Small Shelf Layout Plans?

[trainguy4466]

As I am currently attending a community college (at home, fortunately) and will be attending university soon, I don't exactly have the time or space for a large layout. However, I thought that in the meantime I'd build a small shelf layout to keep me occupied and have something fun to operate. I'm looking for the smallest plan possible, preferably in a harbor setting as I have the Walthers Municipal Pier Terminal kit and I'd like it to be the centerpiece of the layout. This being said, I'd still like to have a few other industries if I can, with the plan being somewhat prototypical in nature. If I can I'd also like to avoid carfloats and instead represent the rest of the world with a small staging yard. Does anyone out there know of a plan to fit my criteria?

[Javelina]

Hiya Trainguy,

You might want to check out www.carendt.com for ideas and inspiration. Carl Arendt, who started the aformentioned site, specialized in just what you asked about. Contributors from all over the world were published there. Sadly, Carl's no longer with us, but his site still is in all it's joyfullness.

Lou

[trainguy4466]

Thanks Javelina, I've been following the small layout scrapbook for a number of years now. Unfortunately I haven't seemed to have found that perfect plan yet. One I have in mind is the old Claremont and Concord project railroad that was built back around 2005. With a little reworking into a more linear design, it may be what I am looking for. This being said, I'm still open to suggestions from others, in case I can find a better and smaller plan that still is operationally varied and interesting. This being said, I love many of the ideas that are used in the construction of micro layouts, such as things like sector plates and hidden turntables to create the illusion of a bigger system, and if you could recommend one of the plans from Carl's site I'd be happy to take a look. As I said I'm trying to find a plan that can vary in operation, and be a different job every time I run it. I'd also like to incorporate many other features to create a sense of realism, such as animation, lights and sounds

[mcfunkeymonkey]

You don't mention which scale, which makes a large (or small :) ) difference in the shelf design.

Another consideration is portability: will the shelf travel with you or will it be permanently set/attched to current location?
If it's going to stay in one place, then you can build it to fit the unique space, while if it's going with you to the unknown then building a standard size (like 11" x 6' or 8') that easily fits on Rubbermaid brackets might be a better idea.

The late, great Steinjr has many shelf layout designs here. 
Most of them are HO, but can be adapted for N.
(An HO 18"x8' design scales nicely to 11"x6')

Byron Henderson has a few shelf layouts in his Design Gallery.
Many include non-linear fascia for a more flowing feel and to get rid of the "bookshelf" feel.
"Don't fear the saw!" as Byron like to say.

I took Byron's Alameda Belt Line folding design and my daughter and I made a 1'x6' "Alameda Belt-in-a-Box" layout:

There's a hinged section in the middle, so by removing the small tanks and building in back it folds up into a box with handle:

And then I built a shelf and valence for it so at home it's a "normal" shelf layout:

There are more details and photos on how I mounted as a shelf layout with lighting in the Nov. 2012 Model Railroad Hobbyist article here.
A complete step-by-step of the whole project is in the Nov/Dec 2012 and Jan/Feb 2013 issues of N Scale Magazine.

Remember, with N you get 4 times the layout as HO!
(Not to pack with track but to increase the scenery-to-track ratio!)

Another option is to build to a modular standard like Free-mo or Free-moN.
That way you'd have your "home" layout but you'd be able to get together with others and run longer trains.
(I have several Free-moN modules that I can set up at home, but have more fun setting up with my fellow Silicon Valley Free-moN-sters at train shows: we get hundreds of feet of mainline running!)

Food for thought!

Hope this helps.

[fwright]

Some of my favorite small HO layouts (shelf style) have been featured at http://www.carendt.com

Wye River City - my version grew to 5ft long and 12" deep.  This could be easily modified to use the Pier Terminal kit.  The original track plan, drawn for Atlas wye turnouts and Snap Track:

I am also building an HOn3 version of Chuck Yungkurth's Gum Stump & Snowshoe.  I expanded the design to 10ft by 2ft (I'm building as two 5ft sections.  The lower "yard" becomes a dog hole port for loading lumber schooners.  A turntable is added to the ends of the 2 inner yard tracks to form a runaround.  The outer yard track is on the dock where the schooners are loaded.  The upper end becomes the logging area.  The mid-level extends to a future sawmill area.  My plan is to build a junction module off the logging end to tie the layout into the club's HOn3 Free-mo setups. 

Here's the original GS&S track plan:

Takes more space than the 1st layout, and more of a fantasy with the grades and switchbacks if put in a modern era than I use (or standard gauge).

I do recommend that while you are in school that you keep it simple.  School always seemed to take more time than I anticipated it would.

my thoughts, your choices

Fred W

....modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it's always 1900....

[delray1967]

I second the Free Mo idea (either N or HO); use it on a shelf at home (or dorm) and plug the legs into it when you want to participate in Free Mo.  A while ago, MR had a L.A. switching layout as a project layout.  I did a quick search for it but didn't find anything...maybe someone else can help out here.  It had an 'X' shaped runaround instead of the usual 'D' shape and was based on the area around the L.A. docks I think and was pretty small.

[galaxy]

There are some shelf type N scale  layouts here: {NOTE: since the forum change my links may not be clickable}

{I have struggled with it as I really don't have a proper space for my HO layout, so I am thinking Z scale! in an under bed box!}

http://myplace.frontier.com/~g_reeder/Content/Track_Plans.html

here is an interesting one 23x41" N scale:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/5556

You mention waterfornt? :

http://www.track-plans.net/model-railroad-layouts.htm

There are a few here, though they may be bigger than you wnat,a dn not all shelf types:

http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/plans.htm

Since I have mentioned Z scale, here are some:

http://www.iblproducts.com/layouts.htm

others:

http://www.track-plans.net/shelf-layout.htm

point is do a search for "small N scale shelf layouts" on Bing, or Google or whatever your favorite browser and peruse till you find one that you like.

Good luck, so many options, so little time!

 

[trainguy4466]

Thank you all for your comments. As I've thought about what I want in a layout, the more I realize I'd be happier with a very small, shelf style switching layout with no continuous run. To be honest the more I think about it the less I really want to model a harbor, the main reason I initally considered was due to me having the municipal pier terminal, however, my real interest seems to lie in modern day operations, and if I could find a plan which replicates some kind of switching operation on the modern Norfolk Southern, I'd be very happy indeed

[Modeleer]

The LA switching layout is Robert Smaus' "Port of Los Angeles" project that ran in MR Dec 1990 - Mar 1991. Really a great layout and one of the many motivations for my own shelf switcher.

It lives on in the book "Six HO Railroads You Can Build" available on Amazon or eBay. The book also has a FreeMo type layout in it and worth it just for those two layouts, IMO.

http://www.amazon.com/Railroads-You-Build-Model-Railroader/dp/0890241899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385947315&sr=1-1&keywords=6+ho+railroads+you+can+build

Funny, Byron Henderson also a a treatment of the LA layout on his website:

http://mrsvc.blogspot.com/2008/09/smaus-port-of-la-inspirational-layout-1.html

 

Everybody (!) needs to check out the New York Harbor Belt by Alexander Losch. It's a neat entry into one of Carl Arendt's micro layout contests featuring a transfer table and hidden staging - some great operating opportunities. (Poke around his site - in German - Alex is doing some excellent modelling).

 http://www.frankenmodell.de/nyharborbelt.html

I've made mental plans to add a similar module to my layout one day. That's the great thing about going modular is that you can add on as time/space/money allow.

I could see the Walthers Terminal Pier being used in a setting like either of the LA port project or the Harbor Belt micro.

 

-rich

 

[BRAKIE]

Here's one version of my Slate Creek Industrial.. H0 1 x10'.