Surprise! He Asked for Help and Got This Cool Model Railroad! 

I’m internet famous now. No biggie. Wonderful video as always joe. I’m glad I could inspire a video. I’ll be sure to send pictures as it comes along!

Keep in mind that no plan survives contact with the enemy. There's stuff you only discover by actually building and operating on the real thing. I've rebuilt several parts of my 10x13 shelf layout, multiple times in some cases. Thankfully, if you use white glue, most track can be reused.

Joe hi, I am enjoying your videos, they are helping me out with my 1x6 shelf switching yard. I watched your video on wiring and soldering a small layout. I followed it exactly, except I bought all the track connectors from kato. I too suck at soldering, but more than that, “electricity”. In the coming weeks I would love to talk with you about other stuff, as I am waiting to get some factories in the mail.thanks Joe for listening, Mitch B.

I will watch the video on becoming a part of your group I have a plan that is 85% designed on ANYRAIL and I have change it many time As is typical I wanted a ROOM size layout and have come to the realization that it just would never happen Now the plan is to build it inside a Table with a Glass Top that will be the separation of my home office and the family room For the wife the normal part of the house is the Living Room with the TV, the Family Room is the area with the Office and the Bar Due to the limited space within the table, used to lay out my work files when I get many projects at one time the table is 7 x 3.5 feet The layout is done with Atlas Code 80 N Scale Tracks After MANY attempts the build of set of loops to gain height or a helix was tossed and I used two cross overs to get what I wanted The design has reached the YARD level and this is where as is typical the brain freezes, or maybe that is my age getting to me Hope to see you in the group As my original idea was for a full multi level room I have a LOT of stuff I will offer it to anyone for a CHEAP Price James

I am working on T-Trak modules starting with 4 doubles and 2 ends to have a oval. It will be more of a switching layout than a continuous run. Setting it in Texas in the 60's to 70's.

Ah the coast line between CP Elmhurst and CP Newark. Shame SP and now UP are so hostile to local freight. The entire east bay was covered in freight served industries. The track will likely chance quite a bit in the next few years as its being completely rebuilt to support more frequent passenger service. this layout plan is really interesting. If no 70ft+ long cars were going to be used I likely would have set the curve radius at 24in for switching given this track dates back to the early 1900s and was designed for 40-50ft cars.

I would like to make a couple of suggestions to the track plan. Firstly, a extension for the team track; If you lengthen it by widening the "South Main Extension" you can provide additional storage or another spot. Lastly, do the same for the "North Main Extension;" However, make it parallel to the north main [on the facia side], giving the feeling that the runaround was realigned - have it tie into the runaround by installing a Y-turnout into the runaround. The runaround and the secondary main/old double-ended siding would have been for an old abandoned industry. If it would be possible model the secondary north main extension/ old double-ended siding parallel to the used north main extension. 🤷‍♂ These can be added as operational interests increase.

He could add photo backdrops of the area he's modeling too.. that would make the layout seem larger without going pass the backdrop, seeing all those google images of that area he's modeling that would be a great addition Jason could add on over time..

Great layout planning video and good luck with the mastermind group.

I'll try to make this short. First, the room I had to work with was 11.5 ft by 9 ft. and I had to cear it out and lower the ceiling, and install drywall. Then, I had to build shelves for the track and for storage above it. I had to make an angle in one corner to accommodate the breaker box. Which I covered with a two door kitchen cabinet. I started on the short wall (about 5 ft) and made a double mainline and a very small yard with Kanasa City for the background. As the layout turns the right-hand corner, the double mainline crosses the Missouri river. Immediately coming to St. Joseph, where I added one industry. I kitbashed a Walthers kit to look like the West Tab building in St. Joseph. I added a highway I call the Belt, which is in St. Joseph. Then it travels to Afton Iowa, where there is a Farmers COOP elevator. This is on the next right-hand corner. It then comes to my hometown of Murray Iowa, where I added two switching opportunities. A feed store and very small lumber yard. Then, on to Osceola Iowa. The double mainline crosses over Interstate 35 as it comes into town. There is a factory there that produces dairy farm equipment that my brother works at. That is a switching opportunity. Then, it curves around another right-hand corner to the small town of Ridgeway, Missouri, where my wife grew up. There is no switching there, but as it turns at a 45° right-hand corner, it comes upon a copper mine. I just wanted this to test my skills at making a mine similar to the one that Luke Towen made on his Utube channel. The mine and another Missouri River crossing are on the swing gate that I fabricated. That brings it back into the Kansas City yard. It has been a two year project so far, and I'm just now laying track. I can only work on it little by little because I babysit my two grandsons before and after school every day and walk 3 miles a day. Oh, I built them a 5 ft x 30 in fold down table for a racetrack/train track/ Hot Wheels play area. I'm also dealing with CLL, Conjective Heart Failure, and COPD. I also do some remodeling stuff around the house. Thanks for all that you do.

For our new house, I was given the space under the stairs for my modeling space. I designed a 16in by 11ft switching layout. It also could accommodate a 90 deg turn to an industry at the back of the space. Before I started cutting wood, I was granted access to the spare room. Now I have a 12ft x 14ft space to fill. :) Luckily, my plan will fit quite nicely on one wall. Excellent video and motivation to build!

Awesome video! I love the main line running down the center. I Jason wanted, he could have switching interrupted by a train running from fiddle stick to fiddle stick. I like the team track too....

I am a little late on this video, but I took some stuff from this one and will apply it to my layout

I'm planing my 4th layout and am really scared that I will end up with a mistake like the first 3. I like working out problems and will most likely do a 2 track main so I can have trains running while I build and solve problems. My space is a section of a basement room and the size of the road will be in the 210' by 20' area. I want to use 30 inch width sections. I figure that this will give me all of the space I need for the industries I want to have. The road will be built in sections so it could be taken apart and removed from the room as I am 75 and don't know when I will not be able to get down to the basement.

Some great stuff in this segment! I myself am in a rut. I have a 20'x20' area, I have everything for a layout, except the layout. In my mind I have a double deck layout envisioned with a 3rd (bottom most) level for a staging yard. I've tried scarm and any rail to no avail. I've got the bench work drawn out on paper and I'm more than capable of doing the carpentry end of things. The thing is, as I've said prior I'm not chasing a location, time frame, or any certain class one company. I'm looking at a mix of continuous running with operations. Guaranteed 99.9% it'll be me running things. Out here in the sticks (read rural) these farmers don't take much thought into model railroading. 🤣 the closest people I know that do run trains are about 5 hours away in St. Louis. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and contact you for assistance. 😁

This was a very good video about building an operating layout in a small space. My layout is in a 20’x 12’ space . It’s a double deck layout but the way it was designed it that it’s basically has multiple small switching areas that could be a stand alone layouts but I have them connected to a whole layout. My paper mill is only 6’x 18” I can keep an operator busy for a hour. It has a total of 12 car spots and a holding track.

Wow. This almost sounds like what I'm trying to do. And definitely may need some help with 😂

Great video, Joe.

You give a great blueprint thought wise on building a track plan. IMHO you should also factor in viewing height, for a couple of reasons. All in All a very solid playbook, thanks for sharing

Great video, thank you! This will no doubt be very helpful to many.

Really great meeting you this past weekend. And really nice video, I like layout planning videos.

Great video and great ideas. Thanks for sharing. Dave

Between puzzle switching and prototypical switching shelf layout, facing and trailing spurs, and a run around are elemental. I add to keep the tracks closer to the operator than any industry you don't want to have to reach over to do uncoupling. Besides the switchback you've included, more operating interest can be added by having 2 spurs cross over each other.

Awesome video man!!!! Layout plan looks like a fun switching Layout nice work!

Great video with a ton of great ideas. I will definitely keep those in mind as I design my new HO scale 20in by 20ft shelf layout. I would like this layout include standard HO and HOn30 track and take place sometime in the early to mid '50s. Working on the benchwork right now. I like your idea of the mastermind groups. Sounds like fun and really helpful. Thanks for sharing.

Very nice video. I like your track planning process, it's far superior to mine :-)

Great video as I'm in the same boat as him trying to get started and with a young family which is bit hard but still no excuse for not doing anything and look to build something I was wondering what size turnouts are you using in this plan keep up the great videos.

Thinking about joining your mastermind group. Just not sure I can make the monthly meetings. Is there going to be other communications outside the Zoom meetings? I have been modeling HO scale for.....30 years more or less. But due to size and life constraints I am making a mo e to Z scale for a change and to keep doing something. I know there is only one spot left so thought I would ask. Before I joined

Hi Joe! Would you mind sharing which mfg's switches and the size you used in the plan? Sorry if i missed it in the video. Thank you in advance! Dominic

Evening, I'm having trouble with designing my layout. I have a 17 by 13-foot space and if you have some time I would like some help deciding on what functions and looks best.

My issues aren't with the layout design, as that came naturally. I've always had the ability to look at an area of an existing layout or the raw benchwork and visualize a viable track layout. That said, my layout developed very quickly and had expanded 3 times. From a point to point, and is now a continuous run with the 3rd and latest expansion. My issue is actually the operations of it. I model a small regional shortline, with connections to 2 class 1s. The main yard is not big enough to store every required car for the various industries, so transfers must occur "daily" and there lays my dilemma.. I lack off layout storage, although a good sized staging yard is planned in the future in an adjoining room.

May have to have a conversation with you myself

Thank you for your work. You’re passing comment in this video really doesn’t present the real effort you do to script/plan that make the messages in your videos clearly come across ( transfer) to the audience .

Yep I need help but it is very hard to find.