Starting a Model Railroad - Some Basic Layouts

Basic Layout with elevation

If you are thinking about starting a model railroad hopefully you have an idea in mind about what you plan to model. It's always best to begin with a theme - What is your railroad all about?

Do you know your railroads purpose? That is, what will your railroad do?

What location will you be modeling? 

Have you chosen an era to model?

Have you decided on what scenery you are going to be using?

If you're just getting started and haven't thought about these things check out this article on choosing a theme.


Model railroading has been called the worlds greatest hobby and for a very good reason. Model railroading has so many facets, such as:


* Create your own little empire that you can get away from it all and just enjoy.
* Unique skills to master; wood work and all that goes with that, wiring and programming; from your controllers to lighted homes, painting, creating scenery and rolling stock, and so much more.
* Model railroading is easily the most rewarding enjoyable hobby around.


OK, enough of that. Even if you're still working out a theme, even if you don't own a train set yet we can get started looking at some basic and some not so basic track layouts.




Don't worry if some of what we cover sounds a little overwhelming we'll be going over it all here later. (such as wiring turnouts, reversing loops, etc). And keep in mind that most layouts are never truly "finished". The elaborate layout won't happen overnight. Most are never really finished they are works-in-progress.


The Layout


The layout will be the heart of your empire, it all evolves around the layout. Your layout can be as large, or as small, as you want it. It may be a small shelf unit, a switching setup, point to point, out-and-home, or a huge basement size empire with multiple trains continuous loops with multiple sidings, branches, junctions, and numerous industries, large lakes and streams...and on and on. But it has to start somewhere.


Let's see what simple basic layouts we can some with using only a 4' by 6' area? Note - I'm creating these layouts using HO scale but they can easily be modified to fit most any scale.


If you have a starter set, you probably have some curves and a few straight pieces that looks something like.... 

This is OK for running a few laps around the Christmas tree but it gets kinda old in a hurry. The first thing we can do to add some variety is add a couple of switches. 

You can usually buy them in pairs, right-hand and left-hand. You can get them in manual or you can get remote switches that are controlled electrically, the choice is yours. (We'll be going over switches and wiring them later on)

Here's a couple examples of what you can do just by adding a pair of switches, a couple of curves and a straight or two...

With this we can have a couple industries with cars waiting to be loaded, then hooked up and hauled away.

  

Or, add a couple more switches and make the following layout

Or, add the switches outside the oval and you can add a station, say on the top branch and an industry on the bottom.

Or make a simple passing lane...

 

How about an oval with a passing lane and a goods yard...

Now, if switching is what you desire, you can add more switches, more curves, more straights and viola...

Some sidings in the above example won't be very long and will only handle a car or two, but hooking and unhooking cars gives you lots to do!

OK, so enough of sidings, you can add as many as you want. Now, you may want to use that first pair of switches to do something else - like an inner curve...

But you say you really liked those sidings? Then add some sidings to the layout with an inner curve...

Or finish out the inner curve and create an oval inside an oval with some sidings...

So you say the oval itself is getting old and really every railroad curves for a reason so for a little more realism - distort that oval...

But even this layout needs some sidings, no problem....

You can even spice it up a little more with a passing lane and some sidings....

So far everything I've shown you fits easily in a 4' x 6' area (Using HO scale) with room to spare. The next couple of examples are getting just a little fancier and will need a little more room...but nothing more than a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood....


When you feel like trying something a little more advanced, and you like the switching operations try a main line terminus....

With this next example you can be running multiple trains (with the proper wiring which I'll cover in another blog post later) create a station, have multiple industries and still have plenty of room for scenery...

The next plan will require the use of a double-pull double-throw switch on the reverse loop (or the use of DCC) or you'll suffer a short. (more on wiring to come). 
Trains can run from the terminal station at the top then the main oval. Then switched on the reverse loop so they can return locomotive first to the station. Plenty of room for scenery, stations and industry!

I hope these examples have given you some ideas to get started on. 

We haven't talked about curve radius and we have stayed level so we haven't discussed rises yet. Don't worry I'll be covering all this and much more...

There are many sources of layouts and ideas for your model railroad. One that has been a huge help to me is Dan Morgan's Model Trains for Beginners and Insiders Club

Until next time, here's to hoping you have some great railroading!