Info overload!!!!

[jlcjrbal]

Well I have been hanging out in this forum for a few weeks now just absorbing all the info. I am getting ready to launch my first train project since the early 70's ( I was 8-i***hen ) for my 3 year old son who never stops thinking about trains. I have my old cars from when I was a kid ( HO ) and they have been kept in great shap since my dad put them away, So all I need is the engine. I have built my benchwork which is 4X8 and it is ready to go.

I have loved all the photos you guys have been putting up and I have bookedmarked a few doen cool ideas but I am not sure how to proced

I see everyone uses some sort of foam on top of the plywood does it matter which thickness to start with???
My plans are to keep it simple and have a basic layout for the holidays but I really want to built up a level should I think about that now or just wait??

When I put my track down on the foam do I still use nails or will it not hold

I will stop here , as I am tping I am thinking of too many questions!!

Thanks for everything Joseph

[mcouvillion]

Joseph,

For a first layout for a 3-year-old, I'd suggest 1/2" plywood with the green grass roll down before laying snap track. (Frame the base with 2"x2"s to keep the bottom of the plywood off the floor so that wires can be run under the layout.) You can do it quickly, you won't have too much invested, as your kid learns how to run the trains, you don't have to worry about the foam breaking or otherwise getting damaged, and you can move the whole thing easily. After you get your hands dirty, and have run the thing for a while, you will have other ideas you would like to incorporate into a layout, your kid will be a little older and the "new" of running trains will have worn off, he will know how to operate them, and you will have more skill than now. Use small track nails to attach the track to the plywood (directly through the "grass" covering). Don't bother at this stage with roadbed. Get a few small buildings, cars, trees, and get it going quick.

I did this when my oldest was about 3 and had the small layout for years. Worked out well.

Mark C.

[rogerhensley]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jlcjrbal

I see everyone uses some sort of foam on top of the plywood does it matter which thickness to start with???

No, everyone does not use foam. As I prefer to tack my track down, I use cork over a wood base. I'm not crazy about gluing track in place and that is the best way to fasten to foam IMO.

I saw a suggestion to use grass mat over plywood and that is a very good suggestion for a youngster's first train. Now, if the train is for you, that's another matter. :-)

[jlcjrbal]

Well daddy gets to spend money for the benefit of my son!!!!! I am not ready to glue my track down, but i do have a n idea for a layout. But I want to be able to use alot of bridges and such so I am really into the level thing