For our layout, we cut a piece of pink insulating foam (purchased from a local home improvement store) to 4 x 4' - a half-sheet of plywood will also work - and covered it with a SceneMaster™ Velour Grass Mat (#433-1153).

Tip!
As a family project, everyone can work on a sketch showing where track, roads, buildings and other details should go, then outline the final plan on the base in pencil or with paper models.

With your plan sketched out, it's time to lay down the track.

Using the basic oval of track included with the Iron Horse set (#433-8996), we added a Track Expander with Switch Tracks (#433-21328) to add another loop for the train to run on.

Tip!
Power-Loc track snaps together, making it easy to set up!

Some beginner train sets include building kits. Once you've assembled the buildings, place them in location to see how everything looks. If you'd prefer the buildings shown on our layout, here's more info:

Town Church Kit (#433-1350)
General Store Kit (#433-1351)
Supply House Kit (#433-1398)
Stock Pen Kit (#433-1378)

Tip!
It's easy to light up your buildings with a Life-Like Building Interior Light (#433-1205). When you are satisfied with the building's placement, poke a hole through the foam base for the wires to run through. Then connect the wires to the accessory terminal on your train set power pack.

Now we're ready for scenery! We glued our scenery materials on top of the grass mat, but you can glue them directly to the base too.

To apply the brown ground cover, just brush a little white glue on the grass mat, sprinkle on the material and allow it to dry. Dab some glue on the clumps of lichen and the bottom of each tree, then press in place.

You now have a great looking model railroad layout and it's time to power up* and run the trains!

*Note: Always follow the instructions that come with your train set.

Tip!
By not gluing the buildings down, you can store your decorated foam base under the bed or on top of cabinets. Pack the buildings separately in a box when the layout is not in use.

SceneMaster has everything you'll need to build your railroad from grass and trees to glue and buildings. To help you get started, here is a list of Starter Products used on our layout. Feel free to mix and match different items that you may already have. The most important thing is to have fun!