I’m curious, since I’ve yet to start one…, just how did your layout come to be what it is now.
In other words, did it start as just a vague idea that you kept thinking about and then did you do ‘rough’ drawings on paper? What was the next step, doing more refined drawings or doing exact drawings on paper? Did you use a CAD program, specifically one of the higher end ones or a free one? Or did you choose a tried and true scheme that you added to or subtracted from to fit your available space?
The more I think about doing that first one the more I think, for me, that last option is the better, but I’m not sure.
Thanks,
Jarrell
My indoor large scale layout has been thru so many design changes and revisions and trials and tribulations over the last two years it now covers 5 pages now over on the Garden RR forum. I dont think anyones RR starts and ends without changes, some major. from my original rough schetches, to Autocadd programm drawings to actual construction to test running to revisions and rebuildings it has been quite the journey. All in the quest of creating the best layout possible for its given space, money, and aspirations.
link:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16963
Its still underway and I’m still looking for ways to tweak the plan.[8D]
I just started this hobby a couple months ago and I rushed right in and built a 4x8 layout. I did it to get something up and running for my son and daughter and to make my mistakes small. I did a lot of reading asked a lot of questions, designed on Atlas RR, posted it here for comments, even listened to a few, and got to it.
Now that I’ve got it going round and round, instead of attaching it to a bigger unit, I’m going to scrap it. I made just too many, well not so much mistakes, as in the scope of things, it would be better done differently.
So I would say to start small if this is your first layout. Try hard to get it right, then learn from your mistakes. Then when you find out what you are interested in, start designing what you really want.
I think i started when i went home on leave from the Navy and while building a small round layout for my brother the guy that lived next door to my folks had a box of old model railroader and model railroad craftsman magazines…I went thru them and the simple layout started including more loops, a crossover, and a turnout to a coal mine before i had to leave to go back to the ship again…once I got out of the Navy i really didn’t have the space (nor the funds) for one until about 5 years later when i built my first layout on a sheet of 4 x 8 plywood…after that I’ve moved to different places and the layouts started becoming more elaborate…i’ve also built a 20 X 10 dogbone, a 20 x 15 around the wall layout, a 9 x 13 figure 8 with a duckunder and yard and now, I’m on layout # 5, a 23 x 25 dogbone / figure 8 and hopefully it’s going to be my last one …I start with graph paper, get the room measurements, and draw and redraw the layout in scale until I finally come across the one design i’ll use…I usually stick to the basic design but once in awhile i’ll make changes as the layout is built…first the benchwork, then the sub-road bed, then the track laying, then the wiring, and finally, the scenery…chuck
I have learned not to changes horses in mid-stream, so I read, thought, gritted my teeth and made compromises where I had to.
First, though, I made definite my available space and its shape. Once that was firm (like concrete), I began to draw a few scale drawings with different track plans. One of them finally made me jump up and yell to my wife that I had it figured out. Then, some simple addition and calculations for lengths of timber, weights and types of screws, layers of foam, and so on. For example,I used less than one litre of flat latex on my whole 11X8 layout…thinned, of course.
Planning and nailing down something that you can commit to is the way to go, at least for me. Of course, minor adjustments will always be necessary, but I recommend that you try out a given plan first and learn what goes well, or not.
v e r y s l o w.I started in 1985(on my present and third layout)With me it’s been 2 steps foward,1 step back.As my modeling skills improve,I tend to go back and re-do stuff that I thought was “finished”,Also new products keep comming on the market and I usually replace things that don’t meet the standard of the newer products…rolling stock,engines,structures,etc.
You don’t need CAD on a 4 x 8. The first layout was simple. I came up with all the elements I could fit on the layout and sketched the track and structure locations on paper. My first attempts at scenery were crude by my standards today. And didnt have this forum to consult to for every problem encountered. Also before I started to collect Model Railroader magasines. It was all done with a few newbie books.
Here’s the “method” I followed:
(1) Background: Been involved with toy trains since my childhood and HO model trains since mid-60’s. Therefore, had many, many experiences with what worked and didn’t - or better put, what I like and don’t like.
(2) Retired - and decided to build the railroad of my dreams in our unfinished basement.
(3) Decided that I wanted a walk-around layout - nothing against any wall(s).
(4) Decided that I would feature VIA Rail, BC Rail and AMTRAK passenger operations.
(5) Decided that my railroad HAD to have a large passenger terminal to accomodate eight consists of passenger cars.
(6) Decided that freight operation would be secondary to passenger and therefore only required small yards and sidings.
(7) Decided that a point-to-point run would be required for an RDC operation in a mountainous area.
(8) Decided that I wanted a double track mainline to enable me to operate two trains running in opposite directions.
(9) Used the cut 'n paste method with graph paper to place the sections where they would best fit within the space I had selected. Avoided purchasing anything to “help” me do that which I surely could do myself. It was relatively simple to layout on graph paper - to scale - what my overall dimensions were to be - then go about figuring out a track plan to accomodate my desires.
(10) Train board is really a collection of 3/4 inch plywood sections - cut to various sizes and equipped with folding metal card table legs. All sections have 1x3 inch facia boards which permit the bolting together of the sections to make up the overall layout.
(11) Decided to go with conventional operation, rather than DCC because of costs. I used common rail wiring with insulated rail joiners and lots of toggle switches to power on/off my many, many sidings and mainline sections.
(12) Decided to use foam insulation board for construction of e
Thanks everybody for the answers. Maybe I should abandon the idea of building benchwork for the 15x21 foot room I have, and build a simple 4x8. I thought I’d get a plan in mind, try to get it down on paper and proceed slowly and do it right, even with my limited experience. But, I don’t know… I probably should do the 4x8 on a published plan, if I could just find one I like… 
Jarrell
jacon12
my layout started as a simple 4x6 loop to test trains on, I later incorporated it into the layout I currently have, This is something you to could do using the 4x8 as a springboard for line extentions to one side and the other. A simple4x8 gives you something definite to start on, and you can add on as time and money allow.