How do you build your layouts?

[MARTIN KALAGIAN]

I think after the benchwork , at the least have a track plan on paper . Then mark it on the layout .

[doctorwayne]

MARTIN KALAGIAN

I think after the benchwork , at the least have a track plan on paper . Then mark it on the layout .

 

After losing my planned-for layout space, I ended-up with an oddly shaped room, and the best way to deal with it was to put cut-out 3/4" plywood curved roadbed, using the widest possible curves, at each of the room's 10 corners.  Connecting them with straight-ish track determined the track plan.  I think it came out better than anything I could have planned on paper.

 

Wayne

[WILLIAM SHEPARD]

Beings as how this present layout probably will be my last, I planned ahead as to what I wanted.  Then after getting permission to use a 12x26' section of our garage, I put up a wall, insulated the walls, ceiling and put up masonite in the corners for no square corners, everything flows around the room.  Next painted the ceiling white and the walls also white primer.  

Had decided that the east side of the room would be based on my roots growing up in western Kansas and the west end of the room based on my love and present home of Colorado.  Beings as how one of my other hobbies is oil paintings, I painted the walls medium blue from the top down and lighter blue blended in to the horizon.  Backdrop has prairie scenes then blends in to mountains.  Mountains based on a panoramic photos of the front range of Denver area Mt. Evans to Longs Peak.  Gray and Torres Peaks to the James Peak group to the Indian ranges.  All painted in oil paint. 

Next came the benchwork.  A table top setting on 4x4" legs every 6'.  5/8" plywood top and 1/2" paper product insulation board to help deaden the sound.  Then cork road bed and laid track.  All standard gauge HO. The benchwork is strong enough I can work on it while sitting on the benchwork.  

After about 8 years I'm running trains, loading coal from a coal mine and taking the loads to a rotary coal dump.  Coal is black scenic sand and actually dumps the sand into the ore cars, timed for about 9 seconds.  Gold ore (tan colored scenic sand) is loaded in ore cars and taken to a gold mill where it is dumped in another rotary dump.  Logs are lifted out of a pile with a crane, jaws on boom open and close, and boom raises and lowers to drop logs off into a waiting log car, taken to a sawmill and logs picked off the log car with jaws and unloaded at the sawmill.  Loaded lumber on flat cars take lumber to lumber yards and mine timbers to the mines. 

I've learned a lot over the years. Always check the gauge of every section of track before nailing it down.  Even brand new track.  Never solder joints, leave a gap for expansion and contraction.  Put feed wires on every section of track between joiners, and turnouts.  

When you are ever in trouble, head for the round house, they can't corner you there!

[MARTIN KALAGIAN]

I like your idea Wayne .

[willy6]

I liked the comments from all the slow layout builders that are taking years. The next time my wife walks into my train building and says "you've been here for hours, I don't see nothing different.", I will have these comments opened up on my laptop and show her I am not that slow...

[gpharo]

This is what I did

1. Loosely lay the track design  on the floor to get the measurements for my bench
2. benchwork
3. lay the track straight onto the plywood (maybe one track nail per foot)
4. run trains, run trains, run trains to test the track, fixing things along the way
5. with a sharpie trace the track and then remove all the track
6. lay roadbed on the tracing 
7. lay track
8. do the electrical 
9. scenery
10. take your time. I am 8 years into my layout and I'm about 60% "done." It's a 13 by 9.

[Mister Mikado]

This is by far the best thread I have ever read on the MR forums. -Rob

[SeeYou190]

willy6

The next time my wife walks into my train building and says "you've been here for hours, I don't see nothing different.", I will have these comments opened up on my laptop and show her I am not that slow...

Don't show her any of my building threads... I build very fast!

-Kevin