Pigeon Point. See accolades above -- inspires me to make changes to the layout I am about to build.  Thanks for the ideas.

Bill Winkes

Looks like we're well underway. 

Stay tuned

Keep voting guys!

Lots of members who can still vote who havent.

Borracho Springs Railway!

Dan

Pidgeon Point

Everything I could say has been well said above.

dharmon wrote:

Borracho Springs Railway!   Dan

Hiya Dan,

Long time no see around here or over there on the Trains forum, glad to read you again.

rolleiman wrote:

Borracho Springs Railway   Just because I like the idea of the indoor G scale layout.

I've been toying with the idea of indoor large scale too.  This is a little to tight for the stuff I want to run (Bachmann K27 and their 1:20.3 cars) but my eventual space is 16x34, so that would allow for a scaled up version of this with some longer sidings, gentler curves, etc.  

vsmith wrote:

dharmon wrote: Borracho Springs Railway!   Dan Hiya Dan, Long time no see around here or over there on the Trains forum, glad to read you again.

It's been a busy year or so.  Work ups, deployment, a transfer and a move.  Slowly trying to get back into the swing of it.

 Dan

I wasn't gonna vote. Mainly cuz I would kill for a garage to have a layout in.

But my first vote goes to Pigeon Point. Agreed with reasons already stated. 

But I must second vote for or at least honorable mention Borracho! I, like others, like the idea of indoor large scale. And, while one would expect a lot of HO and maybe even N scale entries, I never woulda thunk a large scale entry! Kudos!

Still a week left to vote, get out to them polls!

The Old Dog isn't ready to vote yet.

But it does want to make an observation. Wouldn't the Chesapeake & Atlantic Railroad design be improved if the Coal/Ore Dock were replaced say by a shell fish cannery?

Also, the Old Dog must wonder if some of these designs might end up in MR's new layout design contest. They are 200 square foot designs.

Have fun

Layout observations

Sunset Route,

I feel that this is a conceptual layout more than an ready to build layout as there appears much left incomplete or at least not fully explored. While the yard in Ventura looks thought out, though there might be some reach issues at the rear of the yard. I can't say the same about the rest of the layout, no sidings or spurs at Santa Barbara is a missed opportunity, and the spur at Vandenberg seams underdeveloped. The fact that the real route is singletrack almost its entire way while the layout is double tracked is something I can accept as a designers choice on this layout, but the empty stretches between the stops need further development (no Mission in the background in Santa Barbara? no trestle at Gaviota?). That said I really do like the concept of this layout because I know where these places are and what a cool layout it could make, but it needs to be taken to the next level of development and detail.

Chesapeake & Atlantic

This is a very well thought out layout. But every time I look at this layout I keep thinking "This would be just awesome if it was On30" I look and I see rural shortline, I see Maine, I see East Broad Top, I see dozens of narrow gauge lines that dotted the east and Midwest during the late 19^th century! But I realize its not, and it won't, but I cant help it. That said I think the curvatures might be very sharp for mainline HO, but I really like the density of the scenery and the way the track works it way thru it, very nice!

Borracho Springs

Those who have been around this forum awhile know who did this one, the guy is either a genius, or stark raving mad! I think it's the latter...

Pigeon Point

Everyone seems to love this one, and I can see why. It is a very well thought out, urban, dense, lots of industry, lots of operations, makes great use of the space given and three levels to boot!  But that said, while it is very nicely done it's really not my cup of tea. I'm just not a mainline kind of guy.

West Virginia Southern

Another interesting concept, but another layout that really needs a lot more development to convince me. This one is even less developed than the Sunset Route layout and that really hurts it. I have a pet peeve about posting plans that only show track and forget or ignore all those little things like hills, scenery, roads, bridges, buildings, stations, etc. It makes it harder to figure out what's going on and I have absolutely no idea what the finished layout might look like, its just a flat Plywood Pacific in this stage, and again that hurts it. Sorry but it is a "layout" contest, not a track plan contest. Time to take it to the next development step.

The Vote

OK given the rules and that we can only vote for one (only one?), so I'll throw a bone to....

Chesapeake, because I like shortline like railroads and I just can't get it out of my head what a cool On30 layout it could make.

If I had to rank them:

Chesapeake

Borracho

Pigeon

Sunset

West Virginia

I like the Chesapeake and Atlantic.  Can you tell why?

It is actually a short line that has a couple of remote, out of the way connections to the B&O, WM, and PRR.  It is not meant to portray a full fledged bridge line.