Want to build a coal yard

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi everyone i had a post below and i may have misled some people this i,am sorry for .
I think this is what i really want to model so if anyone can help me i,am open for all the great advise you can throw at me , also in HO scale . Thank you all
jdhog

2

Did you ever decide if you could muster a 4’x8’ layout insted of a 2’? It you cannot muster a 4’x8’ this will dramatically alter any advice [:)]

3

As i see it now and re think it over i know the larger size would be better so i,am going to think in that direction now . So all and any advise will be greatly used .
thanks again
jd

4

Hi JD,

Making progress I think?

Good choice to go with HO. I really love to see a well executed N scale layout as the impact of long sweeping curves of track can be very dramatic, but I would personally struggle with the demands of the small scale when it comes time for constructing models and strictures, so HO suits me just fine. Having made the decision about scale and space, now comes the fun part. Don’t ru***his part of the process as good planning now will save you a lot of headaches later. Some questions to ask yourself.

  1. Do you want to design your own plan, or work from a published plan?
    This is an important consideration as it will determine the direction of your research. Either you will need to start browsing track plan books, or start to research layout design.

  2. Do you want to select a particular time, date, place and railroad to model?
    Again important as this decsion will guide you to what locomotives and rolling stock you should consider purchasing. This is particularly important if you are on a budget as this will stop you buying stuff that you don’t need.

Armed with answers to these decisions you can quickly get focused on an overall vision of what you want to build. Once you have got your plan picked out or designed, you can move into the construction phase.