Newbie trying a layout

[timmycork]

Hi all,

New to model train world, got a Pullman express kit for Christmas, and after a few rounds around its standard loop, I got on eBay to add more track and points and liven it up a bit. Have just moved house so having an attic space to work with was main reason I decided I could finally get into this.

Have loads of space but was going to just keep it simple and go for an 8x4 layout. Was thinking of going for a slight variation of this, http://www.freetrackplans.com/Hornby-8E.php Maybe put the station on the upper level and change around the lower level a bit. Was going to run two trains using ordinary controllers. Any suggestion on what second train to add in keeping with the Pullman?

Thanks

[Riversuir226]

Hi Timmy,

Welcome to the site and the model railway world!!!

The Tornado loco is modern image so anything that s running at the moment is fair game. Maybe pick up a railway mag and have a look to see what you like but personally a bachmann class 66 with a few intermodal wagons would look very good.

As for the layout design id be careful with gradients as they can easily go wrong.

Two controllers would be suitable for any twin track layout.

[Dave]

Hi Timmy,

 

Welcome to the site. May I suggest going to a 10' x 4' 6" layout, this will take the train set look away from the layout and give you some long straights and room for expansion.

As your model railway is in the early stages I would suggest you switch to DCC (Digital Command Control) here's a few links to explain

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Command_Control

http://www.dccconcepts.com/index_files/DCCtenreasonstogo.htm

 

You can get a basic DCC controller cheap enough, and your locos will need a decoder chip.

 

You will get plenty of advice here on the forum.

 

Post some pictures as you go

[timmycork]

Thanks for the advice, have been thinking of scraping that layout, gradients prob are trouble!! Thinking of running it in a 12x12 area, maybe on 2' wide board around outside, put a 4x4 town coming into the centre so I could walk around it all, what do ye think??

[Mayner]

Thanks for the advice, have been thinking of scraping that layout, gradients prob are trouble!! Thinking of running it in a 12x12 area, maybe on 2' wide board around outside, put a 4x4 town coming into the centre so I could walk around it all, what do ye think??

 

Hi

 

It depends on whether you are mainly interested in watching trains go by or operation 12X12 is a good space either for a double track main line around the walls with a terminus on a peninsula in the middle the so called E shaped design or the American idea of running the main line down the peninsula and looping back to maximise the length of the main line.

 

Adding another train the Blue Pullmans a very attractive train were probably ahead of their time they had a short life running alongside British Railways and 1st generation diesels. If your interested in watching trains go then a rake of Bachmann MK1s hauled either by an A4, prototype Deltic or one of the Heljan Type 4s would be an interesting comparison.

 

If you get interested in operation you could end up with anything that ran over the Midland Line between St Pancras Station London and Manchaster in the Mid 1960s.

 

Basically there is plenty of high quality reasonably priced rtr locos and stock out there, its a good time to get some interesting trains together and running while you are deciding on your main interests.

[heirflick]

welcome on board timmy - best of luck with whatever you decide and dont be afraid to ask any questions no matter how daft you think they are!

[Dave]

Thanks for the advice, have been thinking of scraping that layout, gradients prob are trouble!! Thinking of running it in a 12x12 area, maybe on 2' wide board around outside, put a 4x4 town coming into the centre so I could walk around it all, what do ye think??

 

Great idea Timmy, it will give you a more realistic looking layout, my new layout will be very similar. Best of luck with it

[WRENNEIRE]

Tim

Ditch all the UK stock and head over to the Irish side

Loads of new stuff coming out this month and next

The Pullman set will be snapped up as they are sold out in most outlets at the moment

Or do a layout that can accommadate both UK & Irish outline stuff

Main thing Tim is to enjoy whatever you decide to run

[timmycork]

@wrenneire where is a good place to buy good 2nd hand Irish models? And what is a good model to buy? Don't think I'd mind having Irish and uk on the same layout

Will sketch out the way I'm thinking of laying it out, any good source for ideas (apart from here of course)

[BosKonay]

Wrenn is a master of the dark arts of second hand procurement

[Dave]

Wrenn is a master of the dark arts of second hand procurement

 

He certainly is!

 

Timmy for ideas http://www.freetrackplans.com is a great place for ideas, for software http://www.scarm.info its free and easy to use.

[burnthebox]

Hi Timmy & welcome to the site, it's seem's you are going to run trains, exactly what I intend to do, when I get my layout in operation, UK & Irish, so enjoy whatever you choose, lot's of advoice on here, and stuff for sale, the abuse of course is free, so's the dust on any models you buy, you won't get better help anywhere, so ask away,

[enterprise207]

@wrenneire where is a good place to buy good 2nd hand Irish models? And what is a good model to buy? Don't think I'd mind having Irish and uk on the same layout

Will sketch out the way I'm thinking of laying it out, any good source for ideas (apart from here of course)

 

eBay would be the best, then again I suppose if you look arround you will find stuff

[timmycork]

No progress on the layout as of yet. Been watching lots of videos though and reading up, there's quiet a lot to this model railway business!!

Have decided dcc is definitely the way to go, anyone recommend a controller to buy, had just been reading about the hornby elite one. Seems decent and around what I could budget. This a good choice? Will no doubt have many questions about whatever one I end up getting!!

Have decided to run the layout in a loop with a duck under to get in, knead thinking of loosely basing it on the Mallow Tralee line (but in a loop and with two lines). The way I was thinking was there was a lot to it, few stations, a factory (now closed:(), few small towns, and running by an airport. Has anyone done or something similar?

Have tried my hand at the 2nd hand procurement so currently have a class 73 diesel with 4 50 tonne wagons and another Pullman coach winging my way!

Next step is sort out attic space and start working on baseboards for all this, again any advice appreciated!!

[Flying Scotsman 4472]

anyone recommend a controller to buy,

 

DCC controllers have been already covered in depth on the site. If you do a search you should find plenty to read about

[Dave]

Hi Timmy, I would stay away from the Hornby controller. As your layout grows and your collection of locos increase you will need a DCC controller to be able to handle them. I would recommend the NCE power cab, it starts from £136 stg in the UK and will cover all your needs straight out of the box. It can be upgraded to a 5 amp system and you can add additional hand sets to it. You can also control your layout from your computer through the NCE.

I have been looking at changing mine and the NCE is the way to go.

At the end of the day you need to choose a controller that suits you, just make sure it can cope as your layout grows

[timmycork]

Not much to update on this but will keep posting to keep pressure on myself as I should have more time freeing up over the winter months!!!! Just laid out boards on floor to give an idea of what I was thinking of

Looking to do a lift out or a bridge to get in-14 foot long 10 foot wide

[scahalane]

Looking good there Timmy, plenty of space to work with, keep us updated.

[BosKonay]

Looks like a great outline - any thoughts on a trackplan?

[timmycork]

Looks like a great outline - any thoughts on a trackplan?

 

Not so much of a plan but was just looking at it there, do you think I'd be better going 3 foot at all sides or leaving it with 4 at one side 2 at the other? have most of the space on the right hand side as it is so would prob put town scene there and maybe an industry by the end wall, maybe more a scenic run on the narrower side. Looking to do a fairly modern type of layout but don't really wanna be tied to just copying a line. Will prob run a double mainline. What a good height to have it at in an attic like this

[josefstadt]

Not so much of a plan but was just looking at it there, do you think I'd be better going 3 foot at all sides or leaving it with 4 at one side 2 at the other? have most of the space on the right hand side as it is so would prob put town scene there and maybe an industry by the end wall, maybe more a scenic run on the narrower side. Looking to do a fairly modern type of layout but don't really wanna be tied to just copying a line. Will prob run a double mainline. What a good height to have it at in an attic like this

 

Hi Timmy,

 

The height of the layout is a matter for personal choice, partly based on your own height. About 40" seems to be popular. However some people like to have the layout close to eye level as it is said that this gives a more realistic view. Of course, in an attic the heigher you go the narrower the available space becomes.

 

Unless you have access to both sides of the baseboard (and they were at an average height), I would suggest not going wider than 2' 6" as you will have to be able to reach across to attend to derailments etc or to clean the layout. Also don't forget that the distance from where you can stand to the furthest reaches of a corner will be greater - eg where two 2'6" boards meet it will be approx 42 inches into the corner. If you set the height of the baseboards lower than say 40" then the width could be widened a bit. Conversely if you go higher than 40" then the width of the boards would have to be reduced.

[timmycork]

Sounds like good advice! Will make it 3 foot all around and will have to keep it between 30 and 34 inches if I want a back scene away from rafters! Next step will be buy a dcc controller-thinking gaugemaster prodigy express-seems a good start up set, anyone have it?

[BosKonay]

My layouts pretty tight to the ceiling (loft issues!) So I went with 36" to the top of the baseboard, which is comfortable enough to operate in a seated position. My terminus boards are 2'6" deep, and this is really the max you could hope to stretch to, my 'scenic' boards running around the room are 1' deep with wider boards for the two branchline terminii (but I can access both sides of these).

[timmycork]

Just a quick update on progress. The baseboard is nearly done, just deciding on what way to work the lift out. The photo was taken with panorama setting on iPhone so show all sides of the layout.

 

 

Next step is buy dcc controller (prodigy) and get wiring

[krose]

Looking good so far Timmy.

 

I have a similar space that I intend to convert. Hopefully soon. What is the width of your boards and the gap between them?

[timmycork]

Looking good so far Timmy.

 

I have a similar space that I intend to convert. Hopefully soon. What is the width of your boards and the gap between them?

 

The baseboards are 3 foot wide all around, overall length is 14 and the width is 11.

[timmycork]

Lift out section

[Aussie Phil]

Impressive craftsmanship can't wait to see the layout progress further. Thanks for sharing.

[BosKonay]

Looking great and well built!

Cant wait for updates!

[scahalane]

Coming along nicely Timmy. Have you any track plan yet?? I can't under estimate the importance of this from the beginning as it will effect how the boards are laid out. I understand if you just want to get going and start putting the track down, but trying out different ideas on a piece of paper or computer will save a lot of work and heart ache in the end. On the other hand if you have one, I'd love to have a look.

[timmycork]

 

Have this type of a design in my head, it's not based on anywhere in particular but point of focus being the container yard and main town. Do ye see any problems with it

[timmycork]

No real progress since, have ordered more track and a dcc unit so will be mostly laying track and wiring now when that comes. While waiting I laid out track in loose form just to give myself better idea and have changed things a bit.

This pic is of the main container loading yard

It's going to be a double mainline, first spur track is just a run around and the two on the right the loading area.

Also laid out a corner I was thinking of changing to incorporate a station platform

Pic

When I was laying out to my original plan it was looking cramped so thought of putting a platform on a curve like that in two places and use the full left side for a town scene with station, just wondering what lads think? Is platform on a curve like that totally unrealistic or does it just make good use of those corners and keep the rest of the layout more spaced out

[irishrail201]

looks like its shaping up well, hope you get on good at it

[BosKonay]

Looking good! Platform on curves are very typical. Even large termini on curves.

[Dave]

Looking good, I like the container terminal.