In this section I will try to relate my ideas on planning, roadbed & track, lighting, and backgrounds.
I am by no means an expert on model railroading. I do, however enjoy the hobby at my own pace. I'm not up to date on everything, but I use some methods that have proven effective for me at least. Just to give you a little background on my layout, the "Deer Valley RR", I will begin by describing its dimensions. Envision if you will, eight feet wide by 48 feet long, and a maze of track on base and elevated mainlines in HO scale. The road names involved are SOO Line, Metra, Southern Pacific, and Chicago & Nothwestern. Although it sounds elaborate, it is only in its beginning stages. Most of it is still on paper, and I am only in the plywood construction and track laying stages. This is not my first railroad, but it is certainly my biggest project.
Planning: For those of you starting out, I think the most important thing you can do for your sanity is to plan-plan-plan! Proper planning will save you a lot of headaches down the road, and will keep your interest in your railroad alive. Always be conscious of turnouts, whether they be electric or manual, and do your drilling and routing before you install them to ensure that you do not have to disturb that area later on. Always color-code your wiring. If you have connection problems, you will be able to pinpoint trouble spots easier if the wires are color coded. You don't necessarily have to use different colored wire. You can buy colored plastic tape at the hardware store and color code your wires with that. It's cheaper to buy one large roll of wire than to buy several rolls of different colors.
One rule I strictly adhere to pertains to covered track, such as tunnels. Never cover your track without being absolutely sure the track is perfect with no chances for derailment. Yes, you can cut trap doors, but why crawl under the table if you don't have to? File, sand, solder, whatever it takes to make covered track flawless, and you will never experience derailment in a tunnel. If you can avoid it, never connect track sections together on curves, a common cause for derailments. Use three foot sections of Flextrack (r) . If you use different grades and heights of track, use shims to make the tops of the rails flush. If the room your layout is in is subject to extreme fluctuations in temperature, provide enough gap space between rail connections for expansion and contraction. No I'm not crazy. Believe me, this is no lie! A simple blade type spark plug gapper is sufficent. Just use the gap blade for .023 to .030 and this should be good for 50 degrees of fluctuation in any direction.
Roadbed Considerations: I am not a great fan of cork roadbed, especially when there is a wealth of other materials that can be used, not to mention purchased at more reasonable prices. I do like polyethylene foam, like that which is used for underlayment on vinyl siding. It's the correct thickness and its noise deadening quality is excellent. The only drawback is that it comes in sheets and you must cut it to shape. It takes a bit more time, but it is well worth the effort. Lay the sheet on the table and tack it down so that it does not move. Lay your track on top and use bulletin board type pushpins to hold it in shape. Then use a pencil or marker to follow the edges of the track. Remove the track and use a sharp hobby knife, cutting along your outline at a 35 to 45 degree angle. You now have custom cut roadbed. Mark the location of the roadbed and remove it. Spread a moderate amount of glue such as Elmers (r) and reinstall the roadbed. Let the roadbed set for about 30min. Now you are ready for ballast. For the sake of appearance, I find it better to install ballast before laying the track. If you look at a real railroad, you will rarely find ballast lying on top of the ties. I also find latex paint makes an excellent ballast adhesive. After applying ballast, let the whole thing dry and set overnight, and lay the track the next day. (top of page)
Lighting Considerations: There are varying opinions on what is the best lighting scheme for a model railroad, and I think the best answer to that question rests with the modeler. My personal solution is incandescent lighting, no more than 60 watts, hooked up to a rheostat so the light can be controlled depending on the mood of the session. I have five ceiling mounted lamps, evenly spaced, with white reflector surfaces. I prefer my railroad to operate in subdued light to emulate dusk. I think this lighting scheme is ideal for enhancing not only the equipment, but the overall aesthetic and nostalgic effect of the history of rail transportation. (top of page)
Background Considerations: This section is not for everybody. If you are not a fairly good artist, it probably won't interest you at all. Through experimentation, I have discovered that watercolor paints mixed with cutouts from magazines produces eye pleasing backgrounds when applied to 3/8 or 1/2 inch drywall. I cut the drywall into 2 1/2 foot high by 8 ft long sections, and painted each panel with robin's egg blue latex paint. From this scheme, anyone who can cut out pictures and glue them on is well on their way to creating some interesting backgrounds. The watercolor paints are used for shading and distant scenery such as mountains or city silhouettes. The nice thing is that you can work on each panel individually at your leisure, and have it in a position convenient for you to work on, instead of painting directly on the wall. I guess you don't really have to be an artist, but it helps if you have some idea of scale and perspective. If a member of your family has artistic tendencies, you might want to ask them to help you. With a well thought out background you can make your layout appear huge.
Something else to consider is the capability of your computer. Computer graphics has come a long, long way in a few short years, and today's printers have the capability of producing graphics that look very real. Print it, cut it out, paste it on. It's that simple. The result is beautiful graphic effects for your layout. (top of page)
These are merely suggestions describing what works for me. If you have comments or suggestions, please send me e-mail at terrybritt@megsinet.net
The following publications have great articles by highly qualified and renowned modelers:
Model Railroader Magazine, Railroad Modeler Magazine, Kalmbach Publishing Co.
Iron Horse Depot
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