Making Use of Corners in Your Model Train Layout

Many a model railroader has struggled with utilizing layout corners in interesting ways. The reason they’re such awkward spaces is that you can’t fit a curve into those tight areas, meaning there will always be some leftover room in the corners. What should you do with these spaces? Consider how to make use of corners in your model train layout.

Make Interesting Operations

Our favorite thing to do with corners is to find unique ways to perform operations. So you can’t fit a curve into a 90-degree corner—you can still put a track with a terminus in the corner as a siding off the main line. This allows you to put industries or passenger stops in corners with very little space left over. You can also use this trick to store trains you don’t want to run at the moment.

Blend With the Background

Another thing you can do to make use of corners in your model train layout is add hills, rocky cliffs, or other landscaping bits that will blend your layout into the background. Using a pre-printed backdrop is a great way to add realistic dimension to your model railroad, and it’s easy to pull focus from the middle ground when you’re looking at the scene as a whole.

Add Elevation to Scenes

The corners of your layout are fantastic places to work on adding height and vertical dimension. If you’re using a background, the corners can contain mountains or hills covered in trees. If your railroad is on an island table, the corners are the perfect place to put windmills, silos, water towers, and other tall industrial buildings you might not want to have in the middle of your layout.

Build Your Dream Layout

Midwest Model Railroad carries N scale freight cars and all kinds of scenery you can use to build the model railroad of your dreams. Find hot wire cutters, water effects, rock molds, and much more in our enormous online and in-person collection. Need help figuring out the basic tools and techniques you need to get started? Check out our blog for tutorials, explanations of train terminology, and lists of tools you need to make the perfect model train layout.