Help with a layout

[lears2005]

Ok guys I moved in to a house about a year and 1/2 ago with a room just for the trains I want to use about 300sgf of it for the layout it will be ho scale. I want to model the late 1980s to early 1990s but have been unable to come up with anything. I really want to get started on this layout so any help you guys can give me would be great. thanks

[Steamtrains]

Welcome to Big Blue..!! Always good to see new faces eager to "play" with trains...

There are several very good planners here (I'm not one of them... :oops: ) but you need to clarify a few things for the guys so they can lend a hand...

For starters, when you say 300 ft2 for the layout...do you mean you've got 300 ft2 of room size, or 300 ft2 of layout surface...Also, what do you hope to see??....Rolling plains? mountains with lots of tunnels? an urban layout? Lots of switching operations, or mostly main line running?..or what..?? Also, what DON't you want to have.
Will you operate on DC or DCC..??

I'm sure once you give them what you hope to have, there'll be a load of ideas coming forth.

Good luck, and keep us posted...!!

[lears2005]

Ok I can give more info sorry. The room is bigger then 300sf but I need a space for my work table a thing so the space for the layout is 300sf. would like to have some switching and some industral with towns. would like to be able to use some of my union pacific stuff on it. let me know if you need any other info.

[Gary S]

Can you post a dimensioned drawing of the room?

I have found that I very much enjoy building from the prototype. Are there any industrial areas near you that you can use as inspiration? Maybe build those industries and follow the trackplan on your layout? Of course we have to make concessions for space, shrink buildings, leave out a few tracks, etc.

Do a bit of looking around on the net at various layouts and see if anything grabs you. Perhaps someone else's layout will give inspiration.