# Train Layout in a Trailer



## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Have no room for a Garden Railroad?
You don't own the house you are living in?
You don't want to build a Railroad on the GROUND?
You want to promote the hobby and maybe your club?
You can't build a Railroad because you want to sell your house in a few years?

If you answer yes to any of the above questions, I may introduce you to a solution.
I am building a trailer for our garden railroad club, 
I have been designing this trailer in 3D cad for 3 years, As a club we have wanted
to promote the hobby and our club. We have 2 modules that we set up to promote
the club and hobby. One model was a double track on a steel frame that takes 4 guys 3 hours to set up, it has a nice 8 foot steel bridge that catches so much attention.
It has a small place to set some structures.
With all the setup time, lugging heavy parts in and out of a trailer, hoping enough people
showed up to help set up and tear down.
We turn down many opportunities to setup our modules because of the long hard work that
is involved in the setup/teardown.
This trailer will set up by two guys in less than a hour, it will have all the light weight structures
and all the figures, vehicles and trees/plant life (artificial) all fastened to the scenery.

I had a 12 foot tandem axle utility trailer I bought 28 years ago, have not used it in the last 7 years,
so I decided this would make a great start for a traveling train trailer.

I own a steel fabricating business, so the construction we did on this would be much easier than for most people. I know that many trailer Mfg's can assist in creating what is needed to
make a trailer for a train trailer.

















Corners have been added, starting to add top railings for the top supports


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Using foam for roadbed


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

This photo is the trailer exterior sheeting has been installed



















The above picture was at our first set up. Far from being completed, but we have trains running.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

There's a gent on the British forum that has something like this. It's worth checking out. The sides raise up for a canopy and he operates from in the center.


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## MikeMcL (Apr 25, 2013)

It's a great idea. Near where we spend our summer in the Pocono mountains of PA, the Carbon county Model RR Society took an old camper chassis, and built a caboose with a highly detailed HO layout inside. They take it to fairs to promote the hobby, and collect donations for the club.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Very clever and nice job.
Do the chains actually support the finished sides, or are there still axle stands under there?
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Great job Dennis!!! Looks great and well executed befitting you fine work.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

After the 4 day steam show, where we wanted to give people the idea of where we were headed, I got started back on the foam valley in the back.








Here is where part of the foam been added


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Had to finish the section above and get painted so I can place a couple large shelf type rock above for a couple small shacks.









The hot wire works good for shaping the foam, then wire brush the edges .


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Foam been painted


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## DennisB (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice, keep those pictures coming. There are two clubs in Canada very interested in seeing how this is done.
Regards, Dennis.


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

That looks to be a very well thought-out project, and very well done too... I remember seeing 
something similar in LS a number of years ago at one the "Rail Days" affairs put on annually 
by one of the railroad towns here in the mid-Atlantic... Great Job...
Paul R...


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## Sjoc78 (Jan 25, 2014)

This is great! I saw something like this at Ardenwood Park in Fremont CA when I was there over labor day weekend. It was a neat idea and definitely a better way to promote garden railroading than a non garden modular layout.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Thanks for all the compliments, Please keep your comments and Ideas coming, this will be an ongoing post through out the winter, Our club had a meeting last Saturday, and several volunteered for structures. We have lots of trees to make, and lots of small details that goes around structures.
Dennis


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

I just saw this thread Dennis, wow, what a fantastic project!


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Sjoc78 said:


> This is great! I saw something like this at Ardenwood Park in Fremont CA when I was there over labor day weekend. It was a neat idea and definitely a better way to promote garden railroading than a non garden modular layout.


You saw the trailer layout built by BAGRS. The construction was mostly accomplished by Nancy Norris (writer for Garden Railways) and her crew of dedicated volunteers. It uses real plants and real water. Nancy wrote a nice article about the trailer in the Dec. 2013 issue of Garden Railways magazine. It will be one of seven featured layouts in the Exhibit Hall at the 2016 National Garden Railway Convention in July. *Here is some information about the layout on the NGRC website.*


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## reeveha (Jan 2, 2008)

Dennis, I was looking at the basic frame for the layout and it appears you are using steel square tubing. Are you using 10ga or thinner? It looks like the weight of the fold outs might require a few people handle them especially with the foam scenery. Is it difficult to handle the fold outs?


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## jimhoot (Mar 21, 2015)

At the Steam O Rama the first public display, 2 people could lift the long sides.
The ends require 2 people as they fold as they go up.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Reeveha
Thanks for your question,
As Jim mentioned above the sides are an easy lift for 2 guys, I weighed one of the sides, and when completed
it , the lifting weight will be in the area of 120 pounds, when completed. I actually placed a lifting winch in the center of the ceiling but we will remove that because it is easy for two guys to lift into place.
Thanks Dennis


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

The hole for man/horse walk bridge
This was cut out with a hot wire










Starting the walkway , using pinner to assemble all the walkway parts









to cut alot of pieces the same length, tape your pieces in a bundle, using table saw or bandsaw cut using a fence or guide will produce many parts the same size very easily, safe, and very accurate


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Fitted into hole, cutting foam to fit the wooden platform










all completed and finished and glued into place


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

You've got "mad skills" as the cool kids say these days.


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## MJSavage (Dec 27, 2007)

That is great!


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

I built a small trestle out of poplar wood, glued and nailed together, Then painted black, and dusted with a tan colored aerosol. This will create a slight weathered effects. This trestle will be mounted on a slopped base, I cutout the foam on each end to fit the trestle. Then I would cut off each leg of the trestle bent until the trestle would fit on each end. 
Once the trestle fit I would cut and glue foam pieces to fill in behind and around the trestle. Never glue in the trestle until all the foam is glued in and painted.




























The finished trestle


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

The trestle is located under the locomotive on the right side of the picture


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Really fun project Dennis, love it!
Will you be taking it to shows? Maybe ECLSTS next year?


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## Mike Flea (Apr 8, 2014)

Dennis, I really like the look of your stone work, what kind of paint, and what colors did you use to create the effect?


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Cliff
Yes it will be at a few shows, Not going as far as the east coast show, We will have it at the National convention in Tulsa in 2017. It is mostly for club and hobby promotion . 
We want to be able to set up quickly and easily. If it sets up quick and easy it will get set up more often. 
We hope for more people to see our layout and have an interest in the hobby, get involved in the club. 
We have set up twice, will set up again in April, and again in May. We have 3 every year events, one is for 4 days. Now with this we will do more events because of the quick and easy. 
Our steel outdoor layout took 3-4 guys 3 hours to set up, and pretty hard work, That was a double flat track no scenery and 5-6 buildings if we could get someone to bring them. Now we are about 2/3 done, we have several structures, a junk Yard, watermill, one 3 foot wooden bridge, and lots of people figures. The top track crosses over the lower track twice. So we have all that detail that is in place when the sides get laid down.
Lots of pictures to follow.
Dennis


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Mike
I had never done foam until I started this. So this is all new but I think successful. 
With foam we all know aerosol melts it, well Lowes has aerosol for 99 cents per can, on the floor (CHEAP)and only in black and white. If you hold it 8-10" away the black will cover without melting, if windy and you get 5-6" away it will melt slightly, but it also adds to the details if you don't want a smooth flat surface. 
Cover in black, then all the other colors, won't melt the foam. (CAMO COLORS except for red primor)Then I take a TAN color and just hit in spots. Then a Krylon RED primer, hit in spots, then a medium brown, then a light tan again, just a light mist , then the primer in a couple spots to make a brighter red, then a white using a dry brush method, on the surfaces. It is very quick and easy. I can do 3 sqft in 10 minutes, the black takes the longest, because you want it to completely cover.
CARVING TOOL, 
is a 12" reciprocating saw blade with one end wrapped in duck tape for handle, I cut a lot of foam with it and creates the rock fault lines.


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## Mike Flea (Apr 8, 2014)

Thanks for the info Dennis, it helps a lot. I don't have much artistic talent when it comes to scenery. I can "see" it in my minds eye, but when I try to "apply" it, it turns out muddled.

I have a thread "Modeling in Foamboard" here, and have used the hot knives to cut and form, and applied a flexible mortar coat called Flexcoat from Menard's. So at this point, it "looks" like stone, it just needs that added detail that you've created with the use of paints. Not too concerned with damaging the foam at this point, because the foam is coated now, but it also won't get that fine detail that you've created with the melting from the paint.

I have a 3 day weekend next week, so I'll be heading to the hardware store to pick up some spray paint, and on the next warm weekend, spray out some detail.

Thanks again for the help, I'll post up pics in my thread when I get the mountains painted.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Mike, just have give it a try, remember don't expect perfection, because there is no perfect rock formation
good luck, and looking forwards in seeing your results.
Dennis


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks *FANTASTIC, * denray!  One thing has my curiosity aroused; are you running live steam locos over the foam roadbed? I've been contemplating building a portable live steam layout for some time (already have some track reserved for it). In addition to my garden railroad, I made the decision recently to build an indoor HO layout (there's been too much "delicious"  New Haven equipment coming out in recent years for me to "resist temptation"  - already have Broadway Limited I-5 & I-4 steam locos, and have a a batch of locos to convert to DCC accumulating quickly). The HO layout will be my first venture into working with foam scenery; I'm still debating exactly where in the house it's going, & it will be designed as a modular layout from the ground up. If I can do a portable Large Scale layout in foam as well, it'll obviously be easier to transport.

 *Tom Lapointe*


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## Naptowneng (Jun 14, 2010)

Tom
Dennis and I were just discussing the live steam/foam issue last night. There is certainly a risk of melting foam or worse with live steam. But I have never tried it. I am steaming up on Wednesday, I may put a piece of track on a piece of blue or pink foam and fire up a steamer on it and see what happens....after all, what could go wrong??


Jerry


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry;

I would think that lubricants or alcohol would attack the foam sooner that heat from the fire. The firebox is still a reasonable distance from the foam if the locomotive is already on some track. The steam could affect foam that may be too close to the top of the locomotive, but again the foam would have to be really close to the stack or safety valve. Once steam exhausts, it expands rapidly, loosing pressure and heat energy, and becomes a mist that is much cooler than transparent steam.

Just my $0.02,
David Meashey


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

"....after all, what could go wrong??" - That's my concern as well.  For the HO layout, I picked up some 2" thick pink foam insulation in 8 X 2 foot sheets. 2 pieces of it taped side-by-side with duct tape & some Kato HO sectional track gave me a "quick-&-dirty" 4 X 8 foot HO test layout to watch the Broadway Limited locos "strut their stuff" until I get something more permanent built. The HO layout will be very heavily geared towards passenger operation along the lines of Boston's South Station, with a stub-end passenger terminal, coach yard, & an at least moderately-sized engine terminal with roundhouse & turntable. By the way, I did come across a blog by a guy who's doing a *perfectly scaled model of South Station in HO at its peak of operations;* - the size of it is going to be *staggering (11 feet wide in HO!).*  The foam I'm using looks as though it would not crush under the weight of anything short of USA Train's 80 lb. BigBoy, so I'm not worried about it supporting the weight of my Bachmann 1;20.3 "sparkies" or Accucraft live steam Shays, but I do have a few melted ties on the garden railroad, especially on the dedicated steam-up track. I wonder if a layer of foil backing under the foam would provide sufficient heat protection? 

 *Tom*


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Dave Meashey said:


> I would think that lubricants or alcohol would attack the foam sooner that heat from the fire.


This sounds like an opportunity for a fun series of tests... alcohol, trains, foam, lubricants, fire, track...


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

The way I mounted the track over the foam could be an asset to someone wanting to run LS on the foam.
I cut 2" strips and epoxied glued it to the foam, then screwed the track to the steel. If a person wanted to run LS on foam, and could get 3.5" wide 16 or 20 gauge steel. Glue it to the foam, cut shorter pieces for the curves, the little gaps on the curves would probably be fine, particularly if ballasted. As long as the steam up was done over an area that had no foam under it. When we had a guy in our club that did LS, I had to make him a open pitted steel tracks with no ties, He had melted the plastic ties before I built that section for him.
So it could be done. But they can't run on ours. Sorry.
Dennis


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

There is this section that was built up for the lower track, to be built up left us with this large flat vertical wall, not knowing for sure what to do to it to look good. One evening I was working on this and knew it was 30 minutes to supper, so I jumped in and did a small section. As some of us guys knows when our wives labor to make supper, we are not to be late.  so I started with this.









20 minutes later I had this










and 10 minutes later was setting at the supper table


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

The other end in front of watermill


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

This is after the small foam pieces have been screwed and glued in place.








Then a 10 minute paint job, sure does change a flat foam front to pleasant scenery
Dennis


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Your technique is great Dennis, such great results so quickly. I also like your weeds, neat touch.


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## Mike Flea (Apr 8, 2014)

Outstanding work Dennis, you really know how to bring out detail


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## jimhoot (Mar 21, 2015)

If anyone would like to see the trailer in person it will be set up at OMRA spring show in Springfield Mo. this Saturday.
The link to the show is below. 

http://omraspringfield.org/Annual_Spring_Show.html


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

A little structure one of our club member ladies made, I glued and screwed it across the river from the watermill
I was planting the grass and weeds, my 7 year old granddaughter came up to me as I was planting paint brush bristles in the foam, and she said papa that looks just like my hair. I said give me some of your hair and I will cut it off and stick it in. She pulled a long strip about the size of a pencil towards me and said, here you go Papa cut off some off the bottom, and plant that. I snipped off about an 1.5 inches, and planted it just above the tunnel opening. I have painted some of it green. She now points to it and says there is my hair.


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

denray said:


> I snipped off about an 1.5 inches, and planted it just above the tunnel opening. I have painted some of it green. She now points to it and says there is my hair.


Just so long as her momma never finds out, you're probably OK 

It's looking terrific.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

That looks so great, Dennis. 

I think you've been exploring and discovering many techniques that enable a rapid, though gorgeous, development of a layout. 

Remember those old Kalmbach books on how to build a model rr on a 4x8 sheet of plywood? I'll bet you could create the same, and author a similar book, but based on an 8x8, using G gauge, and quick foam scenery.

CJ


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

*Adding Structures and details*

One of the things we wanted to add as details or dioramas, is a junk/salvage yards










Roosters Scrap and Crap

Someone had an old depot type structure that is easy conversion into a scrap scales, and scrap office. With adding a few signs, makes for an easy conversion, Still have the scales to add to it.

Took an old pickup and ground around and airbrushed some old weathering look on it.

CRANE

I had an old type crane that would fit perfect for this operation, thinking all the time, whatever we put on this trailer, has to be fastened permanently. Between epoxy glue and screws, sometimes trying to hide the screw head creates a challenge, But this crane has ridden a couple hundred miles in the trailer, so I think it will hold. 

I had a inexpensive, cheap plastic engine, that I bandsawed up and heated with a propane torch to represent an old wrecked engine, Surprising how 30 minutes can really scrap up one, then paint it all rusty really helps fit in.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)




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## Naptowneng (Jun 14, 2010)

That looks great Dennis. You would fit right in to the Sun Coast Center layout

Jerry


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## Mike Flea (Apr 8, 2014)

Very nice Dennis!


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

You come a long way since I'd seen it. Awesome job. Nice you could bring to Atlanta Nat convention 2018. Later RJD


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Exceptional, Dennis... Just exceptional...


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Looking very nice.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Thanks for all the nice compliments
Dennis


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