My layout in the making

[dynamite25]

Now that i got most of the things need to get my layout up and running so from tomorrow till sunday night i am going to get done the following things.

1)To get all lower baseboards in place and the rest of the roof boarded up

2)Get all lower track work in place and pinned down

3)To fit all points motors for the lower level and have wires off them into a wire blocks ready to completely wired up

4)Start to work on upper level

 

[dynamite25]

Have decided that while i am building the layout is to wire it ready for DCC as i will be changing over later this year but still be able to use DC control till then,it will make it easier to do it now than later when all track is layed and ballasted.

 

[dynamite25]

Well i have manged to finish boarding one side of the loft up today and i will do the other side tomorrow afternoon as i am building a wardrobe in the morning for my sister,but before i start the boarding up of the rest of the other side of the loft i will cut the other basboard and fit it in.

Then saturday after food shopping and get supplys for the layout i will start laying track down,i'm gonna try and get the lower level done by saturday night if nothing else crops up.

 

[dynamite25]

Well i have decided to stick with DC control as that seem far easier to me as i just connect two wires from each of the 5 controller to each loop and to my depot area and away i go controlling my trains.

And what wire i bought can be used to wire extra lighting in the loft.

 

[dynamite25]

Well i have ordered 6 100m reels of wire for my layout from www.rapidelectronics.co.uk and cost £5.17 inc vat each and for all 6 £31.02,and i have also order the new hornby cat aswell as two track plan books,two packs of hornby track pins and 12 PL 12 Motor Adaptor for the PL10 point motors from hattons.

 

[dynamite25]

Well i received my wire today at 10:15AM which is great service really as i thought i would get them tomorrow,but i got them today just waiting on items from hattons now.

 

[dynamite25]

Well i got my things from hattons today so i'll be starting my layout this weekend and i might use some of the ideas form the track plan books i got today on my layout,also going to buy one or two packs of cork tiles so i got some more full tiles for station area.

 

[dynamite25]

I have had a redesign of the station area and storage fiddle yard area under the station have a look and tell me what you think,also there are some parts that aren't the same in both pics.

Station area

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v687/dynamite26/improvedlayout.jpg

Fiddle yard

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v687/dynamite26/improvedlayout1.jpg

 

[dynamite25]

Made another order to hattons for 12 hornby points 2 L/H and 10 R/H i also ordered another track plan book and i need another 2 points aswell as the points i ordered today,but i will get them from my local model shop when i get paid again in two weeks as i only had enough money to buy the 12 points and the track plan book today.

Also not been beable to get anything done today as my parents had to nip out so i had to stay down stairs with sam till they came home but by time they did it was to late to go into the loft to make a noise,so maybe tomorrow but they might be going out tomorrow aswell to chester so maybe Wednesday now.But i need to get atleast the roof done tomorrow but we will see what happens.

 

[Nigel.D]

Steven this is really interesting but i dont understand a lot any chance of a beginners guide to railway layouts please also the benefits and probs between n and 00 guage?? cheers mate im looking to build a railway for my youngest but dont know where to start??

 

[dynamite25]

First off how much space you got nigel for the model railway and most people use 2x1 timber for the frame work with braces every 600mm and 9mm PLY or MDF for the tops,and the difference between N and OO is N is sort of half the size of OO and you can fit more in N in a 8x4 than you can with OO but OO is easier on the eyes thats why i chose it over N.And i think there is more in British OO than there is in British N but N Gauge is catching up.

There are afew DVD's and CD-ROM's you can get to help in building a model railway 1)The Hornby Step By Step Guide To Railway Modelling CD-ROM 2)Hornby: Virtual Railway 2 CD-ROM which you can use to design your layout 3)Peco Creating A Model Railway DVD,and there are plenty of books out to help building a model railways like track plan book aswell as loads of stuff on the net.

Heres some question

1)Baseboard size

2)scale N or OO

3)Era steam or diesel or both

4)Period like what year you want to set it in.

Mines both steam and diesel and no set time period so i can run anything i like really.

 

[dynamite25]

Also nigel have a look at this website for beginners in model railways it has loads of info to help you better,as it would take me along time to tell you it all and by looking at that site it's just all a click away.

http://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/

 

[Nigel.D]

Thanks Steven thats a great help your a top bloke!!!!

 

[dynamite25]

Got a shock this morning my goods from hattons arrived about an hour ago but i didn't recieve my email to say they have been picked and then packed,they must of forgot that they should of sent the email first before sending the goods are well nevermind atleast i got them alot quickier than the other two times.

 

[dynamite25]

Been trying to think how to have things on my layout after seeing a layout in the latest issue of MR so i got my trackplan and went into paint and added abit of colour to the plan to see what it would be like,and i came up with this it's not great and only half done.

Needs some more buildings added and more scenery aswell anyway have a look and tell me what you think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/dynamite25/untitled.png

 

[dynamite25]

Thinking of scrapping the track plan i got and designing a new one but with the station on the 3ft side of the layout,but not sure whether to have it on the main level of the layout or on a upper level.I'm just don't feel happy with the current track plan as to why i haven't started track laying and i want to have a track plan that i am 100% happy with and until that happens my baseboard will stay bare.

Plus i have been searching the net for inspiration to help me design a great track plan and looking in every model train book and track plan books i got,but still nothing has come up to help me in designing that perfect track plan i want to do.

 

[dynamite25]

Well i've still not decided yet but i have added more things to the track plan to try and convince me this one is worth doing,as i've not been able to come with anything or found anything better to do anyway heres the track plan.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/dynamite25/untitled3.png

 

[Nigel.D]

I think it looks pretty comprehensive mate dunno how you could improve on it

 

[dynamite25]

Well i have decided to stick with it as i don't think i could come up with anything better than that and that i could find anything better on the net that would fit that space.With the fiddle yard under the station i might add some track under the buildings the near the station for loco storage as that bit is empty.

 

[Nigel.D]

Can you fit any more in ??????