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drywall and paneling as a sub-roadbed that I could easily cut
with a hand saw. The original plan I used wound its way up a
mountain with 4% grades, sharp curves, and custom bridges.
This, of course, was way beyond my abilities.
I had to start over building a basic oval with a reverse loop,
passing siding, and one spur. I used Atlas code 80 flex track
and switches over drywall sub-roadbed attached to my wood
frame. I installed some hard-shell scenery with a few trees with
lichens, and some sawdust I had dyed green. I purchased a few
plastic structures, and I was finished. I was enormously proud
of my first layout.
Soon I was off to college and I had little time for model rail-
roads, and eventually the layout was disposed of. But that was
2b
2b. Smaller view of track plan.
N Scale 2'X4' Layout for $500 - 3
not the end of model railroading for me. I learned a lot from
my first project, and I have gone on to build several small N
scale railroads over the years. Included is a picture of my lat-
est project, the N scale Deep Creek Railroad. My railroad was
just completed this year. As I read about this $500 contest, I
thought that the techniques I used to construct it would be
useful for a beginner’s first model railroad project.
To obtain my bill of materials, I used the Internet such as eBay
and Caboose Hobbies (my old hometown of Denver). You can
find some good deals on Amazon or eBay for individual items,
but you will need to pay shipping, which can add up quickly. A
few large orders from online hobby stores will save on shipping
costs. Locally (Las Vegas, NV), I used Home Depot and a local
hobby shop called Hobby Town USA, which is a national chain.
(See Bill of Materials on the following pages.)
The Trains
The first thing you will need is a train set. Most of us are intro-
duced to the hobby with a train set, so that’s a good place to
begin. For this project, I suggest an Atlas N scale Trainman set.
This will be a good nucleus for your layout. You will get a GP15
locomotive, three cars, caboose, and a power pack. The loco-
motive is DCC-ready, should you decide to go that route in the
future. The set comes in Union Pacific, CSX or BN road names.
The Atlas Trainman looks like a decent-quality train set, and pro-
vides you with important components you need to get started.
The Track Plan
For a beginner's layout in 2’x4’ I would use a simple oval which
gives you a display and test track, features I like. I put a small
yard at the front of the layout, such as the John Allen Time
MRH-May 2013
