N Scale Rental Layouts Melbourne

[Bigdog]

Just moved down to Melbourne and I’m missing the rental layouts that are all around Japan. I don’t have a great deal of money to build a proper layout, so does anyone know a store or a club where I can rent a layout. (Not sure if this is the right place to put it, so feel free to move it)

[Damo Jr.]

HI Mate,

I'm up in Sydney and haven't heard of rental layouts at all in Australia.     You might have to join a club https://www.clubsofaustralia.com.au/clubs-in-victoria-69/ , somehting of which I'm actually not  a fan of, or.....    start a rental layout cafe.      It might be time for this concept in Australia.

[UnfinishedKit]

Not a rental layout but it’s the train and hobby show in Sandown park next weekend. 

 

https://www.trainandhobbyshow.com.au

[bill937ca]

I think rental layouts are a Japanese only thing. Elsewhere, it would probably be a club layout set up for local slow running diesel trains.

[cteno4]

Sadly, i doubt outside of japan there is the modeler density needed to support a rental layout. Brick and mortar hobby shops alone are struggling these days with even a wider set of hobbies. There are more n scalers [and maybe overall train modelers] in japan than the rest of the world combined all crammed into a small place so it works!

 

Outside japan clubs usually end up being the alternative to rental layouts if you cant have your own layout. But even clubs that have homes with permanent layouts seem to be a bit on the decline due to costs and the newer clubs are usually modular based with no “clubhouse” and setups are at events. But that can give you a good fix on running trains. Clubs can be varied and a mixed bag, but worth looking into and giving a shot maybe and see how it works for you. There seems to be a lot of interest in japanese rail in Australia and even a good sized club so you might find others with specifically japanese interests as well.

 

Always get some track and do some temporary setups and add buildings and some scenery bits to make something fun to play with. Check out Barry’s article on doing these style layouts. Just adding some scenery boarders to buildings, table cloths, paper roads, and scenery islands can make something pretty astounding.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Bigdog]

It seems that I’ll have to start my own permanent layout then. Any tips and tricks?

[cteno4]

Well first get some tomix or Kato track and start playing with trains and points and such. Get some track planning software then to mess with ideas in the space you may have. Try parts of this out with your sectional track to see how it works for you running trains. Plan view and actual playing with trains on a layout plan can differ some so best to go back and forth to find what you enjoy the most. Then you can start on bench work, laying track, writing, scenery, etc.

 

Layout design is all about tradeoffs with space, number of lines, inclines or flat, yards, operations, scenery amount, etc. lots of tradeoffs and you cant have it all but you can find permutations that give you as much as possible with your variable values.

 

the article i linked above is a great way to get something going that looks nice fast without diving into a big permanent layout right away and hone in to what you really like to do for a permanent layout.

 

do ask around about clubs, some still have clubhouses with permanent layouts. Or they may do large setups often at events to run trains on big setups. Ask the local hobby shops they may have an idea of local clubs.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[UnfinishedKit]

There is a Japan model railway group in Melbourne that has a modular setup that they bring to shows. I assume they will be at Sandown with them 
 

they are on which means I can’t make contact with them

 

https://m.facebook.com/AJMRG/

 

they don’t use t-track as the module format AFAIK, but it looked good at the amts show last year. 

 

AMRAVIC has HO club layouts 

 

http://www.amravic.com.au/club-layouts.html

 

There are other clubs in town as well. Not sure who does N. 

 

 

[cteno4]

Yeah AJMRG has been active on and off on the forums, but not lately. They use sort of a fremo format of their own. I have a vague memory they may have some folks doing ttrak, but it’s been a while since they have been around here. Im not on fb as well so dont track them there.

 

jeff

[RS18U]

Another option that I used in the past was to get to know some fellow modelers who have layouts and see if you could run some of your fleet on theirs on occasion.  If there is a hobby shop near by they may know some people who would be willing to do this.  I am part of a small group that meets for coffee every other Friday night and this group has been going on since the mid-80's when I first joined up.  They don't meet at houses, rather a coffee shop, but all the members are fine with having people come over to their layouts.

[Damo Jr.]

On 3/10/2025 at 8:32 AM, cteno4 said:

Sadly, i doubt outside of japan there is the modeler density needed to support a rental layout. Brick and mortar hobby shops alone are struggling these days with even a wider set of hobbies. There are more n scalers [and maybe overall train modelers] in japan than the rest of the world combined all crammed into a small place so it works!

 

Outside japan clubs usually end up being the alternative to rental layouts if you cant have your own layout. But even clubs that have homes with permanent layouts seem to be a bit on the decline due to costs and the newer clubs are usually modular based with no “clubhouse” and setups are at events. But that can give you a good fix on running trains. Clubs can be varied and a mixed bag, but worth looking into and giving a shot maybe and see how it works for you. There seems to be a lot of interest in japanese rail in Australia and even a good sized club so you might find others with specifically japanese interests as well.

 

Always get some track and do some temporary setups and add buildings and some scenery bits to make something fun to play with. Check out Barry’s article on doing these style layouts. Just adding some scenery boarders to buildings, table cloths, paper roads, and scenery islands can make something pretty astounding.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

Jeff, sadly, I think you're right.     Populations density, small houses and a way smaller take-up of model trains over all.     I really enjoyed seeing kids and adults at the shop and rental layout in the Aeon near Kyoto station and I'd partake if there was one here.

[cteno4]

@Damo Jr. yes trains are just so much more a fabric of life in japan than elsewhere in the world and this is what make train interest and the hobby so common there. Smaller homes also just mean less likely to have a real home layout, hence rental layout is where you would get to actually play on a real layout. 

 

Do keep poking around for local clubs. Even if they don’t do japanese you may be able to run some japanese trains on their layout once you are a member [some clubs even invite potential members to come play with them before being a member, our club actively encourages this]. And who knows maybe you can get some to convert!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[MrLinderman]

On 3/10/2025 at 11:30 AM, Bigdog said:

It seems that I’ll have to start my own permanent layout then. Any tips and tricks?

Hi Bigdog,

 

Do you have any space at home to start a layout?

 

I have just finished my testing layout in terms of track positioning and now planning my larger layout in the shed once it's been insulated and cleaned up.

 

You won't need a huge space to create a nice small layout, depends on what you want to run.

 

A bunnings hollow core door can be easily converted into a layout table by adding some legs.

[MrLinderman]

@Bigdog

 

This is my "testing" layout i made in the spare room, its 1.8m x 0.9m (table size) but the layout is only around 780mm tall, I wanted a bit of table space to work on items and setup the DCC-EX units etc. to learn.

 

If you can fit this somewhere in your house (https://www.bunnings.com.au/hume-doors-timber-870-x-2040-x-35mm-internal-door-primed-mdf-h1-flush_p1973121) its a super cheap way to get a perfectly flat surface that wont warp that is light weight and strong, just add 4 of these (https://www.bunnings.com.au/adoored-40-x-710mm-white-round-adjustable-metal-furniture-leg_p0110787) one to each corner and you have a cheap light weight table to start a layout on, just don't sit on it 🙂

 

As for track, the Tomix sets I used to make my layout was simply a Starter Set Plan A (included train and power pack), the Station siding set Plan B, the Rail Yard Set, and Engine Shed extension, I also added on one or two more single pieces to get it to where it is now.

 

 

As you can see the setup is really only suited to 4 car length units, I am just using 6 car length units for now as they will be the smaller size on my larger layout so I wanted to test a few things.

Edited March 16 by MrLinderman

[Bigdog]

1 hour ago, MrLinderman said:

Hi Bigdog,

 

Do you have any space at home to start a layout?

 

I have just finished my testing layout in terms of track positioning and now planning my larger layout in the shed once it's been insulated and cleaned up.

 

You won't need a huge space to create a nice small layout, depends on what you want to run.

 

A bunnings hollow core door can be easily converted into a layout table by adding some legs.

Yep I’m planning to clear out some room to make a decently sized layout. I was gonna get some food out tables but those Bunnings options seem a lot more sturdy. I was at first planning to just have an elevated double loop, with a viaduct station using stuff that I already own. Was planning to buy a second viaduct station and turnouts to have a 2 passing loops on either side. I’m just unsure on how to decorate and create scenery. Right now I’m on the floor so I have a decent sized layout, and I don’t really want to give up to much space as I like to run Shinkansen which are quite long.

Edited March 16 by Bigdog

[MrLinderman]

21 hours ago, Bigdog said:

Yep I’m planning to clear out some room to make a decently sized layout. I was gonna get some food out tables but those Bunnings options seem a lot more sturdy. I was at first planning to just have an elevated double loop, with a viaduct station using stuff that I already own. Was planning to buy a second viaduct station and turnouts to have a 2 passing loops on either side. I’m just unsure on how to decorate and create scenery. Right now I’m on the floor so I have a decent sized layout, and I don’t really want to give up to much space as I like to run Shinkansen which are quite long.

 

Highly recommend you download anyrail on PC (which is free for limited pieces of track) and plan out your layout on there, its pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it.

 

I've used it to design my new layout (thread in the layout design section of forum)

[RS18U]

4 hours ago, MrLinderman said:

Highly recommend you download anyrail on PC

Agreed, very easy to use and very useful.  When using Kato Unitrack it keeps you honest.  Not sure if it has Tomix track as well.

[Kingmeow]

XtrkCAD is another freebie one.  I don't think it has limits.  Has Atlas, Kato and Tomix track libraries.

[bill937ca]

12 hours ago, RS18U said:

Agreed, very easy to use and very useful.  When using Kato Unitrack it keeps you honest.  Not sure if it has Tomix track as well.

Anyrail has Tomix Finetrack, Tomix Wide Tram Track, Unitrack and Unitram.

[Bigdog]

On 3/17/2025 at 9:00 AM, MrLinderman said:

 

Highly recommend you download anyrail on PC (which is free for limited pieces of track) and plan out your layout on there, its pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it.

 

I've used it to design my new layout (thread in the layout design section of forum)

Is it windows only? I only have a Mac

[cteno4]

@Bigdog then you will need railmodeller pro, the only commercial mac track planning software. It’s a good program and worth the price [$45 US]. There is xtrakcad, which is free and open source, but it requires a big of fiddling getting x windows running on your mac and maintaining it as things change with os updates. 

 

Jeff

[Little-Kinder]

You can also install a virtual machine on your laptop which will use windows.

[cteno4]

Setting up a virtual machine on a mac is an option but a bit of a PITA along with maintaining the virtual machine and windows os and more expensive than just getting Railmodeller on the mac.

 

Railmodeller is pretty much up to par with most of the other pc track planning packages like anyrail. Only downside is sharing files, but all the packages out there have that issue as they dont have a common file format and ways to transfer are there, but it can strip most all the useful info. Its interface and process are pretty good for a mac user to be comfortable with fast. Ive never run into things i could not do with it easily that i’ve done on other track planning software programs.

 

Getting xtrakcad running is all free stuff but just a pita and pain to keep up as os evolves and drivers change. Xtrakcad is powerful and pretty flexible but does not have an intuative or friendly interface, but with a bit of practice you get use to it, but one of those programs its essential to take notes as if you are away from it for a while its a pain to get going again from memory alone! It’s also open source so bug fixing is good but can be more random and it has permutations issues on all platforms to work thru some. If you dont like dinking with computers a lot its ot fun.

 

Cheers

 

jeff

[N-Osoi]

On 3/18/2025 at 3:36 PM, cteno4 said:

@Bigdog then you will need railmodeller pro, the only commercial mac track planning software. It’s a good program and worth the price [$45 US]. There is xtrakcad, which is free and open source, but it requires a big of fiddling getting x windows running on your mac and maintaining it as things change with os updates. 

 

Jeff

@Bigdog I also run a mac and paid for

railmodeller. It’s really good and has the Kato and Tomix track catalogues in there. 

[Damo Jr.]

On 3/18/2025 at 5:24 PM, Bigdog said:

Is it windows only? I only have a Mac

I use iMac and rail Modeler Pro, which has Kato and Tomix track components.    Can't coment on how well it work compared to other design programs.