Spend plenty of time planning your model train layout before you start constructing the bench-work or laying the track.
If you take the time to carefully plan the layout you will save yourself time and frustration.
Here are 5 things to consider when building a model layouts: 1.
Plan for comfort because you will probably spend thousands of hours at your layout.
Any operating session can easily run for 2-4 hours or even longer, so comfort is important.
Arrange some seating because standing for long periods on concrete floors is not good for your body.
Consider carpeting where possible.
If your feet get really tired try some pliable rubber matting.
The off-duty crews will need a comfortable crew lounge so they can rest in comfort and prepare for the next shift.
2.
Stay in 'walk-around' control.
Gone are the days of sitting in a central control pit and watching the trains go around.
Now it is all about operation.
The engineer needs to be able to follow alongside the train, so 'walk-around' control is an important consideration when building a model train layout.
However, even 'walk-around' designs can be compromised when a track cuts through the base of a peninsula, keeping the engineer from following the train.
Command control has made 'walk-around' operation much easier to achieve on a railroad layout.
Radio and infra-red wireless throttles, which avoid 'plug-and-chug' crew movement, are becoming increasingly popular.
3.
Plan your traffic control system.
Small layouts can get by without a dispatcher and/or train-order operators, but these are typically the most challenging and realistic jobs on any railroad.
This is especially so, now that timetable and train order operation is becoming more popular.
4.
Plan the wiring requirements of your model trains.
From a planning, safety and reliability point of view it is best to think through your wiring requirements as early as possible in the building process.
5.
Very few model railroads depict an isolated part of a countrywide.
Most railroads connect end-to-end or cross.
So, depending on your track layout, you may need to allow for moving traffic between your railway and one or more railroads.
If you take the time to carefully plan the layout you will save yourself time and frustration.
Here are 5 things to consider when building a model layouts: 1.
Plan for comfort because you will probably spend thousands of hours at your layout.
Any operating session can easily run for 2-4 hours or even longer, so comfort is important.
Arrange some seating because standing for long periods on concrete floors is not good for your body.
Consider carpeting where possible.
If your feet get really tired try some pliable rubber matting.
The off-duty crews will need a comfortable crew lounge so they can rest in comfort and prepare for the next shift.
2.
Stay in 'walk-around' control.
Gone are the days of sitting in a central control pit and watching the trains go around.
Now it is all about operation.
The engineer needs to be able to follow alongside the train, so 'walk-around' control is an important consideration when building a model train layout.
However, even 'walk-around' designs can be compromised when a track cuts through the base of a peninsula, keeping the engineer from following the train.
Command control has made 'walk-around' operation much easier to achieve on a railroad layout.
Radio and infra-red wireless throttles, which avoid 'plug-and-chug' crew movement, are becoming increasingly popular.
3.
Plan your traffic control system.
Small layouts can get by without a dispatcher and/or train-order operators, but these are typically the most challenging and realistic jobs on any railroad.
This is especially so, now that timetable and train order operation is becoming more popular.
4.
Plan the wiring requirements of your model trains.
From a planning, safety and reliability point of view it is best to think through your wiring requirements as early as possible in the building process.
5.
Very few model railroads depict an isolated part of a countrywide.
Most railroads connect end-to-end or cross.
So, depending on your track layout, you may need to allow for moving traffic between your railway and one or more railroads.