My wife recently came up with an idea to give us something to do on these 100+ degree days of summer. Neither of us had ever tried model railroading but is seemed like a good idea to me. We purchased a Kato M-1 set, an 1860's steam engine and a hollow core door and went from there. The project is coming along. I added a Northern 4-8-4 engine and we now have seven cars of different types. We enjoy it enough that we now plan to build more sections until we have a horseshoe shaped layout in the "game room". The theme is Texas Hill Country. I'm going to post photos of the project as it moved along. Still not finished but I'll post more photos as work progresses. Any comments/suggestions are most welcome. I think I'll have to post about three times to get all the photos on here.
First Layout
- Thread starter JHansen
- Start date
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Yes, as your skills improve, future sections will look better. This first section looks pretty good as a starter.
Comments:
If you plan on expanding to a "u" shape, plan for the expansion in advance. Take some time to sketch out your ultimate plan. It doesn't have to be detailed, just a rough sketch showing how the sections go together and how the tracks connect with one another. Then you can provide for expansion without having to go back and redo portions of a previous section to add the connecting tracks.
You and your wife working together? What a great deal!
Eventually, someone will suggest using DCC. Go for it if you wish, but don't feel that DCC is a must. It's an individual choice. You can get a lot of track, trains and scenery material for what a good DCC system costs.
Hollow core doors make great bases. Many modelers put 1" to 2" foam on top to allow for below grade scenic features like ditches and streams. Think about it for your next section.
Looking forward to more pictures of your project. Have fun!
Darrell, quiet...for now
Comments:
If you plan on expanding to a "u" shape, plan for the expansion in advance. Take some time to sketch out your ultimate plan. It doesn't have to be detailed, just a rough sketch showing how the sections go together and how the tracks connect with one another. Then you can provide for expansion without having to go back and redo portions of a previous section to add the connecting tracks.
You and your wife working together? What a great deal!
Eventually, someone will suggest using DCC. Go for it if you wish, but don't feel that DCC is a must. It's an individual choice. You can get a lot of track, trains and scenery material for what a good DCC system costs.
Hollow core doors make great bases. Many modelers put 1" to 2" foam on top to allow for below grade scenic features like ditches and streams. Think about it for your next section.
Looking forward to more pictures of your project. Have fun!
Darrell, quiet...for now
Darrell,
Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I put down a 1" layer of foam as a base. That's how I handled the creekbed. The mesa was done by stacking layers of 0.5" foam. Worked out pretty well as the natural limestone landscape of the Hill Country tends to show the strata in the rock.
Funny you should mention DCC. I was in my LHS yesterday and priced DCC systems. They definitely fall into the "maybe someday" category!
The next section will include a 2% grade leading to a pass in the hills that will be taller than the existing mesa. The end result will be a much modfied Figure 8 (imagine hooking your finger into the upper loop of the 8 and stretching it out to the left) with the lower track passing through another tunnel below the uphill grade track and linking into the existing section that passes through tunnel in the mesa. Easier to see in my mind than to describe in words, I'm sure.
As for my wife, this was mostly her idea. Almost everything we like to do is an outdoor activity but we have had day after day of 100+ degree temps all summer with no change in sight. As a humorous side note, I've noticed that the patrons at the LHS aren't too sure of what to make of two people riding up on a Harley Davidson motorcycle and buying model railroading stuff. Must seem a little odd. LOL!
Take care,
John
Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I put down a 1" layer of foam as a base. That's how I handled the creekbed. The mesa was done by stacking layers of 0.5" foam. Worked out pretty well as the natural limestone landscape of the Hill Country tends to show the strata in the rock.
Funny you should mention DCC. I was in my LHS yesterday and priced DCC systems. They definitely fall into the "maybe someday" category!
The next section will include a 2% grade leading to a pass in the hills that will be taller than the existing mesa. The end result will be a much modfied Figure 8 (imagine hooking your finger into the upper loop of the 8 and stretching it out to the left) with the lower track passing through another tunnel below the uphill grade track and linking into the existing section that passes through tunnel in the mesa. Easier to see in my mind than to describe in words, I'm sure.
As for my wife, this was mostly her idea. Almost everything we like to do is an outdoor activity but we have had day after day of 100+ degree temps all summer with no change in sight. As a humorous side note, I've noticed that the patrons at the LHS aren't too sure of what to make of two people riding up on a Harley Davidson motorcycle and buying model railroading stuff. Must seem a little odd. LOL!
Take care,
John
tankist
Active Member
pretty good. its no the most exciting track configuration but i guess it works for what you want it to. great that you wife is interested, mine is almost but doesn't care at all. no dcc needed to run a loop but when it grows enough to accomodate 2 trains running dcc will become quite a nessesety. 2 people, 2 trains, 2 controllers screams dcc to me 
and no one said you have to have the most sparkling new system. watch here for used stuff as well.
good luck
and no one said you have to have the most sparkling new system. watch here for used stuff as well.
good luck
Tankist...thanks for the tip about used equipment on the forum. Also, the oval track was what we got when we bought the Kato M1 set. I agree about not the most interesting or original.
Fazby...the idea about having an opening in the back of the mesa is one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" things. All is not lost because I didn't plaster over the back. I can still hollow it out.
John
Fazby...the idea about having an opening in the back of the mesa is one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" things. All is not lost because I didn't plaster over the back. I can still hollow it out.
John
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