# First layout build



## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

Hello, first time building a layout for my soon to be 7yr old son. Figured I would share my progress. The layout is N scale and on a 8x4 foam board. This is a Christmas present for him so time is crucial. I've been working on it for awhile now and I think the best way to catch everyone up is to post all of my current update videos then continue afterwards. I just finished update #10 lastnight.
I hope you enjoy them and I'll continue to update here as I go.


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

This is #2 of my update.


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

Here we go with #3


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

This one is pretty cool with drafting a fire pit.


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

Update #5


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

Update #6 starting to get somewhere.


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

Update #7


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

Update #8


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

Update #9.. finally coming together. Hills attached and ready for scenery.


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

This Update is #10 and is my current state. Filmed lastnight and Uploaded this morning. I added lights to his station. I'll keep posting as I move along with this project. Take care.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Mayo said:


> This is #2 of my update.


Mayo;

Water can be made several ways. The easiest, and the way I would recommend, is to paint the center area of the river, or pond, with cheap simple craft paints, (Walmart) black, and then fade it to brown, then tan, closer to the edges.

[NOTE: You can also vary the colors depending on the water you want to represent. The small pond would look great with the black and tan just described. For deeper, or rougher water, I use a mix of blue and green paint, followed by Mod Podge, and finally some white paint for waves, boat wakes, or river ripples. (see photos) ]

The edges are where a real body of water would be shallower. Thus the black for deep water, and tan, where you can see the sandy bottom. After the paint has dried overnight, you brush on a coat of "Mod Podge." This is a craft product, (also available at Walmart) that comes in two forms, Matte, and Gloss. Use the gloss for water. Mod Podge goes on white but dries crystal clear and very shiny. The shine is what makes your fake water look "wet." I have had visitors touch the water on my layout to feel if it was real and wet.

Good Luck & Have Fun;

Traction Fan 🙂

PS. The last photo shows a little layout I built for my six-year-old grandson Hudson. This is a great thing you're doing for your son. He will be over the moon, just as my grandson was.!


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Mayo said:


> This one is pretty cool with drafting a fire pit.


Mayo;

For a first attempt you're doing remarkably well. I strongly recommend building a rigid frame to go under the foam board. No mater what track you cut out or how you install any bridges, a layout cannot flex! It has to have a rigid foundation or it will have serious problems. Ideally I would make the frame from 'L'- girders made up of a 1 x 3 and a 1 x 2 glued and screwed together as shown below. This construction is extremely rigid and very resistant to warping. It has been used for model railroad benchwork for decades.

I also noticed that you are using Atlas "turnouts" (track switches) These are prone to derailments and coil burnouts. The derailments can largely be eliminated by the modifications in the files below. The coil burnouts are usually the result of someone holding the blue control button for the turnout down for more than a second or two. It doesn't take long to melt a coil and release smoke from the turnout, resulting in a very unhappy kid.  Training him will help. Burnout can be completely eliminated by using a Stapleton 51D control instead of the cheap blue button that comes with the Atlas turnout. The Stapleton includes a special protective circuit called a CDU, which makes it impossible to burn out a coil, no mater how long anyone holds the button.

Traction Fan


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

traction fan said:


> Mayo;
> 
> Water can be made several ways. The easiest, and the way I would recommend, is to paint the center area of the river, or pond, with cheap simple craft paints, (Walmart) black, and then fade it to brown, then tan, closer to the edges.
> 
> ...


Thank you.. yes he definitely will be over the moon. I like your idea for water. I'm currently tossing around the idea of epoxy. The other nite I blended, as you just mentioned my paints from dark to light so it seems like I'm on the right track. One thing I'm worried about with epoxy is the heat involved with reacting to the foam. I think I have a pretty good layer of plaster down but ya never know.


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

traction fan said:


> Mayo;
> 
> For a first attempt you're doing remarkably well. I strongly recommend building a rigid frame to go under the foam board. No mater what track you cut out or how you install any bridges, a layout cannot flex! It has to have a rigid foundation or it will have serious problems. Ideally I would make the frame from 'L'- girders made up of a 1 x 3 and a 1 x 2 glued and screwed together as shown below. This construction is extremely rigid and very resistant to warping. It has been used for model railroad benchwork for decades.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info on the turnouts. I did notice when I ran the cars over the frog that it was lifting the wheels up and making it acceptable to derailments. As far as the coils that is great info. The switches will be controlled by relays via arduino and a button. A single push will activate the relay for a user set amount of time and will also switch the leds on his control board and switch signals. More on that later. I was checking out the included switch control and thought the same as you stated. I'm glad my instincts still work.🤣 thanks again for mentioning that flaw. 

I do have a rigid frame for the layout it's currently at paps woodshop getting finished up. The plan is for me to start and get as much done as I can while he builds the frame then drop it in to finish the rest. That's the plan anyway.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Mayo said:


> Thank you.. yes he definitely will be over the moon. I like your idea for water. I'm currently tossing around the idea of epoxy. The other nite I blended, as you just mentioned my paints from dark to light so it seems like I'm on the right track. One thing I'm worried about with epoxy is the heat involved with reacting to the foam. I think I have a pretty good layer of plaster down but ya never know.


Mayo;

There are different types of epoxy, and several have been used to make artificial water. Plain 5 Min. epoxy cement will work, but it typically comes in small batches, and dries fast enough that you need to be quick getting your water arraigned. Epoxy resin is a way of making deep, transparent, water that you can see bottom details like sunken logs, or trash, through. Epoxy resin is also way more expensive, and stinks! It has a powerful odor, and takes a long time to cure. Frankly I don't recommend using epoxy, especially since you're new. I think the Mod Podge method is far less trouble, less expensive, more forgiving, and as should be apparent in my photos, produces good looking results.

Traction Fan


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Have you proofed any of this track with a locomotive or a whole train before you started on scenery?


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## Mayo (Oct 31, 2015)

MichaelE said:


> Have you proofed any of this track with a locomotive or a whole train before you started on scenery?


Yes. Had no problem with pulling 6 cars around. The turns are 10.5" radius.


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