Any Model Railroaders Out There?

[Jason and Amanda]

I am an N Scale modeler. I am drafting plans for a 3'x6' layout. I figured I'd see if there are any fellow modelers here to bounce ideas off of.

[ssrjim]

Off and on. In my last house I put a shelf around the room with an HO layout. It was cool except when we had a derailment.

[Alfred]

Hi Gang,

I'm interested in old Lionel and Marx O/O27, as well as American Flyer S-gauge. Also, some HO stuff. I usually set something up for Christmas, but I don't currently have a layout. Can't do the trains right now, as they will distract me from the primary goal of camper-building. I had briefly considered a "railroad" motif for the camper.

AL in Asheville

[Gary and Cheri]

On30 and Z scale here. I like the narrow gauge logging scene.

Gary

[Nitetimes]

N and HO here....most of it packed away right now. Waiting for the attic to get built so I have a place to play with them.

[emiller]

Had a large N gauge collection along time ago and sold it.

[Shadow Catcher]

I inherited dads HO trains including buildings etc that I built fifty years ago. This includes a couple of Shay locomotives. The problem is that i do not have a place to set something up other than a very wet basement.

[grant whipp]

I started a pretty extensive N-scale layout on a 30"x80" door, even got as far as laying the cork roadbed, but it's been sidelined while I build my On30 modules with the local California Northern & Cascade On30 Modular Group. I also have my father's old S-gauge American Flyer set, and I buy track & pieces to add to it whenever I can. Some guys call that "rubber gauging", but as long as you focus on one scale at a time, there's no "bouncing" ... ...!

CHEERS!

Grant

[Jason and Amanda]

I've been using Atlas track planning software (freeware) to design the track plan for this layout. Here is a previous version, the latest and greatest is on a different computer. I'll have to try and post it today.



The outer loop will be under scenery in a tunnel, I hadn't figured out a good way to design that in the software until yesterday so it isn't reflected in this version of the track plan. Essentially this allows for continuous operation of one or 2 trains while also a point to point switching operating at the same time.

The crossover gives me the ability to run a train that goes around the layout on the outer and then the inner loop before completing one lap. Then I can run 2 trains by ignoring the crossover and having 2 seperate loops.

In the newest version, I have taken the sidings on the left side and moved them to the right, consolidating all "industry" to the right side, leaving room for more open space and scenery on the left side. This places the sidings in the opposite direction but I figure if I need a runaround track I can use the inner loop (can't have everything in my space requirement )

I'm going to start on the benchwork in a couple of weeks. Since there is some modeling interest here, I may start a build thread as long as I don't get complaints

[Rick Sheerin]

I've been into N scale for the last 20 years. A couple of years ago I started back with HO scale slot cars. I have a large 4' x 8' four lane track that I race on and a smaller two lane one that is being detailed with scenery. I've found that S scale is lot closer in size seeing that the cars aren't true HO size.

[AZSpyder]

I have been wanting to do a N gauge in a glass topped coffee table since I saw it in a magazine many years ago.

How about a full twice around then add the spur tracks?

Jerry

[Looneytoons]

I collect and run O Gauge trains from MTH, Lionel, K-Line,Weaver, Atlas, Williams/Bachmann and 3rd Rail. I need to finish the top floor of my house before I can set up a permanent display. For now I just set the track on the floor when I feel like playing engineer.

[Dave A]

For the last 25 years I have into On3 but no room for a layout so I have been doing dioramas. Also I have been hired to work on some club sized personal layouts lately.

Dave

[chorizon]

Yeah, here are the beginnings of my N scale empire. I got this from one of the Atlas books. It is called the Silver City.

I started it before the TD bug took hold. I will finish it sometime soonly.

It is located in my man-cave. Yes, that's a dorm-frig underneath.

It is mucho cool-o...(The train)...!

<img src="http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv288/chorizon/100_0385.jpg" border="0" alt="train"></a>

[Jason and Amanda]

Hey everyone. It's been a few days. I'm safe though, for those that saw the news about Kandahar! There were some injuries to coalition forces but the Taliban insurgents didn't breach the perimeter and only made it about 30 feet past the outside fenceline before being gundowned or captured. I leave in less than two weeks!! Not soon enough.

Here's the latest track plan.