BUILDING A LAYOUT Building a simple layout

1 BUILDING A LAYOUT . BUILDING a simple LAYOUT Terminal/rerailer R. L. L Two 3". straights ROCK JUNCTION. HO Scale Scale: " = 1'-0". 8. R. Power pack Terminal/rerailer HO scale LAYOUT (4 x 8 feet). Wiring diagram Terminal N scale LAYOUT (3'-6" x 7'-0"). (conventional DC). HO scale LAYOUT (4 x 8 feet). rerailer This simple track plan of the HO scale Rock Junction is a great for beginners. It's easy to recreate and small enough to fit in a room or basement. Planning a LAYOUT Train sets usually come packed with an specialty books available at hobby shops Once you've selected a plan, you'll need ovalPower or apack figure-8 of track. Hobby shops and through the Internet that contain page to translate it into track sections. Some and other dealers sell extra track sections after page of plans in different scales and in plans come with a shopping list of sec- straights, curves, and turnouts (sometimes sizes from 4 x 8 sheets of plywood to base- tions used to construct the LAYOUT .)

2 Other called switches) that allow you to design N scale LAYOUT (3'-6" x 7'-0"). ment empires. Different plans focus on dif- plans leave it up to you to study the cata- a LAYOUT in almost any track configuration. ferent aspects Terminal of model railroading, from logs and Websites of track manufacturers rerailer The only limits are your imagination and the mainline running to rural branch operations to determine what straight, curve, flex- space available in your home for a LAYOUT . to yard switching. Your own tastes will dic- track, and turnout sections you'll need to Some of the best track plans come from tate which plan is right for you. build the LAYOUT and in what quantities. Wiring diagram Terminal (Digital Command Control) rerailer 8 World's Greatest Hobby Tabletop 1 4" plywood, 4 x 8-foot sheet 47".

3 96". 16". Wing nut Lock nut Bolt-washer Materials for table 4 x 8-foot sheet of 1 2" birch plywood ripped into 3"-wide 40". by 8-foot strips (1). 4 x 8-foot sheet of 1 4" Bolt-washer-lock nut plywood (1) 32". 8" lengths of 2 x 2 (4). 8-foot lengths of 1 4" x 11 4". wood molding (4). T-nuts, 1/4" (4) 8" length of 2 x 2. Carriage bolts, 1 4" x 2" (16). Wood molding, cut to fit Washers, 1 4" (16). Lock nuts, 1 4" (4). Wing nuts, 1 4" (12) T-nut Bolt-washer-wing nut Carpenter's glue Panel nails (1 box) Leg-leveling bolt 1 4" leg-levelers (or bolts) (4) (or plain bolt) 18". 35". Model railroad benchwork doesn't need to be fancy, but it should be sturdy. Here is a sample of benchwork you could build at home. Train tables There are many different ways to build hence the term train table.

4 Strip-wood girders, which looks like an the support structure of your railroad, but Benchwork for larger layouts often uppercase letter L. The other parts of L- they all fall under the general heading of requires more versatile designs to con- girder benchwork are legs, joists, and ris- benchwork. Benchwork can be just about serve material and provide more latitude ers. Horizontal L-girders join sets of legs anything, from a shelf attached to a wall to for scenery construction. While they may together, horizontal joists run perpendicu- an unused kitchen table. seem complicated at first glance, they are lar to the girders and give the framework Typical benchwork starts with four legs, actually easy to build. lateral strength, and risers support the a horizontal support frame made from Among the most popular of these track.

5 By modifying the height of the 1 x 3 pine boards, and a piece of plywood designs is L-girder benchwork. This open- risers you can create scenery effects screwed to the top of the support frame. frame benchwork gets its name from the that go far beyond the parameters of The end result looks much like a table, appearance of the cross-section of the flat-topped tables. 9. BUILDING A LAYOUT . SECTIONAL TRACK. ALL-IN-ONE TRACK FLEX TRACK. Three types of commercially-available track. All-in-one track is sectional track with built-in roadbed. Sectional track comes in predetermined straight and curved sections. Flex track (shown from both the top and underside) can be bought in three-foot sections and can be formed to your specifications. All-in-one track has roadbed integrated with the rails.

6 To use, simply snap the pieces together. Track Many hobbyists get started with the loop Nearly all brands of regular track will fit Often they are described by a numeral of sectional track that came with their first together with each other using metal rail such as 4, 6, or 8 that corresponds to the train set. You can expand your loop with joiners since the rails use the same cross- angle at which the diverging track turns the same brand of track or you can use section profile. All-in-one track often uses away from the main line. another brand in the same scale. clips on the ends of the plastic roadbed to Flextrack can be bought in bendable Two types of sectional track are avail- mechanically join sections, so some manu- sections (usually 3-feet long) that allow able: regular and all-in-one.

7 Regular track facturers' clips may not fit into another you to construct a LAYOUT with curves dif- features rails mounted on injection-mold- manufacturers' track sections. ferent in radius from those created with ed plastic ties. All-in-one track includes Turnouts, sometimes called switches, are standard curve pieces. plastic roadbed that represents the layer of made to match the radii and length of rock ballast under the ties. track pieces offered by manufacturers. 10 World's Greatest Hobby Wiring diagram Terminal (conventional DC) rerailer Wiring diagram Terminal (conventional DC) rerailer Power pack Terminal rerailer Power pack Terminal rerailer Wiring diagram Terminal (Digital Command Control) rerailer Wiring diagram Terminal (Digital Command Control) rerailer Command station Power supply Terminal rerailer Command station The upper diagram illustrates direct current (DC) wiring, while the lower diagram is wired for Digital Command Control (DCC).

8 Power supply Wiring Terminal For most model railroads, the simplest wir- create electrical blocks of DC power. By rerailer rate. All of the locomotives contain digital ing system is straight DC (direct current). using two power packs, you can use toggle receivers that do not recognize the track If your LAYOUT is fairly simple without any switches to alternate which power pack is voltage until a control unit sends a digital return loops that would create positive/ electrically connected to which block, signal to a specific locomotive's unique negative polarity problems, all you need allowing you to operate a second train on address, in effect waking up the locomo- are a locomotive, a power pack capable the same LAYOUT independent of the first. tive and telling it what to do.

9 Since each of producing variable voltages, and two Advanced model railroaders often use locomotive has its own digital address, wires. Your train moves at a speed deter- electronic control systems, such as DCC dozens of locomotives can be operated mined by the track voltage. (Digital Command Control). On DCC lay- independently on one LAYOUT at the As your LAYOUT grows you'll want to outs, track voltage remains at a constant same time. 11. BUILDING A LAYOUT . With the multitude of scenery products available at hobby shops, it's never been easier to detail your model railroad. Here, premade groundcover is sprinkled onto wet paint to simulate grass. Scenery Model-railroad scenery can be as simple show scenery making in detail. top of wet paint. You could add to the or as elaborate as you'd like.

10 Hobby shops Create simple landscaping to your LAYOUT scene by adding clumps of a dense sell an abundance of scenery products to by adding grass, sand, or roads to your lay- groundcover to make bushes, or by plant- make the job easier, from rock molds and out. For instance, in the photo, grass is ing a few prepackaged trees. miniature trees to scenic backdrops and being made by sprinkling premade shrubs. Books and videos are available that groundcover (found at a hobby shop) on 12 World's Greatest Hobby Structures and other details bring your LAYOUT to life. Cork is used as a base for this structure. T-pins secure the cork until the glue dries. Structures and details Make your LAYOUT come to life by adding period, skill level, and price range, in either As your skills improve, you may choose to structures and details.