- Harry
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
A Veteran, whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve, is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Bump
"Being misunderstood is the fate of all true geniuses"
EXPERIMENTATION TO BRING INNOVATION
http://community.webshots.com/album/288541251nntnEK?start=588
Thanks Aggro. I am on number 5, but this is the first one that runs. I have learned:
1. Get the track work working.
2. Plan for changes because I do change my mind
3. Design it so I spend the most time on what I like to do the most, scenery
When I last posted on this thread 3 years ago I was on my 5th layout. I have now started my 6th. What changed. Well, I have most of the basement available now and there is no way to really expand the old layout that makes sense to me. Also, the double track oval layout was a compromise based on the space available and isn't what I'd like to have. The trouble with ovals is they get boring, at least the smaller ones. The 2 ft aisle wasn't enough and the 2 1/2 ft aisle seemed a little skimpy. The new layout will have aisles of 3+ ft except for the aisles on either side of a 180 degree curve where it'll be 2 1/2 ft The new layout will be a shortline based (loosely) on the Ma&Pa and have a mainline of about 115 feet. This will allow me to actually run 2+ trains and have meets. It will also be built for DCC.
Enjoy
Paul
Bear "It's all about having fun."
This is a good long thread. I wonder why it has such long gaps between postings but I guess people run out of "gas."
My layout is about #3 plus a module for a local Delaware Valley (Philadelphia) traction club.
A few things learned:
1. I fully support posters on good trackwork. Use that NMRA gauge, even on commercial track. Have plenty of track spikes, jewelers files, a Dremel tool with many disks for cutting, razor saw, and a mirror. Use that mirror to sight along the track at a shallow angle. You will be surprised how many kinks and bumps show up that will make cars wiggle, derail, and just run badly.
2. Make all transitions gradual. Use easements for entry to all curves and switches. ... and exiting those switches and curves.
3. Good sturdy benchwork is a must. There are good books and videos on this and you don't need a woodworking shop to do it. Do use drywall screws and a screw gun with appropriate bit but I also recommend gluing in addition to screws, unless it is a part to be taken apart. Use clamps to hold parts together, check for squareness and alignment, and then screw them together. Be willing to add extra braces for sturdy benchwork. It also applies to shoring up sags and dips and, after scenery is in, who sees it?
4. Get some thing running soon, even if it is just a few feet of track. I find that running trains (trolleys in my case) kept the interest up and, if I didn't have time to work, I did have something to do - that is run. I built a small return loop, on the single track module design. That loop is still on my layout and it moves to a new location when I add mainline track so my cars can always return.
5. Jumper wires are necessary between sections of track or else wire each section to a bus. Rail joiners keep rails aligned, and many solder them but some must be unsoldered so the rail can expand/contract.
Well, that is my 2 cents worth. Keep those ideas coming. We all learn from each other.
Oh, one final recommendation. Read John Armstrong's books on layout design and also see if you can get a copy of Frank Ellison's great article titled "The Art of Model Railroading." It was published in the July 1976 issue of Model Railroader.
Have fun.
John
I'm on number 6.
1) O27 plywood central
2) HO 4X8 tabletop
3) HO 14 X 22 on Homasote with L-girders
4) N 3 X 7 on foam
5) N 2 x 8 on foam
6) N 1.5 X 7 on foam
I've learned I much prefer foam to plywood and / or Homasote, prefer shelves / around-the-walls, see no point in spending much time and dinero on benchwork when simple shelf brackets do nicely for my applications, really dislike spaghetti bowls, good couplers are a must, easements are a must, use Ribbon Rail trackguides when laying track, things that hobby shops sell for big bucks can be found for MUCH less at craft stores like Michaels, drywall screws are a heavenly gift for multiple applications, wire lots of jumpers, keep your turnouts clean, modules beat the heck out of massive layouts that can't be moved. And finally, no matter how precise you are when planning, the track will never lay exactly like the plan.
I've built or been one of the primary builders of 7 layouts over the years. Things I have learned - usually the hard way (others' experiences are often very different):
Planning:
Benchwork and track:
Other lessons learned:
Keep the posts coming - I much prefer to learn from the mistakes of others rather than my own
Fred W
Well, its not the amount of railroads I have built it's how many time have the track plans changed on the same wood design, for me. I have probably changed my railroad 6 to 7 times over the past 3 or 4 years and I finally found a layout track plan that worked for me. With help from some of the guys around here I decided to have more industry switching and less main line trains. It just works better. I still have a couple of mainlines in but It has been brought down to the switching part. I have also learned how to lay track better than before. I started out laying it anywhere that would run a train but it was unsatisfactory and the trains would derail in many spots. Now that I have revised and talked around for awhile all of these things have been renewed and now I don't have to many problems. So, for me, it just took a few years of learning and understanding what is going on. It's a learning process, you never finish learning.
Happy railroading
James
Volumes could be written on how many layouts I've built and what I've learned from them. Perhaps 15 or more? Somewhere in that number I think is accurate. I've learned lots, mostly what not to do. Bottom line areas in which to NEVER compromise in all of them:
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
gallagher wrote:... see if you can get a copy of Frank Ellison's great article titled "The Art of Model Railroading." It was published in the July 1976 issue of Model Railroader. Have fun. John
... see if you can get a copy of Frank Ellison's great article titled "The Art of Model Railroading." It was published in the July 1976 issue of Model Railroader.
I agree that was a great piece. The full article spanned 6 issues and was last reprinted in full in the August 1964 - January 1965 issues. BTW I think the July 1976 issue is one of the best MR has ever done.
I'm on my 3rd layout. What I've learned:
Hi gsetter
I have built 3 and two bits of layouts
the main things I learned
Are not to get the ambitions and capabilities mixed up
KISS rule is king
Make sure you track work is spot on and you have the best locomotives you can afford and a decent transformer controller
Take the layout forward in small manageable bites ( its the only way ) that's what I did not do with the "N" gauge that ended up getting demolished and sold off.
Starting with getting just enough track down to run a train then work from there
Have a clear idea of what you want before you start make sketches and notes before the first piece of wood is bought and the first nail hammered
Use the wiring method that you understand draw a diagram and label the wiring on the layout so that when it goes wrong you can fix it.
Don't be afraid to rip out that piece of scenery you just did if you think it did not turn out right.
It does not matter what buildings or trains you use kit, prebuilt. scratch built its the finished result that matters.
RAILWAY MODELING IS FUN is really the first and most important thing because if it isn't you got the wrong hobby
The last layout built is always the best well it will be when I have finished it and got the garden that surrounds it properly finished decided a change was in order so went out side.
I still do some indoor stuff when its too cold and wet.
regards John
First I'd like to thank gsetter for starting this thread and AggroJones for bumping it back to the top. This has been some very interesting reading.
I'm building my first real layout at age 52. I've had track on plywood tables before but never really built a layout.
My layout is 15' x 20 1/2'. I pondered building a smaller layout but the more I thought about it the less I liked it.
My planning process has taken 14 months. I started construction on 10 February 2007. So far I have stuck to my plan for the most part but have had to make at least one adjustment due to an unforeseen clearance problem.
I've been reading these threads for months and books on benchwork, trackwork, wiring, DCC, and many others prior to beginning construction.
With my limited knowledge of layouts I would stress a few things:
1. Read Read Read and Read some more. You can never gain enough knowledge.
2. Work from a plan. Without one you will be guessing at everything.
3. Purchase quality tools. They make a huge difference in the ease of construction.
4. Ask the experts when you don't know the answer. This site is a great resource.
5. This is a hobby, walk away for a while if you get frustrated.
6. Above all...Have Fun!
Bill
I am working on my 20th layout (which is my own home layout. It is probably my largest with over 2200 sq ft and almost 3000 feet of track).
I have helped the Club I belong to with most of the layout over the past 25 years of being a member. One of the problems with clubs is losing the club room and having to start over. And with a club having 4 layout in 4 scales you get to work on a lot of layout very quickly when starting over!
Now that the background is out of the way - the things I have learned is:
1. Build sturdy benchwork with solid subroadbed. If the roadbed is constantly changing with humidity then the trains will derail constantly!
2. Take your time and lay the track without any kinks (both horizontal or vertical). This is the foundation of the layout and it does no good if the trains derail all of the time (or occasionally) - ZERO Derailments.
3. Wire the layout properly. YES you can just use 2 wires and the trains will run but 1 or 2 or 3 years from now when they don't want to run smoothly it isn't the engines it is usually the wiring! With lots of drop wires you can lose 10% of them and the layout will still run properly. Take a short cut now and you will tire of the layout due to the poor running. The Club learned in the first 3 or so layouts only because the majority didn't think we needed any wires! (It took too long)
4. Set standards for the engines and rolling stock. Weighted, Wheel Gauge and Kadee couplers. Otherwise more derailments!
5. And maintaining a very large layout will not take all of your time IF you follow the above items religiously. The choice is yours but having 4 club layouts that are open to the public the trains have to run FIRST TIME EVERY TIME ! and they do only because we finally learned and followed the above rules.
Every time you cut a corner (no matter how small) it WILL come back to haunt you forever!
Been there and finally learned after 19 layouts !
Wow, another year has gone by. I think I've got a post on each page of this thread.
Remember what I said about taking time? Well, I have been, but I've also been spending time. I originally thought, way back in March of aught-five, that I'd have something pretty presentable by Christmas. Well, I still feel the same way, but I've stopped predicting which Christmas that will be.
I've learned that I can make trackwork that works very well. And I've learned that a small steamer will derail on my trackwork that otherwise works very well. I've learned that I can fix trackwork, even if that means ripping it up, ballast and all, and doing it again until that steamer will stay on the track, no matter what. Finally, I've learned that getting a big steamer means going back and re-doing some of that very same trackwork one more time. Best of all, I've learned to do all of this without throwing things.
Plan for the future, even if the future is, well, The Past. I avoided putting too many things that "dated" my layout on the table, other than removeables like engines, rolling stock and automobiles. Buildings are the kind that could have been built any time over the last century, and the advertising is for old products, and it's faded so it could be very old itself. When I move back and forth between 1967 and 1937, things won't look out of place. (That movie poster for "The Graduate" with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft's leg will bother me, though, even if no on else notices.)
The edge of the layout may not be the edge forever. Kind of out of the blue, without any negotiating, it appears that at some point I'll get a larger share of the family room for my layout. So, I've begun planning how to connect my free-standing 5x12 to something else, and what that something else should look like.
I've learned that I need staging. This is one I learned too late. However, with more space I'll be able to do that, and it's number one on the list.
And I've learned to appreciate my friends on this forum. I love Weekend Photo Fun. More than anything else, the pictures I see right here are my inspiration.
This may sound depressing, but what I have learned is the following:
a. no matter how much planning you do up front, it won't turn out like you had planned;
b. if you aren't prepared to deviate from your plan, expect to have an awful time of it;
c. when you tell yourself that it'll be okay...it won't. This is especially true of trackwork;
d. when you are getting angry and frustrated, STOP!!!!!! Tools down, back away, read the newspaper;
e. sleeping on it is not to be underestimated. A good night's rest will shed a whole new light on things...try it;
f. trite though it may be in our hobby, if you're not enjoying what you are doing, having fun, then you should be doing something else. Can't be said more succinctly.
Still messing with the first mistake. What I have learned.
1 Make friends with Bob Villa, my wood working skills sucks.
2 Garage floors have a bulit in grade, use levers on the bech work legs.
3 If it is aginst a wall don't make it more than 3' foot wide.
4 Read, Read, Read and bug people here that know more.
5 If it is a POS, find out how to fix it and don't give up.
6 Learn from your mistake's, make more and keep learing from them and figuer out how to fix them.
I have just added a new 5' X 8' section that will be done as right as I can make it. That means I will have bigger mistakes but it will turn out great with some work.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
I am on my first. I am not counting getting benchwork up for a 4x8 layout as that is as far as it got. Currently in the design phase for a double deck MILW layout (locale to be determined).
I'm on my third layout first 2 were'nt what I was looking for and by the time I put another year into this one I'll probably realize I want more than what my realestate can handle, and rebuild.
I found with out business from op sessions I grow bored real quick.
I need to be able to just see the trains running through the scenery.
Rushing gets you no where.
Best time spent invested is the track work after all who wants to be spending time rerailing cars and engines.
Staging area is a must.
Dcc rocks
Sound is a must.
There are many many options for making your own scenery.
Try every option out there at least once.
No such thing as the right or wrong way.
Only one you have to please is yourself.
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
selector wrote:...e. sleeping on it is not to be underestimated. A good night's rest will shed a whole new light on things...try it;
Didn't work, the track was just too uncomfortable and the locomotive headlights were too bright.