Getting started...again, for the first time!

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
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Hello all:

This is my first post, so go easy on me!

I was wondering if any of you had lay-out anxiety. About 4 years ago my wife took my obvious hints and bought me some model train equipment for Christmas. I bought a book of easy plans and started building a 4x8 layout with a 4x4 extension. I enjoyed the challenge of laying track etc, even when curves didn’t quite go right. Evidenced by a suicide plunge by a BLI J1e 464 (some damage but they repaired it without charge) Then I decided to try and add more track etc. The problem was obvious, I was trying to squeeze too much into one small space. By the time I was ready to try and do some scenery we sold the house and moved.

My wife has graciously given me a room in the basement 9x27 for a new train room. This is what I mean by anxiety. I find I’m putting off getting started. I’m thinking a shelf type around the room layout with a couple of pennisulas etc. I’ve drawn scale pictures of my room and even tried a couple of very rough track diagrams, but what I see in my head isn’t getting to paper very well. I know mistakes are going to be made, that’s what keeps it interesting I suppose. I will likely do a freelance layout, that will allow me to incorporate a variety of geographic features and industries. I’m torn betwen a single main or double main line. Any advice on how to get started would be appreciated.

Thanks reading.

Mike

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Hi. Im new myself. This is a great website with great people on it as well. I have done several layouts in the past and never finished them. We 2 bought a new house and I have a corner in the basement with my new 4x8. All I know to tell you is take your time, make sure what you have in your mind and on paper will work. If you start getting in a hurry or sloppy, STOP. Other than that it should go pretty smooth. I am sure you will have fun again, and you will have to take some pics as well.

Robby

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Mike,[#welcome]

Hope you have fun here. My husband and I are on our second layout. On the first one, we modified a plan in MR. On the second one, we used 3rd PlanIt software to do the design. Everything has been right on. We actually spent 6 months with the software tweaking it to our satisfaction. I think it helps to have two heads in the design phase. If you enlist your wife’s opinion it may become a joint hobby. At this point, I actually spend more time on the layout than my husband.

If you have room for 2 mainline tracks, that is exciting. Our layout is only 13 x 14 so we did not have room for a double mainline.

Sue

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Well, since you have run a smaller layout, you are already getting an idea of what you like and don’t like. Other people will give you links to books, the most common of which will be Track Planning for Realistic Operation, by John Armstrong. I wrote a “Beginner’s Guide to Layout Design” which you can click on in my signature. If you have further questions, post them here.

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Robby has some good points. Edit- so have the others, but I was typing this and posted after they had posted theirs. Sorry, no offence intended.

First, you want to keep expenses under control and to continue to have your spouse’s support. The way to do that is to approach this in a methodical and sensible way…much like you are doing, so congratulations. Your anxiety stems from not having dealt with this aspect of modelling recently, knowing that things continue to evolve, that you may have much to learn, but finally that you know you don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the first layout.

I would first consider what it is my layout should be able to do for me 24 months from now. Will if offer a variety of functions, eras, or will it be a roundy-round with lots of fast main and some good scenery, but little other variety? Do I want to enjoy some yard switching, in which case I’ll have to plan for the space, turnouts, ways to control turnouts, and so on? Will I want all diesels, or a mix as in the transition era from 1939-59? Will it seem cohesive if I incorporate a Big Boy on the mains with a bunch of AC4400’s? In other words, pick a theme, investigate that theme, and then acquire what you will need for a modest start.

Once you have your general plan, map out the useable space, measure it, and then set about generating anywhere from 4-14 possible layout schemes. Make them different, challenging, varied in their complexity, but doable! I would advise against a 4-year project, for example. Keep this to under a year if you can.

The other thing is, have a place always where you can drop everything and turn on a train to run it and to admire it. You need a place to unwind and to keep you motivated. They are great places to keep moving and relaying track to build your skills.

Go to Space Mouse’s beginner’s guide at the link below his signature on a post to g

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Welcome back to the hobby! I too took a hiatus from Model Railroading while on active military service. We moved around a lot but I kept active in the hobby by building a small 4x8 layout that could be easily moved over long distances and by collecting rolling stock and locomotives. After returning to civilian life I couldn’t wait to get back on track with a permanent layout in our new house. My recommendation is that while physically standing in the location of the future layout, try to imagine your dream railroad and then promptly put it down on paper. It can take several hours or even days for the vision to become crystal clear enough to finalize your initial plan. I can’t draw worth a hill of beans but I found it extremely helpful to make several drawings of the room using 1/4" grid draft paper and then crudely sketching in what I envisioned for benchwork on one, the track plan on another, and the electrical scheme on yet another. You can layer these drawings on top of each other and get a feel for how they will build on each other. Once you find an acceptable configuration - just go for it. Buy some lumber and hardware!

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[#ditto]

Most all of the above. One more thing that may help, when you have a track plan you like, try drawing it on the floor of the trainroom with kids chalk! You’ll quickly see if you’tre trying to jam too much track into a given space. Good Luck!![:D]

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Thanks to all who responded, some good advice (I was sure I would get that!)

I think it’s time to make the plunge. I’m sure I will be back with a pile of questions.

Thanks to all

Mike

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I hate it when that happens.

To the real post. On the other hand don’t over plan things. I like to actually try things out. So I have a large flat section where I can lay track out temporarily and actually run the configuration for a while before I commit to it. Many things can look really good on paper (even when reviewed by many others) and still have gotchas in the real world. Some things that look wide open on paper end up being really cramped in 3D.

OR one gets everything all planned and moving along and suddenly a vendor will come up with a perfect structure that won’t fit the plan. I guess I am trying to say it to maintain a little flexibility for evolving interests.