Prototype???

[pcarrell]

A prototype is "the real thing". You're right in that for our purposes, it's the blueprint for our model. Some people adhere very closely to what the real RR's do (or did), while others base their layouts loosely on it, just following the general practices and look of the real thing.

[jsutton316]

What exactly is Prototype??? Is it where you take an exsisting railroad and model it in the scale you want?