Advice for a new layout please?

[Dan-346377]

Hi, thanks for letting me join this Forum. I am about to retire (June) and would like to fulfil a childhood dream of creating a train layout. It wont be huge as space will be limited but the Hornby plastic sheet layout size with maybe a meter on each side added.

My question to you all is would it be better in N gauge or OO gauge? Advice re costs of equipment, availability etc., would be most welcomed from you.

Thanks in advance,

Dan M

[Bulleidboy]

Hi Dan

Welcome to the forum. I am sure you will get numerous answers to your question. Many on the forum are either at or well into retirement - for me it is now fourteen years. You ask whether you go N or 00 - have you considered TT120? It's bigger than N and smaller than 00. With N or TT120 you will get more into the space you have available. You should also consider that, now you have reached retirement age is everything working as well as it used to - eyesight etc. It would be wise to read one of the "stickies" listed at the top of the subject menu - Getting Started (Sets and Track-Mat Expansion Packs). This is not a cheap hobby, but you will have to decide whether you are going for analogue, DCC or possibly the new HM7000 control system. I know you will be keen to get started, but it pays to do some serious reading before you start spending - I spent a considerable amount of time studying layouts, what sort of track etc., before I started, and when I did start I knew exactly what I was going to build. Ask any questions - we have all been where you are now. BB

[ModelerXYZ]

Hi Dan. Welcome.

I am an 00 man. I am not retired, but I do enjoy playing trains. The advantage of 00 over N is that it is bigger and everything is easier to see. The downside is that it takes up a fair bit of space. My railway takes up half the lounge room.

My advice is to buy a starter set and work from there. and also think playability when you are planning. For example, a run round loop is more useful than a bay platform.

XYZ

[ellocoloco]

Hi Dan and welcome.

With regards to OO and N, there is probably not that much difference in price for locos and rolling stock but if you use the same space you'll needed double the amount in N scale so probably double the cost! As BB suggests, TT120 may be an option.

My advice would be to decide on what you want your model to depict and see what is available. Many models may need to be sourced second hand or waited for. I have chosen DCC but DC or other might suit you. If you can go along to an exhibition ask the folk there and see different products operating. Don't rush to a decision - you have all your retirement ahead.

Oh, and expect to go off at a tangent on numerous occasions. I thought I had my ideal layout planned on numerous times and still can't work out why I have a Mexican ALCo in the cupboard! Luck I still have at least 10 years before retirement and hope to lay track before then.......happy modelling and come back with any questions.

[Brew Man]

Hello Dan, and welcome. I retired almost 9 years ago but only got back into the hobby just over 2 years ago when my son thought it was a good idea to get me a train set for my birthday face_with_rolling_eyes thinking_face. I model in OO and have a reasonably sized layout - 10' x 7'. However, had TT 120 been around at the time I might have gone that way, purely from the stand point of being able to fit more into the space. I'm not complaining though. As others have said it will pay to know what it is you are aiming at before you start spending shed loads of money.

Come back frequently and ask questions. Remember we've all started not knowing anything.

[atom3624]

Hi Dan, welcome to the forum.

It depends on many factors ....

1. Money / budget - available and ongoing.
2. Size / space - already mentioned.
3. Era / time period - industrial, suburban, urban / countryside?

Once 'bitten by the bug', there's a burgeoning market which you'll find difficult to refuse!!

If larger locomotives / trains, then the more gentle the curves used the better, but this will depend on your own physique, eyesight, manual dexterity.

If all is well - I hope it is - then I would seriously consider as 'a new starter' going for the new TT120 - it's right up your street. Large enough to maintain visible detail, small enough to permit near-prototypical length trains without looking ridiculous.

Tunnels can help this of course.

Avoid inclines with the limited space - they must be very gentle. 5% is cited as the 'reasonable limit' (1 in 20).

Al.

[Simmo009]

Hello and welcome. Going to shows is a great idea. Also, see if you have a local club, well worth it as you will get roped into some project sooner rather than later and pick up some new skills. With a blank slate so to speak, TT120 could well be the thing for you. Plus there are some excellent Youtube channels for all aspects of the hobby. Go forth and enjoy your second childhood.

[Fishmanoz]

If you want to look at the sort of things people have done in the past, there is a website freetrackplans.

Once you want to start designing, there are two popular layout design programs - Anyrail and SCARM. Both have websites with trackplans to look at and both have free trial versions with limited track pieces. Both have extensive libraries of different makers’ track including OO, TT:120 and N.

And once you start looking at the sticky posts as suggested by BB, there’s a lot more info there including links to even more.

[Buz]

Hi Dan

It doesn't matter which scale you choose large or small the layout will cost exactly the same.

It sounds strange but none the less it is true the constraints are the space you have and the available budget for the project.

N and OO are similar in cost per piece.

Don't forget to have a look at the new TT120 that could be worth a look as well.

My preference is a plan based on a real station the end result is more believable.

Start the traditional way with a train set.

Look at the older magazines, the internet and books for ideas.

Start simple but allow for expansion it will grow in time, avoid the temptation to to go big and complicated straight away that is a recipe for disaster.

DO NOT take short cuts take your time and do the bench work track and wiring properly that will give you the reliability that is needed to hold the interest

regards John

[Aussie Fred]

I got a track plan book, looked at it and decided I just wanted to do my own thing. I have made mistakes. Having to dismantle and move layout twice in five years (still not up and running yet), I have learned from mistakes, but hopefully I will be happy with final product (or not)

[Topcat1707821625]

@ellocoloco

Could I just add a correction. An OO gauge layout requires over four times the space of an N gauge layout, not twice the space.

The scale of OO is 1/76 and that of N gauge is 1/160, so the linear dimensions of everything in OO will be 2.1 times those of N gauge. However, the area required for the layout is the square of this - 4.43 times that of N gauge.

[ellocoloco]

Thanks TC. So if using the same amount of space you could quite easily spend about four times as much with N scale. Remember British N is 1/148 so I'll let you redo your calculations which were based on continental/US N scale of 1/160 - which of course the OP may be interested in.

[Rana Temporia]

Lots of advice for N TT and OO but have you considered O gauge? If I was just starting out and didn’t have over 50 years worth of OO that’s where I’d be off to. There have been some great small or even micro layouts built with the O gauge locos that are available nowadays and you don’t need a lot of stock to make a great impression. The locos have a weight and presence that you can’t match in the smaller gauges, and if you look at the recent offerings especially for the small tank locos they aren’t that more expensive than the smaller gauge equivalent.

TBH I do think the scale track gauge of the new TT range is a lot more realistic than OO and makes the rolling stock look much better rather than trying to look right on a scale just over 4’ gauge.

[ntpntpntp]

@dan I think you really should aim to get along to a model railway exhibition or two before committing yourself. Don't rush into a purchase based solely on seeing online shops and youtube videos etc. Actually see "in the flesh" models and layouts in different scales, get a feel for what size of model and theme of layout you think will suit you best? Look around at the trade stands and see the range of products available for the different scales, relative prices etc.

[Topcat1707821625]

@ellocoloco

Oops! My mistake. I've never had anything to do with N gauge so just looked up the scale on the internet. All the hits must have been US ones. I don't think you would necessarily spend four times as much on OO as N because, as you said, rolling stock cost much the same and I guess track does as well. It would depend on how much rolling stock you had and how complicated the layout was. Would OO buildings etc. be more expensive than N?

@Rana Temporia

Don't I wish I had the space and the money to spend on O gauge!

[Rana Temporia]

@Topcat, me too!

[Brew Man]

And me. How nice that would be heart_eyes_cat

[Buz]

Hi Topcat

You have the cash for O scale you probably have enough space as well.

The question becomes how long between individual purchases and what gets made rather than bought.

And are the restrictions the available space gives workable.

Like I said all the layout options will cost you the same regardless of the scale you build.

What changes is the size of the chunks of cash you spend at any one time.

But no one is going to spend more than they can afford on a layout.

regards John

[M. Matthews]

Personally, a big part of the hobby for me is the social side. Whilst TT is a great option, one of the advantages I’ve found with 00 is that most clubs have an 00 layout. It gives me a chance to run those long full length trains that just can’t stretch their legs on my home layout.

[Dan-346377]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for taking time out to answer this question, I am grateful. I will look into the various gauges, I didn't know what TT was until I started reading the threads.

I will certainly attend some shows and speak to some knowledgeable people; this sounds like good advice!

Thanks again for all your comments.

P.S. I retired once in 2017, this is my second and final retirement :-)

[Simmo009]

We are building a new 40' x 20' multi-gauge layout at my club (I am the Chairman btw). 4 loops O, plus O branch to terminus, plus 2 loops each in OO & N, and 1 loop in TT120. Anyone in the North Herts area ever needs a long run, we can help. O-16.5 & Oo9 are possible too. As well as our other permanent OO & N layouts.