I am almost done building my ho-scale shelf layout, but lately I have been wanting to have a small portable layout, that is easy and cheap to build, I am also wanting continuous running ability, and realistic switching.

I was strongly influenced by Mike Kieran's Port Able Railway, and I used many of his ideas for my track-plan below:



I designed the layout to be operated in two different era's, the Erie RR in 1949, and a shortline in 1979. When operating as a shortline the upper right part of the curve will be used as an interchange track, when ran as the Erie RR it will be used as the entrance to the branchline.

I designed this layout to be cheap and easy to build. I am unemployed and I will be starting college soon, so I have a goal to build this layout for under $500. According to my calculations, track and buildings will be about $300 and benchwork will be around $50, this leaves about $150 for scenery, which should be enough. Track will be Atlas code 83 snap-track, and there will only be 3 turnouts, that should make this layout easy to build and maintain.

I should be able to start building the benchwork soon, I will be using plywood under a sheet of extruded foam. I plan on getting benchwork, track, and wiring done by the end of summer.

Justin I don't see any $$$$ in your budget for locos or rolling stock, is that because you already have those? I'm guessing from the rather large size that this is HO. Have you thought of going with N scale. i built a similar layout a few years ago in N in a 12" by 24" space.

Some part-time ovals from the late Carl Arendt's website:

http://www.carendt.com/scrapbook/page102/index.html

Smile,
Stein

Hey Justin,

Good choice!!!

Tyson Rayles Wrote:Justin I don't see any $$$$ in your budget for locos or rolling stock, is that because you already have those? I'm guessing from the rather large size that this is HO. Have you thought of going with N scale. i built a similar layout a few years ago in N in a 12" by 24" space.

The $500 budget is for the layout itself, I already have a DCC system, and I chose Ho-scale because I already have a loco and a fair amount of rolling stock.

Justin, may I make a few tiny suggestions?

If you make the ready mix plant an aggregates company, you can put in a mix of cars going in (hoppers of various sized gravel; covered hoppers of cement, sand, or fly ash).

The Engine Storage for the short line could be switched to a scrap yard or a lumber yard (although, you can add a lumber yard to the aggregates company to make it a builder supply). You cold then store the engine at the end of track like on the Liberty Industrial or park it on the leads for the manufacturing company or ready mix plant.

The road by the end of track should go near the end of track should be at the 3 o'clock point of the plan, that way you can use the road as a marker for when to stop and your switch lead for Able Manufacturing could be long enough for an NW2 and 2 cars. Of course if you want, making the roadway at the right end an elevated overpass, thus creating a view block.

It's worth pointing out that Reinhard/Faraway has a good approach for a medium-to-small layout, frequently updating the structures and scenery. No reason why it can't be done here! I'm looking forward to photos of progress.

One of my suggestions, by the way, is on that Carl Arendt page at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.carendt.com/scrapbook/page102/index.html#santa-monica">http://www.carendt.com/scrapbook/page10 ... nta-monica</a><!-- m -->

Tyson Rayles Wrote:Justin I don't see any $$$$ in your budget for locos or rolling stock, is that because you already have those? I'm guessing from the rather large size that this is HO. Have you thought of going with N scale. i built a similar layout a few years ago in N in a 12" by 24" space.

Actually you could build that (if I may) beginners train set layout for $500.00 including trains.
1.A train set.

2.Atlas add on track set

3.Basic Structures

4. Lumber

Of course this would be buying the needed model items on line and not from your full price hobby shop.

As far as N Scale the on line prices would be compatible.

Here's What I mean Justin:



The Interchange switch lead is 26 inches now and you can use the grade crossing as a marker for where the trackage begins and ends.

I envision the weekly car loadings as:



Naturally, you don't have to take these suggestions. These are just tweaks that I made to my track plan.

By putting in buildings along the streets, you can break up the roundy roundness of the track plan by using the buildings as view blocks.

You could also store the engine and caboose before the second switch by the lower grade crossing or past the first grade crossing by the parking lot/truck loading area for the manufacturing company. I would suggest the first choice so that it's out of sight for vandalism.

I enjoy switching cars or operating the RR's , so I like the simple plan . Maybe one thing I would change is the turnout you have by #467 I would put a another one by #457 & make that the interchange track ( folddown , foldup or cassette) that is also another switching point!! Just a thought!

The size and location of particular structures is easy to change, and in fact it ought to change over time. And it's not that hard to add a switch, for that matter. The important thing is to get started on the benchwork and make a go at the layout!

Thanks for the info Mike, here is my revised plan:


I added a road overpass to act as a view-block, but it will also be where the engine will be stored.

I will be using a scenic-divider made from foam-core to create two different scenes, and to make the layout seem larger.

Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine will soon be having a contest for a beginner's layout that could be built for under $500, I hope to enter this plan into that contest, but I will have to include power, engines, and rolling stock into that cost.

Good luck with the contest Justin!

You might not need a backdrop. If you have buildings along the overpass (think of a steep hill, like San Francisco). On one side you have one style of building and on the other, you have another style. You can even combine the buildings on the other side into one. Art Curren from Model Railroader did an article on this their 50th Anniversary Issue and years earlier in Railroad Model Craftsman.

If you are modelling New Jersey, don't worry. There are plenty of hilly areas.

Justin, If you didn't buy the materials yet, Atlas also sells a 22 inch radius turnout. It would increase the size of your layout to a 4x6 setup, but you have a wider choice of cars to run.