Building a Ready-To-Run Model Railroad

Using only off-the-shelf trackwork, buildings, bridges and scenery and ready-to-run trains, you can construct a layout from the ground up with effort-saving ideas like office-furniture pedestals doubling as benchwork support and storage. This book brings it all together – trackwork, scenery, wiring, command control, structures, detailing and trains on a model railroad readers will actually build.

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Author: Jeff Wilson
Softcover; 8 1/4 x 10 3/4; 96 pages; ISBN: 9780890247402

Jeff Wilson has written more than 20 books on railroads and model railroading. He spent 10 years as an associate editor at Model Railroader magazine, and he currently works as a freelance writer, editor, and photographer, contributing articles to MR and other magazines. He also writes a model railroading column for Model Retailer magazine and is a correspondent for Trains magazine. He enjoys many facets of the hobby, especially building structures and detailing locomotives, as well as photographing both real and model railroads.

Introduction 4

Chapter one
Track planning and benchwork 6

Chapter two
Track and wiring 18

Chapter three
Structures 28

Chapter four
Scenery foundations 40

Chapter five
Scenery texture and final touches 62

Chapter six
Locomotives and rolling stock 78

Chapter seven
Final details 86

resources 94
about the author

Author Jeff Wilson provides hobbyists with easy-to-follow instructions for adding structures, scenery, and details to the featured 4x12-foot HO layout. He shows the novice model railroader how to build simple benchwork and design a track plan; create scenery with grass, trees, and more; assemble structure kits; add roads, signs, and vehicles; and select trains and get them going in no time. This book is a great resource for getting your first model railroad up and running quickly.
-Brent Lambert, Scale Rails magazine