Model Railway Forum

Just wondered if any of you guys used them, needing inspiration for my new layout can anyone recommend any.

Thanks.

John.

Hi John

This may give you some inspiration - http://www.freetrackplans.com/Track-Plan-Index.php

Just click on any layout and a new toolbar will appear with all the Hornby layouts and others. There are of course a number of publications available from WHSmith which have some good ideas, but you've obviously got to buy those. BB

I have found that I get inspiration more from forums such as this looking at members layouts and going to model railway exhibitions. Then I get out a pile of A4 paper and start filling up several wast paper bins. I am doing that at the moment with my latest project. It always takes me ages until I am happy with a lay out plan. Funny thing is, it always seems to be harder to design a smaller layout than a larger one...........John

Hi to both Johns - rather than waste large quantities of paper, find a layout you like or that suits "some" of your requirements, and then make the changes you want. I used a plan from Cyril Freezers book - Sixty Small Layouts, and then adapted it to fit into the space I had available. BB

To me, its about what i want, not what others have done. I make the baseboard, start laying track, and see where it takes me. Never used a piece of paper. Once you have a circuit, so you know capacity, you can plan your points/ sidings, whatever, from remaining space. Its also, whether you are happy, to cut/ bend/ align, flexi track, or prefer to stay with fixed rails.

I laid two circuits and the rest just followed on.

I used a free piece of software called SCARM (paid version now available alongside the restricted free version) to draw both my layouts. R-

HI yelrow (john) It is not what others have done but I look at other peoples ideas because often they are better than mine. Then I get out the paper and pencil and do my plan with the help of others sometimes.
Like my dad always said, Two heads are better than one, even if they are sheep.
John

Its really how much you like to fiddle. I could not be doing with making a layout, then fixing it down, ballasting etc. Most of my pleasure, is jiggling a bit, every so often, with various parts of layout. Thats why i only use screws. Its an individual thing. I think mine dates back to when my brother, who has more Triang stuff, than you can throw a stick at, spent months with landscape/ buildings/ ballast. Then abandoned the lot for Radio controlled boats. When i asked why, Got bored with it. Mine does not stay the same long enough for me to become bored.

I found a basic plan, downloaded point templates then used masking tape for track - then I kept moving everything around and added bits to it. The buildings I intended to use plus embankments etc were chalked in so I knew how much room I had to play with for the scenics.