My 6x16 HO Layout - Two Trains Running plus Layout Update

Wow! I’m so pleased to hear from you. Based on the severity of your treatment I thought maybe you hadn’t survived. Hope it’s truly going well for you. 😀👍. I’m going very well. 3 PSA tests since finishing radiation last November. All under .10.

Nice. If you might ever expand, think about planning for it on your layout at start. May not fit your situation but thought I’d mention idea. When I did my original 4x8 I setup the outside loop with a turnout at end of straight away. The straight part of the turn had a 6” straight track and the diverging part of the turnout went into the outside loop. I was thinking about possible expansion of another 4x8. I did eventually do this. Later I had to do significant work to make the 4x16 double mainline.

This is an unlisted video I did for a viewer which you might find useful. kzhead.info/sun/eL56npqqb3htp5E/bejne.htmlsi=_KWOZ21zF2bDm_T0

Vader! Good to hear from you. Sorry but my bus is still in NH plus very limited room for bus station on this layout. 😕

Thanks Blaine. 😀. It’s as big as possible and still have room for my car and other garage stuff.

Thanks, glad you like it 😀

Thanks David 😀. I knew almost nothing when I started my original 4x8 back in 2017. Wow, almost 7 years ago now. I had recently retired when I started so I had plenty of time to work on the layout. I started with my 25 yr old DC locos and brass track. If it wasn’t something I liked then I could just stop. Not a big investment when I started. I found that I really enjoyed designing and building the layout. I learned about everything on KZhead. Here are some questions to consider. Do you have time to devote? Consider your other priorities. Do you have funds? Not a cheap hobby. Do handle frustration well? I remember how mad and discouraged I would get converting from DC to DCC. Remember I knew nothing and learned from my mistakes. Maybe start small and see how it goes. One last thing, it’s cheaper to build track feeders than to buy them. So if you need a lot, learn to solder.

What scale is this, please? The lead in says HO and if true, how do you keep them on the track with such small curve radii? Very interesting configuration. Thanks for sharing! I look forward to updates

Yes, it’s really HO scale. I only use GP type locos with 4 wheel trucks and mostly 40’ cars. I tried not to have a curve less than 18”.

@@FredE528 silly me did bad math. Of course 6' gives plenty of room for HO! Nice work. Fun to watch.

No problem. 👍

Thanks Drew 😀. I really like this layout for rail fanning. My prior layout had a lot more operation options with all the buildings. I can do a few operation type runs which I’ll show in future videos.

Thanks John 😀. Not just flatness and buildings on this layout. I wanted to try something totally different on this layout. Soon I’ll try the static grass and super trees I bought.

Thank you 😀

Thanks AC 😀. All good here. I’ll start some scenery this week.

Thanks Dave 😀

Thanks Mike 😀 I wanted to get away from the ‘Flat Freddy’ look but have enough buildings for a few operation type runs. I’m hoping to start ballast, static grass, and super trees soon.

@@FredE528 awesome can’t wait 😎🫵

Thanks 😀. Lot of work left …

Thank you so much! I see you are fairly new on KZhead. Do you have a layout?

Thanks Dave 😀. Not bad. However, I add more cars to the freight train today. As it claimed the incline I had multiple decouplings. My old cars need new couplers. 🤬

Thanks Ed 😀. Oh it’s not easy. I added several cars to the freight train today. Multiple decouplings as loco climbed the incline. 🤬. Also I was trying to program Routes into my MRC Advance controller but I couldn’t get these to work as I expected. 🤬. I gave up and raked and bagged leaves in my yard.

Thanks Ed 😀. Oh it’s not easy. I added several cars to the freight train today. Multiple decouplings as loco climbed the incline. 🤬. Also I was trying to program Routes into my MRC Advance controller but I couldn’t get these to work as I expected. 🤬. I gave up and raked and bagged leaves in my yard.

Thanks Bert 😀. Starting scenery soon with static grass. My first time doing this.

Thanks 😀. I spent 3 years in Germany. Beautiful country!

@@FredE528 Ok👍

Thanks 😀. I’ve come a long way from my 4x8 layout started six years ago. Still a lot of things to try in the landscape scenery area.

Thanks for watching and comment. 😀

Thanks Rick 😀. I’ll try scenic grass applicator this coming week.

Thanks Steve 😀. Starting scenery soon…

Thank you 😀

Thanks Randy 😀 I’ll start ballasting and static grass this coming week.

Thanks Daryl 😀. I’ll start the scenery soon. I’m having a bit of trouble with some cars what decoupler bars that hang low and catch a turnout motor wire. Small fix.

Thank you Donald 😀. I’m planning to start some scenery this coming week.

@@FredE528 Actually, I'm planting seeds today for what are called "SuperTrees" available for model railroading. An experiment for sure ... but fun. Otherwise known as Teloxys Seafoam seeds. Plan to use with Noch leaves to make deciduous trees.

That’s interesting. 👍 Post video if it works out. Super Trees are expensive.

Yes, I’ve been working on it quite a bit. Thanks 😀

Thanks 😀. Are you doing HO or N scale?

Thanks Mark, nice of you to remember my birthday. Are the presents in the mail? Yep, this layout runs pretty well. I have a few hickups as I try new cars. This morning I got out my NS loco and grain cars(that is what I call them). Couple of the car decoupled bars caught on switch turnout motor wire. I fixed this permanently - cut off all the decoupler bars. Problem solved!

Thanks for your comment. 😀. There are several nice viewing angles on this layout. I like the view angle where trains pass each other. I put another train on the layout today. I think it will be very cool to have 3 trains passing in a shot. I can visualize how it will improve as I get scenic work done. This is going to take quite a bit of time however. I’m also trying to think of a way to effectively block the garage walls with tools from showing in the video. I don’t think 3-D printing is in my future. Looks very complicated. I have many buildings left from prior layout the I don’t have room for on this layout.

Thanks. I wanted something different than my previous flat layout. I also wanted to have reverse loops. It didn’t work out exactly the way I planned it on AnyRail6 but good enough.

@@FredE528 Some 40 years ago I had a collection of Märklin H0 trains and I tried to create a nice track plan on a surface of 4 x 7 feet and I soon discovered I wouldn't be able to create something acceptable so I decided to sell my collection and start over with N-gauge trains. Now that I'm getting older I start to get problems with this small material. Repairs are much more diffiicult to make.

When I took up the hobby in 2017 I had old DC HO equipment so that’s what I stuck with. I did briefly consider a change to N scale because it allows for more railroad on 4x8. But decided it was too small for my old guy eyes plus finger dexterity not so great.

@@FredE528 I think you might have made the right decision.

Thank you Ellery 😀

Thanks Paul 😀. You’re right about the caboose. Just started testing the track with a few cars and didn’t pick a caboose.

@@FredE528 i noticed that the track plan has 2 main lines on the lower level, and the 3rd track is a "dogbone" style with 2 reverse loops, that interchanges with the 2 lower level mains, thats really cool! As for a SP caboose, a cupola type would be better with the "Black Widow" engine, and a bay window caboose would look good with the GP-40. (I am an "old-school" modeller, and all my freights have cabeese.) The only models i have that would be called "modern" are a few Amtrak P-40/42s, a CN GEVO, & an SD 70 ACE, the NS Wabash heritage unit.

I added cupola style caboose to the trains this morning. I’ll have to see if I have a window style caboose. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks JD 😀. As I watched the video I too could additional spots for rail fanning. Funny how I only see these in the video not while filming.

Thanks Bob 😀. I’ve been working on the layout quite a bit over the winter. I need to get started replacing some rotten boards on my deck. Yard clean up last week. Always something to fix on a house. 😬

I started with 4x8 in 2017 with DC equipment. I didn’t know much about the hobby when I started. Got hooked. Luckily I was able to expand this layout in my San Antonio garage two times. Weather during many months is OK for garage work. I leave Texas during the summer. Work on my NH layout in condo basement. Some people might say I obsessed.or possessed. This is second version of the 6x16. Thanks for comment. 😀

Thanks Ron 😀. I’m good, maybe a bit tired. Don’t worry, when I start doing more switching I expect the 🤬📢🤬 will show up.

Thanks 😀. If your space is limited, consider N scale. Equipment is a little cheaper as well.

Thanks 😀. Will start scenic work soon…

Thanks Mark 😀. I’m amazed at the #views this video has gotten. And so fast! It must be placed in a well travel spot on KZhead. I normally get a few hundred views.

@@FredE528 That is GREAT! Congrats!

Thanks for watching and comment. 😀

Thanks 😀

Thanks 😀. These are Rix Products - Early Highway Overpass. The long bridge is a 150’ 3 section kit. The shorter bridge is 2 kits of 50’ each. I got them from different vendors off eBay.

Glad you got the notification Derek 😀 Probably leave for NH in first week of May. I’ll probably do a bit of scenic work this week. But then I have to stop and do some repairs and re-stain my deck. The cedar that the builder used is not holding up. I’ve tried to keep it stained and sealed but to no avail. I’ve have to replace boards the last couple of years. Thanks for B-Day wishes. I feel fortunate to be this age. Both my parents died before this age. This hobby enhances my old age…

@@FredE528 Yeah, trains are easier to throw than golf clubs, lol.

Thanks Anthony 😀. Not too anxious yet to head North. It’s always cool in the NH basement early in the summer. No heat ducts in the basement currently. I’m going to contact a heating/cooling company about installing some. The temperature here in my garage has been great. Good time of the year to be in south-ish Texas. Loco unexpectedly derailed on a turnout but I didn’t catch it on video. Bad Loco 🤬

Thank you 😀

I did the original design with AnyRail6. But several changes were done during construction. I didn’t update these changes back into AnyRail6. However it does have a pretty good picture of the track layout although not an accurately measured. I can send you a PDF of this if you like.

@FredE528 yeah that'd be awesome. I might try recreating I'm anyrail6 for n scale.

What is email address ?

I see that. This section has an autoreverser so I have a couple of short sections. I’ll try to align this better when I ballast. Thanks for comment. 😀

Not a bad idea but I just not that detailed. Just planning to ballast the rail. Thanks for comment.

You are right, I didn’t think about adding my caboose. 😀. Thanks for comment.

It’s HO Ed.

I realize some spots are a little kinked but they work ok.

That’s a good choice. However, you can get more track on 4x8 with N scale. My decision was HO because I have equipment and track saved from the past. Plus, I thought the small N scale buildings would be too difficult for me to build.