EASY LIONEL LAYOUTS YOU CAN BUILD
29 NEW DESIGNS
By Peter Riddle
Published by Kalmbach Books
There are plenty of track planning books available these days, but this one is a little different from the rest. These plans are closer to conventional toy train than hi-rail designs, but each has a reason for being-they're not just glorified ovals of track.
The book starts out with a quick discussion of track products available, then moves onto simple wiring concepts. Next Mr. Riddle asks six important questions about your layout's concept; how much space do you have, what kinds of trains you like to run, etc. Good questions for anyone wanting to build a layout.
The author designed most of the plans to be built on hollow core doors, that cuts down on construction time. Just make sure you put something under your track to cut down the train noise!
There are plans for accessory intensive railroads, point-to-point commuter lines, as well as hands-off running. There are operating tips for the plans, each one has a purpose or theme, so it's easy to pick out one that fits your interests, equipment, etc. The best plans are for the indivisible island and modular island layouts. The modular layouts are designed to allow for easy future expansion-simply separate the two doors and insert your expansion section or sections. None of the layouts in the book are basement busters; the largest one can fit in a bedroom.
The last chapter details the construction of a U shaped layout, and covers assembling the "door" benchwork, wiring, and basic scenery. The author also discusses making modular scenery plots. That might be a good way to easily change the look of your layout by making two plots for each space and occasionally swap them.
As with Dr. Riddle's other books, this one is enjoyable to read, the diagrams, photos, and illustrations are excellent.
