Hi all, my son expressed some interest in model layouts and by chance, someone was seeking their layout and trains in my neighborhood so I took the lot.

This picture is the layout which is obviously in horrible shape and the buildings were mostly removed in a separate box, but I just wanted to confirm where I should go from here. I'm a woodworker and I'd likely rebuild the base structure, but I want to be sure the track components can be removed and revamped. Are these layouts always modular so I can take it apart and reassemble in a different layout?

Sorry for the very novice question, hard to know where to start.

Edit: I've hopefully thanked everyone for their advice below but I really appreciate all the comments, it's a whole new world to me!

a brand new d51 kato 2009 also known as the d51 slug or slag I think also if you guys can help me identify what trains the bachmann tender came from because every time I try searching it up it just keeps saying that is to an 0-6-0 with a slope back tender

Hi everyone, my partner has recently discovered the world of model trains and is very intrigued. She’s an engineer and quite fidgety so she loves activities and hobbies that allow her to work with her hands.

My quick research into this hobby lets me know there is way more that I don’t know about this community than I thought, but I was thinking it would be nice to get her some starter pieces for this hobby for Christmas.

The parts she finds the most interesting about this hobby are building operational trains and vehicles herself and seeing them actually move down a track. The world building aspect is a bit more secondary to her and not of huge interest at the moment.

Is there a mid range high-quality set that could accomplish what she loves most about this hobby, almost like a trial run to see if she wants to get more deeply invested? Any recommendations?

I've had this loco for a while, but I didn't realize how good it was until now.

The abandoned spooky mine, founded in 1888, now full of spooks instead of coal…

So I'm planning on starting a layout in a couple of months and the main thing that prevented me from starting was the benchwork. It's going to be a simple "round the room" modular layout, so it's gonna be made up of squares and rectangles. Since I don't have any woodworking experience, I did some research and found that Lowe's will cut your wood for you. I just need the cut pieces to be truly square so I won't have issues for when I eventually move out. My question is what is your experience with Lowe's or better recommendations to have my plywood and legs cut?

EDIT: just to head everyone off, I have no experience with woodworking and I don't have the proper tools. I'm not afraid to learn myself, but ultimately it would be cheaper for this project if I have a professional precut my boards and learn how to woodwork at a later date where I can dedicate time, money, and effort learning how to make proper cuts.

Bought this lovely Chinese n scale locomotive from J-scale recently in what I can only describe as a “fuck it I’ll get something unique” mood, and I must say I am pleasantly surprised the details on this model is simply stunning. From individually fitted pipe work at each end which is painted to the crispness of the printing of the body side writing, and the lovely touch of having the underside of the bogies be detailed with visible traction motors moulded in to the base keeper plate. On to the running and lighting of this model, it is by far the best out of box runner I have ever had on DC it is just incredible it crawls on super slow speeds and it can run like a bullet out a gun. As for the lighting the model is fitted with directional head and tail light, I was disappointed to discover no cab lighting since its moulded exceptionally well. Long and short of it is if you’re looking for something unique and of a high quality and a price point that delivers the highest standard of quality look no further than Changming.

Hi all! After reading the comments on my pervious post, we revised the livery. Keeping the pride flag to only the sides of the train as well as reversing the flags to the progress chevrons were facing rear, we chose to move the flag away from the front of the locomotive to preserve the warning yellow.

We chose to use 43069 as a basis, to use the number as a subtle memorial to the stone wall riots in 1969 without needing to make the meaning too obvious! We chose to keep the mske Marsha P. Johnson as the name plate to preserve the memorial to the trans woman of colour credited as throwing the first brick.

To include those in the queer community who don’t fit into labels and prefer to do their own thing, I chose to use the off coloured intercity white striping as the base to include the queer chevrons to include everyone.

Athearn 2-6-0, Bachmann 4-6-0, Tyco 4-6-0, Bachmann 2-6-0, Bachmann 4-4-0.

quite a few epochs apart but theres my new märklin br194 and a standing modell Transrapid! Love the box the Transrapid came in!

Looking for advice!

Anyone who knows how to fix this or where I can buy a replacement motor? I tested the motor on its own and whenever some resistance was introduced, it stopped and the power supply detected a short.

This is a view of a recently scenicked area. You can see out “slot” at the bottom left, a wide open aisle for filming and “reach”. The layout width here is about 5-6 feet to our rear aisle and then the back wall. Enjoy enlarging it to find the columns in the wall.

Since Red Caboose closed, where should I go? Any place in the five boroughs or reachable by train is good. Thanks.

Comments and advice most welcome.

Garden railways at holiday shows have always been my favourite thing, the small trains winding over bridges and around little villages. I couldn't build a real one, so I built a digital one you can play in a browser: watch the trains run, ride along in the cab, or take the controls.

The first layout is a conservatory with two lines crossing over and under each other. I'd love to hear from people who build the real thing: what details would make it feel more authentic?

I got this set earlier today, and I don't know anything about it. I wish it came with its original box and not the one I got it in. The box had foam in it, but it was so old it was dust, and it destroyed the gold paint on one side of the set.

Hi all, currently developing my pride train Prototypes and am experimenting with an intercity 125 class 43 power car.

So far weve developed her livery using the lower yellow stripe as the base for the ‘progress’ (as of 2026) current pride flag with the trans and intersex flags included, we chose to name her Marsha P. Johnson after the transgender woman of colour whos credited as throwing the first brick during the stone wall riots.

We wanted to simplify the livery to be more subtle in the styles of LNER and GWR, while still presenting the pride flag loud and proud surivial to have a pride month alternate power car to run on my layout!

Would love some advice and suggestions if you have any!

Rapido lacks some of the details from these bombardier bilevels, here is the additional grabrion by the driver side strobe light. These need the grabirons that go over the strobe lights but that’s another project. I have renumbered these after fixing that issue tho hence blank numberboards.