Beginner Help

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Mike,
A 4 x 16 is a nice size layout. Will it be setting in the middle of the room or against a wall? If in the middle, no problem getting to all of it for track and scenery work. If against a wall, stretching over a 4' table is tough. As many others have responded to you - get a track plan on paper before getting too deep into the table structure. I used 3/8 plywood on a 1 x 4 frame for about half of my layout. The other half was cut-to-shape strips of plywood secured to "T" supports. A sheet of plywood tends to "flatten" the layout.

If you could share your vision of your layout, the builders here could probably help with more specifics. Is your railroad going to be in the mountains, near a river/lake/ocean, out West or in the city, what year are you modeling? You've probably had some "pictures" floating around in your head, try to start detailing them - write down some basic ideas and post it here. What ever you decide, Enjoy - Miniatures are Great!

MIDRANGE - Like you, I got antsy after I purchased a DCC loco and Digitrax Zypher. Had to get some track down!. I dug around and found a small switching yard called John Allen Timesaver. I mounted that on a 2 x 5 piece of plywood on a 1 x 4 frame with the idea of incorporating it right into the main layout when I got it designed. That worked out well - I was able to blow a whistle and let off steam while planning the main layout. Keep us posted.

Welcome to both of you - Mike and Midrange
Regards,
Jon NFL
 
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Thanks, ok i just finished the table frame

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq141/mikenowakowski/IMG_0066.jpg

What type of foam should i use for the table the pink stuff thats more dense or the white stuff thats less dense

My layout i hope to be a country scene like these

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=298419&nseq=6

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=298200&nseq=16

you know like your driving through the country and all you see is corn around you and and barns and you see a hill in the distance and you approach it and see that its a grade crossing thats higher then the surroundings i would like it to be double track for most of it i have an idea on paper once i include the details i will post a picture but first i got to figure out what foam to use with your guys help
 
For foam, you need either the pink or blue extruded styrofoam, not the white stuff, which is actually beadboard, and is brittle and structurally weak. The foam comes in 1" and 2" thickness and I'd use the 2" if you can get it. Sometimes it's hard to find in some areas of the country. You can also cruise building sides and see if they are throwing scrap foam in the dumpster. Just ask the foreman and they'll usually be glad to have you haul it off. Otherwise, it can be found in 4x8 sheets in home improvement stores.

The framework looks fine to support foam. Is that where the layout is actually going to located? If so, what's you're plan to deal with that steeply sloping ceiling?

The rural countryside look will be difficult on a small layout. The most important thing will be using forced perspective and a good backdrop to make the layout look bigger. As an examp;e, the scene you're looking at on my layout is only a litlle more than two feet wide.

100_1714.jpg
 
looks like a good start on the frame.
for my table i decided to use particle board underneath 2" foam layer but i already had that board lying around. not sure where you were born but your last name suggests "eastern European" ancestry. no one can ever escape their genetic inheritance - there comes a time in life when russian modeller finds himself drunk, dancing on the table, at a times with his pet bear. so i'd say don't cut corners and skimp on construction but thats just me.

btw, in my signature you will find link to my progress thread, just as you, i started from scratch couple month ago. there also happened to be several discussion topics that are of interest to you.

advice:
read the forum. don't ask what whould i do or "how do i build a frame" but rather take half hour to research and then ask "hey, i seen solution x , y and z. here is my wants and conserns, it seems like solution X going to work best but Y looks like it can cover my [some sort of restriction, room or whatev]"
this will show you put effort into researching, people will want to help more, and you will get much better answers as a result

regards
 
thats where its going to be located i guess i will have to put the background on the wall the slopes thats the only place i have room for it

i was born in Michigan and live in Michigan i went to the local home depot and the pink stuff it about 12$ is that what other people are paying once i get it put up i will let you people know
 
$12 for a 4x8 sheet is a good price. That sloping wall is going to take some thinking and experimentation to hide the slope and add depth. Can you move the layout even a few inches away from the wall? That would give you a place to start a flat backdrop before you had to start to curve upward. The curve could then be mostly sky, which won't be as noticeable as things like hills and trees.

BTW, it really helps to understand your posts if you use caps and punctuation. :)
 
Ya, I know, I think i will move the table away from the wall and add a sky but first i need to purchase the foam. I have been thinking about where to get track and roadbed i looked at a few places, anyone got any recommendations i am looking for Code 87 track.
 


There's no such thing as code 87 track. Are you talking about Proto 87 track, where you lay the track yourself, or did you mean code 80 or code 70 track? Is the N scale or HO scale? What's your track budget look like?
 
I meant Code 83 its in HO i would like to have track thats great quality but lower prices what i have looked at and seen is Flix-Trax and the turnouts thats all i have seen in Code 83
 
Atlas makes sectional track in code 83 but the biggest radius curve is only 24" so, if you want wider radius curves, you'll have to use flextrack. That really not a bad idea for sweeping curves since you're not limited to a fixed radius. In terms of switch, Atlas Super Switches are much improved in quality over the older Atlas line and reasonably priced. I you have the money, the Walthers/Shinohara switches are generally better than Atlas, both in looks and operation. Peco also makes code 83 switches but you will be using flex track with them. The switches are high quality but the diverging routes are non-standard and US prototype sectional track does not work well with them.
 
Rail joiners, kind of like the real thing except in HO scale, they are more like clips than actual strips of metal bolted to the rails.
 
Good job on the foam, Mike. The first thing I would do is get some cheap earth brown latex paint and cover the whole surface while it's still bare. You can do the whole thing in 10 minutes with a roller. When you get down to landscaping later on, any spot you miss will look like earth instead of ladies underwear. :)

The best type of DCC starter system is a religious debate for some. You want cheap and easy to use? Get a Bachmann E-Z Command system. It will run your trains fine, you just won't be able to fine tune anything. The next step up is a Digitrax Zephyr starter system, which is about $150, sometimes less if you can catch a deal on e-bay or an on-line retailer. It has more power and you are able to program configuration variables. That may not mean much to you now but it will once you start getting DCC sound equipped engines and you want to change things like the horn sound or how loud the air letoff valve is. Once again, some reading will help you. Go to http://www.tonystrainexchange.com/tonystips/dccprimer/index.htm and read Tony's excellent guide on DCC for beginners. Then read Tony's off the cuff comparison between systems. It's a little dated but still gives you a good idea of the differences between manufacurers and their philosophy on building command stations. There is no one system that's "best. Each have their good points and their warts. If you search here on DCC systems, you'll find many threads on why each person thinks the one they have is the "best". I'd recommend you start off reading Tony's materials before you get bogged down in those threads. :D
 


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