HO Scale Train Layout

This is a one-of-a-kind, hand-built HO scale model railroad layout that has been built and refined over more than a decade. Located in Asheville, NC, it began in 2014 as a family project in our basement and slowly grew into a detailed, scenic layout with mountains, tunnels, bridges, and multiple themed areas.

This is a single, non-modular layout that will need to be moved in one piece.

• Get in touch

The mountain

The heart of the layout is a large, hand-carved mountain built from pink foam, carefully shaped and painted with realistic rock faces, topped with evergreen trees and just a hit of snow-capped peaks.We had no idea what we were doing when we started, but with lots of YouTube videos and plenty of trial-and-error we absolutely love how it turned out.Two tunnels pass through this mountain. The bottom tunnel has constructed openings, the top tunnel has rock face openings.

The bridges

The layout includes three bridges, including a detailed trestle bridge, all crafted by hand. The bridges are one of the elements we are most proud of and consistently draw attention from visitors.

The pond

There is an idyllic pond near the farm area. The pond has been carved out with meticulous detail, painted to give the appearance of depth.We are including the supplies needed to finish this pond with a murky water pour.

The town

This is the area that needs the most work to finish building it out. We built a road, hand-crafted a series of storefronts, and added a locomotive repair shop.We had planned to add a few more buildings such as a gas station and a hotel, perhaps a small park with a play set and benches, and then fill the town with cars, people, and scenery.

Construction and structure

The layout is built on a wood-framed table with a thin plywood top and a pink foam scenery base. This structure makes it easy to carve terrain and to add wiring and accessories throughout the layout.

The layout has lived its entire life in a temperature-controlled basement and shows no signs of foam degradation or structural damage.

Electrical and control sysem

The electrical system is simple, robust, and built with expansion in mind.

A separate 5V accessory bus runs the full length of the layout and currently powers small LEDs and accessories. There is significant unused capacity, and tapping into the 5V or 12V lines is straightforward: drill through the foam base and connect below using tap connectors.

Scenery

As mentioned above, the city needs to be built out, and the pond needs to be finished. We are including a number of building kits, and tons of scenery material including the deep pour murky water feature. Then of course, there are plenty of other areas where you may want to polish and improve on.

Track and operation

There are a couple of frequent derailment spots, including one tight curve.There are no completely dead areas of track, however, some areas where weaker locomotives struggle, likely needing track cleaning.

Turnouts

One turnout needs mechanical adjustment to apply firmer pressure to the rails. The tortoise controller is working fine as far as we can see, but the piano wire needs to be positioned better.

General maintenance

The layout gets a bit dusty and needs cleaning to keep trains running smoothly. Turnouts and locomotives will benefit from lubrication.

What's included