What should I know when building a layout.

Read everything you can get your hands on.  Follow the forum for solid tips.  Don't be afraid to ask specific questions.  Don't be afraid to make mistakes.  Have fun.

#1  Protect you, your house, trains, wire, and accessories. Transformer internal breakers protect transformers, NOT trains. Shorts or faults can damage your toys and burn down your house. Circuit protection on the low voltage side of transformers is the same as having breakers in the circuit box for your house wiring.

The post war transformers like what Susann is referring to have large internal circuit breakers and need better protection with modern day circuit breakers installed at or near the transformer output terminals. 7 to 8 amps is usually enough for most trains.

Another thing to consider if using older transformers is the use of a TVS or transient voltage surge protector, which can be purchased online from a place like mouserelectronics.com Make sure it is bi-directional and around 36 volts AC.

Scott's Odds and Ends used to sell a circuit breaker set-up with TVS units for over $45.00. They have 10 amp breakers and TVS units installed but you wire it to the terminals.

Personally you can buy the breakers & TVS units much cheaper from an online source and make your own breaker & TVS box then buying from Scott's.

Lee Fritz

Something else that I do because of where I live is to unplug my layout's power supply. I am here in south Florida a.k.a. lightning capitol of the world. I unplug all my transformers or power strips to the layout.

Lee Fritz

Color code all wiring and leave room for expansion.

Plan, Plan, Plan and Plan some more - also, access to all areas of the layout and allowing enough room for engine clearances on corners.

Good luck,

Paul

I built a 5x10 layout last year and it was my first go at O gauge. Here's a few of the mistakes I made:

1) Don't try to cram too much into the layout. This is a tough one for me since I find a simple oval to be incredibly boring. I spent numerous hours with SCARM, a free and easy to use layout software trying to figure out how to cram as much running track as possible into a 5x10 space. In doing so I wound up creating several tight corners that made it difficult for me to place operating accessories and buildings. I also had an elevated loop so I could run a second train but it's so short as to be comical. I'm getting ready to completely rebuild my layout. More or less the same plan but just one level and I'll probably only have one tunnel/mountain. 

2) Allow for clearances. When I started my layout I had a Lionel steam engine and a MTH Alco, both from stater sets. Both feature bodies that are little more than 10" long. A few months later I got my first "big boy" engine - a MTH SD45. It measures just over 16" long. Care to guess what happened the first time I drove it into my O36 curve tunnel? Yep. Crunch. Had to rework both of my tunnels and also carve away a mountainside. 

3) Wiring. Once you have your track plan finalized pay attention to proper wiring. I didn't I ran wires to 6 places on my track bu didn't use a heavy enough gauge and now I have several spots that become dead spots at low speed. Beyond swapping out switches/fixtures I'm not much of an electrical guy and it showed. Lionel have some handy videos on this and the people on the Electrical forum on this site are super helpful. 

4) Expect it to cost more than you budget. It's all the little things which add up - paint brushes, pink foam, glue, knives, etc. 

5) When in doubt ask questions on the forum. Most of the people here are super helpful. I also learned a lot from watching Eric Siegel's extremely well produced videos on YouTube (search for "Eric's Trains"). I also purchased a digital subscription of O Gauge Railroading which gives you access via iPad or PC to every issue going back to December 2009. I've read through every issue and it's been a treasure trove of information and inspiration. It's probably the best bargain out there! I also subscribe to Classic Toy Trains which is the main competitor to OGR. They have a different editorial spin so I really don't see them as a direct comparison. Unfortunately their digital subscription doesn't give you access to back issues so it's not nearly as useful. 

6) Embrace the concept that your layout will never be finished. I'm heading into the third major overhaul of my layout in 18 months and I'll likely go through another big change next year when I save up and switch from FasTrack to Atlas O and also move the layout from the living room to the garage. The more you learn the more you'll want to go back and change things!

If you run a siding or parallel tracks make sure you space it properly or you will have two trains collide, especially on curves. Also if you have a second level of track and you cross over another track make sure you have enough room to clear the train that passes underneath, engine and other tall pieces of rolling stock.

Steam engines have the cab roof that sticks out and the steps on either the tender or engine may hang out some(example an MTH T-1) and hit something like a bridge trestle.

Lee Fritz

Our hi-rail layout was 6x10. You can see pics of it in my link below. We dismantled it in 2006.

The big thing is to not be in a hurry and don't cut corners to save time. I regretted not elevating the right-of-way by a few inches. I didn't want to take the time to do it and, unfortunately, the layout always felt "flat" to me. I also skimped on the brand of switches used and thus, operations always suffered as a result. My wiring practices got more sloppy as I progressed as well. 
Had I not made those errors, we may have never dismantled it.

Yep, definitely check vertical clearances. I included a tunnel in my layout and used Lionel tunnel portals. I assumed that Lionel cars would clear Lionel tunnel portals. Bad assumption. My daughter bought a Monsters Inc bobbing head box car and found out the hard way that it won't clear the tunnels. That was the main reason for adding the second overhead loop. Figure out the tallest car you'd likely ever purchase and plan ahead. Also go with the foam tunnel portals from Scenic Express. They're super easy to modify, look great and not too expensive. 

HAVE FUN! They are toys, unlike a real railroad if you wreck them hundreds of people will not parish. The trains will get banged up and put back on the track.  This will not be your last layout. It will improve over time and be changed through out that time.

My General Advice for Model Railroad Construction:

1. If you are reproducing a prototype or a specific location and / or point in time, take lots of photographs and study them often.  Search the internet and books for historical photographs.  Do your research.  Go back to these photos often.  You’ll be surprised at how many details will pop out at you over time, especially as you move from project to project for your layout.
2. Buy yourself a track planning software program and play lots of “what if” games.  The program will cost less than $100 but making these plans will save you lots of time and money.  I have made hundreds of variations of my track plan and go back to them periodically (more when actual track construction was taking place).
3. Make sure your track plan identifies every switch, insulated rail, signal point, and other important points.  Decide on a direction of travel.  Will your layout be signaled in both directions?
4. Create a wiring plan that includes color-coding, identification of every wire, labeling, and notes about types of connectors.  Make sure save notes about everything you did to wire the layout.
5. Take lots of photos during construction and keep notes.  You may want to go back to these once the scenery is in place or if you have to expand.
6. Think about what trains (and their composition) will run on the layout.  Are there industries or cities served by the railroad?  How?  How will you represent these cities or industries?  What is "good enough"?  
7. Have fun and build a layout you will like to run.  Be ready to compromise and sacrifice historical accuracy for fun and “play value”.  Don’t be afraid to tear down a mistake and start over. 
8. Invite other people to come over and run the layout periodically, even if it’s not 100% done.  You will learn a lot from how they react and the questions they ask.  Take notes and make improvements.

Have fun.  Keep us in the loop on your progress.  Consider setting up a running documentary / commentary in the Photo Forum like my own.  It will help you learn as you go.  https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...r-panhandle-division

Best,

George

I have an O72 switch in a tunnel and it's been trouble free. It's a FasTrack switch and they're pretty reliable. It's also just inside the tunnel entrance so I can still get at it. Deeper in you'd want to make sure you have an access panel. That's one other thing to plan for: if you do tunnels make sure you have access to the entire length. You can usually reach about 12-18" into a tunnel, after that you'll want an access hatch of some manner. Rest assured that a train in a tunnel will always derail 1/4" out of reach! 

I model the early 50's so I look through books and old magazines of the period. To save some money build kits not ready made. They will look better anyway. Don't crowd too much in any area, less is more. I like to have different levels of my layout. I go all the way to the floor in some sections. A flat layout looks to me like a toy train. Lighting is little talked about but very important. Take a look at my old layout and steal, or I should say copy anything you like. All my buildings are kit, scratch or modified kits. Shorpy http://www.shorpy.com/taxonomy/term/12,107 is another good place to get ideas. Good luck, Don

All the advice you have received here is good, but to be frank, what you should know is what you won't know until you have built your first couple of layouts, at least. You learn most by doing . . .  

Hi Madison,

I think your concept to build a post war style layout had merit. First,  being on a budget, you have lots of items to choose from that can be used on your layout at relatively good prices.  For example,  Lionel tubular track is plentiful,  and there are ways to remove rust, etc, to make them useable. Switches can be rebuilt/reconditioned,  you can use manual switches in place of automatic, especially in locations near the edge of your layout.  Get a Greenberg Manual to learn how to do repairs (get a used one on amazon). 

A 6x10 is a large layout,  I would make it is several sections that you can take apart and store, if needed.  Lumber is expensive,  if there is a custom door store near where you live, they may have used doors available cheap.  They are very sturdy and relatively light (hollow core) so you could get four doors and use mending plates or door hindges (they may have some used ones) to attach them together.  For the base, saw horses are a good start, however, if you have a construction company that does home remodels,you can see if they have any used kitchen cabinents from work sites.  They may also have scrap lumber available. The point is to spend as little as possible on materials. 

For track plans, some of us really like the Lionel display layouts that they used to build for department stores.  You might be able to find a copy of Lionel Display Layouts You can Build at your  local library. Its out of print and somewhat expensive. CTT has run articles on display layouts over the years, and Jim Barrett built an updated version of the D-265 in OGR a while back. 

i would say that most of us are natural bargin hunters and hate to throw anything away, so re-purposing scrap stuff to use on your layout is a worthy goal.  Fixing old engines and rail cars, is rewarding and there are lots of people on the forum that can help you.

Here is a picture of a manual switched that I rebuilt with one that had not been worked on.

Good luck and keep us posted.