Many of the layouts depicted in this forum and in CTT are absolutely amazing. This brings up a couple of questions from me. First of all, with some of the amazingly scenicked (is that a word?) and highly detailed and complicated layouts, how long did it take from idea conception to finished product to complete? Secondly, where is a good place to get the correct-scale vehicles and various model people? By a “good place”, I also mean a supplier who is reasonably priced.
Hi, initagain, so am I. I found model people at Hobby Lobby. They run $17.50 to $20.00 for 4 to 6 people. Does that seem reasonable? It doesn’t to me. There is a Lionel unpainted 20 person package on sale at eBay. You’d need to be or know an artist, though.
I’d like to know where to get some, too. People and animals, both. That would bring the layout to life.
Good luck. Let me know if you come up with a supplier!
Charlie
Init, I am still working on completing scenery. Most will tell you their layout is never completed. A big part is how much time do you have to dedicate to layout building. Also, how involved do you want to get. Some like Hi-Rail which is very detailed (if you can get past the 3 rails), and some like to just place some track on some grass mat on a piece of plywood.
Most would suggest getting some trains running and adding as you go so that your interest is continually piqued.
Regarding “correct-scale” vehicles, it is hard to get true scale 1/48th. Most are either 1/43rd or 1/50th scale. even at that, some say they are one scale, but when you match them up against others that claim the same thing, they are obviously different. Some good places to get vehicles for your layout, would be Diecast Direct, Ashville Diecast, and a few others. If you check the pages of CTT and OGR, you can find some other vendors, like the Ink Well, etc. They usually will advertise some special, or exclusive cars, trucks, etc. I have also picked vehicles at WalMart, K-Mart, Tuesday Morning and other places, Trick is to place larger scale items closer to the viewer and smaller items further away. This is a scenery technique called “Forced perspective”.
Some good scenery techniques are found in the pages of CTT and some of the books offered by Kalmbach (owners of this website). Also, if you get your email on the list of “Model Railroader” and “Walthers” web sites, they send out emails with some scenery ideas in them. While these two sites mostly cater to the smaller scale brethren, the techniques can be applied to all scales.
Dennis
I am in the process of completing scenery as well. Dave Frary’s book “How to build realistic Model Railroad Scenery” is an excellent resource put out by Kalambach. Also, The Black Diamond Railroad DVD is another good source of information on how to do scenery. He constructed mountains, and used pre built MTH buildings, and greatly reduced the time of completion.
People: Look at the level of detail you want. There are a variety of manufacturers, and prices.
Vehicles: I am constantly looking into Target, Toys R Us, and Wallgreens in search of 1/50 vehicles, as well as on the internet. Google (scale) 1/48, 1/50 Diecast Vehicles, and you will get a large offering. Another good idea is to attend train shows.
Keep us informed with some photos!
Kurt
I agree that you are never done. I am seriously considering to change everything from “summer” to “Fall” foliage, just to add color. I think what is most important is take your time and enjoy the journey as much as the destination, that is, it is great when it’s “done”, but don’t kill the joy to getdone.
Jim
Scenery is probably the most feared but the easiest task in layout building. The time it takes depends on the methods you use. There are some excellent books on the subject and model train magazines are loaded with scenery articles. My favorite book is “Realistic Model Railroad Scenery” by Dave Frary - Kalmbach.
I agree Diecast Direct is a good source for vehicles. So are places like Walmart and Toys-R-Us.
Woodland scenic’s makes a nice handbook for how to make scenery. It’s how I got started. They also make some nice diorama kits that include all material to make the diorama, and instructions on how to do it. A little on the expensive side, but worth it for a beginner, in my opinion.
As far as time goes, it depends on many variables. I figure my small layout will take about 5 years to complete, considering I don’t get laid-off or just run out of time due to some unforseen circumstance. Money, time to spend on a layout, and determination are a few of the variables…
In regards to Hobby Lobby, every other week they come out with a printable coupon for 40% off. If what you are looking for is not already on sale, this can make things very affordable.
I started building my layout in October of 2005. It is only 12x12. Conventional operation, post war trains, tubular track. The layout is two levels and when complete will be fully sceniced on both levels.
It is now January 2009 - I am at least a year away from finishing. At least . . .
As others have said, good luck finding 1:48 cars. NewRay cars are actually 1:48, although they are marked “1:43”. However, they are all top-down convertibles, and the details are not as good as other makes in that price range.
A short time ago someone on the OGR Forum posted a side-by-side photo comparision of most of the “O” figures available, such as Arttista, Model Power, Scenic Accents, Life Like, Lionel, Preiser, MTH and others. They were all different sizes, even though they were supposed to represent a 6’ man.
I started design in June 2007 and with the help of a forum member (fifedog) I finally settled on a track plan somewhere around December 2007. The reason it took so long is my wife and I bought a house with a partially finished basement and the train room was in a finished room within the basement. I wasn’t sure if I wanted a round the wall or island layout because the walls had wainscotting on them and I really liked that look. Finally settled on an island.
Construction started in January 2008 and by April I had a two line main on the first level and a folded dogbone on the second level and third levels. With some additional modification the second/third level became a single continuous loop so I could run two longer trains on the one loop.
I just started scenery and have long way to go. I am hoping to have the majority of the scenery finished by October 2009, with completion by the 2010 TCA Convention in Baltimore.
If you are looking for a completed layout quickly then you have two choices:
- Contract out the construction
- Go for a simpler layout that can be expanded. Add sidings to the plan so they can be extended into additional space as your empire grows. Design scenery so additional trackage can be added without having to destroy what you’ve built.
I have found toy/train shows to be execellent resources for inexpensive vehicles. Keep in mind that not every vehicle on your layout will be within direct eye site (put the lesser detailed vehicles further back - you can’t see detail on a car that is 1 mile away from you in real life).
As for figures. I buy them in groups. I have specific scenes I’ve planned for the layout and as I find the figures to complete the scenes I buy them. Again, the lesser detailed figures will be placed where they can not be seen up close.
When it comes to scenery I’m not looking for life-like, I’m aiming for ‘realistic’ nature isn’t perfect so your scenery doesn’t need to be either, if you requir
My original Christmas layout was actually in its third incarnation, when I came up with the 9 X 6 1/2 L-shaped layout. Kept the track plan simple, with a recessed figure 8 with a passing siding (for two direction operation). Probably took a month to “slap” together. Was happy with my results, and to my surprise, so were some other folks…
Now, my new extension took me a couple months to conceptualize, a couple more months to build the benchwork, and I’ve been whittlin’ the scenery down (about 95% complete) for a year now. It’s been a very satisfying process, and I’m already thinking about the next expansion…
As said before, very important to get the trackwork down and trains running ASAP. Helps you problem solve, visualize, and make modifications that you just can’t imagine in one dimension.
A follow up to my earlier comment. Check out Caboosehobbies.com;