Sharpie marker ($2.00, Walmart) has an ideal dimple for this
task. It’s further useful for driving toothpicks [1000 count, $5.00,
Walmart] to pin foam layers together, driving straight pins or rail
nails through track tie holes to secure track, and it even doubles
as a handy dandy drafting tool for laying out curves on the foam!
You can use your utility knife or scissors to cut the cork, so you
won’t need any more tools to do this work.
Track
We could very happily model a “NoTrack” railroad at this point
(see this spoof article in the April 2010, Model Railroader), but I do
believe most people prefer to have rails! Flex track ultimately offers
the most bang for the buck without hand laying, so it would do
well to start learning how to use it as early as possible. We'll stick to
Atlas track for this layout: it's widely available and inexpensive. From
what I’m able to locate, track runs around $5.00 for a 3' length.
My room, with its 44 feet of run, will need at minimum 15 pieces of
flex, minus whatever length where we use a switch. We'll desire at
least three switches, which will give us a spur and a passing siding.
Atlas switches are available for $15.00 each, and while they're not
Description
Cost Quantity Sub Total
Flex track, Atlas
$5.00
15 $75.00
Switches, Atlas
$15.00
3 $45.00
Zuron railcutters
$15.00
1 $15.00
Rail Joiners
$2.99
1 $2.99
Track Nails
$2.99
1 $2.99
Needle File
$2.99
1 $2.99
Previous Expenditures
$292.00
Expenditures to this point:
$435.97
Table 4: Trackwork expenditures.
Third Place Layout for $500 - 7
the greatest in the long run, they will be suitable for this layout and
the experience will be instrumental for making later turnout deci-
sions. To shape our rails, we'll want a Xuron rail cutter ($15.00), a
needle file ($2.99), and rail joiners to connect them ($2.99).
Trains
It is only here at the end that I shall consider our operating
scale. Our foundation that will provide a modest layout in
On30, a decent sized layout in HO, and a rather generous lay-
out in N. Now, I admit we are on a very tight budget at this
point, seeing as how we only have $64 remaining in our initial
train fund and we don't yet have a power supply. But this is
where frugality and innovation are most prudent.
We’ll start with the larger scale first. Most everything is out of our
budget range, but I was able to find a Bachmann On30 Trolley for
$50.00. Find a power pack under $14, it doesn’t have to be fancy,
and you have a functional setup in O scale. Remove the trolley body
and you could model a track inspection motor, a box cab, a small
diesel, a one truck climax, or even a combination inter-urban.
Our remaining money is enough to purchase a set in either HO or N
fromBachmann or perhaps LifeLike. While it will be a limited set, it
contains two necessary essentials: a transformer and a locomotive.
If a little more money were available and one looked around, con-
sider Atlas Trainman ($109!) or Athearn ($109!). We could indeed
budget these sets out by using the included track in conjunction
with our flex track, thus reducing our flex track quantities as neces-
sary, or selling the track on eBay to gain selling experience.
Structures and Scenery
Unfortunately, while we have lots and lots of wonderful space,
we don't have much money to cover it! Then again, my premise
with this layout is getting started, not getting finished, and this
base should provide the potential for perhaps years of railroading
MRH-Jul 2013
