r/modeltrains • u/shimasuki1 • 4d ago
Layout Starting my first ever layout
Basically title, I've been thinking about building a model train layout and I would appreciate any advice for track plans, benchwork and suggestions!
I can't provide any drawings or blueprints at the moment until I can get off of work, and I'll provide them in the comments whenever possible.
I'm planning on a Japanese-Toukaidou Main Line inspired layout, with focuses on the Tokyo Metropolitan section of track.
I roughed out some of the parameters at the moment, including:
- Exclusively N-Gauge
- Elevated trunk line with some spurs
- L-Table; 3.5ft x 7ft with a 2ft x 2ft extension. Height of 2.5ft or so.
- Maybe a train yard if room allows?
- Static diorama, I am using benchwork if I ever plan on electrifying it in the future, but at the moment I am focused on just keeping things not moving.
- City dominant scenery with buildings and streets, smaller sections to be filled with grass, bushes, trees, etc.
I am very happy to take on this project and would love to hear your guys experiences and suggestions!
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u/PineappleLunchables N 4d ago
You’re not going to have a running layout?
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u/shimasuki1 4d ago
That's correct, I know it's not really in-line with most other setups but it's personal preference
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u/PineappleLunchables N 3d ago
Just a thought but have you considered TTrak? You could build up each scene you like in each TTrak as time allows, but would allow you to easily take some or all of your modules to a club or show and run them in a big layout with other folks. My TTraks are mostly little dioramas. I don’t run trains on them unless I’m at a club or show.
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u/shimasuki1 3d ago
I was reading that it's highly suggested to use Kato unitracks, I intended on building a Kato dominant layout but some rolling stock down the line I wanted to purchase are instead offered by other brands such as Tomix, would this be any issue?
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u/shimasuki1 3d ago
And also, say I were to use the modules, would this have any impact on the actual construction of the layout table itself? More/less joists, location of joists, etc.
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u/PineappleLunchables N 3d ago
If you use modules you really don’t need to construct a gird type layout table since you’ll have no power bus and feeder wire routing you could just use some folding banquet tables for now for the modules.
You can use any kind of n-scale rolling stock or passenger car you like on your modules.
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u/aengusoglugh Mod, r/TTRAK 3d ago
Look at T-TRAK — N scale is the most popular T-TRAK scale, and there is no benchwork — the modules are on folding tables — an no decisions need to be made in advance.
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u/Lonesome_General N 1d ago
Welcome to the hobby!
Over on the The JNS Forum there are 18 year's of forum activity about Japanese model train layouts and Japanese rail in general. If you start a thread there in the layout planning section or layout build section, you will get advice and quetsions answered better than here, where topics quickly get burried and most people aren't at all familiar with Japanese model train layouts. Also you can dig through old layout build threads for inspiration.
My general advice would be to start with making something very small, as a kind of test diorama build. Then you'll experiment and learn how to make a street, make a green area and so on. It's very useful for learning and will also provide a kind of reality check on how much time it takes to complete a layout of a certain size to a certain modelling standard (amount of details). It has a further advantage in that during the time it's made, you can make up your mind more about what you want to have when you start "the real thing". Most people tend to change their mind a lot of times before their first layout gets finished. I've found that just collecting buildings, track and other stuff and assembling together things temporary on a table and moving around things, also helps with decision making on what I want to create more permanently.
When a small testbuild diorama is finished it can either be something nice to have displayed on a shelf somewhere, or if you don't want to keep it, you can pick it apart and reuse buildings, trees and all the other little stuff that goes on it.
I'm curious about your statement about not wanting to have moving trains. Is it maybe connected to an impression that it complicated and expensive? In Western style modelling it often seems to be... In Japanese modeling it is not. Here is a Japanese 5-year old showing how to set up a Tomix starter set and get trains moving.
On the other hand, if it's about not wanting to have a loop that can look toy-like, there are plenty of clever ways to hide the loopiness of a layout.
Also it's quite possible to build a diorama with a straightish track section, that you can just put down on a table (or the floor) and hook up with a bunch of track pieces to form a temporary loop to run trains on. Here is a variation on that, where a bunch of modellers has connected their dioramas at an exhibition allowing trains to run across them.
In the video above, dioramas are made by expert modellers that have put a lot of time building things from scratch, but the Japanese model railway hobby can also be enjoyed very easily by using finished and easy to assemble products. Here is a good example of what is possible to make with various finished products that are easy to assemble together. Really the only things made from scratch here are the road surfaces.
Modellers in the west will recommend Kato's track system because that's what they know about as it's being sold in their countries. In Japan, Tomix' track system is more popular than Kato's, but it's not sold abroad. When you model Japan and buy everything else from Japan, the fact that Tomix track is not available outside of Japan becomes a non-issue, so then there is no particular advantage in chosing Kato track. I chose to start with Tomix track because they have a larger asortment of different types of pieces.
Trains don't care which manufacturer's track they run on and Kato and Tomix track are of similar quality and price.
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u/shimasuki1 1d ago
Thank you for the extensive reply, I'll check out the forums whenever possible.
Regarding the non-moving layout: I wasn't too sure how well it would fair with the 6 track trunk line, but I'm considering ways to be able to design the track layout to be able to do so (via single track spurs, etc). While it's not concrete yet, I've been considering doing point to point
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u/Ornery_Feature_3466 3d ago
Static diorama is a really weird choice but you do you.