I’m starting on my first layout and have the benchwork completed(at least the first module anyway). I’m trying to figure out what stage things should be completed. I see several stages that need done and not sure what order I should do them in :
Lay track/ballast/roadbed
Wiring
Paint plywood and add ground cover
Add structures
Add backdrop/fascia
Newbie question, I know, but you guys seem to like to help us new guys out!
I think you can switch those around a bit, depending on your circumstances. Some people paint the benchwork first. It does seem to make the layout look more realistic from the git-go even while it’s under construction. And some people put up the backdrop before laying track if they’re doing a shelf layout, so it really depends on your particular situation.
I tend to do it the way you outlined except I put up the backdrop before doing scenery, especially when the scenery “runs into” the backdrop. Just have to be careful not to slop earth colored paint on the blue sky…
I’d have to agree with nutcat on this one. It’s really up to a lot of different factors, but for the most part, you’re close enough.
Myself?
Carpet and lighting - The layout room has to be comnfortable for me and guests.
Benchwork
Backdrop
Subroadbed and risers
Roadbed, lay track and wiring
Ground contours
Facia
Ballast
Ground cover, roads, etc.
Structures
Details
But that’s just me…
You have to have a good idea of your finished product and where the backdrop will be needed.
Paint backdrop to the extent possible…faded sky and some clouds. Details can be added later as needed, such as hills, ridge line, forest.
Build benchwork.
Build roadbed system.
Lay track & wire it. Prove it extensively before you go on. Cover it with wide tape.
Attach scenery support materials.
Lay scenery/topography. Work from back to front, and get that backdrop finished now that your farthest scenery is in place, and before you build all the rest of the scenery that you’ll have to reach over.
Add details such as model kits, trees, bushes, grass & greenery, roads, sidewalks, fences, poles & lights.
Remove the tape on the tracks, paint up ties, ballast & glue, and then weather the rails.
Good plan but it is more like this:
1a. procrastinate
2a procrastinate
3a procrastinate
4a procrastinate
5a procrastinate
6 start over
I started with benchwork, open box frame. Then I put down pink foam where I knew I wanted track and flat areas for towns, etc. Next was roadbed, track and wiring, but no ballast yet.
After I played with this a while, I started working section-by-section, a couple of square feet at at time. I’d add the structures, and then work the scenery around that. Once I had the ground cover down, painted and foam/turf added, then I would ballast the section of track running through that area. On to somewhere else.
At the present time, my layout looks about 2/3 complete, with full scenery and lighting. The rest is pink foam, or open benchwork.
One other thing - before I started the “top” of my layout, I built the complete subway system beneath it, with the exception of the stations which had liftoffs above them.
CAVEAT: I am building a double-garage-filling last in this lifetime layout, so progress is being made on several things at once.
A few (I hope) months down the road, it should be possible to find completion percentages behind all of the numbered steps that don’t presently have them. When the last hits 100%, I’ll probably come up with something like a narrow gauge route on a separate deck and start all over again.
Second caveat. I started running a work train (0-6-0T and two gondolas full of track nails and rail joiners) as soon as there was a length of powered track for it to run on. Even now, with as little of my empire completed as there is, that work train has been joined by a coal unit, a mixed goods train and a two-c
I can’t add much to what others have said except to concur with Chuck that it’s really important to get to the point that you can at least run a train or two early on. Not only is that the fun part for most of us, but running trains every step of the way ALWAYS uncovers the flaws and gremlins that we don’t want to discover after the ballast is down and those trees and telephone poles line the track that needs to be pulled up.
Also, it seems like everyone skips the very quick and easy step of slapping a coat of brown paint on the bare plywood or foam before laying roadbed. It takes 30 minutes and saves months of looking at the plywood or pink empire. I even slop a splotch of green and dark brown here and there just to make the bench work more interesting until it’s scenicked (is that a word?).
Jack, I use the bare wood as a constant goad to keep forging ahead. Sure, I take breaks, I may even procrastinate a bit, but I tend to keep a good fire in the firebox, if you know what I mean, and I can’t afford to let the sight glass level fall below the danger line…so I keep going.
I know I am down to the hours of detailing when I ballast and weather my track. That is the point where I reward myself with running trains.
To each his/her own.
1-Dreaming
2-Planning
3-Buying
4-Compulsive spending
5-Obsesion
6-Divorce court
7-Poor House
But Hey! It’s all good![:D]
plan using a pencil and paper
plan using xtrkcad
worry
build benchwork
worry
PAINT BENCHWORK - looks way better than bare wood/homosote and way easier before track
Wash track in detergent and dry. Then spray paint. I used brown latex interior paint with a cheap airbrush. A modeler friend recommended automotive spray primer.
Locate track on benchwork. I used paper templates, placed at specific coordinates based on xtrkcad.
“prepare” track by beveling rail ends (top and sides of top rail, just a little). Atlas switches get 30-gauge jumpers between stock rails and points. All Unsoldered track gets 20 gauge feeders, stripped, tinned, bent into a 90 degree dogleg and soldered to the underside of the rails.
drill holes in benchwork for feeders and place the track on the bench. Connect to adjoining tracks with joiners, solder to adjoinging track where appropriate. I found it extremely helpful to assemble groups of switches, like a yard ladder, before fixing any track to the benchwork with spikes or nails.
minimal wiring of feeders to power bus. Most feeders can be left dangling for a while.
run trains 
final track painting - with a brush
ground cover up to tie ends
balast
Bye the way, I’m pretty stuck at number 13. Also, I didn’t follow the steps in order, and found out painting benchwork after laying track, and painting track after attaching to benchwork is dreadful.
Jim
Hi venckman
me I go all the bench work done and painted then enough track work and wiring to get that first train moving, even if it can only run round a loop but all points needed to expand that loop go in when it is laid.
After that its what ever takes my fancy at the time in no particular order
But if I don’t get that train moving I loose interest very fast.
regards John
Pretty good. I would delay the ballast until scenery.
My order is
benchwork
roadbed
track
test running trains with temporary wiring.
permanent wiring
test running trains
scenery - structures, backdrop, ballasting
Once I get to 4, things slow down as running trains is a lot of fun for me.
Enjoy
Paul
I started this very topic a while ago (08-29-2006), here is the link to my similar post:
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/893393/ShowPost.aspx
In any case this is my current revised list of order of layout building, now it is not set in stone because different areas of the layout may require that a few of these steps get switched around depending on the situation.
Cheers,
Ryan
http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/trainstuff.html
Look in the layouts section. You will learn of several layouts and thier progress. I learned about this site from elsewhere on these forums.
That’s more my speed. [(-D]