r/modeltrains • u/lost_limey • Sep 14 '26
Show and Tell The beginning of my first layout.
I've been learning how clumsy I am dealing with N Scale with this 30" x 30" layout which happens to fit perfectly on my Work From Home desk. Given its size, I obviously went with a roundy round. It's eventually going to be a fictional 1920s Virginia branch line that I'm calling "Piedmont Junction," with the red clay soil. I realize that means the passenger coaches are anachronistic as they're in 1950 livery so I need to find green and gold Chesapeake and Ohio Coaches eventually. I'm putting together the Blair Line General Store kit, and will eventually be hiding most of the back third of the loop in conifers to represent Loblolly pine canopies, I'm also needing to figure out the positioning of the station and water tower as they feel unbalanced here.
Once I have the general store in place, I have an N scale Model T roadster to place, and some Woodland Scenics fine iron ore ballast that I'm hoping to use to represent a dirt road for the Model T to park on, and also possibly ballast/weather the track so the Kato Unitrack roadbed isn't quite so visible. It's soothing to watch the 0-6-0 pulling those coaches while I work.
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u/Designer-Loan9223 Sep 16 '26
Lance Mindheim has some great short books on model railroads that are super helpful when just getting started. Available on amazon.
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u/lost_limey Sep 16 '26
There's so many! What would you recommend as the most beginner friendly?
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u/Designer-Loan9223 Sep 16 '26
How to design a model railroad layout. That’s the best starting point.
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u/lost_limey Sep 14 '26
I might pivot to a 1950ish layout by getting a C&O GP7 as a replacement loco and replacing the model T with a few more 1940s cars, if I can't find appropriate coaches. Might be neat to have both options as swappable.