When Dad and I started layouts three years ago he went on some sort of club-hosted tour. When I talked to him about it afterward he said he was disappointed because none of the layouts were completed with working track and nice scenery everywhere. He wanted a layout that would be finished quickly. So he built a simple 4x8 and true to his word it is now essentially complete.
But for most of us working on much larger projects “completion” is not in our vocabulary. Or maybe it is, but it’s a long, long way off. And it seems there are various schools of thought on the best way to get there. Some of us build all the benchwork and lay all the track down before a stitch of scenery is added. Some build the benchwork and then quilt the track and scenery all over it in some sort of mysterious order. And some build and scenic a section at a time working from one end of the room to the other. I guess I fall into the last group. I want to see what the final results are going to look like as I work along, and I figure the experience I gain can only help with benchwork design for the next section.
I’ve really enjoyed sharing pics here while finishing up basic scenery on my phase 2 the past couple of months. Thanks largely to you guys I’ve learned a ton as I worked along. And my modeling skills are improving by leaps and bounds- as evidenced by the photo record. But that leaves me with a “what next” question. Do I go back to work on my phase 1 to complete it and bring it closer to my current modeling standards? Or do I build the benchwork for the next phase and expand the layout further? It would be nice to have a second dogbone and finally some continuous operation. But getting everything that I’ve built so far nicely “finished” has its merits too.
Is it just me or do others debate these sort of questions?
everything first and wires fed through it wiring last but each section tested along the way. i have 6 module boards all together and this year i am finishing a massive wiring project but all modules were top loaded so to speak. each step was a major project each year about 2 to 400 hrs of work. I also had minimal breakage of the small wires but it is neat and tidy just in case of testing. i made each section a small wiring harness 18-20 gauge average and fed from 205 and 215 selectors. i ran a ground from the pack around the layout and used connectors to each closet point for the track power.
I’m a few layouts into the hobby , none ever completed. I build all the benchwork and track tested true. I do much the same way working at a section at a time and when I get bored I do another area but never getting too far from the previous area, I find this works well as it helps with joining them together. I don’t think I’ve seen your layout works but would enjoy viewing your photos. I wish everyone that had a layout would put a link in there signature, would make things so much nicer.
I have built several layouts over the years. For various reasons, none of them were ever complete - only 1 had any scenery.
For me, I want to get the trains running. Because the largest up to now has been 10x24 ft, I have done all the benchwork first. Mainly because I find this part goes really fast. Then I laid track, wiring and testing it as I go.
My current layout has the potential to fill the basement, but I have only done the benchwork for 12x31 ft. Currently I am laying track and wiring it. I am doing it this way because I’m not sure if I want to fill the basement - this may be all the layout I need.
Whenever this subject comes up, I think back on 2 famous layouts. The Gorre and Daphetid by John Allen. It had spectacular scenery but when he died the mainline still had not been completed. And the Canandaigua Southern by John Armstrong, the track was in, but only some scenery - he still had plastic building pieces leaning against cinder block walls along the yard - when he died.
So there’s no best way, just what’s most important to you.
Personally, I think after enough benchwork is up enough to lay some track and run trains, it comes to personal preference.
Myself, I like to run trains, so would get at least a loop of track, then begin to do some other parts of modeling. I may, when it comes to it on my next layout, get all the track down and running, so I can be sure it is all running flawlessly before I bury it or make it harder to fix the rails. Once I get there, I can start working on scenery. If I want to I can work on an area and complete it or do a layer at a time over a larger area. I think it will depend on how I’m feeling at the moment just what I work on. I may have a scene I want to finish or I may just put a layer of color with some texture to improve the overall appearance of the layout.
Kits or trees can be worked on as time permits while building the layout. You can also build just the kits for the scene you are working on, until the scene if finished.
For me it’s a bit of what I feel like at the moment. On my current 4’x6’ I have “finished” one side. Shaped the foam, painted a small area, added ground foam until that side was covered. Then went back and added trees and more texture to the ground foam. I still haven’t put foundations on the buildings, but may go to the next layout before I do. Second side of the layout still is foam and I plan to do some pratice moving water scenes before I go to the new layout or I may pratice there.
Here’s the current status of my latest portable layout.
Benchwork framing, 1x3s with 1/4 luan plywood
Add 1/2" foam over plywood.
Add folding legs and carrying handles.
Next will be:
Transfer track layout to foam and add cork roadbed
Add track and fasten powerpack, begin wiring
Add uncoupling devices, track and ops testing.
Add roadways, street running.
Begin adding buildings and scenery, ballasting last.
This should bring it to basic completed state, but I would keep tinkering and weathering over time. I figure it will take about a year to get to basic finish, no hurrys.
I did the staging framing 1st and laid and tested the track. I then did the balance of the framing (90’) to the other staging, laid track and tested that. Connecting the 2 together. It was all wired, tested before I started scenery. Started 11/2014. Work on it about 15 hours a week.
Quite a variety of responses (and yes I read all of them carefully.) Interesting that there was not much reference to layouts that are essentially completed, with scenery. I know there are some out there…
Lynn I’ve been watching progress on your “new layout” thread. You post lots of pictures which I’ve much enjoyed. As you mention it would make things nicer if there was an easy way to see what eveyone is working on. I’ve posted a bunch but they are scattered in a dozen different threads and in the gallery. And I don’t have a blog or website to link to.
So I’ll barrage everyone with a bunch of pictures to better frame the discussion. Some of these are already posted elsewhere but here they are in a logical group.
Here is what I have been working on the past months, more or less the “center” of my dogbone-style layout, working from left to right. I guess I am more of a modeler than an operator so getting scenes completed is more a priority for me than running a bunch of track. Very happy with the way a lot of the scenes in this area are turning out.
I’m now in what I call Phase 3 of my layout. Phases 1 and 2 were built to completion, more or less, before starting the next phase.
For each, I’ve followed a practice of building the benchwork, including bus wiring, and then laying the subroadbed and track. I power the track and install and wire all the switch machines to the control panel, and then I can run trains. My goal at this time is not so much running trains as testing the track, so I’ve got an era-confused combination of steamers and diesels all running together.
After that, I start on scenery, working on one scene at a time until it’s done. On Phase 1, I worked left-to-right across the layout, while I hopped around from place to place on Phase 2.
I built all the modules first and had track up and running for the main as fast as possible with only turnouts on the main, went back later and did the sidings and yards. Next I had all the trackwork done. Then I came back with basic scenery, plaster cloth covered foam. Then I did basic zip type earth color everywhere along with basic sky color on the backdrop. Now I had a barren scene with running trains but it looks like a railroad. Next I started to do things like the facia and detailing a few spots and those spots grew, looked a litle weird at fist with bits of forest here and there as I got inspired but it is all growing together and now I am to detailing. My layout is apox. 15x30 dogbone and took 3 years with lots of time off, total time less building bridges and buildings was more like 3 months or less. The detailing and building buildings will take the most time.
While only on my 1st layout, I find planning invaluable. I spent a lot of time using a computer program to lay out the track based on room dimensions. Afterward, I built the benchwork and installed the foam road-bed. Track came next and then scenery with wiring last.
Some prefer putting in wiring after laying track but whatever works.
My planning was minimal: Bench work around the walls, double sided peninsula, staging area. Yard to go Here;first town there, with passing track, mine branch here, with switch back, town two over there, with passing track, town three in space left, on pensula, so short runaround.
So I build the bench work, Laid out curves where they should/must go. Put in cork and track with insulated joiners, etc.
First few multi-person operating sessions were very much plywood pacific, with some industries being card board boxes. As problems were discovered they were fixed, including moving track. Then landscaping and new structures came next.
Some day I will learn to post photos, but my layout is complete, but not done.
It sounds like most concentrate on getting all or most of the track in place and operating before concentrating on scenery. And MisterBeasley and I are more-or-less outliers, building the layout including scenery in well-defined phases.
My plan has four phases, designed using XtrackCad. Getting everything I wanted in my available space would have been near impossible just by winging it. I have around 1-1/2 years of working time in the layout so far. I took over a year off due to job workload and other priorities, but the layout was still there waiting for me when I had time to dedicate to it again.
So the choice remains- move on to phase 3 or go back to phase 1 and work on scenery. This area will have the most structures and buildings, an access liftout to deal with, and also a stream that is built and mostly detailed but not yet filled with “water”. So very time-consuming to get it looking nice. Building the phase 3 benchwork and getting the mainline tracks in place on it would go much faster. Without anyone saying so, it sounds like most here would put priority on getting the rest of the track down. And let scenery come afterward.
But that would make the layout mostly a plywood and foam landscape again, with only a relatively small section having a finished look. At least now it is around 50/50.
To be honest, my “phased” approach was not planned. Phase 1 was supposed to be the whole thing, but when my daughter went off to college I acquired more space and built Phase 2. After that, I realized I really needed staging so I built Phase 3 to give me both that and a branch line that I decided I wanted. It was more opportunity than deliberate planning.
Guess I’ll join the mainstream and concentrate on working to the left, and get the next phase built and the track down on it. But that doesn’t mean I won’t cheat and spend at least some time on the existing dogbone.
I spent a lot of time in the design phase. I use autocad at work and have quite a bit of free time.
On this layout I finished the room first. paint, lights, electric outlets, cieling
Next is benchwork. Start with a nice level place to start. Now I want to get the main lines done around the layout. This will include the staging yard. Then test staging yard for a while.
After this I can work on the towns and scenery as I feel. There are 5 town/switching areas and a main yard that I will build and design as I go.
Different styles of layout require different approaches. So I guess the most important thing is to just do something.
Quite a variety of responses (and yes I read all of them carefully.) Interesting that there was not much reference to layouts that are essentially completed, with scenery. I know there are some out there…
wickman
I’m a few layouts into the hobby , none ever completed. I build all the benchwork and track tested true. I do much the same way working at a section at a time and when I get bored I do another area but never getting too far from the previous area, I find this works well as it helps with joining them together. I don’t think I’ve seen your layout works but would enjoy viewing your photos. I wish everyone that had a layout would put a link in there signature, would make things so much nicer.
Lynn I’ve been watching progress on your “new layout” thread. You post lots of pictures which I’ve much enjoyed. As you mention it would make things nicer if there was an easy way to see what eveyone is working on. I’ve posted a bunch but they are scattered in a dozen different threads and in the gallery. And I don’t have a blog or website to link to.
So I’ll barrage everyone with a bunch of pictures to better frame the discussion. Some of these are already posted elsewhere but here they are in a logical group.
Here is what I have been working on the past months, more or less the “center” of my dogbone-style layout, working from left to right. I guess I am more of a modeler than an operator so getting scenes completed is more a priority for me than running a bunch of track. Very happy with the way a lot of the scenes in this area are turning out.
I am very impressed by your photo backdrops. They do a fantastic job at expending the depth of the scene in a very realistic manner. Are they commercial backdrops or your own photos?
