Getting Back in the Hobby

Well....after having not even TOUCHED my layout since my first child was born (6 months ago), I'm making plans to get back in the hobby. Oddly enough, the first step to my getting back in was to dismantle the layout I had started. The layout WAS an 8'x17' layout that took up one side of my garage. The desire to have my parking space back combined with the fact that it's hard to keep a layout in a garage clean and the fact that it always seems to be either too hot or too cold in there to comfortably work on it made me decide to dismantle it and start from scratch.

So....here's what I'm thinking:

- The new layout will be in the house in an extra room.
- Think SMALLER. Being a newbie to the hobby, I have decided to take everyone's advice and start off with a smaller layout. The dream layout can come later in life. The new one will probably be in the neighborhood of 2'x6' or so...maybe a little longer.
- Planning to go with a 1x4 frame and foam sheathing instead of the 2x4 frame and plywood I was already using. Think lightweight and easy to move.
- Rural area....small town America...modern day with a touch of the way things used to be.
- Less is more. I decided my old layout had WAY too much track and not enough scenery and/or structures. This time will be the other way around....more realistic.

You can see some pictures of my old layout in my gallery (see my signature once I add the link). I may begin working on a new track plan tonight. When I have something together that looks workable I'll post it and see what you guys think.

Anyway....I'm back...and the old layout was dismantled last night.

[ 05. November 2003, 15:42: Message edited by: Hoss ]

 

I've thought about that....and will definitely consider it. I'm just gonna play around with a track plan and see how it comes out.

If anyone has any ideas or plans for a 2'x6' or 2'x8' area I'm open to suggestions. I may even make it a halfway dogbone shape so I can have a bigger turning radius at the ends. Lots of options, lots of options...

 

You might consider using a door as the foundation for your railroad. They are about 30" by 7', and will support your layout without any additional framework, just some sawhorses or something similar to hold it up. I've seen a lot of smaller railroads built on doors, and it's a good compromise between a smaller railroad and a sheet of plywood.

Pat

 

Modular or door layout - either built with foam for the subroadbed are good options for lightweight and portability.

Here's a few links for modules, and one I really like for a small layout focussed on scenery and structures as well as trains:

http://www.hotrak.ca/
http://www.railwaybob.com/Modules/MRIndex.htm -> go to "Modules" for a construction "How-to"

http://www.geocities.com/fundynorthern/MainPage.html -> click on the module pic's about 1/2 way down the page

Andrew

 

Layouts take so long to build and are costly, why spend the money on something that is going to take time, resources and effort, only to dismantle it. I vote for a modular system... only a first short section. Learning happens pretty quickly once you start so your first section will teach you most of what you need to know, including getting a feeling for how track fits (layout planning).

 

Building a modular layout is nothing new to me. The layout I just dismantled was modular, but when I designed it I designed it to fit into a certain space. Also, the modules weren't a standard size. They each had a different shape and size to them. I actually have pictures of the old layout but apparently while I was gone all of the photo albums at Rail Images were deleted. It was five modules put together to make an 8'x17' layout that was open in the middle....and it was shaped a little differently. I need to dig up some pictures....

I'm leaning more towards an L shape now, possibly with dogbone ends for the extra turning radius. Still thinking. I need to go home and take some measurements and then pull out the ole' Atlas track planning software again.

 

Okay...I did a little bit of measuring and such last night and have pretty much decided on the size of the layout.

I'm going to put it in an extra room of the house. It will take up two walls (so much for SMALL). I don't have a picture of the benchwork I planned last night, but it is basically 2 ft. wide and follows 10 feet along each wall. So it is a 10'x10' L shape, 2 feet wide, except each end is dogboned out to 3 feet to allow for a little bit larger turning radius.

I'm hoping to start doing a little track planning tonight. I had a large yard on my last layout plan that I will not be able to have hear because of space limitations. However, I do intend to use a hill or mountain to hide some hidden staging along the back side of the layout so I can keep several trains going.

It is my hope to have the trains travel through several small towns and then maybe some slightly larger cities could be represented at the dogbone ends. Mostly I'm wanting less track and more scenery. I had too much of a spaghetti bowl before (as you can see in my gallery below).

Anyway, I'm off to a start, and I'll keep you guys updated. Feel free to throw out any comments or suggestions or even track plans if one of you gets bored.

 

Okay....I sat down last night and did a little track planning. I don't have any kind of industry or scenery drawn in here yet, but if you can I'd like honest opinions on anything you see that can be improved.

Just a few things....

-The stub end yard at the top of the layout will be hidden staging behind a backdrop of some sort.
-The grid lines are spaced at 12", so the overall layout dimenions are 10'x10'.
-I'm going for more of a rural (kind of a Montana look) on the bottom leg with some city/town areas on the top leg.
-I tried to design it so I could have some switching possible but still be able to just turn the trains loose to run continuously without help from me if I get in a mood to just watch them go round and round.

I think that's it for now. This is just my first trial run at this new layout and I'm looking for advice/opinions.

I'll also post this in the layout design forum and see what happens up there.

Thanks in advance.

Here's the track plan...

 

Will those sidings in the upper right corner be for staging or a yard?

Looks good, and I agree you should think about making it modular. Maybe you don’t have to stick to any particular building standards, but a layout tend to be like your major in college, sooner or later you will want to change it.

 

For now the stub end yard at the top is strictly for staging. It will be hidden behind a backdrop. I'm considering putting all of my staging underneath though, so that may change.

It definitely will be modular, but it will probably consist of two large modules instead of a bunch of smaller ones. I won't be doing shows or anything like that so my main interest is being able to get it out of the house and into a truck should I ever have to move.