Your train Layout!

[James Patterson]

This is a thread for train layouts old and new, big and small.
My old layout
In San Diego I had a 4 level layout from about 2002 to 2005. Each deck served a differnet purpose.
Deck one (lowest) 2" to 3"
Lego Trains where on Deck 1, Phase 1 {2002- late 2003] :the track plan was basicly an ovel with a passing track. I rebuilt the station that came with the Hogwarts express set and made a small country station. There was an engine shed (unacessible by rail [not enough switches]) that I put various cars in. Using 2 tunnel portals (scratch-built) and blocks of wood I made a tunnel. Phase 2 [Late 2003- Late 2004] This phase had the same track plan (but with less curves because I had recieved stright tracks) but the passing siding was no more. The switches had been made into differnt uses 1: as a lead for the engine track and 2: as a lead for the new mine. The station had been redesigned and a baggage terminal (a small shack) had been put in.
Phase 3 [late 2004- mid 2005] : I had already gotten the news we where moving and a few things had been packed. The eleaborate staion had been destroreyed (because it was too big to go!) and the mine was no more. There was a simple very small (now not even the size of 1/4 of the 4x8) oval  and a passing track (the shed just off to the side like in Phase 1). Most of the lego stuff had moved to the table in my room including: the mine portal {not the mine}, new trolley staion (made from part of the old depot), and an oval of track (along with enough for the trolley line)
Deck two 1.8' to 2'
This was my main HO scale layout for quite awhile. Phase 1 [early 2001 to mid 2002] was the first layout I had but it was no table! It was the floor! The layout was an ovel with a 2 track yard. It had no features. Phase 2 {Mid 2002- early/mid 2003}, at this phase I had moved onto the table and had a huge oval with a small yard (just swiches not track). It ran for awhile but my idea to use marker for rust on the track backfired and sandpaper was the only option. Many of the structure my dad put together and that ran for awhile with Life-Like equipment. Phase 3 {Early/Mid 2003-  early 2004), This was a run off of Phase 2 with more buildings and a siding at each end of the layout. I was double heading at that time and the power pack was starting to give out. During a trip to my house by friends (all model railroaders) we discovered that 18" radius was not the way to go! Phase 4 {Early 2004- late 2004} This phase saw a major redo to the layout. A passing track was added along with another controler so you could operate trains from either end of the layout. The outertrack of the passing track was 22" Radius but the other end was still 18". I added a Campground with paper tents (thanks mom!) and gravel.  In this short period the layout rapidly expanded with more buildings, trains, and cars. Phase 5 {Late 2004 - Mid 2005} I had been getting into the passenger fling at this time and the passing track was moved to the staion to allow for 2 passenger trains at once. The was another problem that I fixed! I used the curves like this 22", 18", 22", 18", etc so I would not have a wide turn but yet long cars could go through. Unfortunatly this required an S-curve in the track by the RR Crossing. This was a short lived layout and was the first to be torn down in the moving process.
Deck three  3'- 4'  There where no phase to this level as it was used for storage and N-scale along with slot cars.
Deck four 4.5'-5'
This level had 2 phases. Phase 1 (2002-early 2004) This was my Wacky layout at that time, it contain a giant model submairne in the middle and all sorts of toys from differnt scenes (some where just from Mc Donalds or Burger King (yes those Toys!)). This layout used old track from Level 2 and was poorly mantained. It suffered many derailments and power problems but I still kept it (Great to have all 4 levels running!) Phase 2 (Early 2004- mid 2005) This was when it changed from Wacky themed to Space themed. After a school show thing I has space thing left over so I made it the space level. It was never completed though. During this time I polished the track so it would work better.

Next time: My current layout! and my Planned Thomas Layout, also the very brief history of my wall layout and the furture wall layout!

[Paul M.]

I have a layout on a 5x9 foot Ping-Pong table. I'm about ready to start my scenery. Here's a pic from an earlier stage of my layout:

[Mik]

Hope this works http://www.catfish-hollow.com/layout.html

[max (uk)]

Theres mine...well most of it.

Please see 'my model railway' topic under HO for more pic's.

[Matthew Ginkel]

ill get some pics of my HO layout later, but here is a video of my n-gauge layout (not built by me) , basically its based in the midwest (easy since i use roads that run near me, i live in NW indiana) the large rocks are straight from colorado!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEEN3i-XcEs

[Alex V.]

Mine's a 5.5' x 6.5' HO shelf layout - One shelf is 6" wide, the other is 10".  I run all Bachmann Spectrum steam motive power; 1 3-truck Shay (#4), 1 2-10-0 Decapod (#2), and one 0-6-0T (#1).  All the track is layed and some ballasted, but I haven't done a lot of scenery work yet.
Shay #4 in the yard

  The full locomotive roster

[Alex V.]

Bump 

[ebtbob]

Good evening all,

      Here is a picture taken on my HO/HOn3 railroad,  the Philadelphia & Reading Shortline.   It shows a Bachmann 70 tonner,  one of three I own on the engine lead at the Engle Mine.  The enginehouse is an American Model Builders LaserKit,  one of two on the railroad.



Bob

[lanny]

Bob,

I really like the way you have mixed colors to get a nice, realistic effect in the siding as opposed to the mainline. Nice work.

And nice to see all the different layouts.

lanny nicolet

[Alex V.]

Good work, Bob.  I might say, though, the 70-tonner could use some weathering.

[Vinny]

How do you add a pic to this post? Sorry, I'm new at this.

Vinny

[ebtbob]

Lanny and Alex,

      Thank you for your comments.   As to the weathering on the 70 tonner,  well.......that may be quite a bit of time coming as I spend most of my time working on my On30 railroad these days.
       As to the ballest,  I always struggled with how that should blend together until I followed someone's advice and started looking at pictures.  I found any number of pix showing just what I did on my railroad.

Bob

[Tom Lapointe]

Here's some video clips of my garden railroad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g16Gnxm17cA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpbBhsy0ZCQ

I have about a dozen videos in all up on "YouTube", just click the "More from this user" link to see the others.

By the way, on the  second clip, you can see the Bachmann Large-Scale DCC-&-Sound-On-Board 3-Truck Shay double-heading with my Accucraft live-steamer ; the first 3 cars in the train are Bachmann's new 1:20.3 finescale hoppers & box car.

Almost forgot: since winter's just about over here, this was from LAST year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9khliFb58bo

The railroad is just over 2 years old & is still very much a "work in progress" - main goals for the coming year are to add more yard / industrial trackage, structures, & detailing.

Enjoy!                                                                                      Tom

[lanny]

How do you add a pic to this post? Sorry, I'm new at this.

Vinny

Hi Vinny,

To quote an 'expert' (if I remember right, it was Jim Banner) who gave this good advice previously ... 'second row of buttons, second button from the left. Click that and you will get this':

In between the you must add the correct information from whatever web site hosts your photos. I use "ImageShack" which is a 'free' web photo posting site. There are many, and others can suggest photo sites they like.

Basically here are the steps.

(1) Take a JPEG photo (try to keep it around 640 x 480 pixels in size)
(2) upload it to your web photo hosting site.
(3) Copy the indivual URL photo information from the desired photo you have uploaded
(4) Open a 'new topic' or a 'reply' on this Bachmann site
(5) click the button above and insert/paste that copied photo information between the brackets
(6) post your note to the forum

If done correctly, your note/reply will show the photo for all of us to see.

lanny nicolet

[ebtbob]

Good Morning All,

     I know you have seen the pic I posted above from HO/HOn3 railroad,  but at the other end of my 26x40 foot basement I am building an On30 railroad.   Here is pic of the timber trestle with a Bachmann 2-8-0 on the span.



Bob