Layout for me and son


joed2323

Member
Trying to plan a layout for me and my son, hes young, but doesn't stop his interest for trains, he loves trains and plays with his thomas the train set, he has his own little table, but time to move to electric!

We have a basement to work with, would like a around the walls/shelf type layout or would settle for a L-shaped layout. Ive looked at lots and lots of layouts, but cant figure out a plan so my son isn't bored because its to complicated and it cant be just roundy round because i would be too bored!

I like something like the Heart of Georgia layout, or something similar, I want to use my space wisely, and not just have track running in every which direction!
 
Hi.

I'm facing the same situation with my son, who is an aging Thomas fan.

Granted, I haven't moved on anything yet, I'm too lazy at the moment.

There is a book, I can't remember the name, about an average person building a layout. They start out with the premise of fitting all the materials into a medium size car. The layout starts out being 4x6 or something like that.

But anyway, the best idea in the book is that you build it in portions. They started out with an oval and a stub siding. They put in some permanent and some temporary scenery. They made a complete layout.

The next chapter, they improved the industry, and made it more interesting. Then they put in an incline and a bridge.
And another siding and new industry.

By the end of the book, it was a complicated, multi level layout.

But I think that the idea to build in complete portions is wise, for a youngster.

I plan to put in a loop and maybe a double ended siding, a couple stations, and leave the rest bare, then surprise my son with it. I'll start with a non Thomas steam engine, and a few passenger coaches. Then we can run a short passenger train

He can decide about an industry, or engine terminal or whatever. I plan to steer him towards industries with that correspond to freight cars that I already have.

But again, I've been lazy when it comes to clearing space in the basement, building a table, and getting a working locomotive (my current steamer needs repairs).

Just some ideas.

James
 
!

Thank you for the good info!
I have my basement clean and ready to go! I have the lumber to frame up a table/shelfs and the knowledge to build so im atleast that far, just trying to figure out what before i just start building random shelfs.
 
Hi.

...
There is a book, I can't remember the name, about an average person building a layout. They start out with the premise of fitting all the materials into a medium size car. The layout starts out being 4x6 or something like that.

...
James

Would that book be "The HO Railroad that Grows" by Lynn Westcott?

If so its out of print, but worth having. Not so much for the techniques in scenery and wiring, as those seem to change frequently, but of how he started with just a train set and moved into a complete layout. Many other techniques, benchwork, track work, are as valid today as they were in the days the book was first published. You may be able to find one on E-bay or Amazon.
 
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Here is my opinion after model railroading for about 15 years.

Use DCC, forget about DC. Its cheeper in the long run and is very simple..trust me!

Point to point is fun for large layouts as it may take a while to reach each end. if its a short point to point it can get old if all you do is switching.

If you have a way to build a shelf layout that has a Main line that is looped will give you the option to have one train run while you can switch industries with a 2nd loco. This can add to the fun for you and the Child as most kids just like to run a train around while others may want to switch cars. You can even plan short oprations and plan on passing each other in sidings, swaping cars etc.... If you have the room for a shelf layout that really is a great way to go. it will give you plenty of room for mainline and switching spurs.

I would advise a few things
1) pick an genral era to model,
this will help with the choices of radius track you should use, industries to use, engines that will be seen etc....

2) know your limits,
will you run long passenger cars? autoracks? or just 40' cars
these need to be known and understood with the way your track plan is layed out

3) think about what is used on your layout.
If you run passengers you will need a few stations, If you haul coal you need a mine. etc... this will add to the show and look the part when the layout is built

4) draw up a track plan
after you know what you want to see and equipment you will use etc..., share it with us so we can give an opinion on what is good ,bad or to offer a suggestion. remember its your layout and you need to be happy with it.

Regarding what I like to see in a layout is function. my layout is based around freight. Mainly coal with 4 small industrys that handel boxcar and flatbeds. It is a single track looped mainline, 3 track yard with one track acting as a siding,siding on the other end of the main, a junction with another RR, and a 2 track engine service aera, I also found a place for a reverse loop. The layout is not that big. its basicly 10 x 3 shelf. one third is hidden in a closet where it loops back around to keep the main loop going.
small but gives me the loop to run a train and plenty of tracks to switch cars. passing sidings to run 2 trains on the main. both sidings are the same length so the trains can pass each other at both sidings.

here are some pics

Trent
 
Would that book be "The HO Railroad that Grows" by Lynn Westcott?

No, but a search for that title revealed the one I couldn't remember:
HO Railroad from Start to Finish, by Jim Kelley.

The Kelley book did have a periodic feel to it, as in, each chapter was written and published a month apart, and then later put into book format.

It was just the one I looked, the Westcott book is probably comparable.

James
 
A good place to start would be my "Beginner's Guide to Layout Design." It is designed to get you asking the right questions, and save you time and money. Click below. It will take you about 10 minutes.

Heart of Georgia is a good starter layout. But keep in mind that almost nothing will fit your needs without modification.
 
I'll put in a plug for sectional layouts. With a sectional (or modular), you can build a layout now and easily modifiy pieces of it later.

Aside from the HOG, see also the Wildcat Central from Model Railroader magazine - mainline running, switching and some sort-of hidden staging. (Don't know the issue but it was about 10 years ago, I think.)
 
Welcome to the hobby and the forum! A lot of wisdom can be found here... so be sure to ask questions.

I am on my 6th layout... and it is a modified version of the HOG RR that has been mentioned here. I decided that for this particular railroad, I wanted to build a railroad that fit within my allowable hobby time (husband and dad of three kids), my allowable budget, and my allowable space. (I have a very understanding wife and have been "deeded" a portion of our basement). The train room is about 11'x16' and is plenty big for my railroad, my workbench, and our son's model rockets.

I decided on a smaller railroad also because I wanted to get to a "finished" stage on the railroad. I didn't want to spend so much time building that I didn't have time to enjoy operating the railroad.

Consider how much time you will spend on the hobby... is it 1 hour a day... is it 3 hours every night... maybe it is 2 hours every other weekend. Time spent at any hobby and your expectations are directly related to the joy you get from that hobby. If you can only spend an hour every two weeks working on the railroad, but you expect to be running trains by Christmas for the family, you are going to be disappointed and probably walk away from it.

If you list out your givens and druthers (what is fixed, ie room size and what you want, ie continuous run potential) I think your design will start to take shape. Armed with your list you can then begin to review designs and modify existing trackplans to fit your list.

Keep us posted on your progress!
 
UP2CSX - Ive looked at that website, i do like the plans, but i want more industries then what they have planned on there layout.

lmackattack-Im thinking era wise 1950s or modern day, is it alot harder to model modern day?
I want to model the up of michigan, where i live. I want a yard, maybe a garage or some type of train shop. Some industries i would like to include are logging, coal mine, scrap yard maybe/tire shredding plant, and possibly a paper mill if its not to hard to model a paper mill!?

I havent really thought about passenger trains since there isnt really anything like that up here where i live, so i wont loose any sleep if i dont have passenger trains.
 
Joe, as Chip said, no one layout plan will be exactly right for you. I think I used bits an pieces from about 10 plans for my layout. Don't get hooked on what a track plan shows as scenery. It's easy to substitute more industries for a downtown area just be rearranging and adding some tracks.

As far as eras, the 50's transition era and the modern era are about equal in terms of the amount of models available. From your industry wants, it sounds like the 50's/60's era would be better. There's not much logging going on with railroads now, and even rail served scrap yards are becoming rare. Paper mills are still very much in operation, but almost all the rail service is box cars taking away finished product today. The raw material (logs and such) are mostly truck delivered now. It was common for paper plants to get pulpwood logs delivered by rail in the 50's and 60's.
 
Think im doing a free-mo layout, seems cheaper when you only got to model like 24 inches in most spots except for a yard or whatever
 
Must be a sign, i found 2 peices of plywood, already cut 2x6, and 2 1x6, im gonna start framing up my base here shortly
 
Im having a problem figuring out what height to set my tracks at? I got it temp framed up and set at around 48 inches to 50 inches, but seems high for kids, but in a way thats a good thing so kids are touching my layout!

I know its suppose to be set high for diff reasons but is this right before i nail it up for good?
 
track hight is all up to you.

Personaly I like it to be just below chest hight so that you can still see the whole layout.

some like it at eye level so it gives the perception that you are standing next to the trains running.

others just want it at about waist hight so they can see everthing.



Free Mo is fun but you are limited to operating your layout unless you have a permanate set up..
 
I dont know if this is stupid or doesn't make sense but im using both free-mo and shelf type, for my layout.

Last time i modeled a layout when i was younger it was like 2 4x8s, and i had track running everywhere, it never got finished because there was just to much area to model, and i was inexperienced (still am).

I dont plan to do section at a time,but most of it at once.
 



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