Hello all, I don't post much, usually only around the holidays. I am not year round model railroader.....yet. Anyhoo, my layout last year was in a small apartment, and was just two small ovals, maybe 3'x'5' at most. This year I have a house, and while not a huge one, I think I will have room for something pretty big in an extra bedroom. The plan is for a 3 tier, with a loop on each tier. I am working on getting plans in a computer friendly format, but we will just have to imaging for now. Bottom level is oval, about 4'x8', 22 inch rad. Middle is an L-shape, 18" rad. Top is another oval, about 3'x5'. Now this is going to be pretty big, so what other materials could I lay this thing out on other than plywood, cause that may get expensive. I have been reading about hollow core doors, but those arent cuttable, and not in the right dimensions for me. If I actually get to do this, I will post up pics. It will be sparsely decorated at first, as far as scenery goes. I want this to be de-constructable for future seasons. This year I am focusing on getting it built and acquiring the trains, plus my small existing village. Scenery will follow. Oh yeah, a note about trains, 2 lines will be passenger, 1 line freight. I know that pass. trains can look a little off on 18 inch rad., but they can negotiate it ok mechanically, and expanding the radii on this project will make it way too big. Any other ideas, comments, suggestions are always welcome!
Yes, each level will have its own seperate loop. Another question; how accurate is the dimensioning in the Atlas RTS software? It is telling me that I can get away with a slightly smaller bases, which is full of WIN for me right now. I just dont want to start putting things together and find out that its going to be bigger than atlas says. Oh, and I have pics of the plans:
The Atlas software is fairly accurate. It is always better to have a little extra room than to end up with not enough. Is this going to sit on the floor under the Christmas tree or more of a table top display? Either way a solid base is the key to everything else performing well. Plywood is your best bet for the bottom layer as a foundation, ultimately with a 2x2 frame under it. You may be able to build the upper layers with pink or blue foam insulation board. That will make forming it into scenery easy and detract from the birthday cake effect. A simple coat of white paint and you've got instant snow covered hills. Added benefit is you can pin the track to it temporarily since this is a 'seasonal' display. The radius on the top level is going to be tough for HO. Using the shortest engine and rolling stock you can will help.
hmm, insulation board....is that cheaper than plywood? I was planning plywood all around, but the foam board could make the top layers easier to deconstruct. However, this is going under the tree, and I was going to have the tree sit on top of the top layer. The tree is fake, so not terribly heavy, but needs to be supported. As for the radii, I know my passenger lines can take 18" curve, I ran that last year. One lucky pass. line will have 22" on the bottom. The top is 15" curve, and that will have to house the freight train.
so, I was at home depot tonight, and I saw that they sell particle board in 4'x8' sheets for $7! Could I build my layout on particle board?
NO Particle board! Are you an Arnold Swartznegger twin? Do you regularly bench-press 150-200 pounds? Can you say "I'll be BECK" in a bad Austrian accent without smiling? If you answered NO to any of those three questions, then do NOT try to use particle board for your platform. First of all, it IS hugely heavy - I used to build office furniture with the stuff, and even though that was 15 years ago, my back STILL hurst to think about it. Second, you will have to either drill and screw EVERY SECTION of track, or glue it down SOLIDLY - forget track nails! Third, you will have to cover it with plaster cloth or felt or SOMETHING similar, because it will LOOK LIKE CRAP! and if you paint it, it will look like GREEN and BROWN CRAP! And if you use water-based paint (such as latex paint) it will warp, and then it will look like WAVY, GREEN and BROWN CRAP! And after you glue the track down on this stuff, they will run up and down the hills and your Christmas layout will look like ToonerVille Toy Trains Running On Wavy Green and Grown Crap, and you will HATE this hobby you've taken up - and have terrible things to say about those crazy guys at TrainBoard.com who LET YOU use particle board for you layout platform. So save you and us a lot of trouble. Buy the plywood; it'll last a LOT LONGER, and when you finish with it as the starter platform, either you'll cut it up to build the permanent layout, or you will build the chicken coop with it. Whichever way, you'll get double mileage out of it, and that WILL make you happier than the green and brown crap particle board you were about to throw THROUGH the Computer Monitor at me.:tb-biggrin:
wow.... umm, I kept researching it after that post last night, and the stuff I found was actually OSB (oriented strand board). It's said to have similar qualities to ply, and I haven't heard too many people complain, even among those who used it for train layout. My research also brought me to MANY of the points you just made about particle board (MDF), so I will heed your advice and avoid that crap like the plague. I also decided, for simplicity, to skip the third tier, and just put the 15" radius oval inside the 18". The 15" is only housing a small freight line, so it probably doesn't need its own level. I ran the numbers and everything should clear with no problem.
Consider also that you can put the tree stand directly on the plywood base through a hole in the upper level, thus hiding the tree stand. Depending of course on the lowest row of branches on the tree. This would reduce the fear of the tree toppling over.
