I am returning to the hobby after a VERY long break. The only real set I had was a Lionel on a 4x8 plywood sheet with a basic HO layout that my dad, brother and I built in 1974 (I was 7). We ran that layout for many years. I have been wanting to return to the hobby for a long time, and have found it has developed a long way from my lionel and paper machet mountain days.
I have space for an L Shaped layout up to 105" long 48" wide, with the L part coming out 38" from the side being 48" long. I was planning on putting it on wheels so I could access all sides of it. Maybe with a plywood top and pink foam on top of that. I broke my back some years ago, so getting uder the table is an issue, but I THINK Ican do almost everything from the top side with a little planning and some long wires that I can fish from the underside as needed to attrach to a wire box.
I am having trouble deciding on scale. I initially thought it must be HO, but the new N stuff is pretty amazing. Also, N allowes me a much bigger layout. Using SCARM I came up with what seems to be a fun layout, though someone who is true to model realism whould shutter I am sure. I know it can look good with some careful detail work.
To see if I can work in Nscale and see it well enough to enjoy the detail, I bought a Kato N Scale Silver Streak Kit on Amazon Prime day (should be here today).
I joind this group, and model railroad academy and have found some GREAT information, but I keep coming back to what to actually build. I appreciate anyones thoughts and look forward to hopefully being helpful to others down rthe road!
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A couple years ago there was an article, maybe in MR, about figuring out where your feeders connect to the bus, above the layout and partly assembling where you can easily work on it.
You don’t mention DCC. I don’t know how much knowledge, if any, you have about it. If you like sound, it is the way to go. Not everyone does. There is a learning curve and if interested, get one of the Kalmbach introductory books.
The other book you should have is Track Planning for Realistic Operation by John Armstrong.
Since 30" is about the best most of us can reach, having your layout on wheels is a good idea. Reach is also dictated by height of layout, your height, arm length and amount and type of scenery you have to reach over.
Using N scale you could have continuous running, HO would be posssible, but tighter curves.
A few things that would help others give you ideas: era, switching or continuous run, operations or railfanning, location (urban or rural, mountains or plains)
I built my layout on casters so I could move it around and for 30+ years its been great. I also have back issues so I know where you’re coming from. I use Telephone D rings around the parameter of my layout for holding the wires, no crawling under.
I went with HO back in 1951 and now at almost 84 I’m very glad I did.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
May I suggest you make a list of what must be on the layout. Many a layout flounders because a layout has items on it that not necessary and the operator does not really want and good money is spent needlessly. (Been there. [:$])
Get the list right, amazingly the track plan will revolve around it. Do not add things that are not on your list even if you have room. (Make what is on the list, larger.) For example - if you have a station, rather than add unneccessary buildings, make the station a grand one. You will feel a lot better and proud of it.
Whatever you do, enjoy the journey. There is no race just a winner. Make sure it is you.
If you can find space to make a 48" wide loop at each end (24" radius plus about 2" minimum space between the ends of the ties and the edge of the table so 52"-54" wide surface) you will be much happier if using HO scale. Even a small extension on the sides of the 48" end can allow the curve to come out to a full 24" radius without occupying the whole 48" end in width. Try to envision your space in terms of the curves you can fit, not the square space in total.
48" wide is just a tiny bit too narrow for HO scale return loops. N scale would be fine in 48" wide space as really broad curves are possible at half the scale of HO.
Any layout is limited by the tightest curve you have to include. Make that a 24" minimum radius for HO, you won’t regret it.
For HO scale the extra 9" in length you have over the standard plywood sheet of 8’ (105" versus 96") isn’t as valuable as any extra width you can find in the 48" dimension. I’m a bit puzzled by the reference to an L shape in the dimensions you specify. Sounds like at one end you have an 86" wide space but only 48" wide at the other end of your total length of 105".
First off decide what you like. Do you like to just run trains or do you like switching or both. If you like the mechanics side, bigger is better. Do you like super detailed stuff or good enough.
I am 6’ 7" tall, and built my layouts pretty low, and I still would not want to reach more than 30" into a layout.
Build some mock-ups from carboard, and hot-glue some spaghetti straight up, then try to reach in an do something without breaking any spaghetti. It is not easy at all at 24 inches, and 30 inches is very difficult.
While I am not necessarily advising others to try this, I am 6’ tall and my layout is 36" high, and I can reach in 40" if necessary. That said, I prefer to limit my reach to 34".
I think if someone has had a lot of prior experience building layouts, starting construction on one’s dream, basement-filling layout may be the thing to do.
Otherwise, build a small layout and expand it over time? Build one layout module and then plan on building more modules for a bigger modular/sectional layout?
With this incremental approach, you can gain experience with benchwork, tracklaying methods, etc. A shortcut to scenery for a small module or section could be a photographic backdrop?
The other thing about having a large layout is I think the enjoyment of such a thing is overrated. I think it is important to get some kind of layout in operation, even if it is just a loop of track to see your trains operate. But when people build a much larger layout, I never see them do anything with it, but maybe that is because I am not in the circle of people engaged in serious train operations with fast clocks, switch lists, dispatching and so on.
What happens in my train club is we go over to the guy’s house who has a big train layout, and he sets one freight running over a big loop of track spanning the length of his large basement. We all then settle into the overstuffed couch and chairs in front of the layout.
I make a smart-alec remark that this freight train is headed by an EMD diesel switch engine and how the FRA doesn’t allow engines without a toilet for the crew in road service, even though the guys on the trains say that toilet is usually so grimy that crews rather use anything else besides the facilities on the locomotive.
The group then gets into an intense discussion about toilets on trains and “were the toilets in the days before retention tanks really exposed to the ballast or was there a baffle?” This gets the guy with an encyclopedic memory for old jokes to tell the joke about the old guy on the toilet responding to the conductor’
If I were starting over now, I would probably go with N scale. I switched from O to HO in the 1980s, N scale stuff wasn’t as reliable then as it is now.
Since you’re already buying a Kato product, I would be sure to look into the extensive line of Kato Unitrack in N scale. It will make getting a layout up and running much easier.
I’d also get into DCC as quickly as possible. Better to buy DCC equipped engines now, rather than buy a bunch of DC engines and have to install decoders in them all later. (DCC decoders are ‘dual mode’ so you can run the engines on DC or DCC.)
N scale is pretty cool, but it’s tiny and the roadnames are more limited. I’m in my late fifties and I’m starting to find HO to be small for some things. The space you have can accomodate a small HO scale layout. Just don’t go for the large equipment (locos and rolling stock) - it will look silly and not run very well. A small slow-running steam engine or diesel switcher will give you more fun than a large diesel with passenger cars that will look like it’s chasing its tail.
I also encourage you to go DCC upfront. One factor of relevance for you is that DCC wiring is typically a lot simpler. And if you keep your turnouts in manual mode, and avoid a return-loop, you will hardly have any wiring to do under the layout. And the around-the-room shelf layout is the best when it comes to reach.
