How would you design a 4 X 8 foot HO layout ?...

[canazar]

I would make sure to cram as much switching as possible.   Granted, might have to sacrafice scenery or even might push the"cramped" look a bit.  But the more swtiching you have, more fun you can have with it....   

 

Well, that's me anyways.

[Anonymous]

Since I don't have a layout myself, I'll just tell you what I would do with $1K and a 4x8 HO setup - I'd keep the scenery simple and get a double-loop with an inside yard. I'd spend the money on the trains themselves, figuring if I enjoy the trains I'll slowly add scenery and realism, but initially I'd want to have trains running (one freight, one passenger) and maybe a switch engine in the yard with a few extra freight cars.

The guy who admits he'd spend $1500 is right, either build a $900 set and give yourself $100 in contingency money or plan on sending just over $1000, maybe $1100-1200 to get what you had in mind for your $1K.

Will kids be running this, just you, etc?

[fwright]

If you only had room for a 4 X 8 foot HO layout and about a thousand dollars to spend on it, how would you design it ?. Keep in mind that trains of all eras will be ran on it at one time or another so please don't design it for one particular time period. Have fun...

Tracklayer

I'm sorry, I'm not biting.  I'd be very happy to present my ideas for a 4x8 layout plan for a specific region and era.  But I design around a theme.  The track plan, the operational plan, the scenery, the structures, the locomotives, and the rolling stock should all tie together to promote the theme of the layout.  The same scenery and structures will not be very convincing for a different region and era. 

To me, if you do not have a theme for a model railroad then you might as well just put up display tracks for your trains.  That is not to say your theme cannot change.  But to carry off the change convincingly requires a lot of extra $$ for not only extra sets of trains, but separate sets of structures, vehicles, and little people.  Nor am I saying not to run a totally out of theme train just for the fun of it.  But, since you mentioned a fairly tight budget figure, it seems to me an easy way to help stay within budget is to buy only locomotives, rolling stock, structures, little people, etc that support your theme.  Sell what doesn't fit to improve and buy what will.

I was once foolish enough to believe that I could set my layout back 100 years, and let it advance one year for every real year that passed.  I know the owner of the Utah Belt does it, but he spends a lot of time and money keeping current - time and money I don't have.  And he only changes time - not place, region, purpose, or other thematic elements.

Last thought, and I'm done preaching.  This is my preference.  If you have only a small space (4x8 and smaller in HO), you need to think small.  As in short lines.  As in small engines and rolling stock.  As in short trains and smaller structures.  All of which lends itself to focusing on a early 1950s era or earlier, with earlier usually being more convincing.  An 1870s six car train of 28ft cars headed by a 4-4-0 looks much more realistic on a 4x8 and 18" radius curves than do modern 6 axle diesels with 65ft bulkhead flats and 4 bay hoppers.

yours in planning
Fred W

[Anonymous]

Make it a 2x16 and have a shelf switching layout

[NeO6874]

with $1000 and a 4x8 i would.... um... run trains!

on a serious note though, I would use either books, or some of the (freely) available track planning software to find/create a layout to my liking - and that provides the option of expansion at a later date. 

I would then probably ask members of the forums to take a look, and point out something that I could have/should have done (with regard to the design) to make a more interesting and/or more reliable layout.

I would then get myself said sheet of plywood, roadbed, track, wire, soldering iron, solder, and whatever else I would need to get started with the building phase. I would also get a DCC system (probably the Digitrax one... that one looks best for me - personal preference), a loco kit, some rolling stock, structures, and whatever else i need for the kits...

after that, build my layout, build my kits, and start operations on the <insert RR name here>.

most importantly i would HAVE FUN!

[dw57]

I know that plywood comes in 4x8 sheets, but if you can find room for5x8, it makes it alot easier to have 22 inch radius. Iguess if I had a thousand $$ to spend it would probably cost me 1500 if you know what I mean.   LOL  I also think woodland scenics is the place to start, but not the only place. With a little thought on your structures you can model different eras without much change.

[river_eagle]

maybe look at the woodland scenics kits, like the riverpass kit.

[Anonymous]

I would spend the first 60-80 dollars on books which would allow me to ask a more informative question. Your question indicates more of a toy train bent than that of a modeller. This is my honest response and is not meant to offend.

[Tracklayer]

If you only had room for a 4 X 8 foot HO layout and about a thousand dollars to spend on it, how would you design it ?. Keep in mind that trains of all eras will be ran on it at one time or another so please don't design it for one particular time period. Have fun...

Tracklayer