Building a 3-Rail Layout from Scratch...

Virtually all items on the layout are from 1938-1964 Hornby Dublo...

What else was there to do during Covid lockdown - ok other than building Lego...

Stage 1 - What type of layout and how big... oh and how do you build a baseboard?

Should it be 2-Rail or 3-Rail?

So the very first question was... addressed to my wife :) I would like to build a model railway so which is the best room to build it in. After I persuaded her that the loft and the garage would be too cold in the winter months and too hot in the summer months WE agreed to settle on one of the spare bedrooms.

The second question was ... how big a layout can I get into the space bearing in mind I need to not only be able to build it but also need to maintain it and access all areas of the track.

The third question was ... have I got the ability to build the base board myself. That was the easiest to answer and that answer was a big NO !! So I asked my mate Nick who had built a few and who has the biggest layout in his loft I have ever seen if he would build the baseboard for me. Thankfully he agreed and the images opposite are what he built, got in his van and delivered to me :)

Stage 1

The Beginnings

Stage 2 - Getting it up the stairs to the "Train" room and beginning the build ...

8ft by 5ft was the approximate layout size ...

Having got the board and supports up it was then all about getting a layout design, ensuring I had enough track to build it, testing the track and then adding the buildings and platforms etc. Oh and getting it all wired up to run.

Luckily Nick had agreed to paint the board for me so that saved me a task. A really kind guy from the Hornby Railway Collectors Club agreed to design me a layout on his computer programme - specifically for train layout design -and that told me exactly what track was required in terms of how many of each type of specific length, straight, curve and points etc. I had acquired track over many years but still needed to purchase loads more of everything to have enough for the desired layout. But gradually the track was put down, and as each circuit was finished it was tested to make sure electrics were OK and no dead spots. It took about six months to get all track/buildings and electrics sorted and running from start of the build to finish.

Stage 2

Into Location

Stage 3 - The finished layout ...

or is it?

Do you ever actually finish a layout? Im not so sure as I am always tinkering and adding and taking stuff off the layout.

Would I do anything any different? In hindsight I would have liked to include a stretch of 2 Rail track on the layout to run the Dublo 2-Rail and Wrenn items. But I wont modify that now. I just have to check conditions of 2-Rail locos on a small length of test track about 1mtr long :)

I was lucky in that I had already a huge number of locos to run on the layout and a huge number of station platforms etc. However I did have to buy some engine sheds and Goods Yard building ( or two) which I had never collected.I also purchased a beautiful Hornby Dublo Through/Terminal Station that I would have used on a second option layout had it gone ahead.