Show us your layout

[Doneldon]

Bal-

It looks good to me. You can come over any time now and build my next pike!

                                                                                                           -- D

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

A temporary living room layout till I can reach my shelf layout again.(torn diaphragm + elbows up=pain)
Diagram made with Anyrail free,MS photo, paint, & sniptool.

[uncbob]

Just a simple around the walls 2 track mainline 24&22 radius

[Balrog21]

sorry for your injury GG hope it mends quickly! Nice layout. I LOVE anyrail.
Uncbob, if you didnt tweak that photograph you have a very nice layout with some AWESOME looking greens! LOVE it!

[uncbob]

sorry for your injury GG hope it mends quickly! Nice layout. I LOVE anyrail.
Uncbob, if you didnt tweak that photograph you have a very nice layout with some AWESOME looking greens! LOVE it!

Thanks
Not tweaked
Click on my Signature and then click LAYOUT and you can see the evolution

[uncbob]

WE usually run 20 to 25 cars, and this train would normally be two trains with the second half having a few more cars.  The lengths are limited by the smallest of his four passing tracks.  He also has the complete 13 car California Zephyr.

This is his coal unit train;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfSTkjQZmD8

You can see some his other vids of plowing real snow and the Zephyr from the dome car.

Very nice and great videos
Excellent Weathering

[uncbob]

Anywho, I'm having fun, and designing the Shaleford logo was a bit of extra fun as well!
The curves are 26" and 22", tables are 5'x8' with a total of 4. Layout done with Anyrail.

Bal

Looks like a great uncomplicated design with a running loop so you can watch them go round and round when you don't want operations

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

sorry for your injury GG hope it mends quickly! Nice layout. I LOVE anyrail.

Balrog, funny, after seeing YOUR "The Mist" poster above the layout in this thread, I borrowed & watched it(cool), Turned off the t.v., Turned on the computer and YOU left me a comment. Almost as creepy as the flick!
Made Temp. layout up by eye, as I went, no plans, got lucky. I was done before I found Anyrail free. But just using to make the diagram makes me say the newest full version is in my future.

[#94]

Some nice layouts.
uncbob, I really like yours.

[trainmannick83]

Cool thread! OK.. you asked for it..  

Actually, I don't have all that much to show off, but I will show off some progress pictures of where my layout concept came from, it's progress, and current pictures today. The main thing is that this layout is still in the early stages.

BACKSTORY: I'm 40, with a 5yr old son. When I decided to build the layout I have in progress he was just turning 4 and I decided to buy him his first electric HO set - a Bachmann Thomas/Annie/Clarabel set. Then I saw the "exhibition" 4x8 Sodor Island layout that Bachmann built and it was on from there... and so it began.

This first image is a picture of the Bachmann Sodor Island, in case some may not have seen it. A three level, DC operated 5 independent track operated layout. It was my inspiration:


..and this is where it began:


...that's a little better


...much progress.. I decided to only go 2 levels and not 3.. also decided NOT to go with a harbor at the business end to help cut back on expenses:


..fast forward to many months later and a move to Florida. Some progress on the layout, but something is bugging me. There is a LOT of unused space in the middle of the lower level. I thought long and hard about what I could do. After some fiddling around.. it converted NICELY into a tunnel, which I will actually use as a "shop" area once all is said and done.. complete with sound FX and welding lighting FX.. ONE DAY:





..and finally just a few from how it sits now. Obviously there is a lot more on the layout than just "Thomas" stuff.. but I don't care, and neither does my son. We love trains and running them. The Berkshire in the first picture here is sound equipped with a Tsunami TSU-1000 and the outter circle of track on the lower level is now DCC equipped. The full lower level will be once I get more DCC locomotives. I also now have a Bachmann 2-8-0 Connie(DCC) - AND - I put a DCC decoder in my Spencer engine.  








SORRY - got carried away.. don't really ever get anyone to show the layout to.. and the wife isn't overly impressed!  

Seeing your son smiling at the camera in the second photo  with his layout put a smile on my face !!! Nothing like seeing little boys enjoying their trains  =)   I remember when i was his age  ( im 29 now and single , still living at home )  i used to have a Union Pacific GP38 layout .. In fact , still own it to this day .  But as old as that engine and stuff is and as long as it has been in the attic .  I just decided to buy me a NEW  Bachmann  Norfolk Southern Thoroughbred set !  It only has 2 cars and a caboose with the engine ... But that'll do  " for now "  haha !!!!   But he looks really excited and happy to be able to have his layout  , and you know what ? Thats the BEST part about it !  I want you to enjoy your valuable time with your son and his layout =)

[Balrog21]

thanks for the comment, yeah, I figured I have enough industry and lay lines to keep me busy if I want to let the trains just run and run and run...my son loves to watch them go round and round. Also what you can't see in the top view is the over under I'm going to attempt in the top left hand corner. If I can pull it off I think it will look pretty neat. There is also going to be a train museum added to the layout along with the diner that will be two amtrak passenger cars set up one up the hill from the other. Hopefully I can light these and it will look pretty neat as well.

[Artfull Dodger]

just getting started on my On30 logging layout, built on a 24" deep shelf that is "L" shaped, 8' long on one side and 4' long on the other.  Layout will be a double switch back using Peco On30 track, Bachmann Climax and a Shay, both with added 3trd trucks from Backwoods Miniatures.  Just built the Climax truck tonight.  Mike

[napa15]

@trainmannick83

Thanks for the comments. Man, I hadn't looked at this particular thread in several weeks and peeked at it and was scrolling down and saw my old pics and it was a bit of a blast from the past.  Weird.

That is a cool pic of my boy, and his enjoyment of his new train.. and our new venture. Well, I suppose I could give a little update on the layout. Actually, the layout hasn't progressed too much farther today than from what it looked like 9th picture. We had moved to FL from AL and my job there took up a LOT of my time, so not much time to work on it there. And then we moved back to AL, and I haven't had much time to work on it since we've moved back here... until the last few weeks. I have actually been going gangbusters on it that last few weeks and am trying to get it as done as I can as quickly as I can. We have a Cub Scout Railroad Safety event coming up in March and since the 4x8 table is on casters, I want to be able to take it to our event and put it on display for the boys.

Also, another "change" to the layout since i posted those pictures is that the layout "design/purpose" has shifted from a Thomas and Friends "Sodor Island layout to a realistic train layout, but not with any specific era or anything. It just won't have the European look and feel that it would have with the Thomas stuff. It was interesting to watch my son change his tastes as we would go to the hobby stores to buy train stuff. i would ask him if he wanted to buy another Thomas train car (Bachmann HO) or something, and he would chose an Army HO flat car with a Tank on it, or a passenger car.. stuf like that.

So, all the Bachmann HO Thomas engines and cars are now boxed up and not getting used much now. Will probably break them out for the Cyb Scout meeting though. I even put a DCC decoder in Spencer. 

[legolock]

I've seen a lot of cool layouts here! I'll try building my own as soon as house renovation's done!

[WoundedBear]

Great pictures guys. Keep them coming.

I have recently updated my layout thread, and I invite you to have a further look here........

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,8740.0.html

Keep your kit together!

Sid