Here’s what I have so far, copied very heavily from a YouTube layout I really liked. I want to give him credit but can’t remember the channel name at the moment but he does a lot of small N scale layouts. I’ve been watching a LOT of RR videos…
Anyway, the AnyRail pic shows the track, paved road, a raised section with a town and a small tram loop (no, it doesn’t make sense for the size, but I like it.). The other pic is a screen from the video.
Edited to add…looking again, I may have introduced elevation issues by adding more turnouts and front/back tracks extending off the module…
You’re on the right track. Making the layout space as comfortable as possible might just be the most important prerequisite to building a model railroad; interest wanes quickly when your hobby area is overly hot or cold. Any efforts towards eliminating drafts and dust intrusion are worthwhile. Epoxy coating a concrete floor also helps mitigate dust and makes cleaning easier. If keeping a garage door, one that has good sealing and insulation is best, also helps cut down on street noise.
No doubt, like the rest of us, you’re on a budget but I would not limit myself to one or the other, especially if you’ve established a railroad, time frame and area you wish to model. There have been times when track has been hard to get but supply of specific rolling stock can be far more limited.
Brian,
Most of the replies are good and I agree on building
“modules”. I would make them free standing rather than attached to your garage.
My other advice would be to check the NMRA Layout Design SIG (Special Interest Group). One of their strong recommendations is to create a list of “Druthers” - things you must or would like to have. There is a lot of guidance for your stage of model railroading.
Will your layout have an ERA? Is it modern and long trains, or 1940s and short boxcars and small industries etc.
24 inches is good for N Scale width, but also consider the height. I find chest height good for me but kids need platforms to see the trains.
I agree your 1st construction should be a module to test track laying, wiring, operations of the module etc.
Thanks! I don’t have a region or era in mind other than “modern” (though I would like a small side project for an old west rr).
My druthers list is posted above. The only terrain type that doesn’t interest me is desert/southwest. For a short time I was considering splitting the large garage wrap-around into all four seasons, but I’ve decided against that.
Perhaps at this point, it would be better not to try to plan out everything in advance. Kato Unitrack has a huge variety of N scale tracks (single track, double track, turnouts, crossovers etc.) that click together - don’t need to glue or nail them down, don’t need a huge number of power feeders. Maybe get some Unitrack and a flat area and test things out, work out ideas as you go. If nothing else, getting something running is always good - and could raise ideas you would otherwise not have considered. N Scale Unitrack – Kato USA Online Store
Agreed! A person can be overwhelmed trying to plan a large layout. Just get something running on a small scale. It’s a great feeling to use a controller and watch a locomotive move, and it encourages a person to keep building.
I dislike giving advice on starting a layout because whatever I say the OP has their own ideas already.
What I do say is 'have a list of what must be on the layout and not a wish list. (I wish I had a lot of things on my layout, but I do not have the space.)
Have a reason why are running? Have a back story. Why are trains running from A to B? What are they carrying?
Scenery? Remember that the scenery was there before the railway. Railroad builders stayed away from tunnelling unless they had to. (Model railroaders seem to head to the nearest mountain. )
See what you see and not what you thought you saw. There are fifty shades of green. There is the colour blue in those trees. The sky is not always blue. See the yellows, greens, blues, reds and white in Nature.
Dare to be different. Dare to model what is there, but not modelled. Nature dares you. Man-made items are there to dare you.
I have a Kato starter set with train, track and dc controller but am already thinking of selling it on (new in box). I’ve already settled on Peco track and already have the Digitrax EvolutionD (also still in box)…
As for planning the entire layout, I don’t plan (excuse the pun) to design the entire layout but feel I need some idea of the general outline as I at least need to decide where the tracks will exit the first module to connect to the next…
Thanks for all the advice and comments so far, keep it coming!
I tried sending you an email, but it came back. So here it is: am all healed, and today was my 91st birthday. Oh, my. Anyway, after some friends took me out for lunch, we went to Hobby Bench where I originally bought my track. It was mostly sad but interesting news. I have a 4x8 piece of plywood for the base, upon which I have laid two oval tracks, nearly touching the outer edge and very close to each other. The nice man confirmed that that isn’t enough space to have one track go over a hill, and he also said it wouldn’t work to have the tracks cross each other if I had two trains; they would just run into each other. So I guess I’m stuck with the boring oval tracks going around and around. However, he did have some good suggestions as to why the engines would run, but as soon as I added cars, they tended to fall off the track. He also gave me someone to call to see if I can find someone who would come and help me. So maybe I can learn to like my trains after all. I really do like real one.
So now it is a couple weeks later. I think the thing to do is to try to find someone to help from the local club. And I’ll try calling the number he gave me. I think the basic problem, besides getting the trains to run, is my reluctance to just try making decor. If it doesn’t work, just tear it down and try again. Right?
Happy Birthday!
I’m just getting back into (N scale) model rr as well, after only having an HO set decades ago as a child. I’ve only got a two loop with switches test track laid down a couple days ago. It’s Peco Setrack, I plan to use Peco Streamline on my permanent layout. However, it’s been a fairly rough start so far. I have two Kato GEVO engines and 6 rolling stock cars. Adding sound DCC decoders and getting the addresses set was a bit of a challenge, and I’ve had issues with getting the Kato couplers to connect and stay that way. Also, my trains don’t seem to like using the switches, I may not have them perfectly aligned. And now today I had a brand new Dapol steam engine break 5 minutes after starting to run it.
So far, not exactly a pleasant experience for what is supposed to be a relaxing hobby…
I sympathize. I have found it so frustrating. Nothing seems to work except that the engines alone do run. But I will keep trying to figure out the problems. One of the things I want to do is have my friend bring “legs” to prop up the 4x8 board I am using so it doesn’t move.
). The other pic is a screen from the video.
(in May, I turn 20! - the 11th to be specific! 
