The first thing you need to do is take it slow and plan your model railway before you make any permanent fixtures. There are so many things that could go wrong with model railways if you don't plan ahead and do some serious research. You will need to know what features you want in your layout and what period it will be set in.



Deciding on the location for your model railway will ultimately affect the size and design of you layout. Here I will list various locations where you can build your model railway.

Attic/Loft:

Probably the largest area in the house,

Depending on roof design it may have restrictive joists,

Gets very hot in the summer and very cold the winter,

Heating, ventilation and electrics need to be considered.

Basement:

Again another large area in the house,

Basements can suffer from damp,

Headroom may be restrictive,

Heating, ventilation and electrics need to be considered.

Garages/Sheds:

They can be very damp or dusty environments,

Other (possibly dangerous) things stored there,

Security needs to be considered,

Heating, ventilation and electrics need to be considered.

Spare Room:

Already has heating, ventilation and electrics installed,

Layout may need to be put away if guests stay,

No problems with damp, dust or temperature.

A good baseboard is needed to ensure the smooth and trouble free running of your model railway.

Once you have decided on the location for your model railway you need to construct the baseboard. There are many ways to build a baseboard but I am going to describe my preferred method here. This method can be used for any gauge of model railway.

I use the box frame method covered with 9mm plywood, as it is lightweight and quite cheap to build. I use 2 by 1 (50mm by 25mm) softwood battening to build the frame. Once I have built the outside framework I will fit cross battens and bracing at approximately 1ft to 2ft (12cm to 24cm) intervals. The frame is glued and screwed together before I glue and panel pin the 9mm ply on top. I use panel pins as its easy to punch the pin heads under the surface of the ply. If your model railway layout is to be a permanent fixture then you can fix one side to a wall and make softwood batten legs for the other side at regular intervals. I use two plastic fold-up trestles as I need to be able to put my layout up against the wall as its in the spare room. Some people rest their layout on kitchen type units or bookcases however I find this restricts access to the underside of the baseboard for wiring etc.