Ok folks, this is it I’m going to start building my new layout! This one is going to be a bit bigger than the last one, and will be a bit more interesting as well. I am following a design from Steve’s Trains that he built in 2021. It will have a few of the same elements, but as you all know I will be making some of my own changes as well. Here is the basic Track Plan. My plan is to have it set in Summer (my favorite season), the train station will be the same as Steve used as I have one of those already, I’m not yet exactly positive on the industries that I’m going to use or all the different structures that will be on the layout. I’m powering it with a Digitrax Zephyr, but I will be using DC/DCC switches so I can also run my DC trains as well. There will be lighting in the buildings from the beginning and the turnouts will be controlled by push buttons or via the throttle. I’m going to have everything wired and self contained in the layout so it can be transported easily. Like with my last layout the DCC and DC throttles will be hidden in drawers under the layout. This one will most likely not have a large shelf underneath, but I’m still not sure on that one. Here is my start, but I think I’m going to cut some more wood and make the border larger than 3” which is what it is now. If I do 6” I can then use this part as the insert. It won’t be too hard to recreate a few pieces. So Stay tuned for more updates here in the very near future.
I just bought a new Rigid table saw over the weekend… that was the hardest part, using it to build stuff is the fun part. I have wanted a table saw for a very long time.
Not much done today, I had some errands to run before I could work on the layout. After looking over the plans again I realized I made it too shallow overall. So I ripped the last of the plywood into 7” strips and screwed those onto the outside of the frame I made last night. I didn’t want any screws to show, so I had to glue part together and that required my Tank Straps to old everything tight so I wasn’t able to get everything I wanted to done. Tomorrow, I should have all day after work, I don’t have any errands. Sorry, no pics, it got dark too fast tonight.
Pics will come tomorrow I promise! So after a mess of running around today I ended up getting plenty of time to consider some things about this layout. First off is where is the controls going to be, and what will the controls be. Well I have some DC passenger trains that I would love to run, as well as DCC of course so why not do them both! This lead me to think of the were part. Well on my last layout I made a drawer in the stand to hold the Zephyr in place, and I thought that would be a great idea again. Only this time I am not making the same design as before, this time the layout will be standing on it's own legs and not on a stand. The current "box" that I built will need some trimming but when that is done there will be a drawer or two. If I do build a second drawer it will be for keeping throttles or maybe some train boxes in, nothing too complex. The drawer for the controls will have a UP5 or UR92 attached to the outside, and inside will be the Zephyr and DC Throttle as well as a switch for changing the operating method. I currently only have 1 throttle for DC in the box, but I could remove the one I have and fit 2 of the Kato throttles in there to let me control both lines independent, or even one DC one DCC... I have not yet decided how I am going to handle this part of the job. If I go independent lines then I will need another switch from RPC as I only have one at the moment. Another plan is to have pushbutton controls for the turnouts. I am going to use DS64s for the job, I will need 2, and while in DCC mode I can control them with the throttle as well. I may hide these in a hidden door when I do the final fascia, I'm still mulling many of these decisions over in my head. I am going to be taking my time building this one, and I am going to build it to be transported. Well that's all for now, I am going to watch some SoA before bed and get back to it tomorrow.
Well I spent most of the day on this… you would hope I got farther along than I did, but I had to wait on glue drying too many times. But I got some bracing in place, and the sides for the drawer. I think I’m going to have to run some screws to reinforce this area a bit more. Since I have decided to put a mahogany facia on after the base scenery is done, the screws won’t matter much. I got the drawer made, it started at a bit over 5” tall/deep now it’s around 3.5”, just enough to hide a Zephyr and a couple Kato throttles. What I’m not liking about this build, and my plans for it were to have screw on legs that are 42” or something close to that so I can remove them easily for transport. This is the first time I have built a layout like this, it’s nothing like I have built in the past, and it’s not going as smooth as I like. It will work out in the end, I know, but it’s taking a bit more time.
An idea I saw years ago that worked really well and very simple for removable legs was to use 2x2s with screw in feet, but used another length of 2x2 attached vertically to give a solid edge between the corners of the layout, to hold the legs securely in the vertical plane. Then a 1/4" hole was drilled through the main/face board of the layout and a bolt with washer was inserted from the back. Most hardware stores have 1/4" knobs to look a bit nicer than just a nut, wingnut or bolt.
I have went that route many times before when building modules, and it works great. But this time I was going for hidden and clean looking on the outside. I wanted minimalist underneath, my normal MO is to build a table like structure with a shelf in the middle, and set the layout on top. Look below for an example of the last one I built. Here is the “table” I built. And this is it with the layout on top. That was just 2 simple loops and that was it, I called in a “Railfan layout” as all you could really do was watch trains go in circles. The new layout will be far more complex and a bit larger. My table benchwork will easily handle a much larger layout, it’s strong enough to hold me with no problems so there is that. I was just hoping this could be avoided this time. We will see…
Hmmmm....since I don't know what size your newest "portable" layout will be, I wonder if you couldn't just build an upside down "cradle" to hold it on top of one of those light weight fold up tables. It would keep the nice look of the fascia preserved and the table could just lie under the layout when transporting.
I was thinking of that too. It would work, I have several of those tables and a 6 footer would work perfectly. I wouldn’t have a way really to level it easily but it would work. I am thinking for ease and cost just build a bench like I have done in the past and limit portability… still thinking on that one.
I have mine on a 6 foot fold up table that is very stable. My plan was to build a 4x8 on top of two or three 2x4 folding tables. But, they are very unstable and would need bracing. So I have chosen to use four stackable shelving units using only three shelves each. 39" tall and being industrial grade very stable. That will give me a lot of storage with 4 drawer stackable drawer units in the middle. It will also be very easy to dismantle to move from apartment to apartment. Just need to start with the plywood and foam boards.
Hey guys! Been really busy lately doing… stuff… it’s not what I have wanted to be doing but it is what it is. So not as much work done as I would have liked, but there has been some progress any way. I got the drawer where the controls are going to live finished. I don’t know how but a measurement got messed up somewhere which required me taking some of it apart and trying again. It all worked out in the end, I was able to get it locked down and the drawer slides and closes just fine. There will be facia over what you see here and that will hide the screws. As usual enjoy the pics.
I love the drawer idea! It looks really sharp. Envious as my framework won't allow something like that.
My previous layouts were unable to hold a drawer in the layout itself, but as you can see in the pics above that I have put them in the benchwork underneath. This one I have better tools (ie a brand new table saw) and I’m taking my time on this build. It’s going to be a piece of furniture in my living room.
Drawers are great for hiding things needed to operate our layouts. Just be mindful of equipment that needs air circulation to keep them cool...JS .
Which is the reason for the large drawer. But I may be taking this all apart… I have been looking at my space available and while it’s not much space, it’s enough for this layout… but it’s also enough for an “L” shaped layout that measures almost 8’ on the short and 12’ on the long with 24 to 30 inch deep shelves. To build the layout on. This will not be portable and will be fixed in my living room in the same space as the 3x5 would be. I’m thinking this to be a better and more permanent solution. I will keep you all informed.
No, my dream layout is one that is large enough to make my TGVs look slow at full speed. But I have to work within my means.
So I have not been having much luck using Anyrail or XTRKCad to design my new layout. So I’m going to build the bench work and then lay out some track and see what happens. But there is one thing I thought of today that will be a must on the new layout. Since I love passenger trains I am planing on making commuter train that will go “underground” to a subway station and then return to the upper part of the layout again. It will have a platform and be below the part of the layout that will be a city. I have an idea in my head how it will work, it’s just a matter of the woodwork to make it happen. I believe I have the tools and the skills to make it happen. My tool collection has grown quite a bit since the last layout was built. The line that goes under the layout will be like my tram layout and be largely automated and make a couple stops here and there. I’m also going to have a tram line that goes through the city in a little loop, and lastly I’m hoping for double track main for the rest of the trains… maybe… the double track isn’t a must, it’s a wish.
