NASG Dispatch Articles: Layout Construction

2000 #2 April

8

Vic Cherven, Jr. & Vic Cherven, Sr.

The previous article covered the hump yard's design. This installment covers the actual construction, which includes hand-laid track.

2000 #3 June

28

Vic Cherven, Jr. & Vic Cherven, Sr.

Construction of the hump yard continues with applying ballast, doing the electrical work, testing turnouts, adding retaining walls, adding structures, and describing what the future plans are.

2021 #6 November

8

Gerald Stebbins

The author built a lift-out section of a factory warehouse to gain access to hard-to-reach track.

2020 #4 July

15

Richard Trotter

The author built a display layout to help him sell his uncle's large collection of A.F. items.

2021 #2 March

28

Jeff Madden

A reprint of the article from the previous issue, because several sections were missing from the original article.

2021 #1 January

3

Jeff Madden

The author is taking the time to build structures for his layout. Includes photos of the models.

2023 #6 November

20

Michael Byle

The author builds a portable 5' x 8' AF-based layout, the construction of which he details in this article. Includes lots of construction photos.

2015 #6 November

11

Randy Griggs

The author describes how he built two small layouts for his grandsons. Includes construction photos, and completed photos of both layouts.

2016 #6 November

22

Jeff Madden

Advice about what it takes to tear down a large layout, and documenting your inventory for your loved ones and friends.

2018 #2 March

4

Steve Monson

The author wants bridges, but didn't want to deal with grades. His layout is only 30" deep. He shares his ideas on how to model them effectively given those constraints. Includes construction photos, final photos, as well as prototype photos.

1993 #2 April

10

Mike Palmiter

Elevating ones layout track can expand the available modeling space. The author shows examples on his and other's layouts.

2017 #3 May

8

Jim Martin

After making a brief note about how Fast Tracks has bought out Mt. Albert Scale Lumber, the author describes the work benches three local S-scale modelers have built for their layout and model construction efforts.

2018 #4 July

28

Jim Martin

The author is in the process of moving to a new home, so he is using this opportunity to make some changes to his sectional layout, such as switching to battery power. Includes a sidebar on how to create fish from used chop sticks.

2006 #2 April

13

Sam Powell

The author is starting a new column in the Dispatch discussing what it takes to get a layout built and running. In this column he starts off with handling all of the common complaints.

2007 #1 February

14

Sam Powell

The author shares a letter he got that describes how the modeler got out of his comfort zone, to tackle layout construction. They are part of a round-robin group, the organization of which is discussed in this article. Photos of the author's layout are included in the next several pages following this article.

2007 #2 April

12

Sam Powell

How to transcribe the track plan design to the actual layout space. Also covers how to build table-top sections.

2007 #3 June

22

Sam Powell

Scenic curves can either be mathematically planned, or can just be put in position until the layout builder likes its position. Either approach is acceptable. The author mentioned that actual construction always differs from detailed planning.

2007 #5 October

36

Sam Powell

Why are we drawn to buying locomotives and cars, but not structures?

2007 #6 December

24

Sam Powell

The author makes the case for incorporating grades in your layout. Includes information about how to calculate a grade and how to deal with the vertical transitions.

2008 #1 February

20

Sam Powell

Change can be hard to deal with, but the author makes the case that making minor or even major changes to your layout can breathe new life into your enjoyment of the hobby.

2009 #3 June

20

Sam Powell

The author describes various ways to make the space wherein the model railroad resides more visually appealing. Includes several photos of his layout.

2011 #6 December

18

Sam Powell

This installment covers the creation of the Mt. Washington backdrop for his layout. Includes a few photos. The backdrop is made from sections of insulation foam.

2012 #1 February

11

Sam Powell

The author describes his struggle with the last major scene on his layout, that of capturing the city of Pittsburgh, which also happens to be the first scene that visitors to the layout see when entering the room. He describes building a raised scenic base, since it is also a staging yard. Includes many photos.

2012 #2 April

12

Sam Powell

The reality of never finishing projects, and how to deal with that reality. How to overcome "destructive" habit in your hobby, and still enjoy the process.

2013 #3 June

10

Sam Powell

What to do when there is a house-supporting pole in the middle of your layout space? The author's solution was to build a four-sided building around the square pole, which, when the camera is set a the right angle, makes the pole invisible.

2017 #3 May

22

Roger Schneider

A brief update on the work being done to get Sam's layout up and running again.

2011 #3 June

8

Robert Nicholson

Drawing on his experience dealing with real-world turntables, the author modifies his HO-scale Heljan turntable kit to operate smoothly on his S-scale layout. Includes many close-up photos of the work done to the table.

1994 #2 April

23

Kent Singer

Thoughts on building an automatic protection method for preventing engines from falling on the floor when a lift-out section has been removed from the layout.

2013 #2 April

21

David Heine

An update about the author's layout, since it will be open before and after the 2013 NASG Convention. Includes an updated track plan.

2013 #3 June

16

David Heine

The author shares some photos of his layout, which is open during the 2013 NASG Convention.

2023 #3 May

8

Dick Karnes

Dick's layout is very high up, which eliminates the need for some typical details. He uses mirrors to make the layout appear larger than it is, of which he describes a few in this article (with photos).

2011 #6 December

8

Ted Hamler

The author built a layout around the perimeter of his room, near the ceiling. He describes the plusses and minuses of such an approach. Includes several photos, and design diagrams for the supports. It also covers his vast AF collection and what he runs on the layout.

1996 #6 December

25

David Heine

The author looked to the EBT prototype to figure out how to move coal on his layout between standard- and narrow-gauge.

1997 #1 February

24

David Heine

In this column the author covers various non-S-scale kits that can be used to model Sn3 cars. Includes photos of some of those projects.

1997 #2 April

24

David Heine

Covers how goods were transferred between narrow-gauge and standard-gauge cars. Also covered are how to have two identical cars, one with each type of truck to simulate transferring the car by swapping the trucks (includes photos).

1997 #3 June

24

David Heine

In this article the author describes how he converted a 4-6-0 Mantua HO-scale locomotive into an Sn3 model. Includes a parts list, and a couple of construction photos.

2017 #3 May

21

Joe Kimber

The author mentions that help from his friend makes the new layout construction possible, as his illness prevents him from doing the work. Includes photos of the layout so far, as well as an updated track plan.

2017 #4 July

16

Joe Kimber

The author describes how he controls the trains on his layout, having divided it into three blocks. Includes photos of the panels, and the girder bridges he is building from scratch. The DCC schematic is shown on pages 33 and 34 of the PDF version of this issue.

1995 #1 February

12

John I. Hall

The author covers his model railroading history, and how is now getting ready to build a 12'x14' S-scale layout. The article includes the 1:12 mock-up of the layout he built and the layout's track plan. The layout's benchwork was built to be portable.

2004 #5 October

24

Jeff Madden

This article has the author describing how he got into S-scale when he was approached about becoming the Dispatch editor, and saw all the products available in S. Also includes preparing the basement, coming up with a track plan design, and deciding upon which railroad to model. Includes several track plan designs.

2012 #6 December

12

Jeff Madden

The author continues his updates on his Elk & Gauley layout, with completing a loop of track to run trains, and installing various bridges.

2004 #6 December

18

Jeff Madden

Jeff continues his layout construction article, this time covering building sectional benchwork, and evaluating the earlier track plan. Includes construction photos, and track plan drawing.

2005 #1 February

13

Jeff Madden

The author now tackles the issue of building an S-scale equipment roster for his planned layout. Also covers structures, track, and electronics.

2005 #2 April

18

Jeff Madden

The author describes how the model railroading greats influenced his approach to the hobby. When switching to S-scale, he had to become familiar with the mainstays of S, such as Frank Titman and Sam Powell.

2010 #2 April

10

Jeff Madden

Jeff continues his central West Virginia layout construction project, covering foam hills, bridges, and tunnels. Includes several under-construction photos.

2014 #3 June

7

Jeff Madden

The author was able to incorporate a lower level in the construction of his peninsula. Includes construction tips, plans, and photos.

2018 #1 January

6

Jeff Madden

Things we can do to make our layouts safe during the construction phase, so that no trains run off of the ends or fall off of the layout during a derailment.

2024 #2 March

8

Steve Monson

Using one of these riding tools to get under the layout.

2021 #6 November

24

Jack Halbleib

The author had a problem area on his layout, which, of course, was under existing scenery. He describes the problem, his solution, and encourages us to make a list of things to fix on our layouts, so that you can tackle multiple ones when the time comes.