How to build a better model railroad the first time.

This article is intended for new model railroad enthusiasts

thinking about building their first model railroad layout.
Most experienced model railroaders have built more than one
layout. Why? Because at some point, each of us grew
disappointed with our first layout and decided to build a better
one. If by reading this you can build a more satisfying layout
the first time, I will have accomplished my purpose.
This article also contains some of the same information that is
in my earlier one titled “Where do I start.” The difference is
that the information in this one is much more closely related to
my personal opinions, and my own experience gained in
building several layouts. There is no reason that you have to
build your layout according to the ideas expressed here. It’s
your layout, not mine, or anyone else’s. Build whatever you
want. You are the only one that needs to be satisfied with it.
However, when you’re just starting out in the hobby, it’s not
always easy to actually know what you want now, let alone
what will hold your interest later on. That’s where experience
comes in. My first layout was exactly the kind that I’m
suggesting you may want to avoid. From that experience, I
learned that it did not offer any real operating potential, and
that I wanted something that would.

Part 1 [Developing a Concept]

My advice for new modelers is to follow this basic “Three-S
principal.” Make your layout Simple, Small, and Sectional.
Keeping things simple will let you finish your layout in less
time, spend less money, and have fewer frustrating problems
than you will have if you attempt some grandiose scheme on
your first try.
Keeping it small goes hand-in-hand with keeping it simple. A
layout that fills most of your basement will not be simple.
Building your layout in sections, say 2’x4’, will help greatly with
construction, wiring, and being able to take all the money and
hard work you’ve put into your railroad along with you, if you
ever need to move.
It is also much, much, easier to install wiring, switch machines,
and any other under-the-layout hardware by taking one section
at a time to the workbench, and turning it upside down.
Sectional construction also lets you have a better chance of
adding on to the railroad, or improving on your early efforts as
your personal skills, and goals, advance with your own
experience.
So let’s look at the way most first layouts are built; and then
see how we can improve things to get you more lasting
satisfaction from your first effort.
One of the most common choices for a first layout is one of the
track plans published by the Atlas Co. I started with one, and so
have many others. Most of these track plans involve cramming
as much HO, or N scale Atlas sectional track onto a 4’x8’ sheet
of plywood, as possible. So, right from the start, we are led to
try fitting the railroad to fit the table; instead of building the
Table(s) to fit the railroad. There are some advantages to this
approach, but, in my personal opinion the many disadvantages
outweigh the few advantages.
Advantages:
1) On the positive side, such layouts are easy to build. The
large, flat surface of the plywood forms a handy table on
which to arrange your track. If you are not happy with the
first arrangement, it’s easy to switch to another.

2) The table doesn’t require much in the way of construction

time, effort, or skill. You can attach a frame and legs, and
you’re done. Some folks simply lay the 4x8 on a pair of
sawhorses and avoid any construction at all.
(NOTE: I strongly recommend not using the sawhorse idea. The
plywood will likely sag, and/or warp without a rigid frame
attached to it. Also, it’s awfully easy to catch your foot on one
of the sawhorse’s legs and send trains, or even the whole
layout, onto the floor!)
3) The Atlas track plans are easy to follow. They are written
somewhat like cooking recipes. “Buy these “ingredients”
(track pieces) and “blend together” (assemble) according to
the “recipe.” (track diagram) It’s very simple.

So what are the disadvantages of using this system of building a

first layout?

Disadvantages:
1) You are going to invest a lot of your money, and a good deal
of your time, in building something that; while it’s fun at
first, you will most likely get bored with rather quickly.

2) When/if you do get bored with your layout, you are very
unlikely to be able to sell it. Used train layouts are a drug on
the market. They seldom sell at all, and never for anything
like the amount of money that was put into them. Salvaging
the track and structures is possible, and frequently done.
 However, as your personal experience grows so will the
sophistication of what you want on your railroad. For
instance, most people who start out with sectional track, or
roadbed track, end up scraping it and switching to flex track
eventually. Why not use flex track in the first place? It may
save you some money, and aggravation.

3) You may also find that, sooner or later, you have

derailments, and other problems with the Atlas “turnouts”
(track switches) included in the Atlas track plans. These
turnouts are not as reliable as other brands. Atlas “Snap
Switch” turnouts have an unusual design. The device that
physically moves the points to change the route the train
takes is called a “switch machine.” Atlas sells their turnouts
with either a manual or electric switch machine attached to
the side of the turnout. Both versions are quite weak and
barely able to move the “points.” (the two moveable rails)
reliably. For this reason, everything that needs to move in an
Atlas turnout is made very loosey goosey. The material used
to make them is quite flimsy also. While it is possible to
improve the operation of Atlas turnouts*, in my personal
opinion, it is better to buy the much more reliable Peco
brand turnouts in the first place.
 (*See my post “Improving Atlas turnouts” for more
information.)

4) It’s important to realize that the Atlas track plans are,

primarily, advertisements for Atlas products. While they
have helped many people build a first layout, they exist
mainly to sell Atlas track, electrical controls, and turnouts.
Like any advertisement, they are not going to praise another
company’s products, or point out any possible problems
with their own.

5) While it’s the first shape most new modelers think of, and is
usually what those Atlas track plans are designed to fit on, The
4’x8’ rectangular sheet of plywood also has some built-in
disadvantages. It is bulky enough to fill a large part of most
rooms. It can be difficult to move away from the wall to access
the other side of the table. (Mounting it on casters, equipped
with brakes, can make this much easier.) You will need access
to both sides because four feet is much too long a reach from
the front side. Track will need to be cleaned, and trains put
back on the track way back there.

Many new people build the frame and legs using 2”x4”
lumber. They may also use ¾” thick plywood. This results in a
very heavy, somewhat more expensive, and way, way,
overbuilt table. Remember we’re building this train table to
support model trains, not real trains!

The plywood can be 3/8” thick, and the frame and legs made
of 1”x3” lumber. This will be plenty strong enough. It will also
weigh, and cost, less. To prevent warping, it is a good idea to
make the frame and legs as “L-girders.” These can be made by
gluing a 1”x2” and a 1”x3” together to form an ‘L’ shape like a
wooden version of a piece of angle iron. I also recommend
painting or sealing all the wood parts to prevent warping.

Some model railroaders dispense with the plywood sheet

altogether. A two inch thick sheet of extruded foam insulation
is strong enough to be self-supporting, and even man
supporting, when mounted directly on top of a 1x3 frame with
crosspieces every 16” or so.

6) What if you have to move?

According to Google, the average American moves about
eleven times in their lifetime. I have moved nine times, and
the tenth is coming up in a few years. Even if you only move
your household once, sectional construction will be a great
help. Trying to maneuver a 4x8 up steps, around corners,
and through doorways, is a major pain in the posterior!
 Especially if it’s way overweight by being built with the
oversized lumber just described. Several 2’x4’ sections are
much easier to move.
7) A 4x8 also doesn’t have enough room on it for HO-scale
track to do much more than form an oval, two concentric ovals,
or some combination of an oval and a figure eight. You can fit
more N-scale, or Z-scale, track on a 4x8, but soon, in any scale,
things may easily become clogged with track. There won’t be
much room left for scenery, buildings, or anything else.
8) The 4x8 is nowhere close to the shape of a real railroad’s
“right of way.” This is the actual land on which a real railroad is
built. It is usually many miles long but, except for yards and
large terminals; it is typically only about 100 feet wide. In other
words, it’s very long and very skinny. A 4x8 is only twice as long
as it is wide. That’s not the same shape at all, not even close.
You can break up the all-too-obvious “round and round the oval
by building a range of hills, or a two sided backdrop down the
center of the table. Now we have to separate “scenes”. They
can be two different towns, an industry on one side and a
consumer of that industry’s product on the other, or anything
else you chose. The important thing is that the train seems to
be traveling from one place to another, rather than chasing its
own tail around and around.
9) This brings up an important decision for you to make. Do
you want to build a “train setup” or a “model railroad?” The
difference is realism. There is no “right” or “wrong” answer to
this question. Both options are fine, and each person can, and
should, make his/her own choice.
A “train setup” can be simply a bunch of track that lets the
trains go round-and-round, up and over, in and out of the
tunnel, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as it’s
what you really want. Most people soon get tired of just
watching trains go around. Others don’t. If you are in the latter
group, then such a “train setup” type of layout may be a good
choice for you. Those track plans from Atlas, and many other
track plans too, are basically plans for “train setup” type
layouts.

On the other hand, a “model railroad” should ideally, look, and

operate, as much like a real railroad does, as you can practically
make it. To do that it needs to be long and skinny, since that’s
the shape of real railroads. Look at the real railroad track near
your neighborhood. Does the track form an oval, or a figure
eight? No, of course not. Real railroads exist to make money by
hauling freight from one city to another. They have curved
track to get around natural obstacles, but their overall “track
plan” is pretty much a straight line from point ’A’ to point ’B’.
They don’t have their track laid out for what we modelers
would call “continuous running.” (In some form of circle) Most
modelers do want continuous running however, so on your
long and skinny layout, you may want loops of track at both
ends to let the trains get back and forth along the main line.
These end loop sections will need to be wider than the rest of
the layout. This arrangement is called a “dog bone” track plan,
and it will let us have a long main line on shelves along one, or
more, of the walls of a room; and still allow continuous running.
Building your layout on relatively narrow selves on the walls
often leaves more space in the room for other activities than
the 4x8 table would.
Each modeler’s home is different, so you will need to look at
your own home to see what space is available.*
When making your search, try to think in terms of long and
skinny, rather than big rectangular blobs.
(*Note: If you are married, you, and your spouse, may have
very different definitions of the word “available!”)
Once you find a suitable space, the next step is to carefully
make an accurate scale drawing of the space. This can be done
on a computer if you have a drawing program, or you can do it
“old school” style with pencils, a ruler, and paper. At this point
we are only concerned with drawing the outline of the available
space, the actual track plan can be added later. It’s a good idea
to make several photocopies of your space diagram. Later you
can test draw different track plans on them.
New model railroaders are seldom very familiar with how a real
railroad operates. For now it’s enough to just include in your
track plan at least two passing sidings and some spurs to serve
your favorite industries. If you will have a double-track main
line, two “crossovers” that will let trains change tracks, and get
back, can act as one passing siding.
Learning about, and mimicking in miniature, how a real
railroad operates to earn its profit is a very interesting activity.
You can read about real railroads, and how they operate,
online, or at your local public library. If the library doesn’t have
books on the subject, they may be able to request some for
you. If you do elect to do this kind of research, be on the
lookout for some small, simple, part of the real railroad’s large
route system that you might be able to model.
As an example, my own model railroad is very loosely based on
the Milwaukee Road’s trackage near Seattle, Washington. Even
the few miles of their route represented on my model are very
compressed versions. It would be a very rare model railroader
indeed who had the space needed to build an exact scale
replica of a real railroad. We have to “cheat” by picking out the
most important elements that we want to model, and leaving
out a whole lot of others that we simply don’t have room for.
This is a series of tough choices.
In my case I wanted to model passenger operations in and out
of Seattle Union Station. My model of the station occupies
most of the limited space I have to represent “downtown
Seattle.” The other buildings need to be flats, or painted on the
backdrop.
I hope I have got you thinking about different shapes, materials,
and track plans for your first railroad. If you decide that you
would rather build one of the Atlas track plans on a 4x8 sheet
of plywood, that’s fine. It’s your railroad, so you decide.
Good luck with whatever you choose, and have fun!
Traction Fan