Hi all!
I am thinking about starting a layout that would cover a 4x8 area. I have some questions my mother wanted me to ask before i start (always does that).
About how much would this cost for track for a HO guage layout?
What is the easiest setting for a begginer? (dessert, hilly, mountainy, snowy, or towny)
What are some tips for starting?
So, as i said before, im a noob. Please awnser some or one of the questions. And i might have more questions latter.
Thanks for Reading
Depends–mostly on the number of turnouts you want to use. Sectional track can be pretty cheap, but the turnouts run between $7 and $20.
Ease is detrmined by the amount of detail you want. Pick the landscape you like. We’ll help you get it done.
Read my beginner’s guide in my signature. And keep asking questions. Go to the library and check out a bunch of books and keep looking to you figure out what you want to build.
Thomas, Space Mouse has given you some super advice.
Track can cost a huge amount of money if you use the commercial stuff with the plastic fake ballast on it. You can get straight and curved sections to make your oval, if that is as complex as your layout will get, and it will cost you about $40, give or take $10…it depends on how much you buy and from whom you buy it. If you pay full price, it will get costly for 15 feet of track. As soon as you insert even one turnout (a switch), now we’re adding serious cost.
The cheapest way out of this bind is to lay what is called flex track that comes in 3’ sections and is about $3/section…again, give or take. The turnouts that you could use are priced as Space Mouse suggests, so you can do your own estimate of anticipated costs based on your track plan and how many turnouts you will have. As simple as that.
Question #2- hands down, a plain flat surface of plywood is the easiest…and one of the noisiest. If you use flextrack, you are well advised to lay it on cork roadbed, also available at the hobby shop. You’ll need some cheap latex caulking to glue the roadbed to the plywood, so add $2.50 for one tube…assuming you have a caulking gun.
If you want some hills, find a construction site where there may be some broken and discarded extruded foam insulation board and use carved sections of that stacked to make your hills. Use the same caulking compound as before to glue them on top of each other, and to the plywood. Don’t use any glues that are not foam friendly. Use the acrylic caulking compound…cheap, and safe. Spread it thin every place you use it…it is not like mustard, so go light.
Question #3 - Mouse’s Beginner’s Guide is the place to go. The idea is to convince yourself that you are not ready to start cutting and screwing together a layout just yet. You really should spend some time and learn ab
Welcome to the forum and to the hobby. We were all there at one time, fo me almost 60 years ago.
You have good advice so far. I will add:
If you are in an area that has railroad flea markets and price is a real issue, you can sometimes get used flex track pretty cheap. It is harder to use but can save some.
Start simple, because if you like it, your first layout will not be your last.
Find a track plan that you like and use it, being creative the first time around is difficult.
Learn the skills and what you like to do.
And you guys are right. I should start small.
Flex track is track that can be bent to any shape. It comes in 3 ft lengths. You can cut it to the length you want (and if you curve it you WILL have to cut it) with a pair of rail nippers. You can find them at most hobby shops for about $15. Or for less than $10 buy a pair of “flush cutting pliers” at Radio Shack. Then get a small file to dress the cut ends.
The scenery is up to you. The less scenery the less complicated. Some people like to use a piece of 2" thick blue or pink foam insulation to build their layout on. Some people prefer plywood. If you go with a sheet of plywood get some straight 1x4’s and attach them to the edges to keep the plywood from warping. Buy at least 1/2 in BC plywood.
Personally I would start with an oval of track, with a siding on one side, that is a track with a switch on both ends. That way you can put one train in the siding and run a second around the layout.
I would later put another siding on the other side of the layout. If you planned ahead, you could insert pieces of straight or curved track that were the same size as a switch in the oval so when you wanted to add a switch, you just removed the "filler’ and put in the switch. Then I would put a town around one of the sidings, adding some additional switches for industries. maybe even one track that went to the edge of the table to represent and “interchange” or a connection with the other road. With that set up you could actually have operations. Put an eastbound train in the sidng and a westbound train on the main of the siding opposite the town. Run one train around a couple times, then stop ans switch some of the industries in the town. Then park that train. Run the next train around the opposite direction a couple times and then stop and switch the rest of the industries.
What you have done is used the si
hi, and welcome to the hobby! I know that right now a million questions are running through your mind; so just ask away on here and other forums. No matter how silly you may think they are, no question is too silly. We’ve all been beginners, so we’ve all been there.
You’ve gotten some exellent advice so far. Let me just add, some of the other forums you might want to look at are trainboard.com, the-guage.com, railroadforum.com and atlasrr.com-that one is ecspessially good.
Also, get some books on Model Railroading-Kalmbach Publishing has some great ones. Their website is www.kalmbachbooks.com/modelrailroadbooks
Also, check out the begginers section at the N.M.R.A. website at www.nmra.org
The N.M.R.A. stands for National Model Railroad Association
While you’re at the Atlasrr website, download their free RTS design software. You can use it to help design your layout. It’s fairly easy to learn how to use, and you can even use it to make a “shopping list” of materials and parts/pieces needed, and to calculate the approximate cost (based on MSRP), but you can often find track discounted 5-15% at some hobby shops. Atlas also has a couple dozen or so trackplans ready made. This is the basis for my track plan:
I based this on the 1995 Atlanta Central plan from MR, our club built this for the 1995 NMRA convention and raffled it off on the last day. I did take out the turnouts and crossing on the lower right of the plan, and changed the spur on the lower left to a loop that curves into the upper right spur, the intent to serve an industry on either side of the layout as an empties in/loads out arrangement. I’ll have a backdrop down the center of the layout, possibly on an angle, both to make the layout seem larger, and so I’ll have room for a town on 1 side.
I’d estimate the approximate cost for building my layout (track alone) in the neighborhood of $200. The #4 (Atlas) turnouts are about $11.00 each, discounted (there are 10 on the plan, I’ve so far used 9). The rest can be “stick track” as I call it, otherwise known as sectional track. I used 22" radius curves, sectional track on one end, and flex track on the other (I had it all on hand). I’d estimate the rest of the track would cost about $75-100. The benchwork would run about $25-50, I used a sheet of BC 1/2" plywood ($10 at HD), I’d use 1x4’s on 16" centers for support (estimated 5 pieces, about $3.00 each for good ones), 2x2’s for legs, and 1x2’s for leg braces. Also, I used sheetrock screws to hold it all together. As a cost saver on the track,
Hi thomaszachery
I really cannot answer cost as I live in Australia
As far as scenery goes the best is what you like but take your time and make sure plenty of protection is out scenery can get very messy as it is done.
Your train table should be strong enough for an adult to jump up and down on this sounds like over kill but it means no problems later on, the table is your foundations and if that’s not right you will have problems later
Before laying a single piece of track paint the table top a flat natural looking green nothing looks worse than trains running on a bare ply wood prairie while you make up your mind on scenery.
Run and secure your wiring under the table with multiple track feed wires for better running
AVOID the temptation to cram every single piece of track on the table you can fit in ( this is the hard one)
Building a model railway takes time you cannot do it all in a day so the patience to do things careful and right is needed.
Sounds like you are young so it is important your parents understand that on some things you will need help but that is for you and Mum to sort out
I will probably get some flack for this one but I would suggest going to a proper hobby shop and finding a good quality reputable brand train set to start off with this will give you a reliable train to start with.
My own thoughts on manufacturers track plans is stay away from them but some of them are very good as starting points and can be built in stages which is what you will have to do regardless of where your plan comes from.
I would suggest getting some of the beginners guides Published by Kalmbach also to find or borrow some model railway books from the fifty’s and sixty’s as I am sure you are capable of making some things your self with a little help from mum and dad using materials that tend to be forgotten today like card board houses
I’ll probably get howls of protest…but check out Atlas’s plan books. The layouts range from simple to horrifically complex. I started with an Atlas plan and a sheet of plywood 20 years ago, and haven’t looked back.
A few of the books also go through building each layout step-by-step. Admittedly, some of the techniques are a little dated (the books were originally written in the late 50s or early 60s), they’ll give you the basic idea of what to do.
You should also check out one the beginner books. I recommend Lou Sassi’s A Realistic HO Layout for Beginners. Lou gives you a simple 4x8 track plan, and takes you through construction step by step - benchwork to scenery to detailing.
Nick
Good suggestions Nick.
[#welcome] Welcome aboard.
All excellent advice, so far. I would add one thing that sums up what you need to think about:
Make Haste Slowly! Yes, that sounds like a contradiction, but you are on the low end of a very steep learning curve. The temptation is to jump quickly into a burst of construction. Resist it.
The one illustrated track plan is a point you should think about reaching in stages, not in a single bound. A simple loop and four track switches will give you a fine start. More switches can be added as need develops and finances allow. Track cost is a variable, but flea markets and even yard sales sometimes have bargains. Just be careful about what you buy. Avoid anything with brass rail - it will cause problems with electrical pickup later.
Scenery can be whatever you like. If you decide on a town, you can make buildings out of cardboard, then replace them with better ones as your skills and finances permit. (Cereal boxes are cheap!) Rural scenes will call for paint, fake trees (one furnace filter and some shish-kebob skewers will make a bunch) and other ‘out-of-town’ things.
Above all, don’t let the beautiful model railroads in the magazines scare you. All of them were built by people who started where you are now.
Finally, always remember, the only dumb question is the one that should have been asked, but wasn’t. If something puzzles you, ask about it.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Just want to add, welcome aboard! You’ll find that this forum will provide support and answers to your questions. All of the above has been excellent advice. Good Lick.
Hal
That’s where Conrail got there trackplans! [(-D][swg][(-D]
Sorry Nick! Couldn’t resist that. [:-,]
Hi Noob! [#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]
Say “Hi” to your Mum too. [#welcome][#welcome][#welcome]
You should get her talking to Gearjammer and the other ladies here.[:)]
Just to get a different howl of protest… any chance of your getting a round-the-walls layout round the outside of that 8x4 where you would walk around it… I’m totally biased but I think that this is the better option for long term interest.
Hope I don’t put you off with the next… read,read,read,read,read,read and then read a bit more. At the same time look at pics, look at pics, look at pics, look at pics, but then look at pics, look at pics, look at pics, The difference is in learning to really see what is in the pics: this is the one thingabout MRR that will really serve you in life… the skill of observing and understanding… may sound a bit heavy but - - - well, to kee
Response 2… (sorry had to take the Mickey out of another RR man - this is one of the rules of the game – but start slow and gentle— when you’ve earnt some stripes…)
Hi to you to Thomas Zachary! As before… [RATS! Smilies have gone off line 
] WELCOME!
Thinking is good but make sure you take plenty of rest and don’t let just anyoneone know that you’re doing it. A lot of people don’t understand/appreciate the activity.
8x4 … I’m English in the UK so I HATE 8x4 but a lot of your compatriots love it. Personally I’d rather walk across the 8x4 space inside a round-the-walls layout than all the way round the outside… You also get a bigger area and a longer possible track run round the outside. Just tell Mum that it will be more out of the way up against the walls. (Ask questions here about how to get past the door…)
Hey! listen to your Mum! 
Tell her you’ve spent some really good $ by spending time on this forum
Beyond that… NASA has a small budget compared to what you could spend - Um, better not tell her that…
Just how old are you? … go on, make us old’uns jealous… There’s some pretty good young’uns here too (Don’t tell them I said that).
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To answer some of your questions:
Typical costs - everything included - for a simple 4x8 HO layout run from $500 to $1,000. A lot depends on what you already have, and how much you are willing to use a different approach to save money.
Easiest setting to begin with is the famous “Plywood Prarie” or the “Foam Flatlands”. But with either method, as time and experience permit, you can expand in the vertical dimension with both track and scenery.
Starting tips, with a focus on minmimizing costs:
An example: the power pack in most sets is junk, marginally adequate for powering the train in question. It probably doesn’t provide very good slow speed control. But buying a better power pack costs $40+ (new), and if you are thinking of going DCC, you probably want to skip the better power pack and go directly to the DCC system. Also, if going DCC, you will probably want to buy a “DCC on board” locomotive rather than the loco that comes with a train set.
Train set track is another issue. Most train sets now come with track that has the roadbed as part of the track. The Bachmann and Lifelike track in particular have quality issues with their turnouts (switches), and are restricted by the fixed size pieces as to what the track arrangement can be. Atlas TrueTrack can be removed from the roadbed, and then becomes the same as Atlas Snap Track. Kato track is considered to be very high quality, but is expensive, and still has limited track arrangements compared to flex track. The issue with flex track is that you have to be able to solder to use it effectiv
Hi Noob, and welcome to the most fun you will ever have (from a hobby [:-^]).
I’m going to throw out a different suggestion from the others. Everything they have told you is good advice, and you should most definitely read everything you can get your hands on.
That being said, I recommend that you seek out a local club and join in the fun. This has several immediate benefits:
You get to work with stuff you will not be able to afford for a while, such as really good engines, control systems, etc. Many posters recommended you go to DCC immediately. If you are not sure what this is, just understand that using DC power causes you to “drive the layout”. DCC allows you to “drive the train”. You’ll understand this soon. It’s a lot more money than just using a powerpack, and requires a learning curve that is steep, unless you have the “big boys” to teach you.
You immediately acquire a group of experts as your mentors. It is in their interest that you learn how to do things correctly, as they most likely have 10’s or 100’s of thousands of $$$ invested.
You will learn all the skills you need at little or no cost to you (big selling point for Mom).
In the course of working with the club, you will be able to determine what era, railroad, and geographical location most interests you for your own personal layout.
Most importantly, when it comes time to build your own layout, you will have a group of friends who share your interest and will be happy to come over and help with your project. Many club members will be younger and will not have as understanding a Mom as you (no possibility of a home layout). I guarantee they will want to bring their equipment over to run on your layout. Presto-an instant fleet
Welcome Thomas Zachary,
I bet your Mom’s eyes popped out when she heard the $$$ .
I recommend you start out like I did, and perhaps many others on this board about 50 years ago.
1 - Buy a ready to run set with track, train and power supply included. About $100 bucks.
2 - Build a prarie scene, flat, on a piece of plywood 4 X 6 or 4 X 8 Put your circle of track on it and paint the board green to make it look like grass and a couple of black roads on it.
3 - You can then expand from there as you learn.
With this plan, you are going to spend less than $150 bucks and have a train that works and you can run. If you have a little more money available, do this instead, you’ll be way happier!
Steam - Bachmann Explorer New York Central Set HO $230
Or
Diesel - Bachmann Digital Commander Deluxe Set HO $175
Nice thing about these is they have DCC included and the quality of the Steam choice is Spectrum and those are product I run on my layout.
And stay with sectional track, not flex until you get your skills up to where you are read to start cutting and fitting track. Most of us used sectional track when we started too.
Let us know what you choose.
Joe Daddy
[quote user=“thomaszachary”]
Hi all!
I am thinking about starting a layout that would cover a 4x8 area. I have some questions my mother wanted me to ask before i start (always does that).
About how much would this cost for track for a HO guage layout?
What is the easiest setting for a begginer? (dessert, hilly, mountainy, snowy, or towny)
What are some tips for starting?
So, as i said befo
Thomas,
I’m going to take a different approach than Joe above. I wouldn’t bother with a pre-packaged train set. Yea, you get the everything you need in one set. However, a lot of times the quality of the sets is mediocre, at best. Even with that said, Joe’s two set examples are decent ones.
I would first figure out what you’d like to model: steam or diesel or both? If diesel, do you want older locomotives (1940-1970) or more modern ones (1970 - present)? If you aren’t sure, go to your local library and get a train book out that will show you a number of examples of locomotives. Once you have that figured out, we can then make some suggestions for some inexpensive but GOOD locomotives for you. I know where you can get some real deals on quality locomotives for $30-$40.
For track, you can get sectional track fairly inexpensively. I personally like the Atlas Code 83. But the Code 100 is slightly heavier and works quite well. You’ll want 18" or 22" radius curves, if you plan on going with a 4 x 8 piece of plywood. I’d get at least one turnout (switch) so that you can pull your train off the mainline or for parking/storing additional cars. You then have a choice of going manual or electric with your turnouts.
For power, you’ll have a choice of running your layout either DC or DCC. For just starting out, DC works quite well. Make sure that you spend the $$$ for a good power pack. MRC makes the best. I picked up one of their Railpower 1370 power packs off eBay for ~$20 or so. That’s about 1/2 what you can buy it for at your local hobby store (LHS). DCC is another option but I’d advice you to do your homework first before purchasing a system. Besides, you’ll probably only be running one locomotive at a time anyhow.
The 4 x 8 sheet of plywood is probably the most popular size to start out with and is
This thread is becoming way too complex. Let’s go back to basics.
get a table
set up a circle of track
run trains
After you’ve been doing this for a while you will find you want more but let’s take it one step at a time.