Third Place Layout for $500 - 5
Description
Cost
Ryobi drill bit index
$19.99
Stud finder with DP & ED $19.99
3-foot shelves [Each]
$8.47
4-foot shelves [Each]
$9.98
8-foot shelves [Each]
$12.64
Rack shelf runners [Each] $2.00
Rack shelf arms [Each]
$2.00
Total
$75.07
Table 2: Additional
“optional luxuries”, all at
Home Depot prices.
vertically either below or above, depending on what my track
arrangement will allow.
At minimum, expect to use one 4'x8' sheet ($16.98) , two
2"x4"x72"foam boards ($2.98), and two 2"x6"x72" foam
boards ($3.98). I also purchased a razor knife with snap-off
blade ($9.97). I use it as a long knife, being very careful to not
snap off the blade while using it.
At this point we have established a base in our room; the foun-
dation for our layout is complete!
After purchases in table 1, the remaining railroad budget is $247.00.
At this point we have $247 remaining in our railroad budget to cover
trains, track and a power system. This is a bit slim, but we can make
it work. It should be noted that up to this point my system so far
gives no scale; you can still pick any scale you wish at the track plan-
ning stage. As we put together the operational plant, I shall do my
best to consider as many options as possible.
If you wish, you could stop now and take your $247 and purchase
any favorable train set and use the set track to build a crude point to
point setup on this wall system, or perhaps remove the track from
the layout and set the loop up on the floor to operate a continuous
running train now and then. This is far less than ideal, of course, ver-
sus the "real" railroad we're, pursuing, so we'll move forward with
another plan altogether.
Drawing up the track plan
I use XtrkCAD for all of my track planning needs. It has a learning
curve to it, but in the end I have found it works very well for what
4: XtrackCAD first basic track plan attempt.
4
MRH-Jul 2013
