Forgive me if this type of question has been asked already on this forum, I just couldn’t find anything relating to this while searching the forums.
I was thinking of starting model railroading with my son, he and I are interested in doing this. I would like to do a layout that would probably stay in my son’s room. I can fit a 4x8 size layout in his room but I would need it to be modular so I can take it down when we are not using it and plus I’m in the Army and need it to be modular for when I move around. I plan on doing HO scale (mainly because I like the detailing better in the trains and buildings better than N scale).
My son is happy with doing something like this and I plan on getting him his first locomotive for Christmas so I have some time to research for a plan and design that we like but need advice on where to go. I’ve been searching around on the interenet for some ideas and plans on how to do a modular setup but having trouble findining something. Now to my question, what are some good websites and/or books that will help a beginner in building a modular layout that also has plans for me to use when building my scenery?
Thanks in advance, I know I will get some good advice from you all.
The 4x8 sheet of plywood is a classic starting point for many of us in the hobby. For a good starting point, on this site, go to the section where Kalmbach sells books. There’s several about getting started in model railroading and HO scale. There’s ones on construction of the layout all the way to the final fine detailing.
From personal experience, start him with a reliable train and power pack. MRC (Model Rectifier Corp) makes the best power source for the money. Start him with a simple one, on-off, speed control, forward-reverse, but nothing else. Momentum and braking effects can be confusing to him early on. The best trains to start him with in HO would be the Athearn locos and cars. These are good, reliable runners and the prices are still reasonable if you stay away from the ready to run ones. The car kits are simple to assemble, so don’t be afraid to dive in here and try a few. The locos need only handrails added, and these can be left off until he’s more used to handling them without damaging the rails.
You probably don’t want “modular” as much as “sectional”. Modular implies that the track arrangements on the ends are standardized and it canbe attached to other similar modules. Picky, picky I know. but if you google for modular you probably won’t find what you want.
I would suggest some basic books on model railroads, such as those available from Kalmbach. Check out books by Ian Rice. He does lots of inovative small layouts.
If you must go with a 4x8, I would suggest building 4 open grid sections, that is 4 2 ft x 4 ft “boxes” of 1x4’s with a 1/2" plywood top. Layout the track plan and put a piece of sectional track wherever it crosses a joint. Remove a couple ties from the end of the sectional track, and then you can slide the rail joiners back on tha end of the track piece and then lift it out so the parts can come apart.
When you move set all 4 setcions on edge side by side (with the tops facing in)and put a piece of 1/4" plywood across the ends, screwing or bolting them to the plywood. You now have one large “chunk” of layout. You can also put 1/8" ply or masonite ona hte sides to further protect and crate it. I have moved several times with layout sections packed this way and it works well.
A couple variations to consider. Cut the 4x8 into 3 6 ftx 16" sections or 4 12" x 72" sections. Put one section on each wall like a shelf and connect them with narrow (4-6" wide") connector sections. Have a removable section in front of the door. The benefit of this style is it opens the whole center of the room for regular use (you don’t have to take it down) and then when you move you just build new connector sections and so you can fit the same layout in virtually any shaped room.
For a good book, try “Basic Model Railroading: Getting Started in the Hobby” available
from Kalmbach. Go to Trains.com, then Model Railroader products in the left column,
then books, then books for beginners. It covers the whole spectrum of information
for people new to the hobby.
Hi, I just started a layout with my kids last Christmas. So I have some advice.
Build it because you want to run trains. Don’t build it because you want him to run trains. Chances are, in the beginning when you first get started, there will be a lot of derailments. This is boring and frustrating to kids. They may give up on the idea. Just keep going and do if for yourself. Once everything is running smoothly, invite him to try again. Don’t be surpirzed if he doesn’t want to at first. Just keep going.
Plan well and do your homework. You have untill Christmas. What you do in the planning stages determines how good your layout will look and how much fun you will have when it’s running. A good rule of thumb I read is that it will cost you $50 per sq/ft to build and 50 hours per sq ft. Putting the time to design it well is the most productive time you will spend on the layout. Find and read the following books.
Track Planning for Realistic Operations[i] by John Armstrong. This is a tough read, but read it until you get it. I started this hobby last Christmas and understanding this book is the key between building a model railroad and playing with toy trains. It is the difference between keeping your interest alive and doing it for the pop son team–and he’ll like it better too if you two operate together. Train operations is a team sport. I had to read it 3 times.
[i]Small, Smart and Practical Track Plans by Iain Rice. This guy is really good at getting a lot of railroad into a small space
glad to see another soul interested in the hobby…most all of us started on a 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood but you may want to re-consider with at least a 5’ x 9’ so the track radius can be wider and derailments will be less of a problem (some rolling stock and locomotives just can’t make it around a 15" or 18" radius…any way…my advice to you is to go to the kalmbach publishers website: www.kalmbach.com and purchase 4 books 1. a book on bench work 2. a book on wiring the layout, 3. a book on trackwork and 4. a book on scenery…the books aren’t too terribly expensive and reading up on all the little tricks of the trade you might say to get you started in this hobby will save you a lot of frustration in the future when you do something (and you will) that won’t work…a lot of people have left this hobby for that exact reason…they didn’t get enough info before they started…my advice is to read as much as you can on the hobby before putting the first section of track to the plywood…chuck
How old is your son? N-scale, and even HO, can be frustrating for very small kids. Also, most of the “quality” trains are somewhat delicate, so you have to be ready for breakage. Your own son may be mature and respectful of delicate trains, but his friends will frequently not realize how easily couplers can get torn off the cars.
You also might think about using foam instead of plywood. This is rapidly becoming the surface-of-choice for model railroading. It is cheaper, lighter and eaiser to work with. For a layout which is sectional and/or portable, it has a lot of advantages.
Oh, and thanks for serving our country in the military. It’s not an easy time for that career choice, but it’s appreciated more than you know.
I recently built a 2x4 N-gauge layout platform for my 7 year-old Grandson, who had shown a sincere interest in my 5x8 O-gauge layout. He does fine with the trains, and he’s even making his own trees. I did get him a decent engine, since a “starter” set may lead to frustration. Keep it simple, small, and lightweight. Larger and more complex stuff can come later if either of you get “hooked”. Joe
Thanks for all the advice, I will look into some of the books that were mentioned. By the way, my son is 9 for those who were wondering. I want to have my son as involved as possible in building the layout, but I do agree with SpaceMouse and that I should run the trains until all the kinks are worked out, thanks for that tip.
Hey there, I see your son is 9, so he should be able to grasp the basics without too much of a problem. My son is 7, has his own throttle for the layout, and knows how to place engines and cars on the track without damaging them. My suggestion is start out with inexpensive engines and work your way up. You can be sure one of them is going to hit the floor! To see a $175.00 sound equipped engine go airborne can be upsetting. If a $30-50 dollar “blue box special” hits the floor, sad, but not worth loosing ones cool with your son. In time, he will learn. Sure, they may not be the most detailed, but start slow. Anyway, just my 2 cents worth. HAVE FUN!!!
I started my layout with my son about four years ago, when he was five years old. Here are a few things I’ve learned.
1: While you may be more interested in modeling a fallen flag or by-gone era your son will more likely be interested in modeling trains he sees regularly in real life. My son is interested in Norfolk Southern, CSX, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak because those are the trains he sees running nearby.
2: Kids initially want continuous running trains. But if they are going to remain interested in the hobby they will become more interested in switching and realistic operations. A good idea is to design a layout which offers both. I used The Turtle Creek Central, a four by eight plan that appeared in Model Railroader a few years back. When my son operates it he runs the trains in circles. When I operate I focus on industrial switching.
3: Kids want tunnels, mountains, rivers and bridges.
4: There is a real learning curve when it comes to building a layout, especially when it comes to laying flex track.
Whatever scale I reccomend Kato Unitrack. A little more expensive that flex or snap track, but it is bullet proof. No anoying de-railments. Can be purchased at very reasonable prices from ToyTrain Heaven website in PA. I second everyone on buying a good engine and power pack. you can get good used MRC power packs off of E-bay. I have 3 and never paid more than $18.00 for one.
As a Kid I had a Tyco Train set, with snap track. Very dissapointing, derailed and sputtered all over the place. 30 Years later Kato Unitrack and Atlas engines in “N” scale works like clock work. Dave
hey there as a fellow model railroader. i would recomend just start him with something basic nothing permanate at this time. i would also recomend allowing your son to make most of the decision on the track lay out design because kids being kids he may want to experiment with different configuations. also keep in mind that an expesive set may not be apropreate if your son is like mine as they like to take things apart and lose pieces? I belive it would be best for him to be allowed to make desision this will allow him to progesively evolve as a modeler. one sight i would reccomend to watch is www.thetrainshow.com there are videos on some big layouts
For military moving, building the layout to either be boxed by you in facing modules or to fit a mattress box is the least distressing for the movers to handle. If building facing modules, I would limit size to about 2ft x 6ft for HO, could be shortened to 4ft for N. Standard mattress boxes are 39in x 75 in for a twin, and 60 x 80 for a queen. Note that the layout (or module) can be smaller than the mattress box, and the extra space filled with packing material by the movers.
Last size constraint is that the “overseas” crates are slightly LESS than 96" in their largest inside dimension. This means a full 8ft dimenison of your layout will not fit the crate properly, and will result in the layout being packed on a diagonal with all kinds of extra stresses and likely damage. Don’t ask me how I know
If using the mattress box solution, “thinner” framework is preferred. Although the box can be split and taped for a “thick” layout, you want to minimize this to minimize likely damage. Either framed foam or plywood on a grid works well; L-girder does not. Again, don’t ask me how I know these things
So my recommendation for HO, given the ages of your kids, would be one of the better 4x6 ft track plans, built 80in long instead of 72in, to obtain both continuous running and some switching. I can provide some specific plans if you are interested. Besides, I have found the slightly shorter length is much easier to fit into a variety of rooms than a full 4x8.
H especially talks about the problems of the classic 4x8 and suggests some shapes that work far better, even though they use a 4x8 sheet! If you make them sectional they transport very well. He even gives you some good ideas on how to make it swectional too.
I have chosen N scale because of space limitiations, and I think N scale has improved a lot in recent years. But even in HO you can get good value out of that size, just dont be scared to cut that sheet!
I built a 2x5 N scale layout for my 6 year old son. He’s better at rerailing N scale than I am. At 45 my eyes are not sharp enough nor my hands steady enough, but he has no problems. I did all the framing, electrical and trackwork, and I did the trackplan to ensure he has continuous running and train storage now and switching possibilities later. I roughed in chicken-wire scenery shapes, bought a few expendable second hand buildings, locos and rolling stock, and I’ve left him to it. When he’s good and ready he can do scenery, buildings, kits, control panels, whatever. Now it is running smoothly he loves it: he’s happy to run trains and do a bit of switching. I’m happy that’s all he wants so I can get back to my own HO layout for now.
