Layout at a glance.

[bpickering]

Layout at a glance

Name: Unnamed (freelance UP* junction w/ shortline), currently in dream/design phase
Scale: 1:87
Size: overall, roughly 13' x 9' area
Height: Two level- main circa 40", shortline circa 60"
Style: Walk-around/walk-in style
Staging: Not fixed yet- likely around 6 tracks under mainline, possibility of more if I can talk the Spousal Overunit into letting me put a tunnel through the wall into the workroom. [:)]
Minmum aisle width: 24"
Period: Late 50's to mid-60s
Locale: undecided- ex Oregon Short Line right-of-way fits terrain dreams/goals.
Theme: Mainline with some switching to shortline, shortline has a few small industries. Looking for an excuse to have both diesels and steam. [:-,]
Scenery: Debating techniques- most familiar with hardshell over mesh, but considering insulation board.
Control: will be DCC, considering Digitrax
Roadbed: homosote (or reasonable fascimile) on 1/2" plywood
Track: Code 83 flextrack
Turnouts: Plan linked below uses Peco turnouts, haven't invested in any hardware yet.
Minimum radius: 23" main, ~20" shortline
Backdrop: Painted 1/8" masonite with curved corners
Fascia: 1/8" masonite
Completion: Dreaming/planning - despite needing a duckunder/swing bridge, here's my current favorite: http://www.geocities.com/bpickeri/P3_MainLine.JPG

* Why UP? Easy- In some ways, I'm a little boy- I like the Big Iron! Just wish I could figure out a satisfactory design for larger radii to make a Big Boy or turbine happy....

[jrbernier]

Layout at a glance

Name: Pecatonica Division(Milwaukee Road)
Scale: 1:87
Size: overall, 25' by 20' area
Height: 48" to 54"
Style: Walk-around/walk-in style - NO duck-unders!
Staging: 6 tracks(train length tracks)
Minmum aisle width: 30" - usually 36"
Period: Late 50's
Locale:SW Wisconsin
Theme: MILW/CNW secondary lines. Mainline is about 90' from staging to staging. 3 towns on the mainline, and a branch ending in a small town(MILW) CNW runs from it's own staging to a jct on the branchline and trackage rights to a small terminal on the MILW through mainline.
Scenery: Hydrocal hardshell with castings
Control: Digitrax DCC(wireless)
Roadbed: HomaBed on 1/2" plywood
Track: Atlas code 100
[b[Turnouts: Atlas #6/#4/Wye - a few Roco curved turnouts
Minimum radius: 22"
Backdrop: Painted 1/8" masonite with curved corners
Fascia: 1/8" masonite
Completion[/b]: All track, wiring complete - about 20% of scenery complete

Jim Bernier

[RedLeader]

Layout at a glance

Name: Silver Creek Valley
Scale: 1:87 (HO)
Size: overall, 15' x 13'
Height: 45"
Style: around the room with swinging section
Period: 70's - present
Locale: mideast
Theme: ATSF and BN freelanced town & country
Scenery: Chicken wire and plaster
Control: DC
Roadbed: 60° profile cork
Track: Atlas code 100
Max grade: 2.5%
Minimum radius: 24"
Backdrop: 1/8" playwood
Fascia: 1/8" playwood

[Anonymous]

Layout at a glance

Name: As yet undetermined division of Canadian Pacific
Scale: 1:87
Size: overall, 15'x12'
Height: 60" over office
Style: around the walls max width 24" shelf
Period: 1952
Locale: Slocan Lake region of BC
Theme: Branch line Lake barge connection to mining and logging
Scenery: hardshell
Control: NCE DCC
Roadbed: traditional cork on masonite spline
Track: handlaid Code 83
Max grade: 4.5% on logging branch
Minimum radius: 26" main
Backdrop: 1/8" masonite
Fascia: 1/8" masonite

Early days of bench work and track laying. Hope for much progress this winter.

[nslakediv]

Layout at a glance

Name: Norfolk Southern Lake Division
Scale: 1:87
Size: overall, 22'x30'
Height: 28"(Cleveland Light & Power) 42" Cleveland (E55th St Yard)46" Bellevue(yard)
52" Fostoria(yard) & 60" Ft. Wayne(E. Wayne Yard)
Style: around the walls and center pennisula's
Period: modern
Locale: Ohio & Indiana
Theme: NS mainline with plenty of switching and 2 shortlines
Scenery: foam, hydrocal
Control: Digitrax DCC
Roadbed: traditional cork
Track: Atlas code 83, Shinahora code 83 & Atlas code 100 in lower staging
Max grade: 2%
Minimum radius: 33" main
Backdrop: 1/4" masonite
Fascia: 1/8" masonite

[n2mopac]

Name: Saginaw & Western
Scale: N
Size: overall, 17' X 16'
Height: 42"-45"
Style: around the room w/ peninsula
Period: Summer 2000
Locale: North Texas
Theme: BNSF Wichita Falls Sub
Scenery: plaster soaked paper towels over cardboard lattice and foam
Control: Prodigy Advance DCC
Roadbed: traditional cork over 1/2" plywood
Track: Atlas flextrack code 80
Max grade: 1.5%
Minimum radius: 18" main, 12" industrial/yard
Backdrop: 1/8" masonite hardboard
Fascia: 1/8" masonite hardboard

Ron

[Big_Boy_4005]

Following Aggro's format here is my....

Layout at a glance

Name: Twin Cities Central (I've finally decided, and created a logo)
Scale: 1:48 O (3 rail)
Size: overall, 38' x 46'
Height: staging 24", first deck 42", second deck 72"
Style: Walk in, walk around, NO duckunders
Period: 1980 - present
Locale: Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota
Theme: follows the route of the Amtrak Empire Builder
Scenery: glueshell over foam with plaster castings
Control: Lionel TMCC (command control)
Roadbed: 1/2" foam over 3/4" plywood (shaped)
Track: Gargraves phantom rail
Max grade: 2%
Minimum radius: 36" mainline
Backdrop: 1/4" masonite
Fascia: 1/4" masonite

[cmurray]

Layout at a glance

Name: Canadian National/fictitious Cold River Sub
Scale: HO
Size: overall, 33' x 26'
Height: 54"
Style: Around the room with 2 peninsulas
Type: Point-to-point with continuous run option
Period: mid 80s
Locale: Somewhere in central Canada
Scenery: Plaster and paper towels over chicken wire, plaster castings
Control: Dynatrol DCC
Roadbed: pine
Track: Code 70, hand-laid with Kadee spiker, hand-laid turnouts
Minimum radius: 30"
Fascia: 1/8" masonite

[Anonymous]

I don't have a layout at the moment and am not expecting to have room for one for a while so here's what I'd like my layout to be like:

Layout At a Glance

Name: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Scale: HO
Size: 50' x 55'
Height: 40"-50"
Style: Walkaround, walk-in
Period: 1989-2005
Locale: Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin
Theme: Modern-day CB&Q
Scenery: Foam, hardshell
Control: Digitrax or CVP DCC
Roadbed: cork
Track: Micro Engineering code 83 and 70
Max. Grade: 1%
Minimum Radius: 30", 24" on branches
Backdrop: 1/4 Masonite
Fascia: 1/8 Masonite
Railroads Featured: CB&Q, NP, CNW, BN?
Minimum Turnout: #6; #5 on branches

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by twhite

Jonothan: Sincerely hope your layout isn't in a garage, I just spent a couple of weeks tearing out the Bachmann fixed wide-radius curve trackage because the UV rays or whatever it's called here in California, warped the Heck out of my 34-36" radius curves. Just relaid about 90% of my Bachmann with Atlas and a radius guide. I'm so ticked that I can't see straight. Not at Bachmann, because their EZ track is GREAT! But it can't take anything but STRICT indoor weather. Especially after a couple of years. Best of luck to you, though. May your railroad grow to 36" curves and a whole fleet of Big Boys.
Tom
t

Tom, no my layout isn't in a garage, it'll be in my basement. And Thank you, I do hope someday to have a 40" curves with a fleet of Big Boys.[:)]

[ddechamp71]

My in progress layout:
Tehachapi Pass
Scale Z 1:220
Size 21' x 13'
Walkaround
Track: Micro-Trains code 55 flex (and Peco code 60 flex in hidden areas)
Locale: from Bakersfield to The Loop with selective compression of course!
Maximum slope: 2%
Turnouts: #6 minimum (actually slightly modified Nn3 British built turnouts)
Minimum radius: 24" / 50 cm
Benchwork: L-girdered modules
Era: summer 1997
Completion: very beginning progress (track plan + room ready, first module in progress)

[Anonymous]

The layout in my head far exceeds the one in progress in my basement!

[Nieuweboer]

Name: Kansas Central RR
Scale: 1:87
Size: 13 x 13'
Height: 46"
Style: along the walls with duckunder
Period: changes depemding on my mood from transitionperiod to 1990's
Locale: west of Chicago
Theme: serving local industries and a grain elevator.
Scenery: flat with anything from real dirt to catlitter and Woodland Scenic products.
Control: direct DC with cab control and blocks
Roadbed: cork
Track: Shinohara and Peco 100 track and switches
Max grade: 0%
Min. radius: 24"
Backdrop: Walthers Instant Horizons
Fascia: Masonite

Kansas Central RR has only two old hand-me-down locomotives but leases irf needed
from one of the big RR's and that's why ATSF, UP, BN, SP are a regular sight
and even an occassional CB&Q , CNW or D&RGW unit.

[Nieuweboer]

Name: Kansas Central RR
Scale: 1:87

[Anonymous]

Name: Not sure yet...
Scale: 1:87
Size: 10x10ft
Height: 40"
Style: U-shaped.
Period: 1990-1996
Locale: Mid- to Northwest
Theme: Burlington Northern pre-merger
Scenery: Foam insulation
Control: Digitrax Zephyr DCC
Roadbed: Cork
Track: Atlas code 100 flextrack
Max grade: 2%
Minimum radius: 20"
Turnout minimum: #4 on sidings, #6 on main
Backdrop: Undecided. I think I will go with about 1/8" to 1/4" masonite.
Reed

[Anonymous]

Layout at a glance

Name: Blue Creek RR
Scale: 1:160
Size: 30" x 60"
Height: Depends on what it's sittin' on. From 12" to 36".
Style: Table-top (might be coffee table in the future)
Period: mid-'60s or mid-'80s (changes between sessions)
Locale: Appalachian coal country
Theme: Shortline/branchline coal and misc.
Scenery: Snapped, shaped, and carved ceiling tiles
Control: Straight DC, but only single block.
Roadbed: Woodland Scenics black foam
Track: Peco 55, ME 55, ME 40, and one piece each Atlas and Peco 80
Max grade: Appox. 2 1/2%
Minimum radius: 9 3/4"
Backdrop: None
Fascia: 1/8" masonite

---jps

[RowanB]

Name: Rowan's Model Rail Road (RMRR)
Scale: 1:87
Size: overall, 6m x 8.7m (Outer round the wall tracks (2) Inner penisulas: approx 4m x 6 m
Height: outer tracks 85cm; Peninsulas: average 1m
Style: 2 tracks around the room (and through the cupboards and 'wash room') connected to 2 peninsulas. Access to room via stairway - so no duck unders!
Period: whatever suits whatever is running at the time
Locale: ditto - but generally Australian themed (but that doesnt stop some Amtrak or Thomas running)
Theme: Small town to deep gorges to small mining, and 'Snotling Village' (not to forget Fatty Owls and Basil)
Scenery: Base is made from chipboard (particle board) offcuts from the local hardware store (thanks Mitre 10); rocks are foam rubber or polystryrene (avoid plaster at all costs - too messy),
Control: Basic transformers - 10 of them to run the 2 outer tracks, the 2 main inner tracks, the HOn30 track (N Gauge), the monorail, the small tramway, the small narrow gauge mine scene, the still incomplete Mt Tamapais scene, and finally, the flashest one came with the Marklin Z scale set - for the HO fairground.
Roadbed: Canite board supports the track - to reduce noise.
Track: Peco flexi track 100 throughout
Max grade: approx max 5%
Minimum radius: probably about 30", alkthough really having measured the narrow gauge sections. Is likely about 9" in the mine scene.
Backdrop: none
Fascia: Various
See Picture of the still under construction below;
Emerging Theme: Whimsical including the 'Snotling Village' the witches house, the Whimsey Walking Track which meanders throught the layout... but it's all having fun isn't it... - oh and I do run some On30 rolling stock - mostly around the walls where clearances are ok....
Location: Melbourne, Australia

[cwclark]

Layout at a glance

Name: San Antonio / Houston Division Southern Pacific Railroad
Scale: 1:87
Size: overall, 23' x 25'
Height: 46- 52"
Style: dogbone in a "G" shape
Period: 1967-1996 (including Rio Grande & Western and UP merger)
Locale: East and West Texas
Theme: Southern Pacific (Houston, Flatonia, San Antonio, Del Rio, & Sanderson)
Scenery: shell, etched styrafoam and plaster castings
Control: Straight DC w/ walk around throttles
Roadbed: traditional cork
Track: Atlas and MP code100
Max grade: 1.5%
Minimum radius: 24" to 36" lower
Backdrop: city scape, and Texas hill country, plains, and piney woods
Fascia: 1/8" hardboard

Chuck
[:D]

[Fergmiester]

Good post there Aggro

Layout at a glance

Name: Musquodoboit, Eastern Shore & Sydney (M.E.S.S.)
Scale: 1:87
Size: 5x10 / 3x6 / 5x7 "L" shape
Height: 40" to 46"
Style: "L" shape withfuture around the room extensions
Period: @1962
Locale: Eastern Shore and Musquodoboit Valley
Theme: End of the Steam era Beg and Borrow
Scenery: glueshell with plaster castings, Styro foam, Bark chips
Control: DC Cab Control/ Future DCC
Roadbed: traditional cork
Track: Atlas code 83 and 100 Peco and Shinohara turnouts
Max grade: 8%
Minimum radius: 22" main, 18" branch
Backdrop: Painted wall
Fascia: 1/8" masonite

[b] Remarks:[b/] Ficticious line based on the Sydney & Louisburg Railway of Cape Breton. Comodities will include Coal, Gypsum, Timber, Fresh Produce and Iron Ore.

[Anonymous]

Name: Undecided
Scale: 1:87 (HO)
Size: 24' x 12'
Height: 43"
Style: around the walls w/duckunder
Period: Early 90's to Present
Locale: Northeast, New England
Theme: CSX Freelance
Scenery: Plaster cloth
Control: DC with blocks
Roadbed: cork
Track: Atlas code 83, Walthers code 83
Turnouts: Atlas and Walthers #6
Max grade: none
Minimum radius: 24"
Backdrop: hand painted 1/8" masonite
Fascia: 1/8" masonite

[simon1966]

Name: Dad's Trains (A CB&Q / Wabash line)
Scale: 1:87 (HO)
Size: overall, 20' x 15'
Height: 30" designed to be kid friendly.
Style: Round the walls with lift out section and a peninsula
Period: 9/15/61 (my birthday)
Locale: Central Illinois
Theme: Coal mining and agriculture
Scenery: Extruded foam and plaster cloth
Control: DCC- Digitrax Zephyr with extra booster
Roadbed: Cork
Track: Atlas 100 flextrack with PECO turnouts
Max grade: 2%
Minimum radius: 28"
Backdrop: Masonite with "big picture program" homemade photo murals
Fascia: Masonite

[Noah Hofrichter]

I have two, the first my current the second my dream.

NameThe Appleton Racine Kenosha (ARK) My name is Noah, Noah and the Ark (laughs came now)
scale HO
size Approximatelly 16x16 L-shaped
height about table height
style walk around
preriod present
locale Greenbay area of WI
theme small fictional branch of Wisconsin and Southern Railroad, switching industral part of two towns
scenery hard shell and foam carvings
control Block DC
roadbed Sticky tar like stuff (name escapes me)
track Life like switches, atlas sectional and flex track
max grade about 3-4%
minimum radius ??
backdrop and facia none, may instal backdrop in a few years though.

This is my dream layout
Name The WSOR Reedsburg sub
scale HO
height ??
style Around the wall
preriod 2000-2004/5/6
locale Central WI Cities of Reedsburg, Baraboo, Dane, Lodi, Waunakee, Madison
theme Based on WSOR's MALPM on the Reedsburg sub. Switching layout at the different towns
scenery foam base with hard shell scenery on top
control DCC
roadbed Sticky tar like stuff (name escapes me)
track ??
max grade .5 - 1%
minimum radius ??
backdrop and facia Hard board maybe, I don't know yet

Noah

[Anonymous]

Name: not yet decided
Scale: HO
Size: overall, 5'x9'
Height: ?
Style: walk around
Period: present
Locale: north east usa
Theme: ?
Scenery: plaster castings
Control: DCC
Roadbed: traditional cork
Track: Atlas code 83 and 100
Max grade: about 3%
Minimum radius:20"
Backdrop: none
Fascia: not yet installed

[MACKINACMAC]

NAME: The HUron, Michigan & Bluewater Rwy
" the thumbs up route"
SCALE: 1:87
SIZE: 15' x 3.5'
HEIGHT: 52"
STYLE: Island figure 8
PERIOD: Late 1990s
LOCALE: Tip of thumb of Michigan
THEME: Freelanced agriculture & marine switching shortline
SCENERY: carved & painted foam
CONTROL: DC, single cab
ROADBED: Woodland scenics foam roadbed
TRACK: Atlas code 83
LENGTH OF MAINLINE: 26 1/2 feet (effective length with dividers 106')
MAX GRADE: 0%
MINIMUM RADIUS: 18"
TURNOUTS: #4
BACKDROP: Photos on painted foam
FASCIA: 1/8" Masonite

[jfugate]

HO Siskiyou Line

Name: SP Siskiyou Line
Scale: 1:87 (HO)
Size: overall, 20' x 50'
Height: 54" - 65"
Style: Partial mushroom (i.e., opposing double deck)
Period: 1980s, currently 1984
Locale: Southwestern Oregon
Theme: Southern Pacific prototype with freelanced Coos Bay branch
Scenery: Plaster over cardboard strips
Control: EasyDCC wireless
Roadbed: hardboard spline
Track: Microengineering code 83, 70, and 55
Max grade: 2.5%
Minimum radius: 36" main, 30" branch
Backdrop: hand painted 1/8" hardboard and vinyl flooring
Fascia: 1/2" particle board

My layout web site has almost 60,000 hits and was featured in a two-part article on mushroom layout design in the January and February 1997 Model Railroader. I also had an article on hardboard spline roadbed in the March 2000 Model Railroader. MyMemoirs Video is doing a 5-part in-depth series on the Siskiyou Line and we're showing how it was designed and constructed with lots of how-do demos included.

I hold regular monthly prototype-based operating sessions, and you're all invited to an op session. Just don't all of you show up at once!

[vsmith]

Layout at a glance

Name: Borracho Springs RR
Scale: 1:20.3 large scale
Location: Garage
Size: overall, 8 1/2 ' x 10' w/ one access aisle
Height: 36"
Style: traditional benchtop wedged under a storage loft.
Period: 1950-60
Locale: Somewhere in the monument valley area of the southwest
Theme: Small time narrow guage serving a mine and small town.
Scenery: not yet started, to be carved foam with some hardshell castings
Control: Straight DC with Aristo Craft Basi Train Engineer
Roadbed: traditional cork
Track: LGB, AristCraft
Max grade: 0
Minimum radius: 48" R1 diameter
Backdrop: sky blue paint, may try to paint backdrop
Fascia: to be paint over 1x6 framing

So far what little spare time I have has been spent getting buildings built so I can set scenery, which will be done next to last with ground cover and ballasting to be last. Also the longer I look at the dam thing the more improvements and tweeks I give it. Track has been completed. several structures done a few left to kitbash or scratch. Just been too hot to do much out in the garage lately.[8D]

[Anonymous]

Layout at a glance

Name: Northern Pacific
Scale: 1:87
Size: 21' X 8'
Type: Continuous three times around, with staging and one main yard.
Height: 41 inches lower level, 50 inches upper level.
Period: Early fall 1953
Locale: Butte Short line, western Montana.
Theme: General trans-continental fright and passenger service.
Scenery: Hard shell, WS plaster cloth, Plaster castings and hand carved sculpti-mold.
Control: DCC
Roadbed: cork
Track: Atlas Code 100 flex.
Max grade: 2.0%
Minimum radius: 22 inches main 18 inches some spurs.
Minimum turn-out on main #6.
Backdrop: Hand painted acrylics on Masonite (mountainous terrain)
Fascia: Painted masonite

[ClinchValleySD40]

Layout at a glance

Name: Clinch Valley
Scale: 1:87
Size: 60' x 30'
Height: 24" up to 60"
Style: walk around multiple deck
Period: August 1980
Locale: Knoxville, TN to Huntington, WV
Theme: Coal and bridge traffic
Scenery: Various to fit the need
Control: NCE DCC
Roadbed: cork
Track: Atlas Code83 flex, Atlas #6 and Walthers #8 swtiches
Max grade: 2.0%
Minimum radius: 36" main, 30" elsewhere
Backdrop: coved wallboard
Fascia: Masonite

[GDRMCo]

Layout at a glance
Name:Electrified East Coast Division of Queensland Rail
Scale:HOn3 1:87
Size: Section #1 6x6m, Section #2 6.5x1.5m, Section #3 2x2m, Section #4 2x1m, Section #5 6.5x6.5m
Height: 0m-80cm
Style: Garden Railroad
Period: Now
Locale: East Coast of QLD
Theme: Heavy freight and passenger trains with some switching
Scenery: Whatever is in the garden
Control: NCE Pro DCC with overhead power
Roadbed: Polystyrene strips
Track: Micro Engineering Code 70 Weathered flex and turnouts
Max grade: 1%
Backdrop: None
Fascia: None

[cmrproducts]

Bob Hartle - Clarion, PA - 2004

1. NAME: Clarion Low-grade Secondary
2. SCALE: HO
3. SIZE: 75 by 25
4. PROTOTYPE/THEME: Based on Conrail Prototype
5. LOCALE: Dubois to East Brady, PA w/Extensions to Driftwood,
Emporium and Kittanning/Ford City area
6. PREIOD: 1975-1985
7. STYLE: Multi-level, Point to point with 5 live interchanges and 6 multi track staging yards
8. HEIGHT: 32” - 60”
9. LENGTH OF MAINLINE: 1000 ft of single track main with passing sidings (2700 ft total)
10. BENCHWORK: L Girder, Open Grid & flat areas(yards)
11. ROADBED: 7/16" OSB (wafer board) w/Homasote & Cork.
12. TRACK: Code 100 Flex. All switches are hand ground throw.
13. TURNOUT MIN: #4, #6 and some hand laid. About 160 turnouts
14. MIN RADIUS: 24” or greater main line, 22” industrial sidings
15. MAX GRADE: 5% at Brookville Interchange (4%) Branch lines (2%)Main Line
16. SCENERY CONSTRUCTION: Combination of plaster and foam, trees from weeds & Polyfiber fill with 15% having been started.
17. BACKDROP CONSTRUCTION: Painted 1/8” Masonite from the layout to the ceiling, and painted Plasterboard.
18. CONTROL: Digitrax with radio, IR and walkaround memory throttles.
19. COMMENTS: This layout was designed in 1999 with DCC walk around control in mind. View blocks were installed to isolate the operators from each other. Dispatch is by radio from a remote location, and car control is the modified pin system. Kadee couplers are hand uncoupled with sticks, without the use of magnets.
20. OPERATIONS: Informal operations have been run as early as October of 2001. As more of the layout came online the operations became more intense. January 2001 the mainline was completed around the room and operations started to work as planned. 2002 & 2003 operations included 2 OP Till U Drop (OPTUD) sessions plus the regular every other Thursday night. 2004 also had scheduled 2 OPTUD sessions as well as operations every other Thursday. More OPTUD sessions are planned for 2005