What is the Key to building a good layout?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
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How do you build a good layout that is a believable model of a railroad? How do you get started? What is your thought process? How do you go about it?

Here is mine. What is yours?

Building a model railroad is a challenge. You can approach it in two ways.

1- Build a table or bench work, lay track, and install scenery. You can do this by copying a plan that has some scenery ideas with it, or freehand it, building as you go, going as fast as you can to get it done. (Not my way.)

-or-

2- Determine what you want in a model railroad and start putting it down on paper. Build your table or bench work to reflect that. Think ahead of what kind of scenery that you want and where you want it. Plan for it. Think of what kind of track work you want. Plan for it. Take your time. We all want to get enough track down to start runnung trains, but you don’t have to put it all down at once. I like to either get some switching set up, or get a loop done first. Then I slow down and start really planning out the different scenes that I want or would like to have.

I think the best layouts don’t just happen, they are planned out in advance for the most part. However, since building a layout is an on-going process, plans do change. The object is build what you want to see on your layout. Doing that calls for planning. “This will be here, that will go there. I want a bridge here, so what kind of scenery should be there for it? What kind of bench work do I have to have to mount the bridge? How can I make the hill or scenery so that it looks like I needed that bridge in this spot?”

Build your model railroad with different scenes in mind. “Here I want a small city and there I want a small town. What do I need to put between them that will separate them and looks like it belongs? This place has three tracks. How can I hide one or two? How can I hide them and still make the scene look realistic?” When you find an answer, write it down or sketch it out so you won’

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There are about as many keys to building a good layout as there are keys to front door locks. Every individual will have one - or several - that are a reasonable fit.

Unfortunately, there are just about a thousand times as many keys to building an inadequate layout.

Also, that which constitutes a good layout changes with age, experience and interests.

My advice. Read (and look at pictures) of prototype railroads. Talk to the people who run real trains. Compare this to the layouts you visit and the model railroaders you meet. Where the two diverge, try to find out why. Then think about what YOU want.

No two modelers will ever have identical givens and druthers. No two modelers will ever have identical abilities. No one layout will be totally satisfactory to more than one modeler. The trick is to arrive at a buildable, operable design that is satisfying to YOU.

Good luck.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

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I’m finding that Door # 2 is the best option, at least in my opinion. Although, I personally love the planning and research process. For example, I’m looking into modeling Conrail. Will it happen? Maybe not, depending on what I find and seeing if I can adequately model it in my space.

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Dream. Plan. Build.

I can’t remember where I read that.[:-^]

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I’d say making good plans are key to everything going smoothly for the layout. When I had my old layout at my parents’ house years ago, it had a lot of problems from basically doing a lot of things “spur of the moment”. Track, wiring, etc. were all problems for me. Before even starting on the benchwork of my current layout, I was planning the track plan that I liked. While not 100% prototypical, it provides for more operation than I had on the last layout. In addition to the track plan, I made photocopies of a couple turnouts that I’d purchased so that I could test fit them to see what would work. I also planned ahead for the wiring and control panels, making diagrams of the panels (both front and back) and of the layout (ordering the connections between the layout sections). Even as I was building the benchwork, I was going over the upcoming projects, looking for any upcoming issues. I’ve had all of my trackwork and wiring done for some time now (getting ready to move into doing scenery now), and everything went smoothly as it went together with no wiring mistakes, track problems, etc.

Kevin

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I collected prototype information on my favorite railroad for years before I even had a place for a layout. I bought books and videos, took actual field trips to the locations and took hundreds of pictures. As time went on, I developed “favorites” … buildings, bridges and locations that I knew I wanted to incorporate into my future layout.

When the time / space was at hand, I resisted the urge to jump right in to benchwork, but instead, built a very livable place for the layout … drywalled the walls and ceiling / installed heat and air conditioning and more than adequate hydro (including LOTS of plugs everywhere !). Once that was done, I began the layout planning, which itself took almost a year before I was fully satisfied that what I was about to embark on was not going to have to be re-done a dozen times to get it right … and after 14 years, I have yet to have to redo anything major due to poor upfront planning.

Mark.

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it sounds awfully familiar… [:-^][swg]

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IN A WORD: strong & level*.

TOO MANY think of a layout as the track plan, but a GOOD support system will improve ANY layout.

*solid - level - Dismantle-able, fitting the current room. (Unfortunately a 4X8 isn’t it).

(1) takes up twice the space (2) transports poorly (3) limitations to 22" r. or LESS.

Main BENEFIT is ‘Cheap’ & ‘Simple’ (a ‘learners’ tool). READ the beginner’s complaints.

“BELIEVABLE” is in of the eyes of the beholder. (Running in a circle every 10 seconds doesn’t help). REAL RR’s have narrow right-of-way’s and deliver goods to users. Pick your industry. Buildings and cars then follow.(Example: oil wells to refineries to _________ ).

FIRST QUESTION is do you just want to run trains, or operate like a real RR?

SECOND QUESTION is your primary interest Passenger or freight? (passenger needs 2X the curves). Are there exceptions?, sure - if we make them. Long cars form an ‘octagon’ on sharp cures.

THIRD is you will have as much fun with (old type) smaller equipment as longer ones; and one engine as 101. wHY? Because we mostly run one engine at a time, even if the prototype uses 8.

A miniature RR w. 2 or 3 engines will pull most anything. (Our trains aren’t that long). I buy my engines in pairs.

GETTING STARTED: Buy (and read) Model Railroader for ideas. (Start with your room) then build. DON’T buy the cheapest or most expensive. Low prices are obtained by cutting corners.

GOOD TRACK is permanent, and not cheap. Certain brands are prerred by certain people for certain reasons (surprise!). I feel good track is a permanent investment, therefor pays off in the long run with fewer problems.

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Lots and lots of money.

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Durn! He beat me to it!

With $$ on one’s side, one can have a spactacular layout…

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Or in the case of a few I’ve seen in the magazines a spectacular wase of time and effort (imo).

Charlie Comstock

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Wow, Crandell, I said that a long, LONG time ago, LOL! Unfortunately, for YEARS I never got past that first word. [:P]

Tom [:D]

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Click on the Model Railroader icon above, then Our Magazine>Back issues. Then click on the August 2008 issue and download the online bonus: Frank Ellison’s Delta Lines & “The Art of Model Railroading”

Enjoy

Paul

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Patience. Talent. Money.

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And Fastracks “Infinite Track Layout System”, or whatever they call it.

See the video at Fastrack.com it looks pretty good, supposed to be released about now. I use their jigs and can tell you the turnouts work flawlessly. Joe Fugate has some dynamite pointers also regarding turnouts.

Actually the space one has makes a big difference IMHO. A very small layout is operationaly crippled somewhat, no?

Jules

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“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men,
Gang aft agley,”

-Robert Burns, To A Mouse

Creativity. Ingenuity. Flexibility.

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Solid level benchwork.

Organized easy to reach electrical distribution. Your electrical needs will change over time. Plan for that.

Solid level bench work.

A general idea of your minature world, but flexible, because you will have new ideas as your world evolves.

Solid level benchwork.

Ability to reach every square inch of your layout, above and below ground, and in tunnels, during construction and after completion.

Solid level bechwork.

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No. 2 is my choice. A track plan is is everything. When I tore up my first layout using #1 choice I made sure I had a plan on the rebuild.

I tried those computer things and they never worked out. So I dusted off the drafting table and went to work. On the rebuild of my first layout I made sure everything fit where I wanted it and what I wanted in it.

Now I have I think a Premier 4X8 layout. My grandkids love playing with it and now they can move trains back and forth from my yard to it.

My new project is 8X12 “C” shape layout so grandpa has something to play with too. Its all planned out to hook all together With floating bridges and duck-unders, and if everything go as planned I will have trains at least running on fresh track in 3 to 4 months. So planning is everything in a great layout

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Hi!

I chose to write my response without reading the previous ones (I will read them after).

I’ve built layouts in O, N, and mostly HO and my current layout is easily the best and has stood the test of time (15 years). During construction, I kept up a list of dos and don’ts and what works and what doesn’t for all phases of construction (design, benchwork, tracklaying, wiring, scenery, operation, placement of industries, etc., etc.).

Obviously a major portion of your layout building feat will depend on your skill sets, time available, money available, degree of interest, imagination, and my personal favorite - determining your level of “good enough” for all facits of the building.

It seems obvious to me that the first step is planning and design. And this “design” should be a scale version of the layout/trackplan put on paper - with “scale” being the key. Freehand drawings are wonderful first steps, but without a scale drawing, one will never know ahead of time if those curves or turnouts will fit, etc., etc.

From there, its time for benchwork, tracklaying, wiring, and so on. I strongly believe that a key to a successful layout is “bullet proof” benchwork and trackage, and wiring that is color coded, neat, and well thought out. And of course this all goes back to planning…

ENJOY - for that is the key to this whole vast, wonderful hobby !!!

Mobilman44

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I would suggest that the key to a good layout is a unifying theme. But those of you who know me know that’s one of my prime soapbox topics.

Obviously any good layout starts with solid benchwork, properly laid and gauged trackwork, reliable wiring, and well-tuned and maintained equipment. But what takes a layout one step beyond, in my opinion, is the execution of an over-arching theme (era, locale, purpose, etc.). To me, the best layouts tell a story, with no one element of that story conflicting with any others.