I’ve just completed finishing a 11’ X18" room, and plan to have a 4’ X 8’ model train layout. I will have complete access from all sides of the board…I was initially thinking about going with HO, but now thought it best to go with N scale because of the small size of the layout…Any suggestions>
Thanks, Handorf
Seriously consider an around the wall/room layout, much more space for track, structures etc. regardless of the scale.
N-scale will get you more track, longer trains, space for industries and yards plus much broader curves.
Alan
If this is your very first layout, and you have decided to go with N scale, build a 2x4 table type layout. This will most likely be for learning. Then you can build something bigger and better after that because you will have some experience.
If this is your second or third layout, and if you have the entire room to use, build a layout that goes around the walls and is two foot wide. You will have more layout and more running room than just a table.
One word of caution. If this is your first layout, don’t build big to start with. Everyone makes mistakes on their first layout (Including me) and wishes they had done things differently. By starting smaller, you can experiment with different techniques, and there is less to get rid of later.
Alan:
Intially, I thought about doing a U shaped layout, encompassing the entire room, but I’m new to this, and that thought became overwhelming. Now thinking a simple 4’ X 8’ layout utilizing N scale would be a good way to start…as I gain experience I could always expand to an L shape layout…does H scale make any sense at all for a 4’ X ’ layout??
Gerry
Mac: Thanks for the input and advise…this is my first attempt at this…pls see my reply to Al, just a minute ago.
Gerry
Welcome to the forums.
Not to step on your plans but have you concidered an around the room shelf layout? You have a good sized room that could give you a lot of operational possibilities that an island cannot. There are many types of layouts in both N and HO scale, have you looked at many of the different options? If you subscribe to MR you can go to Subscriber Extras near the top of this page and view over 500 different layouts. There are also a number of books showing layouts.
As for whether N or HO it is up to you. If you have good eyesight and steady hands you should do fine in N. Some folks as they have grown older have even gone back to their roots in mrr, either American Flyer (S scale) or Lionel (O scale) because it is larger and easier to handle.
I would suggest that you go to a train show or find a local club or other modelers so that you can get an idea of some of the possibilities in each scale. To find shows, go to Resources at the top of this page, click on Events then select your state or ones close by. Under Resources you will also find Model Railroad Groups, again select your state. Your local hobby shop (LHS) may also be able to tell you how to contact a group in your area.
Before you make too many decisions read up on scenery techniques, layout construction and operations. Decide what you what to have on your layout era, town/city, rural, do you want to operate with a lot of switching or do you want to sit back and let the trains run while you enjoy them. These are called “druthers” and everybodys are different. This is a very varried hobby and you are the one to make the initial choices, then you are in the right place to ask questions and get a variety of good answers. Remember, you are in the hobby to have fun, do what you will enjoy.
Thanks for the inputs and thoughts…when I started this project I had the 11’ X 18’ room and an adjacent 11’ X 8’ room. framed out and finished to be dedicated to the model rr…the smaller room has two workbenches and an assortment of tools to construct the landscapes and buildings etc…I like the idea of going around the room, but the whole thing became overwhelming in scope, since I have no experience at all.
I do plan on going to the local shows in Portland, there are two in March , for ideas and inputs.
Thanks again for your kind advise.
Gerry
For more background on why a 4x8 island may not always be the ideal format to start with, see this article by professional layout designer Byron Henderson.
And as long as you’re there, give the rest of Byron’s site a read too, lots of good stuff.
The above advice to start small is good. You’ve got a nice sized space to fill, but you don’t need to fill it all now.
Thanks for the input, again all the responses have given me a lot to think about…going slow is probably the best advise…being a classic A personality, it goes against my nature, but this time I will think before I act…
Gerry
I just read the artilce and it certainly left an impact!
Thanks again…Gerry
If you can place one end against a wall in the middle you can go 5x15 and have 3 feet access on 3 sideswhich would be a nice size HO [unless you have windows etc in the way ]
FWIW, my 10’x18’ space is somewhat similar to the one you initially gave. I would consider using part of your smaller work room too, maybe for an off-layout staging yard (don’t worry too much about what that means yet [:)])
As an example, here’s the HO scale trackplan I came up with for my space. It is based on the restrictions I had (a.k.a “givens”) and the railroady things that were most important to me (“druthers”). Your set of givens and druthers will probably be completely different, but this can give you an idea of one HO scale possibility.
I would recommend making up your mind, and either
a) do a test layout (which very well could be a loop design on a rectangular island - say a 30" x 80" - hollow core door sized,or 3 feet x 5 feet or 4 feet x 8 feet or or whatever.
This is to learn techniques, get a train running fast and explore what you like. Some day it quite possibly will be replaced by something else,
or
b) to plan for using the whole room, but to build the layout in stages, one scene at a time, with temporary staging tracks to either side that will hold trains that are going to come into your scene or pass through your scene.
Building a 4x8 N scale layout with the intent of later adding more 4-foot wide sections is a pretty bad combination. It locks your choices in quite a bit, since no matter what you do, you will have to find room for that 4x8 table somewhere in the room.
If you treat your table layout like a test bed from the start, you won’t feel bad when the time comes to salvage what tracks and structures you can from that table, disassemble the benchwork and start over with something else.
But far more important than the footprint of the layout is the contents of the layout. What do you want to be able to do on the layout? That means a lot more than footprint.
One big design factor is whether you need or want to have a closed loop of tracks that allows you to do continuous running. Almost everyone who thinks about doing a first
Hi Handorf
I can recommend some books and some sites to look at.
Trackplanning for Realistic Operation by John Armstrong; much and great chapters about real railroads and lots of technical stuff you will have to know before start building your own layout,e.g. S-curves, radii and spacing.
Two very good books with trackplans are “102 Realistic Trackplans (realistic that all have been build and it contains pages with background information)” and “48 TopNotch Trackplans (with loads of background information)”.
A nice little gem is How to Design a Small Switching Layout by Lance Mindheim; it leads you through a lot of design issues you will have to take. E.G. a big or a small layout, appropriate industries and much more.
BTW Going slow can can save you a lot of nasty surprises and money. Just two lessons:
The radius you chose is all important; coaches and modern freightcars need a 30"+ radius in HO; going for a 4x8 in HO excludes passenger and modern trains.
In your space you can build an empire in N-scale, with 50 switches or more for a 5 to 6 men crew; overwhelming indeed. In HO a pretty nice 2 or 3 men layout with 25+ switches, while in O-scale you could build a very attractive though small one (or two) person layout.
My feeling is newbies think building the bench and wiring are daunting tasks; in reality designing a good trackplan and building great scenery are the most difficult issues. But for first two topics a good book can help you out. Benchwork and wiring has to be done systematically and a good book can learn you the pros and con’s of different systems.
And some sites, do not overlook the very last one, I found it fun to read and some very basic design issues are pretty well introduced.
Gerry, a 4x8 sheet cut into two long pieces for a L shape is the same surface area either way, but the around the wall layout allows for longer runs and is expandable in the future. The L would take the same amount of scenery, ballasting etc. etc. and a simple backdrop construction.
I would go for N-scale if you feel you can model well in that smaller size (and don’t already have a commitment to equipment in HO).
Alan
Gerry, a 4x8 sheet cut into two long pieces for a L shape is the same surface area either way, but the around the wall layout allows for longer runs and is expandable in the future. The L would take the same amount of scenery, ballasting etc. etc. and a simple backdrop construction.
I would go for N-scale if you feel you can model well in that smaller size (and don’t already have a commitment to equipment in HO).
Alan
Hi Gerry, In addition to Byron Henderson, I suggest that you get Joe Fugate’s 5 volume DVD series. It is the best $100 that I have ever spent on model railroading. My present 24’ x 24’ around the room, HO layout was pre-planned, but built in four separate stages, with dead turnouts placed for future expansion. The large size of your room/s begs for an around the room layout, even though you start with a an L shaped layout , or U shaped layout, such that one branch of the U is against the wall and the other branch becomes a peninsula, when you expand your layout. My present layout was started before there was a thing like DCC. I am in the process of converting the layout to a four Power District DCC layout., with 270 yards of track and 110 turnouts, six reverse loops, and three wyes. This allows 4-6 locos to traverse some 18 different routes. The reverse loops and wyes, require special "Auto-Reverse - Modules, and special wiring. Start small, and add turnouts and locos, as you progress. I highly recommend that you go for DCC from the beginning. Start with a Digitrax Zephyr, which is compatible with all NMRA standards, and is expandable. I have completed most of the scenery, except for ballasting of tracks. I go to two or three model railroad shows and flea markets every year, and purchase may DCC “Ready” locos and rolling stock there, (since they are much cheaper and are in mint condition). The “Ready” designation implies that you insert the “decoder”, whereas, “Equipped” means that the decoder is already installed. If you go for DCC, I highly recommend that you get knowledgeable help. Bob Hahn My 24’x24’ garage loft layout ,(with inside stairway) is really too large, but may give you some ideas, as to stub ended and pass through yards, and the use of peninsulas. I have two harbors, two towns, and oodles of turnouts. It is really meant for 4-6 operators. [URL=http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w78/ROBTAHahn/?action=view¤t=001_Untitled01-1.jpg][IMG]http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w78/
Bob: More good thoughts, thx much…I will spend the $100.00 and get the DVD.
Gerry
Alan:
Like the idea of having an expandable layout…would give me time to start slow and expand as my knowledge grows.
Gerry
