Man I don't know I am just confused!

[selector]

Hee hee! Been there, done that, JMLines....the tossing and turning, I mean. It just means you have a bug for buiding a layout. The virus goes dormant at the moment you run your first train on your 'almost-completed' layout, but will come back as soon as you toy with the idea of building a new layout or adjusting the one you have.

Man, are you in for a ride. Hang on, Bud.

Oh, and ditto what all the others say. Try making a list of things to do in order, and get about doing it in an orderly fashion. Review it often so that you can make adjustments; I had to do that whenever I went online to see what others have said about a particular part of the work..er, I mean fun. The list keeps you 'in the big picture', and serves to remind you to make sure you have what you need (a good understanding and the tools/materials) for the net step.

I won't coach you to go slow and easy because it wouldn't have worked for me and your words above say loud and clear that you are in the same state. Ya have ta live the experience.

Please, though, do have fun. Stop if you get exasperated, and do something physical to let off steam.

[jimrice4449]

All of the above is excellent advice. I would add one item. Reconsider having an exclusively point to point plan. Even if it won't be used in normal operation, a continuous operation capability will be very handy if you want to show a visitor your masterpiece and it's also handy for breaking in new engines. or satisfying that occasional impulse to just watch the little buggers run round and round

[IRONROOSTER]

I would suggest you get John Armstrong's book "Track Planning for Realistic Operation". I personally found it to be a great book for a beginner and I'm still using it 33 years later. It starts off explaining what a real railroad does, then shows how to apply it to a model railroad, and finishes off with a case study for build a model railroad. Sprinkled throughout the book and at the end are a number of track plans of various sizes, many of which are suitable for first layouts. My first layout was built following a plan at the back of the book for a 4x8 sheet of plywood.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Take a deep breath JnM. There you go... now relax... that's right... relax.

There. Doesn't that feel better? [:D]

Okay, so you're new to model railroading, HO in particular, and you're ready to tackle your first "layout".

First off, it's a great ride, you'll have lots of fun. You WILL make mistakes. (We all do.) But no biggie, you can correct them if you want to. Nothing on a layout is sacred.

However, first things first.

I'm getting ready to build my 6th (or 7th?) layout over the span of 30-40 years, so the things I'm sharing, I speak from experience. For a layout to be user friendly, as well as operationally dependable (hence continued enjoyment), I feel the basics are:

1. All track should be easily accessible when completed. Don't bury hidden track under benchwork with minimal clearance. You'll need to clean/maintain the track work you create.

2. All track work should be within easy reach in ALL layout locations. This typically means no greater than 24" - 30" from the benchwork edge... even less the higher the benchwork height.

3. Use quality track components.

4. Use quality engines and rolling stock.

5. Use quality train control (throttles/powerpacks/etc).

I also suggest that you may want to continue learning a bit more before you start sawing and nailing lumber. Reading and learning is great fun in itself.

One book that you may find extremely enlightening is "Track Planning For Realistic Operation" by the late John Armstrong. (Should be available from Kalmbach/Model Railroader magazine?) Not only will John explain what the prototype does, but will also teach you how to translate that into condensed form for model railroading. In addition, he gives you some very good tips for planning your track. Admittedly, some of the info will be a bit dated, but overall it's a good read that imparts a goodly amount of track planning savy.

Armed with a bit more track planning knowledge, you can then ponder what you want your new layout to do, in regards to its theme, the equipment you want to see, its era, and other such things that many feel are important to developing a layout with long-term interest.

Lastly, once you've taken the plunge and you're laying track, don't hesitate to pull up and redo some area if a better way of doing it presents itself. No harm, no foul!

Well, that's all for now.

Good luck and have fun!

[Don Gibson]

I would suggest NEVER building yard's wider than 3' as one's arm's are only about 31", and you want to reach everything. You would be amazed at how many track's will fit on 1.5" (8).

1. Yard's are never long enough, due to ladders reqiring so much space.
2. Return loop's also take up a lot of one's floor space.

A 16' X 4' x 1.5' 'L' provides you with OPERATION with little floor space being occupied by using the walls and a corner. TWO 'L's (joined) will take up about the same room as a 4 X 8 - if you add the reqired 'aisle's to operate.(try putting a 4 X 8 in a 4X8 room.
KEY element is building a corner section. See below.

I recommend contacting MODEL RAILROADER and asking for reprint's of David Barrow's September 1996 & later 'South Plaines' articles. David's Construction method's of using 4' benchwork section's might stand you in good stead should you move later on. 1.5' X 4' section's go through basement and other doorway's easily. IF you are a subscriber, they are probably free.

[Anonymous]

Or, consider using the section you've already built as a peninsula with a scenic divider or mountain down the middle. You'll get two scenes out of the existing space.

This arrangement would have your existing table with the short end against the wall and tracks running from it to the left and the right at the wall.

Have fun and don't lose sleep over it. It's just a hobby and it's supposed to be fun!

Wayne

[cwclark]

if you do a 4' L then you're going to have trouble reaching for stuff on the far end of the layout...have you considered a dogbone that is 4' x 4' in the turns and bring it back to about 3' in the middle...that way you can have a yard and reach everything.....you can start the yard in the curve of the dogbone using a curved turnout and do a curved yard around to the middle of the L again while leaving the other part of the L as country side with a couple of spurs and businesses for some extra switching....point to points get boring too and having a continuous run is more fun....there are some good track plans in the Atlas layout book that could fit your needs..a little fudging here and there could make a nice railroad in the space you've alotted...one final note...try to keep your curves at least an 18" radius or you'll be asking for trouble if you run six axle diesels, big steam engines, or cars over 50' scale feet.....Chuck

[Anonymous]

I am building my first layout and doubting every move I make. I built a 4x8 table out of 2x4 and 3/4 plywood set up an O scale Lionel set and began doing the basic subterrain stuff based on the Model Railroading first layout step by step DVD narrated by the guy from Family Ties. I didn't like watching the train go around in circles, and it seemed their wasn't much space for it to do anything else so I scraped it all, put the Lionel back in the box and stored it in a closet.
I asked questions on this forum and have been reading as much stuff as time will allow and have since changed to HO, bought an engine set, a couple of ready to roll freight cars, built two model box cars, joined an historical society, spent the bulk of many days searching the web, cleaned, organized and painted half the garage, (all of which my wife is thrilled about-- heck, she even recommended I sleep out there a few times) and learned a little about trains.
So here I am today with a tentative plan to build a yard with maybe a point to point mainline. I am leaning towards a 16x3 or 4 foot "L" and wondering if I should make half of the 4x8 table the yard or just leave it as a workbench thing. I am not really certain how much space I need for a yard and could use some feedback here.
I originally thought I would try to model an actual yard, but now think I should probably start off with a more flexable plan to make it a little easier on myself. Should I buy the MR guide to yards? Should I just start putting track down and see what happens? Should I copy a basic plan from MR and get bored real fast? Should I agonize over every tiny detail and never put wheel to track? Aack! I need a relative who has been model railroading for years to guide me through.
Anyway some advise, direction, clarity, food for thought would really help me. Maybe I could get some sleep instead of tossing and turning thinking about what to do with my railroad.