Hints and Tips

Note: These aren't necessarily my own thinking

Some layout planning tricks I just brainstormed up:

Define your space: Before anything else, define the exact space you can use for your layout. This means the walls of the room, any windows or cupboards that need access (plan for the future) and any doorways. I know the professionals say build the benchwork to fit, but its hard to move walls and doorways after they've been built.

Access: How do you get from the door to parts of the layout? You need to draw in any aisle, duckunders, access holes in layout and associated crawlspaces. And get the scale right. You can't resize your beergut without giving up the beer, and we wouldn't want to do that would we?

Buffer Zone: After drawing your layout space, I think it is a good idea to draw a buffer zone inside the edge of the layout space, where track will not go. This means there will always be a layer of scenery between the tracks and the edge or backscene of the layout. And having this scenic buffer stops the rollingstock from landing on the floor in the case of a scale earthquake (ever bumped into a piece of furniture?)

Random Thoughts

I warn you: Don't listen to me. I have never built a layout. All I have done is modify a kit loco, and I'm most of the way through building a Brass, Nickel Silver and Whitemetal loco kit (Glue is for wimps...100% soldered so far!). All that you read here is only here because I think I know a lot. You probably know more than me.

Random Thought #1.

How often do you see buildings that don't quite touch the ground? I mean, ALL proto building are built INTO the ground, whether its just support stumps or the whole damned foundation. But on models, we see buildings sitting on flat ground, yet one corner is clearly above the ground. Aaarrggh. Make sure your buildings are actually built into the ground.

Random Thought #2.

Bush Lokies. Not all locomotives were black. At Powelltown, we had red and green engines as well as black. The Commonwealth Oil Corporation's shays weren't all black. At least numbers 2 and 3 weren't. They had a green boiler, black domes, water tank and bunker, wooden cab, cream lining and goldish coloured bits too. The Warburton Tramway Co's first Fowler was a delightful green colour. So give your locos a bit of colour, please.

Random Thought #3.

Weathering Locomotives. Some companies didn't look after their locos. COC for example, knocked down their loco sheds quite early on, and never rebuilt them. So for the 50 odd years the shays were in existance, they were serviced and stored outside. Not good for those beautiful paint jobs. Not good for the mechanical condition of the locos whilst they were in storage. BUT some companies did look after their locos. The locos were cleaned by their crews, and never had more than soot, road grime and maybe some oil stains. NO rusted hulks. Even when the Warburton's Fowler was close enough to dead, it wasn't too severely rusted, sure, the paint was faded, and in some areas had flaked off, but the loco still looked as if it could last a few years more.

Random Thought #4.

Details. Everyday details. I have composed this list of random bits and pieces that can be included on nearly every layout. Just remember, don't crowd. The key here is VARIATION. Not every building needs a vine creeping up its walls. Not every fence needs a loose paling. Not every garden has flower beds. Some of these details won't be too easily accomplished on the smaller scales, such as weld fillets on N scale equipment, but it could be visible on an O or G/H/F scale model

Vines
Cracked bricks/stones
Weeds
Drains
plant stems
rubbish
animal droppings
leaves in gutters, on ground etc
discarded equipment
street signs
wishing well
wall signs
banners
park benches
street lamps
yard lamps
dents in bins, cars
dust, dirt 'n' grime
birds
animals
discarded newspaper
cracked pavement
tyre tracks
groundcovers-irregular in coverage, colour, density, height
roof details-chimney, damaged tiles, gutters, leaf litter, twigs, sapling
windows-curtains, blinds, drapes
window planter boxes
pallets, drums, wire spools, coal, ash, ballast, dirt, weeds, grass, rocks/stones
footprints
chipped timber beams
discarded corrugated iron
missing floorboards
missing wallboards, vertical and horizontal
rain stains
oil stains
smoke damage
soot
water stains below airconditioning
pipes
rust stains on walls from pipes, fittings, fixtures, brackets
half open windows
posters
fences
missing palings
bargeboards
tidemarks
waterweed
schools of fish
friction marks/rub spots on doors gates etc
fallen branches
fallen trees
water seepage
concrete cracked by tree roots
telephone boxes
telephone poles
power poles
whirly bird roof vents
mud
billboards, hoardings
little patches of dense bush, copses
interior lighting
interior details
overlapping wall boards
unparallel wall boards
wall vents
drums, cases, pallets, barrels, boxes, milk pots
lube marks on hinges
awnings
verandahs
weld fillets on steel joints
brackets
ladders
chairs, stools, tables
flower beds
weeds between pavement
wall vents
moss/algae
drag marks
exhaust marks
dog poo
street signs
tools
railings
fences

Random Thought #5.: How about a variety of wagons? Remember most wagons can be built in wood and steel. Try this lot for size:
Flatcar Boxcar Gondola High Side Gondola Drop Side Gondola Open wagon Log Disconnects/Bogies/Buggies Log Spine Car Open Top Hopper Closed Top Hopper V-Dump Skip Wooden Side-Tip truck Bolster Flat Outside Braced Box Half Round Tanker Round Tanker Crane on Flat Louvre Van Cattle Wagon Sheep Wagon Tool Car Insulated Van/Ice Van Refridgerated Van Explosives Van Fruit Van(louvred)
Random Thought #6.: Space. You will never have enough. So buy a warehouse, invite your mates around, and start filling it. Then buy another warehouse. You get the idea. Use what you have, and stop complaining

Random Thought #7.: Expense. Model Railways are expensive. You will never be financially rich while you are actively modelling. Just don't tell your wife. Do tell her that through your hobby your appreciation for everything is greatly increased. I now look at a brick wall, and see different colours, weathering, damage, texture...
Or when I look at an empty paddock, I now see stones, grass, weeds, dung, trees and the fences surrounding, and I commit it all to memory.

NEW! Gregory Wissing, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, supplied the following hints:
1 In many articles on railway modeling, an emphasis is made to lay the track as smooth and perfect as can be. Ever seen a real NG railway on a perfect track? I advise to lay tracks as wobbly and kinky (curves to be made with straights) as can be, only check the gauge, and run short wheelbase 2 axle stock on that, preferably stock with lots of overhang. Running such stock offers a guaranteed most satisfactory NG experience. Stay away from multiaxle rigid frame locos, if some sort of equalisation is out of one's capabilities, small Garratts, Mallets will normally run on wobbly track. (I agree, seeing a tiny 0-4-0ST wobbling along with a rake of skips looks awesome! But heed Greg's words carefully, gauge must be kept true if you want trains to stay on the rails, and vertical kinks cause uncoupling problems!)

3 In general; short stock is more fun, who needs a monumental Garratt that can't move its huge train on your tiny layout?

4 Make stock heavy, no plastic wheels

5 I advocate strongly to make your own 0n gauge rolling stock from cardboard and white (wood)glue, the results can be amazing, it is cheap, no soldering, and paint does never come off! (Check Out my next hints page for more about using this material Page 2)

You were Warned! I know Nothing!
Now don't blame me for anything arising from my thoughts. And don't forget to read page 2 of hints and tips:

Page 2

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any comments?

Email me: trainbrain @ optusnet . com . au
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Mark Kendrick 22/09/04