So you have bought your model railway but your are not sure what layout you should use?

I have done a little research to find out tips and advice for someone looking to build their own model railway layout.

The first thing you need to ask yourself is:

1. How much space do you have available? If you are short on space then this will affect what railway layout you will choose.

2. How much time do you have available? I know we all like to believe that we have all the time in the world, but this just is not true. If you are very busy with work/kids... then you don't want to pick a layout that takes 1000's of hours before its finished.

Once you have answered these questions its now time to see what layout is best for you!

The most popular options for a model railway are as follows:

1. Circular - Not much time and not much money but need space

This is the layout that most newbies start off with.Your average hornby starter kit will be a circular layout.

• These layouts are not very realistic
• In many cases need a lot of space to work.
• You do not need much time to set one of these up. ]
• They are very cheap though!

2. Covered Circular - need money and time

This is the layout that is popular with advanced model railway enthusiasts.

• These layouts are more realistic as the trains don't just look they are chasing their own tail
• They require far more time to build
• More money is required for extra scenery.

3. Straight layout -don't need much space and don't need much money or time

As you can imagine these railway layouts do not connect and end at both sides of the baseboard.

• These layouts can look the most realistic
• Can be used in very tight spaces
• Can also be very cheap

You need to decide on a railway layout that suits your needs. If this is your first layout then try to keep it small and simple - you can always make it more complicated in the future.