Model Railroad Design Theory 101

[Anonymous]

Avoid 101 track plans at all cost, those plans are obsolete by todays standards, and dont offer much in the way of realistic operation, theres sidings and yards but no staging.

I dont even know why MR publishes it.

[Anonymous]

Book Titles.. hmm... Let's see...

Not right off my head, Ill dive back into my pile of magazines and see if I can locate some of Ian's layouts.. particularly his 4x8 harbor layouts that I recall so well.

ereimer
Thank you for the spelling correction of the name. Deep apologies for having offended.

Thanks also for the book links those are the ones I recall as well.

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

QUOTE: Originally posted by HighIron2003ar

Ian Rice

Do you have a book title?

Iain Rice (note spelling)
http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/12229.html
http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/12245.html

also many articles and trackplan drawings in MR including an 8 part series about his Roque Bluffs switching layout starting in the october 2003 issue

i think Iain is one of the most interesting 'bedroom or smaller' layout designers out there at the moment . he's british , so having very little room for a layout is normal for him , and he does very well with very little

[tstage]

Chip,

I've begun reading both of Tony Koester's books, Realistic Model Railroad OPERATION and Realistic Model Railroad DESIGN from MR Books. It's slow reading for me but I'm able to pick up on some of the author's concepts.

However, there still seems to be a false assumption amongst many MR writers and authors that the reader understands what they are talking about. Even the glossery provided at the end of the books seem to leave out all the terms that I need clarification on. At any rate, they'll make good reference books for me to go back and "chew on" from time to time until I start (hoping) to grasp things a little more.

Chip, I thought that the [i[101 layouts[/i] (by JA?) was a good book.

Tom

[Anonymous]

Man. You guys are really into it when you start talking about reading books on model railroading. You make me feel like a slacker because about the most I ever do is pick up an issue of Model Railroader Magazine once in a while and thumb through it...

trainluver1

[claycts]

Small and Midsized Model Railroads, 48 top notch track plans, and the planing for realstic opertaion that is new, not the one you have read. $19.99 at the hobby shop.
YOu know I started designing this thing in 2003 and still have not put down 1" of track or bench work! BUT I have spent around $7,000.00. THe train shop looke like a hobby shop!

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by HighIron2003ar

Ian Rice

Do you have a book title?

[Anonymous]

Ian Rice

[SpaceMouse]

The "Gorre (but not Daphetid)" post got me hankering to read the design theories by the masters. So far I've read

John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation (3 times)
Lin Wescott's Model Railroading with John Allen

So what other greats shoud I be reading--preferably ones without the intials JA?