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Some photos of my train layout

Started by benhutcherson, May 30, 2009, 01:11:38 AM

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benhutcherson

I know there are some folks on who are interested in trains, so thought that I would provide a few photos of my train layout.

Here's a little bit of background information:

I've been buying and collecting trains most of my life, and have always wanted to have a more permanent set up. I spent a long time planning, but never doing. Finally, one day about two years ago, I just, out of the blue, resolved myself to get something done. I threw a 4x8 sheet of plywood on top of an old table, put an oval of track on top of it, and went from there. It was about an hoursfrom the time I brought the plywood up to the time I had trains running.

Here's the first set-up:



Since then, things have expanded and improved a fair bit. I added two extensions: one to make the total dimensions 8x10, and a second at a right angle to the first(to make a backwards L when viewed from overhead). The second expansion was to make room for the Lionel 456 coal ramp which I'd acquired.

As it stands now, I have two loops, the outer one 42" in diameter, and the inner one 31" in diameter. I've also added a three-track yard in the center.

The bulk of my "collection" is basically split into two parts-trains made between 1946 and 1969(
"postwar"), and those made after about 2000. I have some from before the war, and some from the intervening years, but those two areas are my main interests.

The bulk of my trains are Lionel, although some of my postwar items are American Flyer, and I have one or two Marx pieces. The newer ones come, again, mostly from Lionel, followed by a now defunct company called K-line, and then Atlas.

First, the 197 coal loader, the 456 coal ramp, and the control panel, including the pair of vintage Lionel ZW transformers to provide power.



Now, the main layout





The "high tech" control panel to get the most out of the modern era trains




And, finally, the rat's nest of wires to make everything work. I've definitely learned my lesson, and will take the time to make the wiring on my next layout neater.







mienaichizu

it takes too much space in a room but that's nice

McHeath

Very cool.  Looks like O scale, is that correct?  Mostly vintage stuff it seems, with some newer thrown in.  You have some neat functioning parts, like that coal loader. 

I had an O scale when I was a kid, then moved to HO but eventually got out of it.  My 16 year old has a nice N scale layout that I will post some pics of when I get a chance, he's spent endless hours on it. 

I used to really enjoy the pattern of the trains running over the tracks, and then doing some switch work and such.  The sound they make as they run over the rails is often very realistic, and soothing, I'd let it run while working on some part, a building or whatnot, and I notice that my son does the same with his. 

And gee can you believe what the stuff costs these days??  He can spend a 100 bucks on an engine and it's not even a good one, just a plain and simple job that is not very accurate or well made. 


Dan/Panther

Ben;
i also have the 027 gauge trains that I collect, and don't have alayout. I have considered building one, but the 027 takes so much room, that I decided if I was going to build one it would be N gauge. An entire town setup can be built on a hollow core interior door. You have the makings of a pretty good layout, which if I'm correct no matter how much time you spend will never be complete.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

benhutcherson

McHeath,

You're correct-it's O gauge(not much scale about it  :) ).

Most of what I show in the pictures is old, but don't let that fool you. I have a true control panel with switches, buttons, and relays, but can also control everything from the remote control shown in the last photo.

$100 for an engine must be nice. With modern O scale, $50 is pretty normal, and actually on the low end, for a freight car. Newer fully-featured engines start at about $350 and go on up for diesels. I just preordered one, due in September, with an MSRP of $800(I was able to get several hundred off by preordering). Steam engines start at around $600 on up.

Fortunately, the vast majority of postwar Lionel is very affordable, provided that you're buying super rare items or mint-condition never run pieces. The steam engine on the inner loop of my layout, for example, is a 675 from 1947. The same model was made, mostly unchanged, from about 1947-1950. I can buy these all day in the condition this one's in(which is good, but not great) for $100 or less.

Dan,

You can do a whole lot with O27 on an old door, too. Since the 27 in O27  means that the track is 27" in diameter, which is narrow enough to fit on a door. See www.thortrains.net for bunches of layout plans. You can actually get more O27 track in a small area than you can HO, which is the size between N and O.

Honestly, my current layout is probably as far as it's going to go. You're right, they're never finished, but I've learned enough from this one that any further changes would probably be best served by starting with a clean slate.