Hi guys, I received this email from a new member can anyone assist with his question? I AM 12 YRS OLD AND WANT TO START MY FIRST LAYOUT. iN THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF MODELRAILROADER THERE IS AN ARTICLE ON A 2X4FT COFFETABLE LAYOUT. I LIKE IT VERY MUCH. HEREIN LIES MY PROBLEM. MY DAD GAVE ME A PIECE OF PLYWOOD 40" X 48"X1/2" . HOW DO I ENLARGE THE COFFETABLE LAYOUT TO FIT THE 40X48 PIECE OF WOOD? WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO MAKE IT BIGGER. COULD YOU HELP ME PLEASE. YOU CAN E-MAIL ME AT ONEPOL@AOL.COM I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE I'LL BE WAITING BY THE WAY MY NAME IS MIKE AND I LIVE IN CLEVELAND OHIO
Hmmm - anyone have this issue? It'll be a few months before it shows up down under. If the track plan is simple, the easiest way to do this is to photocopy it, cut it into quarters and spread the corners out so they are the correct distance apart - to scale of course Anyway - Can Mike read this? I know there is some age restrictions for posting. I'm happy to email this info to ya but if the track plan is complicated at all, this may not be the best way. Rick - has Sept MR made it North of the USA yet? By they way Mike, I was twelve when I purhcased m very first Model Railroader Magazine. It was the August 1980 issue. I still have it
Hey- I've read the September issue, and that coffee table layout is quite nice. It's N scale, and 2'x 4' in kind of folded-crossed dogbone kind of layout that leaves room for the layout to be split into a mountainous-country setting on one side and an urban scene on the other. For Mike's sheet of plywood he could just about fit two of the coffee table layouts side by side--or just make the dogbone as it is and use the rest of the layout for maybe a small yard (or maybe a big passenger terminal instead) with a loop around it in the city and use the original dogbone as a good mountainous area above the city. He could also just expand the radiis of the curves and et cetera and just make a more free expanded version of the dogbone all of the way across his sheet, and there would be room for sidings and spurs and such. This is so much fun!! Tell him to use his imagination a little. If Mike's already planning on doing it in N-scale just like the one in MR (he must be) that's great. It'd be nuts to put HO on such a small sheet. Good Luck--and good to see fellow young modelers out there... Derek; age 16 Long Live Espee!! ( )
Hello, You certainly have some options here. You could angle the entire trackplan so that it runs diagonal across you board. That'd give you more room for scenery and structures on the outside of your track. You may even be able to broaden the curves a little. One thing this plan needs is some sidings. Consider a passing siding at the Springfield depot "B" and maybe even one or two single ended (stub ended) tracks as well. If you use the same buildings, consider a single ended siding at starting around the McLeod Super Service "K". The siding could go under the bridge and end at Acme Paint "J". That way you'd have an industry to switch. Don't try to fill all available space with track though. You'll need some areas to practice different kinds of scenery!! Good Luck "Look Ahead, Look South" -- Southern Railway
That would be very easy to modify to fit the available space. You will be able to reduce the grade a bit with the extra space. Be sure to check out Woodland Scenics foam grade products to make the construcion easier. Also - if you can fit an a few industry sidings and a passing track then you can really start to have some fun. You don't have to add these right away however. These are easy to add later
I have seen that article, but will have to read it again to find out what scale it was in. What scale does he want to model it in?
