Large Scale Central

Build log for Red Baron Railroad

I am pretty new to this hobby. My dad had HO scale stuff as a child, and I have an extensive Lego collection. I also have some N-Scale and HO models/track. Model trains is not new to me.

I have read most of the articles on www.familygardentrains.com as well as http://www.elmassian.com/ and http://www.girr.org/girr/. I watched the British series on making a Garden Railway as well.

I am looking for any/all advice tips and ideas on the project I want to set out. I am still in the planning stages but at this point have a good phase one plan for my yard.

Location:

I live in Seattle, WA.

Trains:

The trains I plan to run are both USA Trains engines. One is http://www.usatrains.com/usatrainslocogp38.html and one is http://www.usatrains.com/usatrainslocosd70.html.

Track:

I have purchased a loop of track, some track at a yard sale and both engines I plan to run on my track. The loop of track is LGB code 332 and the yardsale track is a mix of both LGB code 332 and Sunset Valley code 250. It includes the rail clamps to swap switch between. The ties for the code 250 is the USA style (or mainline vs narrow/euro).

Chosen Track Type:

I mostly plan to go with USA Trains track and mostly preformed curves. The track is code 332. I like the look of it and the simplicity of install. The LGB track I ordered was 8 foot radius and will be my indoor test track when I need to test. While the engines I bought work on 8 foot, I don’t feel they look good on it and all advice I have read says bigger is better. I also do not like the fact that bigger pieces of LGB include couplers and gaps in the ties.

I will probably end up going with rail clamps for keeping the track together.

Installation Method:

I plan to go the PVC route with railbed from RailClamps. http://www.railclamp.com/ . Portland is pretty close and I like the looks of the product, its looks like it hold up to weather and its easy to be modified. I have a few test pieces that I have been playing with to get an idea for the installation method.

I plan to raise it at least 1 foot at the lowest point though I am still considering 2 feet.

The track would all be installed first and have the trains running. Landscaping would come later and slowly over time as I figure out what I want to do at the various parts of the track.

The proposed layout:

I measured and modeled my yard in some CAD software and then used an image overlay carefully scaled properly in SCARM to layout the track.

In the picture below the “Red” areas represent existing wood chips. This would change eventually based on how I landscape it. The green part is where my house exists (it continues on down the bottom of the image). The black outline represents the fence/property. There is a rather deep rain garden on the right that came with the house. It is made with conrete blocks. The space to the left is likely where I will put both my train yard some day, and a shed of sorts to house the trains, with appropriate locks and security. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any nice way to drive them into my garage which is at the front of the house.

Layout

I like that plan! Don’t over think it. Just do it Nicolas and don’t look back.

Welcome to Large Scale Central BTW!!!

I see a future member of the International Association of Roundy Round Runners!!!

Hey Nicholas. Welcome! A great idea for going simple, and off-the-shelf, for your first foray into large scale. Get the loop running, get your IARRR membership from Boomer, and have fun!

Welcome, Nicholas. Look up Dave Goodson the local Curmudgeon. He has been extremely helpful to me, no matter what my plans are.

I’ll second what Bruce said.

And welcome.

Boomer K. Founder I.A.R.R.R. said:

I like that plan! Don’t over think it. Just do it Nicolas and don’t look back.

Welcome to Large Scale Central BTW!!!

I see a future member of the International Association of Roundy Round Runners!!!

I’ll second this as I welcome you aboard (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

Welcome aboard Nicholas, you’ll find a great group of guys here with good advise. Like Bob said, keep it simple and get your first loop down so you can enjoy the hobby. I also like your idea about keeping it above ground level, it makes it easier to reach and do different features.

BTW if you’re ever in the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area there are several of us that belong to LSC.

Welcome aboard. This is a great resource and a one stop shop on all the advice you will ever want or need. I am in the process now of beginning my first layout a well. I would be much more difficult if it weren’t for the advice here and the encouragement I get. While your working on your layout hook up with Dave as mentioned. He does operation sessions so you can get trains running even before your layout is done. And he is also very helpful.

Also as others have said the track plan looks great and would get you running and have tons of room for growth when you decide to do it.

Nicholas, that track plan is a hundred times better than anything I ever dreamed of when I started. It’s beautiful. Get it down as soon as you can, run some trains, and go from there. And welcome to the site!

Too bad you can’t run a track out to the garage and save yourself a lot of hauling stuff around. Oh well, can’t have everything!

p.s…what the heck is a rain garden? Does that have something to do with living in Seattle? Everyone says it rains a lot up there.

Welcome aboard !

Welcome!

Looks good! Like you said, the bigger the curves the better. If you have room for the 20’ use them. I’m glad I did.

How many feet of track are you plan on having down? Looks like some nice long trains can be ran. :smiley:

welcome

looks, like you thought it over well enough.

just one thing - do you plan this to be your layout still, when you reach metallic age?

(silver in the hair, gold in the mouth and lead in the bottom)

if yes, keep the height between two and three foot. your future back and knees will thank you for that.

The aforementioned Dave Goodson lives in Kent, Wa. He runs an operating session on the first and third Fridays of each month. PM me, and I’ll get you his email addy. I highly recommend that you get in touch with him. He has been very helpful to all of us.

Great start, I read all of George’s site 3 times, really helped me get a start, and inspired my site.

Keep up the good work!

Greg

Steve Featherkile said:

The aforementioned Dave Goodson lives in Kent, Wa. He runs an operating session on the first and third Fridays of each month. PM me, and I’ll get you his email addy. I highly recommend that you get in touch with him. He has been very helpful to all of us.

Actually, he lives in Kirkland… But close enough for a eastsider like your self Steve. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

You might consider joining the Puget Sound Garden Railway Society.

http://www.psgrs.org/PSGRS_(public)/Welcome.html

I’m not an active member, but I know quite a few of the members from OP nights at Dave’s. It’s a fun group of people with a wide range of interests from; simply trains in the garden to complex operations (aka Goodson).

I’m over on the ‘westside’ of the Sound in Port Orchard.

Craig

Devon Sinsley said:

Welcome aboard. This is a great resource and a one stop shop on all the advice you will ever want or need. I am in the process now of beginning my first layout as well. I would be much more difficult if it weren’t for the advice here and the encouragement I get. While your working on your layout hook up with Dave as mentioned. He does operation sessions so you can get trains running even before your layout is done. And he is also very helpful.

Also as others have said the track plan looks great and would get you running and have tons of room for growth when you decide to do it.

Are you now? (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Seams like I have heard that song before… (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif)

Don’t mind us, we joke with each other a lot. That is a nice dog-bone design you have there. I agree with the others, don’t Devon it, get the track down and have fun. And welcome to LSC.

A rain garden is something they are requiring in Seattle on new construction based on how much surface area is non-porous (i.e. building). The garden collects all the rain water from the roof, and filters it through its soil. There is an overflow for it to go to the street. There are plants in there already and its surrounded by concrete blocks. A natural place to have a train go over. I am planning a trestle bridge there, and the trestles will have to be quite tall to support it.

Craig Townsend said:

Steve Featherkile said:

The aforementioned Dave Goodson lives in Kent, Wa. He runs an operating session on the first and third Fridays of each month. PM me, and I’ll get you his email addy. I highly recommend that you get in touch with him. He has been very helpful to all of us.

Actually, he lives in Kirkland… But close enough for a eastsider like your self Steve. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

You might consider joining the Puget Sound Garden Railway Society.

http://www.psgrs.org/PSGRS_(public)/Welcome.html

I’m not an active member, but I know quite a few of the members from OP nights at Dave’s. It’s a fun group of people with a wide range of interests from; simply trains in the garden to complex operations (aka Goodson).

I’m over on the ‘westside’ of the Sound in Port Orchard.

Craig

Isn’t everything between Seattle and Bellingham considered Kent

Welcome Nicolas!

You have done great with your fist posting , well thought out etc.

You will need to learn how to post pictures of you progress.

The saying is " Pics or it didn’t happen"

I’m wondering if You will have your pike up and running before Devon ? (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

And Don’t mind Rooster!!!

Welcome to the insanity!

Sean

Sean, you are wondering? What is there to wonder about? Of course he will. Devon is still trying to build a box.