# My small HO layout



## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

It's been 2 years since I started a 5 ft x 10 ft HO layout which fits the space available. Track is a folded figure 8 with a passing siding, small yard, industry spurs, and a track which can be used as a reversing track. Track height is 43" with 2" foam on L girder frame. I like modern diesels and steam so I don't model a specific era. Like to have a train running; sometimes with sound, sometimes not, when I'm working on the bench nearby. NCE power cab for dcc and homemade dc throttle which I used for a GP38 & GP40 before they were fitted with decoders.

A friend gave me many of the structures which I modified and reconfigured. A lot of the scenic details were fabricated with items on hand. I really like the idea of utilizing stuff laying around. The tank farm was made from pill bottles. I tried to incorporate a lot of concepts on the layout: areas of water, a must have bridge, mountains, static grass and homemade applicator, crossing signals, and scratchbuilding.

Locos are SD70, GP40, GP38, and 2-8-0 Consolidation. Would like to run bigger engines but just wouldn't look right.
Have run the GP38 & GP40 together which doesn't look too out of place. Perhaps a 4-6-2 doubleheaded with the 2-8-0 would be nice. Having a Big Boy plastic model coming out of a tunnel is a suitable consolation---better than having a $400 engine sitting on a display shelf.

I try to buy vehicles for $12 or less. Train show used vehicles are usually inexpensive. A smattering of Matchbox vehicles ,if they aren't too much out of scale, populate the layout until suitable scale ones are found. I did buy a truck crane kit for $27-----got to have a crane.

Currently I'm updating to a "2ft rule", adding details and redoing some features.

Now that I have 2 years of experience, I have the following takeaways:
Eliminating track elevations for the layout size made everything else easier.
Keeping the layout depth to 5 ft allows reaching everything (few spots require a step stool).
Taking painstaking care on trackwork definitely worth the time.


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## afboundguy (Jan 10, 2021)

Looks awesome!!!


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Very nicely done. Shows what can be accomplished with a minimum of space. The scenery is especially nice.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Looks incredible, what a great motivator to keep my butt moving


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Very nice! I'm curious how you did the tank farm with the pill bottles.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Nice work!


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Thanks to all for looking at my post and thanks for the comments.









Here's a closeup of the tank farm. The vertical tanks are made from pill bottles shown in the next photo.
The lip at the opening was sanded off on the belt sander. The plastic easter egg was cut down to make the
tank dome. A little bit of putty and paint completes the tank. The pipes are made from solid wire which was
salvaged from a defunct flourescent fixture ballast transformer. The horizontal tanks were made from diabetic
test strip containers glued together at the open ends. The tank supports were made from a wooden paint mixing
stick you get when you buy paint at a store. Leftover structure pieces were used for the ladder and walkway.
The pump house was cobbled together from styrene scraps. The fire extinguisher is a piece of barbecue skewer 
chucked in a drill and one end filed down to make the top. A piece of #24 solid wire was used for the hose. 
The shack is a cardstock download available at the Rail Modeller Austraila website. It was printed on regular
paper which was glued to cardstock. The roof was made from thin foam sheet whch I got at Hobby Lobby.
It was weathered with white chalk.



















The above photo is one of my favorite scenes on the layout. A plastic model of a Big Boy emerges from a
tunnel. The portal is made from would scraps with a light coat of drywall compound painted concrete color. The
mountain is styrofoam covered with drywall compound. The track bumper behind the white tank is made from 
flextrack ties and styrene sheet. All the track bumpers on the layout are of the same construction. The little tuffs 
of grass at the front of the Big Boy are pieces of scotchbrite pad.











The above photo is a wire & cable factory which is my first scratchbuilt structure. The cable reels are plastic
sewing machine bobbins wound with cable lacing cord. The parking lot is concrete colored paint which I
selected by taking paint chips at Home Depot out to the sidewalk to match the color. After drying, it was
painted black and then immediately wiping most of it off with a paper towel.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Very creative and great information. Thanks for posting.


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## Chops124 (Dec 23, 2015)

I see how you used the 5 x 9 to advantage. Definitely changes my opinion. Did you design the track plan yourself?


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## CHRlSTIAN (12 mo ago)

Awesome layout. Congrats.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

You have done a lot with a little space, and did it without it looking cramped. Great job!


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

Looks great. A CR fan?


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

Looks like a fun layout to operate.
I like your idea of bashing together storage tanks for your fuel farm, very innovative.
I like ideas like those to save on some of the expense model kits usually cost.
Will be watching for more cool ideas! 
Thanks for sharing!


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

Nice layout, I've got N scale now and I'm toying with the idea of doing an HO layout.
Would like to go with something smaller than your layout, something very simple.
See where my ideas go....


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Thank you all for the replies and comments.

Yes, I am a Conrail fan. Really like the blue & white color scheme. It all started when I found a 
Bachmann dc Conrail GP40 NIB for $25 at a tag sale.

I've been working on adding details to different areas on the layout.









The building is scratchbuilt. Need to add jambs to the overhead door and additional details.
The dumpster is scratchbuilt from styrene and wood. Had to Google to find dumster
dimensions. Ended up with a dozen offers of dumpster rentals in the email.









Wood for picnic tables purchased at Hobby Lobby, reasonably priced.










Started adding details to rooftops.









A place to warm up down at the yard on a cold day. The fire is 3 LED's with a flickering
affect-operated by an Arduino.










Brand new truck-broken down already.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Very nice, I especially liked the log fire scene. I'm glad this old thread got found.


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

Love the people and the victory garden on the roof. 
I wouldn't have thought of that as a place to lounge, but why not!


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## CHRlSTIAN (12 mo ago)

Could you post a track plan of your awesome layout ? Thanks.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Shortwrench,
Your layout is awesome ! If mine turns out half as nice as yours, I will be very pleased.


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Attached are a few photos: track plan, control panel, work bench.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

SF Gal said:


> Love the people and the victory garden on the roof.
> I wouldn't have thought of that as a place to lounge, but why not!


I grew up in an apartment in Manhattan and in the summer some people would sunbathe on the roof. We used to call it Tar Beach.


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

I've entered into 2 aspects of the hobby which are new to me. A friend gave me 4 Branchline
boxcar kits.










I'm amazed at the lack of flash on any of the plastic parts, regardless of size. 
My last job involved the manufacturing of circuit boards using surface mount
components so working with tweezers and a magnifying lamp was an easy
transition. Found canopy glue applied with toothpicks worked well for assembly
with an occasional use of CA. RTV silicone worked well for attaching the 
weights. As with installing drywall, I got pretty good at assembly after the
fourth car. Found the process to be very relaxing with time passing quickly.
After completing the first car, it occurred to me to read the instructions
beginning to end before starting assembly. Looking forward to doing more.

The same friend game me an non operating locomotive.









Manufactured by Lifelike, it might a PA-1. Upon removal of the shell, it was equipped 
with a decoder. Dead when powered up with DCC. Removed the decoder and it ran
intermittently on dc. Cleaned all the gunk off the wheels but the issue remained. 
Took some time figuring out how to disassemble the trucks without breaking them.
Had nothing to lose if I broke something but I really wanted to get it running.
Found 2 intermittent connections where the wires were attached to the truck
pickups. Fixed those and cleaned the drive. Ran it for a couple days on dc.
Smooth running, especially at low speed. Added a NCE decoder. Nice
addition to the layout and it cost me $28.

Enjoyed the experience and will be looking for bargains at flea markets.


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Nice looking rolling stock on an equally nice looking layout.  

Magic


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

The NYC engine in post 22 above looks to be a Fairbanks-Morse "Erie-built" locomotive. Good deal and good job on reviving it.


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Thanks for the info on the loco. Wasn't sure at all. PA-1 was a wild guess.


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Update on the layout. No major additions or changes. 









Started making trees to augment the scratchbuilt pine trees and sedum trees that I 
already have. Armatures made from florist wire. Tried covering the wire with hot melt
glue but didn't care for the final result. Instead used rubber cement to coat the trunk
and branches. Multiple coats in some areas. Quick drying and then a splotchy coat
of brown and medium gray. Covered the trunk and branches with 3M #77 spray adhesive. 
Finally covered with ground foam.

Started to focus on individual scenes based on common themes.









Time for coal and water for the consolidation.









An impromptu meeting at the M&Y Railroad yard office. When I get an air brush and some
experiencing painting rolling stock, I'll repaint the caboose to reflect the railroad.









This is my rendition of Little George's Restaurant on Rt. 20 in West Springfield, MA. The 
building was originally a car dealership kit that was given to me.









Nice day to get some sunshine and fresh air. 









Brand new truck----broken down already. They don't make them like they used to!


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

ii am curious where you are getting your vehicles? I like the chevy truck and your semis......









Thanks for your take on trees, I have to try my hand at florist wire and rubber cement...paint the trunks brown, I suppose.
Your trees look good as is!
Another way I suggest is you pull apart cotton balls like cotton candy and spray paint (mist it only) it green...you might be able to dye it green too.
Then, put the green cotton around your armatures and using your wifes firm hold hair spray, spray the cotton and sprinkle grass and ground moss pieces on the cotton. They will stick to the hair spray (or spray starch) and look amazing!
Thanks for sharing your take on scenery...lots of good ideas!


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

I get most of my vehicles from Trainworld and usually buy half a dozen or so of those on sale.
Then wait until some other models go on sale and buy a few more at that time.

Yes, I paint the trunks brown and let that dry. Then I dab medium gray over the brown so that
there is approximately 70% coverage. I've come up with that mixture after looking at trees
when we take walks around the neighborhood.

Thanks for the tip on the cotton balls. Looking forward to trying that to add a subtle
dimension to the scenery.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I also like a base coat of brown on the tree trunks, and then hit the highlights with gray. I use Lichen Gray... Figured it sounded tree-ish...

Your scenes look great!


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Thanks for the comment on the scenes. I try to model them based on real world situations. 
It's too easy to observe things in daily life and not think twice about them. Sometimes I 
get a lightbulb moment----that would look nice on the layout!


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## Raege (Jan 7, 2022)

Nice layout. Like Dropping in local landmarks. Drove by Little Georges “hone of the ham” but never stopped in for a bite. May have to now 
I always thought about modeling a Nicks Nest of Holyoke Ma someday for memories made there with my dad and then my sons. thanks for sharing


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Little Georges's does have awesome ham. Occasionally I'll stop and buy
3 or 4 lbs of their ham and we'll have it with potato or macaroni salad
for dinner.

Nick's Nest would made an awesome scene--busy street with a variety
of establishments on either side. Nice place to stop for a hot dog or ice
cream.

Now that you've jogged my memory cells--I remember an A & W root beer
stand on Front St. Chicopee, MA across from Szot Park. A frosty mug
of root beer and a chili dog for under $1.00. Always tasted better after
peddling your bicycle to get there. Will have to find a spot on the layout
for one.


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Space is at a premium in the layout area. I've accumulated a modest selection of
milled lumber used for scratch building and layout projects. Never had a dedicated
to place to store it so it got moved from place to place---usually ending up on the
top of the toolbox. I had a cardboard shipping tube 1-1/2" x 4 ft long laying around
and in a lightbulb moment I had a solution to my lumber storage problem. Cut the
tube in half, fabricate a couple of wooden cleats, and attach it to the bottom of
a shelf by the bench.








The above photo shows the tubes and cleats fabricated from wood scraps.








The above photo shows the tubes attached to the bottom of an existing shelf. It's also a good
place to store music wire which I constantly misplace. PVC or ABS pipe could be used
along with their associated mounting clips.


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

I've been revamping the lighting in the layout buildings. When the buildings were
installed I decided that some of the buildings will be illuminated. A single bulb
from a Christmas tree string of mini lights was hot glued to the interior of a building. 
A couple of 24" wires connected to the bulb were fished through a hole in the foam
to a connection point central to a couple of buildings. Wire nuts were used to
complete the connection to a feeder.

Turned off the room lights and sat back and admired the night scene. Didn't
take long to figure out this method was far from realistic looking. Then a 
bulb in one of the buildings burned out. Crawled under the layout, undo the
wire nutted connections to the offending building, reconnect the remaining
buildings--while wearing prescription glasses and a LED headlamp with my
my head tipped all the way back. ----Must be a better way------

Decided to retrofit using LED's and a connector which can be unplugged
from the top of the layout.










The above photo shows the LED and it voltage dropping resistor
soldered to a 2 pin header. A drop of red paint identifies the positive
lead.










The above photo shows a 2 pin female header connector soldered to the red and black
leads of 6 conductor telephone cable which I buy at Home Depot. The headers are
available from Jameco. The cable and header are easily fished through a 1/4" hole
in the foam, leaving the connector accessible from the top of the layout. Underneath,
the cable is fed back to a 12 volt terminal strip at edge of the layout. My layout is 
small enough where it is practical to run a separate feed for each building.










The above photo shows the 12 volt terminal strip behind my control panel. The control
panel is hinged, exposing the terminal strip when opened. The only under layout work
is routing the cable from the building location to the terminal strip.










The above photo shows a building using a LED inside and a micro LED under
door overhang. I used clear plastic from blister packaging sprayed with Krylon matte glued to the 
inside of windows and doors as a light difuser. 

The revamping continues for the remaining buildings. The layout is never done.

It's a whole different scenario when the room lights are turned off.


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

My tiny brain short circuits looking at your work. Amazing stuff. Long way from Ben Franklin and his kite; that I could comprehend.


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

I've been running Conrail 3078 and Belt Line 2560 as a consist for some time. 3078 is a Bachmann GP40
dc that I bought at a tag sale for $25 nib. 5260 is a Bachmann GP38-2 dcc that I got from Trainworld for $39.
It's decoder was terrible and was replaced by a NCE dcc decoder. Both are the same loco with
different shells. 3078 was equipped with the same model NCE decoder. Speed matching the two was
a cinch.

Then Trainworld had Bachmann CP 3039 GP 38-2 with Soundtraxx DCC sound for $99. Couldn't pass up 
that deal. Wanted to speed match the three but 3039 ran way too fast at medium speeds. Changing CV5 & CV6
had no affect. So 3039 was relegated to running solo. 

Last week I was reading some Soundtraxx literature and noticed an obscure note that CV5 & CV6
are inactive if bit 4 in CV29 is 1. Time for a lightbulb moment. CV29 was changed so bit 4 is set to 0.
Some experimenting with CV5 & CV6 allowed 3039 to speed match the GP40 & GP38-2. With 3039
being sound equipped, now I have a 3 unit consist with sound. Really like the look of the 3 engines
at a crossing blowing its horn.


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

When I started my layout, I purchased an NCE PowerCab. During track 
laying and many stages of scenery construction I just placed it on a corner
of the layout when it wasn't being used. At some point, that corner of the 
layout became the home of a machine shop building and I had no place for
the throttle. I thought about a fascia mounted holster but dismissed that
idea because I wanted something that would hold it so it could be operated 
as a console and also removed for handheld operation.

After kicking around different ideas, the idea of a holster mounted at an angle
a few inches above the layout would work. A few pieces of scrap wood yielded
the following.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Looks like you hit the nails on the head !


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## Berrychon (4 mo ago)

*shortwrench *Hope you don't mind if I borrow your track plan...


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## shortwrench (Nov 21, 2019)

Not at all. Hope it works for you.


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

This is a BIG little layout.


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## Berrychon (4 mo ago)

shortwrench said:


> Hope it works for you.


 Me too !


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