiful. Curious, how long did it take you?
Gary M
I’m love the waterway must be plenty of trout in there,great layout.
Nice layout. It’s great to have pictures of decent resolution for a change!
Really nice looking layout! Be great to see video of it running. Love the farm scene. That looks great 👍🏼
My layout is pretty much a freestyle layout. I know there is a lot to look at but everyone enjoys the different areas on the layout. I have at least 4 different zones, city, industrial, farm, mountains. I do have the ability to run 3 locomotives and one trolley
Wow Mike! That’s a lot of layout to have accomplished in just three weeks. I’ve been working on a much smaller Christmas layout and haven’t gotten anywhere near that much to show for all my work. Your accomplishments will inspire me to work harder and smarter. I’ve just started experimenting with DCC too and love the new locomotives with sound and smoke generators. Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing your layout with us.
MIke, you’re inspirational. I would like to build a two wall 12×12′ 3′ deep layout with a deep corner for a multilevel mountain./ tunnel Layout suggestions welcomed from all. I’m really keen to go DCC. Saw one 4H club show and was blown away with the realism and simplicity of operation and construction. Any DCC primers, youtubes and advice is most welcomed. My grandgirls and boys
are phone wizards and the absence of blocking looks like it makes it much more fun. The diversity of skills and talents that go into a model RR make it great for people of all ages and interests. And, the printable buildings make it so economical.
Anxious to hear from members.
Joe from NJ
I’m 76 and an old HO gauge guy, Is N gauge ok for kids 9 and older from a tactile standpoint?
KIds that age have nimble fingers. If they can work HO, then N should not be a problem. It all depends on their interests in model railroading. Model railroading can be just a “toy”, or it can be a developmental tool. Adult supervision will keep them on track and further spur interest. Throw them and a train set into a room and see what they come up with on their own. You might be surprised what they can do.
Mike, It looks like from your 1st picture that your layout platform is about 24-30 inches above the floor. If so, what is the reason?