Best landscaping sets to make complete model railroad?

[NJTRailfan]

What is the best HO Scale train set that comes with trees, structures, road, dirt,etc. I've seen articles and ads in magazines like Model Railroader and Railroad model but i'd like to know which one you recommend. Here on base I have my Budd Cars and the Proto-1000 NYC Subway Cars and my two Atlas Alco M&E engines with 15 freight cars dispalyed on my sleves in the Barricks. Everything else is back in NJ including my train set.

I've seen ads for the 4ftx8ft set and it has me intrested in buying one. however the hobby stores back home have tried to have me steer clear of them and would rather hae me build a 4ftx8ft set fro mscratch. It wouldn't be bad but Being in the Army doesn't leave me alot of time and with no good hobby stores on the Kentucky/Tennesse border area ( good ones are 3 hrs drive West in Memphis or 3 hrs south to Atlanta and 3 hrs North in St Louis) Atleast in the Morris County area I have 3 or 4 good hobby stores within 20 min drive of my home but out here in the boring dpressing South I'd be lucky if I can even find one without havign to drive half the day.

So any prefab set that comes with everything would be great. I already have the trains. I just need a good prefab set like a Woodland sensics type of deal that would be easy and quickly to construct and would be easy to store away and take apart to store.

Thanks in advance.

NJTRailfan

[ANDY117]

I know Woodland Scenics makes a River PAss, or something like that- pre made. You just buy the Track set from Atlas.

[NJTRailfan]

The tracks I don't mind buying but what about the cork bed and track layout stuff. Does Woodland Senics provide that?

[ANDY117]

I think so. You need to check. I'm jus going the old fashioned route of Plywood.

[Otto Vondrak]

Cork roadbed comes from a variety of suppliers, like Midwest Products.

You dont always need a hobby shop- just the Walther's catalog. Order direct. (you know, when your closest hobby shop is 3hrs away...)

www.walthers.com

-otto-

[CNJ999]

In all honesty, NJT, probably no single "kit" offered today will provide absolutely everything you need to build a complete model railroad layout. I guess Woodland Scenics comes closest, with its choice of two 4x8 "layout" packages (River Pass and Grand Valley) that provide the foam sheets and profile elements, tunnel portals, ground cover, tree amatures, track bed, and road making materials to build the layouts' terrain - list prices in the $500 range. Separate but associated track packages for the two layouts, from Atlas, list for about $75, while a structure package of DPM building kits runs close to $200. I do note that WS is currently offering a complete set of the three packages for the River Pass 4x8 layout at $777 on their website. You're still short the powerpack, wiring, switch machines or ground throws, etc. but all the elements above do add up to a pretty complete arrangement.

Now don't misunderstand. What you are getting in the packages is essentially all materials. To build a layout like that seen advertised by Woodland Scenics in the magazines requires a lot of time and effort - probable quite a few weeks at a minimum - several months if your time is limited. These are not pre-formed layouts to which you just add track and start running trains. There's a lot of work to be done before that. Woodland Scenics used to offer a video illustrating how you build their layouts. It might be worth the effort to write and see if you can still get a copy. It will give you a much better idea of what their kits are all about.

CNJ999