Very Basic Layout created by America’s most unhandy man

Very nice Pete!!

I like it, 6 trains and a trolley and a super streets van.  Wow!  Lots of fun, there.

Hi Pete,  welcome to the forum, great group of guys and gals here.  Your first layout is very impressive with all that action going on I have to hand it to you, you're off to a good start.

From the heavily overrun armpit of Texas,

Wow!  Lot's of engines for sure.  You like action!  Try out a few operating accessories and see what you think... milk car, lumber car, etc. and you may really like the new interactive element to this.  

Very nice - LOTS OF ACTION THERE - am sure you will progress to even more sophisticated stuff!  On behalf of myself, the cat that keeps me as her pet, & all the form members -WELCOME ABOARD!!!!!

It most certainly doesn't "Suck".   In fact, I think it's pretty Freakin' Cool!   They are your trains and you are enjoying em'.   That's the whole idea!   BTW, Welcome.

Chief Bob (Retired)

Well done, see my problem is I want to build a layout, you want to run trains. I think while you do. My job now is to put some track on the table and run some trains, take a video and post it.

Thanks for the inspiration and the push.

Rather nifty,  sez I!  Bravissimo!  

Mitch 

It looks like fun, and if your having fun how could that suck?    I wish I had what you have.  All my trains are in a storage unit till we get into our new home.  Going on 2 years now!  

Welcome and well done.  I had two 4x8 sheets of plywood that I mounted on folding table legs. Decent enough track plan but I could only run two trains, very carefully.  Moved and had bigger and better planned.  That was more than 15 years ago and now I'm looking to move again.  I've only run trains under the Christmas tree and very temp carpet layouts in that time so i think what you've got going on is very Forum worthy.

Nice Pete, pretty good for a first attempt, love the two levels.  Love all the action, next is a crossover to see if you can synchronize two trains without crashing.

Hey Pete - Congratulations!!  You have train up and running!  Your empire looks great!  Thanks for sharing the video!   For me it's all about the process and allowing my imagination to be a big part of this process.  Keep up the great work and above all have BIG FUN!! 

Wow...thanks for all the kind words and encouragement! Now that tax season is over I have more time to tinker with the trains. I imagine I will get bored at some point and then will have expand the envelope...but there are so many great layouts posted on the forum that there’s no shortage of ideas. I suppose I just have to break out of my comfort zone and try some things.

Cheers, Pete

Great work Pete. Lot's of action and things to see. Enjoy!

Welcome to the forum too.

Bob

PilotPete,

          Your "basic" layout is well beyond basic.  Most of us started out with a single loop running one post-war engine.  I think most "newbies" to the hobby would be very envious of your start up.  You are going to have a great time expanding your train empire in the future.  Good luck and good railroading.

Terrific and tidy! I love the two-tier, carpet central & table top approach (CC&TT  RR?).

I imagine the din with all those trains running is something--it would be interesting to take take a sound meter in there...

REALLY like this! It's a terrific way to start and to experiment with what you want the larger more permanent layout to look. You learn things and those "things" get stored in memory for later work. Fantastic start, and welcome to the Forum! 

That is a classic toy train layout - a type which many Forum members have - and certainly "worthy of the Forum." Over time, your model railroading interests may expand and members here will be interested to see what you do.

MELGAR

I’m hoping to learn how to produce something worthy of the forum at some point! Hopefully the layout doesn’t suck as much as I think it does. 

Pete, you're unnecessarily putting yourself down. So, what is forum worthy? That's a loaded question that is far more opinion than reality. One of the more popular threads here years ago, was one on hollow core door train layouts. Yes, smaller layouts are more of a challenge to get interesting photographs from.

As others above have said, you do what you like and enjoy. Unfortunately, I do think there are others who think the same way: Ah, my layout is small and not very detailed, so no one is interested in it. Though it may not get a lot of attention here on the forum, there is still a substantial "traditional" market. Why else would Lionel be making the Plug-N-Play line of accessories?

YOUR layout is what you enjoy. Certainly it can also be reflective of how much time/money you can invest, and ones skill level. But your skill level can improve with time.

I've always said I run trains for fun, not frustration. It may appear the hobby is going high end and scale, but there's a catch: Most of this stuff is being made in remarkably small production numbers as compared to the "traditional" trains of years past. So today, there's a lot of variety, but not a lot of quantity.

I'm an 027 guy and that's how it is because it's what I enjoy and what I have space for. Take a look at my repaint thread. I have fun with the hobby. No, my trains don't have all the latest electronic features of realism. WAIT, yes they do... in my imagination!

So thanks for posting your video. You never know who else it may inspire. And everyone in the hobby now had to start someplace.

Nothing wrong with that layout - it looks great and as long as you enjoy it - that's the whole point.

It demonstrates an understanding of design, track building, electronics and model railroading electrical systems in order to get something like what you've built up and running.

It only takes a basic knowledge of construction and some basic power tools (even hand tools would work) to build a permanent layout. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to build a basic wood box with cross-members, legs and a plywood sheet top and many of those on the Forum that possess those skills will still go to a company like Mianne benchwork to avoid the time and hassle of building from scratch.

Very cool layout!

Well done!

Peter

Basic huh?  Me thinks not.  Nice job.

Very nice Pete! Lots of action in a small space.  Well done!👍

probably what my first layout will be like

me likey

Well done Pete.  I was captivated by all the action.  Carry on.

good show there

Your first layout is a significant first -- on par with other firsts:  first sports victory, first girl friend, first car, first job, first house, etc.  Concentric ovals show the trains and trolleys to advantage.  Some day -- perhaps years from now -- you'll look back on your first layout as the source of inspiration for more and better adventures in the world's greatest hobby.  Carry on!

I've attached photos of my L-shaped layout as of mid-2018. It's now at the point where I can't cram any more stuff on its carpeted hollow-core door platforms.

Mike M.    LCCA 12394

You are very welcome here Pete and your layout is a beautiful thing to behold. Unlike my fancy layout that spends most of it's time being fixed, yours works!  

Sometimes it's fun to just come home and watch your trains run. But, if your like the rest of us your little railroad will grow is size and complexity as your imagination has time to work on your creativity.

In any case remember the golden rule of our hobby, always have fun. 

PilotPete

I’m hoping to learn how to produce something worthy of the forum at some point!

After watching your video, I'm thinkin' you already did it! 

Great start.  The only layouts that suck are the ones that don't get built.

Lots of plans on the forum for old-school O gauge layouts - look around and you'll get plenty of ideas.

Great looking layout!!  Your having fun and that is what this hobby is all about..Great job!!

Hey PilotPete !!!!!     What "Briannel"  said..............and let me add that you took the initiative and learned something as you progressed on building that layout.

Good stuff you did!

Now that is a very active layout. I don't think I've every had more then 5 trains running at any given time(that was HO scale). I think I may have only ever had 2 in O. Very well done. Remember, doesn't matter how you start, as long as you're doing something.

I think you have done a good job on your layout myself. You have six trains running at once. The most I can manage is two. I'm curious as to what that material is you have draped on the table and also about how big it is e.g. 4x6, 4x8 etc.

TNCENTRR - Actually the material draped over the two tables is just a cheap gray tablecloth I bought at Target, which is 60'' X 84" so it just fits the table. The two Lifetime tables are 72'' x 30" each so they combine for a 6' x 5' table, which although fairly small, still allows for a decent amount of track.

Cheers, Pete

Terrific.  More trains equal more fun for some of us .