Just registered.
Have attempted a couple layouts over the years, with poor results. Retired now and already have a good start on planing a new project. Have a bunch of 20+ year old stuff that I haven’t unpacked yet. Concentrating on designing a table for around all four sided of a 11x15 room. Will be reading here for some time. Will use Any Rail to design the track layout.
Welcome. People do things in different ways, and most ways of doing things will work for someone, but I would suggest not making the table until you have decided what kind of layout you want to build and have at least a rough idea about your track plan.
Making the table first tends to lock you into configurations that may become a straight jacket when it comes to figuring out your track plan.
What was it about your earlier layouts that gave you “poor results”?
Smile,
Stein, modeling urban switching in Minneapolis in the late 50s, in H0 scale, in a 6.5 x 11.5 foot room 
Welcome to the forum. As you read here, you will probably come to realize that your 20+ year old “stuff” is so out of date, especially the locomotives. My trains were in storage for nearly 30 years while I bounced around the world with the U.S. Army.
What scale are your trains? Three rail O scale or HO? All of my comments are based on HO experience.
One of the first things I would do is try to set up at least six feet of straight flex track, dig out your locomotives, and see if any of them even still run. If your locomotives are like mine were, most didn’t even run well enough to salvage. The motors or wiring in some of them even went up in a puff of smoke they were so deteriorated.
Then you need to decide how you want to run your new layout – the old DC block control way with a power pack and banks of toggle switches, or Digital Command Control with newer or upgraded locomotives. Wiring a new layout will be so much simpler than the way it used to be done if you plan on DCC.
Wheel flanges on most of your rolling stock and even the locomotives from back then may be too big to run through modern day Atlas turnouts without problems. Every piece of rolling stock probably also has truck mounted X2F horn hook couplers, which cause all kinds of problems when trying to back a train into a siding.
I wound up donating most of my old trains from that long ago to the Salvation Army or giving them away during HO scale club open houses because they were not worth the time and cost of trying to upgrade to today’s standards.
Hello! [8D] You have certainly come to the right place! ask away and your questions will be answered by some of the greatest minds in the hobby…(just don’t ask me anything[(-D])
Seriously though, there are folks here with numerous forte’s…benchwork, wiring Dc or DCC, locos and rolling stock issues, scenery experts and some a mix of all of those!
Good luck and let us know how we can assist!
Matt
Hey, and welcome back to the hobby. This is a great forum to check out, lots of good ideas. One thing you will notice is a decided slant towards DCC and the latest and greatest stuff you can buy. Your 20 year old stuff will likely work fine as long as you stay away from smaller than code 100 track. It may need a little cleaning and lube from it’s long sleep though. (Maybe you could name the railroad some variation on Rip Van Winkle, Sleepy Hollow and Western or some such[swg].) As you follow this forum you’ll catch up on what’s out here now and what people are doing. Big thing is, just build something and enjoy the pleasure YOU get out of it all.
Lou
[#welcome] from me as well!
This site help me a lot and still is of help.
On older engines, if they where good ones and you stay DC you will probably be able to get them working fine. I have some 20 year plus old engines that run well. Then I went DCC and they where not worth converting.
Cuda Ken
“Track Planning for Realistic Operation” by John Armstrong. The layout builder’s bible. Good read too. Stuffed with practical ideas that will improve your layout.
Train models were well made 20 years ago, RP25 wheels were standard on US made models in those days and they work just fine on code 83 track.
[#welcome] to the Forums. You have been given some good advise above. I will add my own [2c] worth.
1)Go DCC right from the start. Your track voltage stays constant and you control your trains through the decoders. Not by turning the voltage up and down. It will cost you a little more up front, but you will save those $$$ by not having to buy umpteen dozen block switches and the time and effort to wire them all in. All you have to do is run a 12 or 14 Gauge buss wire around your layout and solder either 18 or 22 Gauge drops from the tracks to tie in to the buss. The shorter the drop, the smaller the wire.
2)Make sure to build your bench-work square, solid and level. It will pay off in the end. I didn’t and mine rocked and rolled something fierce. I took it apart and did it the right way. SOLID.
3)Take your time on laying your track-work. Make sure that your roadbed is secure and SAND IT LEVEL BEFORE you lay track on it. No bumps and dips.
4)A great source of information is the SEARCH COMMUNITY located on the right side of each page right below your profile. Just type in a few key words on what you are looking for and click SEARCH after using the drop-down menu for the area you want.
Good Luck and again,[#welcome]to the Forums.
Blue Flamer.
Don’t panic on your older equipment yet. My current layout was started in 1984 and I still have several of the freight cars running that were used from the beginning. Diesels too until I went to command control (pre DCC) in 1989 and then DCC in 1999. then the diesels were problems. But I do still run some of the old freight cars with Kadees, new wheel sets and they do fine.
Bob
Keep in mind I haven’t bought material or driven a nail yet!
The plan so far is what I think is a dog bone or a folded dog bone. The beginning is a 4x8 table that fits nicely on the short side where the door swing open on one of the short side of the 15x11 room. The four by eight is pretty well designed because it consists of a"fiddle yard" (i think) that I designed years ago. Right now the main line turns 180 at one 4ft end and goes into space off the other end on the side that will be the extension of the table some day.
Poor results on the first< very first> was lack of experience, etc.10% grades 12in. turns.Cheap power,you get the picture. The next effort was not quite a repeat of the first but still had its problems which were a result of poor planning mostly.Go back and read the first line!!
Thanks so much for your reply
Advice not always heeded but always appreciated
Southern Traction & Power
All my “stuff” ( good word when applied here) is HO. Most of the power is Athearn with the two fly wheels and I hope they still run!
The first “move” will be to setup two desks side by side in the adjacent room for a work area. Test track is on the list second to getting the desks up the stairs. My son , I hope will solve the desk problem this weekend. ( My grandson will be putting pressure on him!!! I sure hope I don’t have too many puffs of smoke, hadn’ t figured on that.
Right now I don’t for see going to DCC but that could change.
The old layouts were on Atlas100 NC track and probably will stick with it.
Thanks for the reply. advice always appreciated
Southern Teaction & Power
Thanks Matt
Sure I will enjoy and use the information here
Southern Traction & Power
Those Athearn locomotives will probably run just fine with a minimum of cleaning and lubrication – I thought you might have something like Lima, Bachmann, or Tyco with their really cheap “pancake” motors and electrical pickup on only one truck.
One thing I would do with the Athearns before running them very much is to clean the motor commutator and give them some light lubrication on all moving parts of the drive train.
Well looks as though I have a way to go. Thought I was replying to each post!!!
Thanks to all. Will buy the track book recommended. Will mine this site for information.
Thanks to all
Southern traction & Power
Must reply to Blue Flame
My deepest appreciation. Thank you Sir
STP
You are most welcome.
Drop in to General Discussion on the weekends and look for WPF (Weekend Photo Fun) and see what some of these fine people are doing. It usually runs from around Noon Friday until early AM Monday. Just remember, we all started EXACTLY where you are right now and some of us progress more than or faster than others. It’s not a race, it’s a hobby, so enjoy the ride.
Blue Flamer.