I’m absolutely brand new to model railways and need a track plan. A search of the excellent MR database gives me 69 HO plans of less than 100 sq ft. My problem is which is best for a novice like me but still interesting? Some plans are multi-level or wiring seems a nightmare even with DCC. Sure going around in an oval is simple but I do want a SLIGHT challenge. I’ll leave copying Rod Stewart’s layout until next month. Any thoughts?
Hi Maxx,
There is nothing wrong to start with a typical “newbie” layout to try your hand at model railroading and to develop the many skills necessary to build and operate a layout.
Building a layout is much more than filling a table with a lot of track, so the idea to start small is a good choice.
The Gateway NMRA has a page with some interesting layouts, maybe there is one that strikes your liking.
You can find the page here
I can also recommend to read Byron Henderson´s pages in the web - look them up here
Last, but not least, there is the excellent video series of WGH - you´ll find them here.
Have fun!
New folks usually want one thing, and that is to just watch their trains run. However, that does get old after a while.
One of the most interesting oval layouts / plan that I have seen was one called “a town between two mountains” or something similar. It was on a 4x8 and was a single track oval, but had a sky divider down it lengthwise. On the front side was the suggestion of a mountain and a tunnel portal on each end. The main part of the layout was viewed from the front and consisted of a town with several industries located between the tunnels. The back side had a couple of staging tracks that could each hold one train. This plan seemed to have it all. Switching, running, scenery, and operation.
I believe it was in MR a while back. I don’t know if it is in the layout data base or not. I think this would make a good first layout.
[#welcome] Maxx!
I understand that it’s hard to get going, sometimes. The urge to jump right in can be overwhelming. The first thing you should do is to take a few minutes and jot down what you think you want from your layout. Continuous running? A lot of industrial switching? Certain industries, layout elements, or terrain features? Sometimes you won’t know up front.
I admire your willingness to make a “newbie” layout to practice on. That’s what I did. It started as a 4x8, became a 6 x 11 (little L shaped peninsulas at each end), and ultimately lasted almost ten years, with a couple of major modifications in the middle. I was able to practice a lot of scenery techniques and layout elements, used both plaster cloth and balled up newspaper as well as extruded foam and Sculptamold.
I’m now building my “final” layout, a 10 x 15 in a big “C” shape. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to practice various techniques before I committed to the final thing. So my advice to you is take a guess at what you think will interest you, and throw something together. Revise it to suit. At some point, your ideas will gel, and you can commit to the final project.
Depends on what you find interesting and how your room looks like.
A decent 4x8 layout with a continuous loop (if you have 8 x 10 feet of floor space available for a 4x8 and 2 foot wide aisles around on three sides) would be something like Byron Henderson’s variant of the classic Red Wing layout: http://www.layoutvision.com/id49.html
It allows continuous running, but also have elements that make running trains more interesting (in my opinion) than just running trains in a circle - a small yard, an interchange track, and various industries to switch.
If you want to build something small, you could e.g. build something like a small shelf switching layout. Say something based on Chuck Yungkurth’s classic 1 x 6 foot Gum Stump and Snow Shoe layout: http://carendt.us/scrapbook/page38a/index.html
But it all boils down to what you think is interesting.
Freight or passenger, old time steam, transition era steam, early diesels, modern diesels, electrics, interurbans, trams.
Rural or urban. Mountains, forests, prairies. Lots of switching or lots of running - the options are almost endless.
Smile,
Stein
Welcome to the forums.
There are a couple of things you can do when getting started.
You can do as I have done and made a continuous HO loop layout to pratice my skills on. I’d have liked to have done a 4x8, but my original plan was to be able to take a 4x6 to local events or train shows.
That idea died when our van died, but I am still using it to hone my techniques. Though it will never be part of a larger layout, it is a good place to pratice and could someday brighten someone elses life. Still thinking of a small portable layout to fit our small wagon, but using my wife’s N scale equipment on a shortened hollow core door.
The second simple way to get started is to choose a layout plan that has a siding/interchange track, that could later be attached to a larger layout.
Good luck,
Richard
Thanks everyone for the great advice. I’ll be checking all the great links provided soon.
I loved Byron Henderson’s piece on CTSS (CAD-Too-Soon Syndrome). I have a slight case of this as I have been drawing up wonderful plans with no clues if they would actually function. I’m going back to basics and do an established workable plan.
I do have some ideas of what era I want to do ie. 1950/60s country Victorian Railways (Australia), I grew up in rural Victoria (Gippsland) and have many fond memories of traveling to our state’s capital Melbourne by L Class electric http://www.victorianrailways.net/motive%20power/lelec.html.
See Mark Bau’s great resource http://www.victorianrailways.net/index.html if you want more information. I particularly like the motive power section.
“Wonderful” track plans is in the eye of the beholder. Byron’s point is that you need to have an idea what you are trying to accomplish with your layout before you start trying to put track pieces down. The cost of buying track pieces, templates, etc. often deter people from playing with layout designs before they’ve done some planning. The CAD programs allow you to jump right in and start designing from the git-go, regardless of whether you know what you want or not.
Generally, though, CAD will keep you out of trouble as far as the actual mechanics of your layout go (clearances, trying to fit in more than will actually fit, fudging curves and turnouts, etc.). What it can’t do is apply the intelligence and creativity of the human mind to your design. I’ve had many a preliminary design that I was sure would work, only to lay it out in AnyRail (my preferred software) and find out th
Mmm - looks like an interesting prototype. I see from the web page you provided the link to that in 1965 (i.e. in the 1950s-1960s period you are interested in), the VR annual report listed:
- 27,952 employees
- 220 steam locos, 35 electric locos, 161 diesel-electric locos and 30 diesel-hydraulic locos on register
- 22,809 goods wagons on register
- 1,797 passenger cars
- 4,211 route miles open for traffic
- 144,846,129 suburban passenger journeys
- 4,907,057 country passenger journeys
- 12,595,661 tonnage of goods & livestock conveyed
- £193,727 surplus
From the timeline, it looks like the postwar period was a period of consolidation and closing down of various lines.
Googling to find out where Gippsland
Morwell is actually my home town and while the RR station itself is very unpretentious it has possibilities. The Latrobe Valley (within Gippsland) is the state’s electricity supplier with many brown coal fired power stations. A narrow gauge railway ran between the open cut mine and the power station & briquette factory at Morwell: http://www.hobbiesplus.com.au/gunzelgallery/sec_railway.htm.
The locos I believe were made by Siemens in Germany. Have you seen any HO models that even remotely look like these?
There was also a branch line that ran between Morwell and Mirboo North (don’t you love the Aussie names?). They ran Walker railmotors http://www.victorianrailways.net/motive%20power/walk153.html. (not sure which model though). I know I can get working HO models of these: http://www.auscisionmodels.com.au/280HP%20Walker%20Rail%20Car%20Page.htm
I guess I have plenty to work on. What ever I end up doing, it will be more of a reflection of that place and time than historically accurate. I don’t think the model railway police will be storming my shed to check details.
Thanks for the ideas & encouragement.
Hmm - this is what the locos in your link looks like:
The closest I can recall seeing in H0 scale would be Austrian Federal Railroad (ÖBB) Rh1161 from Roco, linked from a place in the US that sell European trains: http://www.eurorailhobbies.com/erh_detail.asp?ca=2&stock=R-62661
Has roughly the right general shape, but would need to have the pantograph moved from the roof of the cab to the top of the hood, a second pantograph added to the top of the other hood, and some surgery on doors and windows.
You guys have some cool locomotives down there 
Smile,
Stein
The little known Hungarian firm Deak Modellsport used to produce a similar loco to the one shown in the picture:
Unfortunately, it is out of stock.
Here is their web site: Deak Modellsport
Cool? It is the ugliest loco ever. I guess it has German functionality and efficiency going for it. It would make an interesting loco running on its’own track in my layout. Thanks for the link.
If you thing this is cool, did you look at my link to the Western Star truck/ Road Transferable Locomotive (RTL) which I posted in Prototype Information?
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/194569.aspx
The power of that truck is incredible.
Maxx02 - it was first built in the 1930´s with “form follows function” in mind [(-D].
Using a truck as motive power for trains is not new - how´s that for passenger service:
Thanks Ulrich, I’ll try e-Bay, never know your luck. It has a very close resemblance to the real thing.
It certainly is functional but won’t win beauty contests.
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder …
These whatever you may call them operated on the German island of Sylt from 1952 until 1970, when the line was closed down in it´s 82nd year of service. Other than a few of the buildings, nothing is around of this unusual and interesting railroad.
These rail busses replaced these steamers:
… and were, despite their fairly ugly look, quite popular.