So far my recent returm to model railroading has gone well. I have built the benchwork, laid out the track and put the centerlines for the track. Next I am going to glue down the roadbed and then make the holes for my tortise switch machines. Do I start gluing my track down next ? (i am using blue foam for my top so thats why I am gluing). After glueing my trck down what’s next? Do I paint my base a uniform color like tan or something. Does anyone know any good step by step rule or sites. I know this is alot to ask but I have basically got alot of help from here and know I can get more from here. Thanks again guys.
It’s different for everyone. I have subways, which are almost entirely underground, so they must be completely finished before I can put down scenery and track above them. I also have a free-standing 5x12 foot layout, and I’ve discovered that I need to do all the hard stuff in the middle of the layout first, because my access to the center will be much more difficult once the edges are scenicked.
I also recently returned to the hobby after a long absence. I found it beneficial to do small sections at a time so that I learned how to use new techniques and materials. As a result, small sections of my layout are almost complete, with track, ballast and scenery, while most of my ground surface is still pink foam. I’ve also let the scenery kind of “evolve” as time went on. I started with a track plan, which has changed a bit, but I didn’t have much of a scenery plan so I’m letting it grow.
I use a lot of paper clips. I find that I can straighten out into a long U shape, and use that to hold down both track and roadbed in a temporary configuration. That way, I can experiment with track configurations without committing myself. It also lets me run trains right away.
Don’t underestimate the need to run trains. It’s good for your own sanity to see a train running over that blue foam long before you have ballast or scenery. Also, it’s good for your trackwork and wiring to make sure that’s done right before you put down ballast.
So, welcome back, and have fun. There’s no “right way” and “wrong way.” It’s your railroad, and that’s part of the fun.
I’d glue some track and make it run. Put in a few switch machines and learn the tricks that come from trial and error. Run some more trains. Play with a little scenery if that is what you like. I made two little scenes (12x12) in the second month because I like that. I painted some sub base because it looked better, but it will all get covered eventually(in a few years).
My rule has been to do what I feel like, because I am not doing this for a living and I don’t have a client to please except my self. That means I have had to do a few things over, but I liked it.
Its your railroad, have fun and a few laughs.
I didn’t want to have the “Great Blue Railroad” while I was building my little layout. After I glued down roadbed and track, I painted the foam with a brown latex paint and sprinkled WS ground cover into the wet paint. I also painted inside the tunnels so a casual glance into a tunnel portal wouldn’t reveal the blue foam. Even if I made scenery changes later, or whenever I added to the scenery, the brown always looked like plain ground. It went a long way to making the layout look better during construction.
This was a personal preference, and I got the idea from reading in the forums about pink and blue layouts under construction. Many modelers commented about how long they had endured the pink or blue scenery, so I decided to paint early and paint often! The layout looked like a layout through most of the construction.
Here is a picture of the extension I added to my layout. It shows the foam painted after some of the track and roadbed were put down. The track curving around the right side circles around the back of this section. You can see where the track will be installed on the left side. Eventually, that section of track was enclosed in a mountain.
The next photo shows the extension connected to the original layout. That upper level of track has now been covered by a mountain. Basic scenery has also been added.
I think it looks more like a layout in these pictures, even though it is in the early stages of construction.
Hope this helps.
Darrell, quiet…for now
Thanks for the replys. I do think I will run some trains and also paint the layout an earth tone. It does look much better than blue.