5 Steps To Selecting Your First Model Railroad Layout.

Your first model railroad se will be almost certainly a gift and therefore a test as to how the future will pan out with railroad modelling. Most first model kits are circular layouts and very basic and it is difficult to imagine what else can be done with other than watch it go round and round the Christmas Tree at different speeds.

ONE: Before you bring this set home for yourself or for others as a present, give some thought as to where a larger model layout could properly be set up.

Your circular set, if it's an S gauge, will probably be about 40 inches in diameter once it’s laid out. Plan on a space about 50 inches square, this gives space for scenery and the control center.

You could place your set on the floor to start, or you could put a large piece of plywood on a table top to get you started. There will be many places in the home if you look.

Circle or oval?
Some straight track bought alongside a circular set up will allow you to build an oval and from there you only need some imagination and soon you could have a very large layout. Just a couple of straight track lengths either side is enough to start making it interesting. Your oval should now be approximately 40 x 60 inches.

You'll love this set up for a while, certainly. But "for a while” only. If the hobby is getting to you, change will become a craving.

Before very long, you'll be ready to progress beyond the basics. After all, a simple circle or oval track isn't a very realistic downsize of a proper railroad is it?

TWO: Beyond the basics. Ready to expand? The look and feel of working with tracks and setting up your "railroad line" the way you, the designer want it to look.

Shapes, lengths: What you'll need!
You can only design the expansion of your first layout if it is a standard gauge system with the matching scale locomotive and rolling stock.

Although you've decided on the material of your track, you still have a few more decisions to make before you can start laying track. If you don’t list what you need you will either end up with components you don’t need or you will not have enough.

THREE: Yon need to get to know which lengths and shapes of track you need! These are very big decisions to be made. Actually if you can draw a sketch of the layout you want to end up with and measure the track required you will have the makings of the finished layout and all from your first train set.

It is possible to buy track sections that are already fixed to a base board and they just snap together. Some of these sections can be quite complex with points, sidings and even turntables. The curved sections often come in 3 radius dimensions, of 15 inch, 18 inch and 22 inch. The atlas brand is one of the most versatile. You can buy 1/3, ½, and 2/3 lengths. You'll be able to buy these in small straight and curved fitting pieces.

FOUR. Sectional track utilizes a rail joiner -- a slotted clip that connects the pieces of track together. This piece is essential. It not only keeps one piece securely attached to the other, but it also provides the electrical connectivity as well. For these reasons, the fit must be absolutely perfect and snug.

FIVE. Rail joiners slip over the end of the rail. They can, however, be misaligned to the point that one rail is on the top of the joiner. If this were a real, "full-size" railroad, you'd be feeling a very large "bump" when you went over it. The "bump" would be so noticeable and unsettling, that the train might even derail.

The same thing can happen with your model train as well. After all your hard work, you really want to limit those nasty derailments.

To conclude the. The 5 ways to selecting your first model Railroad layout are: ONE. Select the train set carefully. TWO. Find out which components you need to achieve what you want before making you purchase. THREE. Make your big decisions early by finding out ALL that is available for your system. FOUR. Utilise special components where you can it will save you time and money in the long run. FIVE. Be as accurate as required for a life-sized train because quality of assembly is now your mantra for model railroading!

By: Geoff Norman

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