MAGAZINE
EDITOR’S CHOICETRACK PLANS
INCLUDES
Layout plans for N, Nn3, HO, HOn2½, Sn3, and On2½A SUPPLEMENT TO MODEL RAILROADER MAGAZINE
618247
• Layouts for 130 square-foot spaces and larger
• Designs provide minimum radius and turnout information
• All track plans include a scale grid for construction reference
• Plans for standard and narrow gauge layouts
28 track plans for medium-sized spaces
Workshop tips
© 2010 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. www.ModelRailroader.com
2 28trackplansformedium-sizedspaces
Stone arch bridge Girder bridge
Three staging tracks
Walnut Gap
Autumn Park
Port Carbon
Phil’s Church
Treskova
53"
53"
54"
57"
56"
57"
56"
57"54"
55"55"
55"
Pennsylvania RR interchange
Hinged section folds upward for entry
Water column
Scale of plan: 7⁄32" = 1'-0", 12" grid
The modeler lucky enough to have more than a bedroom for his railroad has some choices to make. Do you fill the space with enough main line to enable long runs and trains of proto-typical length? Build a big yard or add a bunch of industries for lots of switching action? Stretch out the track between cities to make more room for scenery?
There are as many approaches to layout design as there are spaces in which to build. For example, compare the Wisconsin Central, plan 3, with plan 15, the Dakota Northern. Both are N scale, have a similar footprint, and occupy rooms close to the same size. But while the Dakota Northern’s plan emphasizes continuous running and yard switching, the Wisconsin
Central’s single-track main allows for more scenery and realistic local-freight operations.
As you take a look through these plans, you may find one that’s right for you. (As you’ll see by the Editor’s choice boxes, most of the Model Railroader staff has picked favorites.) But even if you don’t, you may still find something that will inspire your next layout.
By Steven Otte
Medium layouts Gotsomespacetostretchout?Findsomeideashere
It’s always winter in the town of Phil’s Church on Bill Henderson’s Coal Belt RR (plan 1, below). A medium-sized layout space gives you room to experiment with techniques, such as a railroad that travels through all four seasons.
As your train runs counter-clockwise around this layout, you will be moving not only through scenery depicting Northeastern coal-mining territory,
but also through the four seasons of a year. Spring is always in full bloom in Port Carbon, while it’s always winter in Phil’s Church. Many modelers pick
summer or fall for their layouts because it’s easy to landscape, but a well-done winter scene can have a beauty of its own.
Coal Belt
Published:Great Model Railroads 2002
Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:8x20feetMinimum radius:24"Minimum turnout:no.6Maximum grade:2.5
percent
1
IllustrationbyRickJohnson
www.ModelRailroader.com 3
Diablo
58"
Clyde
Window
Cowell Junction
Bay Point
Hastings Slough
Enginehouse
RIP track
Oil tank
Backdrop
Water tank
Sierra Stoneworks yard
Rock loader
Oxidizer loading
Minnetti Machinery
Bay Point Amulite plant
Freight dockFreight depot
DiabloCreek
General store
Water tank
Water tank
Diablo Amulite Mill
Oxidizer unloading
Closet
Entrance
58"
52"
491⁄2"
503⁄4"61"
48"
531⁄2"
563⁄4"
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
North Shore Gas
Metra/CP Railsneakoff
Signalhouse
WolohanLumber
Metra station
Oil tanksGrayslake
Feed millTo lower level staging loop
Cedar Lake
Water tower
Hicksgas Super Fuels
State Route 83 Cedar Avenue
Lake Villa
Medline Industries
Olympic PackagingMundelein
Alan Josephson RecyclersTeam track
Evanston Fuel & Material
Leithton
U.S. Route 45
Boarded-up interlocking tower
Aptakisic
Parade Packaging
Seigle’s Home & Building Center
Butterfield Road
3"
1"
6"
7"
8"
8"
2"
0"
5"
5"
7"
6"
6"
4"
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Bay Point & Diablo
Published:May2005Scale:On21 ⁄2(1:48)Plan size:11x12feetMinimum radius:24"Minimum turnout:no.4
(yard),no.5(main)Maximum grade:5percent
2
Narrow gauge railroading appeals to a lot of modelers for different reasons. Some like the look of the intricate steam engines and rugged terrain that characterize many such lines. Others like that the smaller rolling stock and tighter curves allow them to pack more railroad into a smaller space. Modelers who want the size and detail of O scale, but don’t have an empire-sized space for their layouts, often find a compromise in narrow gauge. This On21 ⁄2 plan models a short line linking mine country to a port city.
Just because your trains are small doesn’t mean your scenery has to be. This plan models the broad vistas of Midwestern farm country in 1995. The modest space requirements of N scale means room for big industries, forested hills, farm fields, a working interchange, and even a stretch of suburban commuter line. Double-ended staging looped under the central peninsula allows realistic point-to-point operations.
Wisconsin Central
Published:October2005Scale:N(1:160)Plan size:11x13feetMinimum radius:14"Minimum turnout:no.5Maximum grade:4percent
3
IllustrationbyRobertWegner
IllustrationbyKellieJaeger
4 28trackplansformedium-sizedspaces
Traverser
Station Mining Co. Stockyard Brewery
Water tower
Turntable
Water tower
Seven Pines stamp mill
Mining supplybuilding
Mining supplybuilding
Freight dock
Freight house Inyo Mine
Oudama Mine
Water tower
Deck bridge
Howe truss bridge
Standard gaugeNarrow gauge
Trestle Atlas bridge
Great Balsa gold mine
Lumber storage
Onion Valley Sawmill
Freight and passenger station
TurntableLone PineManzanar Independence
Tub Springs
Grays Meadow
Onion Valley
KearsargePass
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
54"
57"
54"
70"
61"
61"
61"
Future extension
Prokhorovsk station building flat
Baggage/mail platform
Mainline arrivals and departures
Local arrivals and departures
Folding closet doors
Window (partially covered by backdrop)
Building flats
Double-slip switch
Diesel shed
Tower
Open staging
Main line to St. Petersburg(used as staging)
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Prokhorovsk
Prokhorovsk
Published:November2005Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:11'-4"x13'-8"Minimum radius:30"Minimum turnout:Pecolarge
radius
5
Rather than focusing on industry switching or mainline operations, this layout models a passenger terminal at the end of a branch line or division. Terminal operations involve receiving incoming trains from various off-layout locations, breaking them down in the coach yard, and making up new trains for other destinations. Though this layout is based on Russia’s Soviet October Ry., it could easily represent an American or European prototype.
Another Southwestern mining railroad like plan 2, the Onion Valley is two layouts in one: the standard gauge main line in the valley, and the narrow gauge mountain line that delivers ore to the stamp mill. The line is designed to fit around two walls of a garage. If the layout is mounted high enough, a modeler could suspend the end of the peninsula from the ceiling, leaving room for a sports car to park underneath. Staging on a traversing table represents connections to the outside world.
Onion Valley Mining & Lumber
Published:July2005Scale:HOandHOn21 ⁄2(1:87.1)Plan size:14x20feetMinimum radius:18"Minimum turnout:no.5Maximum grade:4percent
4
IllustrationbyJaySmith
IllustrationbyJaySmith
www.ModelRailroader.com 5
5"
0"
Scale of plan: 1⁄2" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Industries
Boat dock
Roundhouse
Water tower
Loading dock
WoodshedStationHevonkuuski
Footbridge
Double-slip switch Factory
Staging track under scenery Tramway Backdrop
Scale of plan: 1⁄4 " = 1'-0", 12" grid
Cutoff trackhidden behindhills
To WebsterSprings
To Durbin
GreenbrierJunction
CheatJunction
Elk RiverJunction
11" radius
Shaver’s Fork, Cheat River
Sector plate serves all staging tracks
Cumberland and Webster Springs staging
Gould Tannery
DepotParsons
Town building flatsStaging tracks hidden behind hill Depot
EngineterminalCar shop leads
Elkins
60 degreecrossing
Although this plan was designed to represent a prototype in Finland, it’s versatile enough to stand in for a line along America’s Eastern seaboard. The streetcar line circling the urban blocks adds interest. Hiding the back of the dogbone under elevated terrain makes the railroad look more realistic.
Hevonkuusi Ry.
Published:November2007Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:9'-2"x13'-9"Minimum radius:23"Minimum turnout:no.6
7
Sometimes, the prototype scene that inspires a layout isn’t a yard, an industry, or a city, but simply an interesting track formation. This plan’s inspiration is the Western Maryland’s river-spanning triple junction in the Shaver’s Fork Branch valley of West Virginia. Backdrops isolate scenes, lengthening the run.
Western Maryland’s Thomas Sub.
Published:July2008Scale:N(1:160)Plan size:12x12feetMinimum radius:11"Minimum turnout:Peco
mediumradius
6
IllustrationbyKellieJaeger
IllustrationbyTheoCobb
6 28trackplansformedium-sizedspaces
661⁄4"
55"
55"
55"
63"
583⁄4"
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Mine
Falls CreekSteelviaduct
Rio Seco
Falls Creek
Boardwalk
Handcar shed
Coaling dock
On21⁄2On3
Water tank
Team track
Mining supply company
Transfertrack
Tipple
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Diana
Tilghman
DianaJunction
Gravel pit
Staging
Closet
Lumberyard
Smith LumberCo. Sawmill
Oil well
Oil well
To St. Louis Southwestern interchange
TilghmanTextiles
Fisher’sMeats
KendelCounty
CreosoteCo.
Oildistributor
Feed millFuture
industries
Futureindustries
To OO&RRmain line
CherokeePaper Mill
Lafayette
Central New Mexico Ry.
Published:July-December2006
Scale:On3andOn21 ⁄2(1:48)Plan size:11'-3"x17'-2"Minimum radius:28"Minimum turnout:no.6Maximum grade:8percent
8
What is it about the Southwestern United States that fascinates so many model railroaders? Maybe it’s the stark, rocky terrain, the interesting narrow gauge rolling stock, or the importance of the role the railroads played in the development of the West. This plan hits all the high points. Though not much On3 equipment is commercially available, manufactur-ers sell kits for converting On21 ⁄2 rolling stock to On3.
The designer of this layout drew inspiration from a track plan pub-lished in Model Railroader in February 1980. Starting with executive editor Andy Sperandeo’s San Jacinto District plan, the designer broadened the curves, extended the staging into the closet and added a lift-out bridge for continuous operation. He also moved the locale from California to Arkan-sas. However, this plan could be set anyplace from Alaska to Virginia.
Ozark, Ouachita & Red River
Published:April2004Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:10x14feetMinimum radius:24"Minimum turnout:no.4
9
IllustrationbyJaySmith
IllustrationbyTheoCobb
www.ModelRailroader.com 7
8"
8"6"
4"
0"
0"
0"
0"
5"
9"
9"
Depot
Freight houseYardmaster’s office
Coal and lumber
Staceyville Mesa Grande
Furniture factory
Engine servicingStation5 percent upWarehouse
Electrified standard gaugeNarrow gauge
Freight depot
To staging loop under Mesa GrandeDeadman’s Gulch trestle
Track maintenance shed
Mt. Michael(removable foraccess to helix)
6"
4 percent up
Scale of plan: 7⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Rio Verde River
Rio Verde
Engine shed
Tri-state Distributors
Big O Cereal Co.
Freight depot
Station
Engine shed
2 percent up
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Cattle pens
Jacks Cabin water tank
Tool shedBunkhouse
Ridgway depot
Sheep pens
Ash pitOffice
Roundhouse
Dead track
Snowshed
Miracle Farm Machinery Co.
Burnside Stamp MillHOn3 track
Closet
Ridgeway
Denver, Rio Grande & Southern
Published:Great Model Railroads 2001
Scale:Sn3(1:64)Plan size:11x14feetMinimum radius:30"Minimum turnout:no.6
10
S scale, popularized in the United States by American Flyer toy trains, is gaining favor with modelers looking for more detail than HO scale without the space requirements of O. Modeling narrow gauge further reduces the space needed for curves and right-of-way, making a room-sized layout like this one practical.
Rio Verde & Western
Published:Great Model Railroads 2001
Scale:NandNn3(1:160)Plan size:10'-8"x15'-4"Minimum radius:7"Minimum turnout:no.5Maximum grade:5percent
11
Nn3 layouts like this one use Z gauge track and mechanisms to represent three-foot-gauge railroading. Z gauge track actually works out to about 40" between the rails in N, but the conve-nience of being able to use ready-made motor mechanisms outweighs the four-scale-inch discrepancy. Unlike many mixed-gauge layouts, on this one the narrow gauge is the main line and the electrified standard gauge line plays the secondary role.
IllustrationbyJaySmith
IllustrationbyKellieJaeger
8 28trackplansformedium-sizedspaces
48" radius
Highway overpass
Highway overpassBurbank Boulevard
Sunland Boulevard
Future extension
Miller Beer distributor
Strongheart Dog Food
Cyclone Fence Co.
Citrus packinghouse
Tradewater Oil Co.
Scrapyard
Burbank Freight Depot General Water Heater Co.
Burbank Tower
Burbank Branch
Coast Division
San Joaquin Division
North Hollywood Van Nuys
Sun ValleyBurbank Junction
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" gridLos Angeles Division
0 0
11
2
3
3
4
6
5
54
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Union Pacific interchange Winslow
Fort Smith(Visible staging)
DepotEngine-house
Passenger depot
Springdale
Open mountain top for accessRudy
Steel trestle no. 1
Steel trestle no. 2
Backdrop
Arkansas River
This railroad climbs a steep grade as it ascends through the Ozarks. High ridges and trees act as view blocks for most of the steepest grades. There are enough operating possibilities to keep two or more engineers busy at once.
Arkansas & Missouri
Published:February1999Scale:N(1:160)Plan size:9x16feetMinimum radius:10"Minimum turnout:no.8Maximum grade:6percent
12
This layout began as a 5-foot-long, 1-foot-wide shelf with a single stretch of track. That shelf was followed by another, this time with turnouts, then
another and another. Building a layout in sections has advantages: sections can be built on the workbench, maintenance and cleaning are
simplified, and pieces can be photo-graphed outside in natural daylight. It also simplifies transporting the layout, should moving become necessary.
Los Angeles & San Fernando Valley RR
Published:Great Model Railroads 2006
Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:9'-6"x23'-0"Minimum radius:48"Minimum turnout:no.6
13
30" radius
Coal bin
Maintenance building
Storage building
Oil tanks
Pump house
Machine shop
Machine shop annex
Coal preparationbuilding
Forge
Power substation
Forge power house
Open hearth
Stripper building
Head-quarters offices
Water tower
Blower house
Furnace boiler house
StovesElevator
Cast house
Furnace stock house
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
If your industry is big enough, like an iron works, you might need a whole layout to depict it accurately. There’s a
Pennsylvania RR main line on this track plan, but the focus of this 1920s-era layout is on the movement of cars
laden with ore, coal, coke, hot metal, slag, ingots, and finished product from building to building.
The Schuylkill Iron Works
Published:May2008Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:4x21feetMinimum radius:15"Minimum turnout:no.4
14
IllustrationbyTheoCobb
IllustrationbyTheoCobb
IllustrationbyRobertWegner
www.ModelRailroader.com 9
Valley City
Warwick
Pekin
Fairview
DevilsLake
Lakota
Cement track
NorthernSeed & Feed
Cargill elevator Sheyenne
Depot
Depot
Milwaukee transfer
Farmer’sCooperative
Depot
Red River Feeds
Depot
Freight house
Soo Linetransfer
Mill track
Texaco Oil
Minot staging
Pillsbury elevator
Grand Forks staging Power plantMarvin Windows
Freight house
Fertilizer
FarmersUnion grain
Gamble RobinsonRIP track
Soo Linetransfer
Caboosetrack
Soo Line staging
Elevatortrack 1
Elevatortrack 2
Sand & Gravel
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Mississippi River
CB&Q
Hulls
East Hannibal
Doorway
Depot
To return loop
Bluffs
Openaccessarea
Illinois Grain Co.
To Meredosia (11th District)
Signal
Illinois RiverValley CityWayne Feeds
PurinaDepotBaylis
CB&Q depotCB&Q Keokuk District
4"
2"
4"
0"
A
A
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
EDITOR’S CHOICEMODEL RAILROADER
Since I’m originally from the part of the country this layout is based on, it should be no surprise I selected the Dakota Northern as my Editor’s Choice pick. This layout features grain elevators, fertilizer plants, and feed mills, all common industries in eastern North Dakota. There are also passenger depots, interchange tracks, and a large classification yard to add operating interest. Though this model railroad is based on the Burlington Northern, it could be adapted to represent numerous granger railroads. – Cody Grivno, associate editor
Dakota Northern RR
Published:April2000Scale:N(1:160)Plan size:12'-0"x13'-6"Minimum radius:15"Minimum turnout:no.4Maximum grade:1.5
percent
15
This layout captures the last hurrah of the Wabash, just before its identity was swallowed in a merger with the Norfolk & Western in October 1967. It’s designed for out-and-back opera-tion, with trains originating in the yard at Bluffs, Ill., making their way across the Mississippi River into Missouri, turning on the hidden loop there, and returning.
Wabash RR, Decatur Division, 10th District
Published:December2000Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:12x13feetMinimum radius:24"Minimum turnout:no.6Maximum grade:2percent
16
IllustrationbyKellieJaeger
IllustrationbyTheoCobb
10 28trackplansformedium-sizedspaces
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Great Lakes Tractor
Jim Robbins Seat Belt Co.
Ford Vinyl & Paint
Lumber
GTW shops
Armada Co-op
Purina Service
Yates Siding
Romeo depot
RomeoArmada
Pontiac Staging yard in closet
Ex-NYC interchange
Converted NYC depot
Stoney Creek
Drop-hinge bridge
Cemetery
Quonset building
Substation Houses
House
SampsonDairy
Hwy. 218
Gandy Co.
FarmMalt-O-Meal plant Medford depot
Gravel pitsStraight River
County Rd. 45
Metal shop
Gas station
Feed store
Feed mill
Canning company
OwatonnaCanning Co.
Freight house
Grain elevator
Lumberyard
Baggage house
Union Depot
Milwaukee RoadChicago & North Western
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
EDITOR’S CHOICEMODEL RAILROADER
Growing up in the 1980s, I watched Grand Trunk Geeps haul locals behind my grandparents’ farm in Armada, Mich. Modeling a line that features four-axle diesels, short trains, and slow train speeds is a great way to get the most operation out of a limited amount of space.
Richard Cooke’s clever track plan fits several industries, an interchange track, a branch line, and a staging yard with a turntable into a modest space. – Dana Kawala, senior editor
Grand Trunk Western, Romeo Subdivision
Published:October2003Scale:O(1:48)Plan size:11x15feetMinimum radius:36"(main),
24"(staging)Minimum turnout:no.5Maximum grade:2percent
17
Who says you have to settle on only one prototype? Many cities, even small ones like Owatonna, Minn., were served by two or more railroads. This HO scale layout depicts the Chicago & North Western and Milwaukee Road lines through that farm town. Plan-
ning the sidings on the two railroads so that the industries and yards they serve overlap as little as possible keeps engineers from getting in each other’s way during an operating session. And the continuous ovals allow one road to run unattended during solo operation.
South Central Minnesota RR
Published:November2005Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:7'-6"x22'-6"Minimum radius:26"Minimum turnout:no.4
18
IllustrationbyTheoCobb
IllustrationbyRobertWegner
www.ModelRailroader.com 11
EDITOR’S CHOICEMODEL RAILROADER
Depot
North Dover
Door and duckunder
B&M staging
Tower
TowerHidden staging
Salmon River
F. B. Hamer & Sons
Haney Fuels
Holy Spirits Distilleries
Phillips Furniture
Outbound (from Boston)
Inbound (to Boston)
MEC staging
Freight station
Scodras Grocers
Meek Tunnel
Marshall Creamery
New England River
Conley Lumberand Coal
Mitchell Creek
Boston & MaineMaine Central
Wingate Wholesalers
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Furlow Center
J-P Printing Co.
Dan Corp.
G.L. Bicycles
Photo backdropMirror
Warehouse
Milwaukee Beer distributor
Bed & Breakfast Control panel
Bob’s Hot Dogs
J.F. Machine ShopN.A.S.A. Mining Co.
Pont Saint Kevin
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
39" level36" level
As long as you don’t mind the duck-under to enter the room, this model railroad provides some great opera-tion. Mike Hamer designed it for a room in his home, and the layout features two distinct scenes separated by view blocks. Mike didn’t model a prototype town, but instead combined parts of some of his favorite New England railroad places to make North Dover. To gain staging space, Mike wrapped tracks around the perimeter of the layout, hiding them from view with hills and structures. The abundance of staging provides plenty of work for his operators. – David Popp, managing editor
IllustrationbyTheoCobb
Boston & Maine: Western Route, North Dover, N.H.
Published:Great Model Railroads 2004
Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:11x13feetMinimum radius:31"Minimum turnout:no.6
19
The two loops of this urban plan connect only with track concealed behind buildings. This allows a single operator to let one train run unat-tended on the upper level while switching the local on the lower. Tall, densely packed structures combine with partial buildings, background flats, and a photo backdrop to give one end of the compact layout the look of a truly massive city.
Montreal & Northern Ry.Published:January2007Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:10'-4"x12'-6"Minimum radius:18"Minimum turnout:no.4Maximum grade:11percent
20
IllustrationbyRickJohnson
12 28trackplansformedium-sizedspaces
Republic
Industry
Depot
Industry
SPRINGFIELD
Commissary
West staging
West stub View block Ash Grove Subdivision Depot
Springfield Subdivision
Nichols Junction
Memphis main line
Springfield Yard
Structures used as view block
Passenger yard
Sleeper set out track
Station
Printing plant
Freight house
Oil tanks
East belt line
Dock
Lebanon Subdivision
East staging
Willow Springs Subdivision
Structures used as view block
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
BurkeIndustries
Elevated station
Brass City Diner (below)
Carm Fabric Mill American ShoeJoshua Fishman’sMattress Co.
Valley Tool
Derby Foundry
Brewery
Westfield-Klein Co.
SpragueGutter Co.
Yankee Manufacturing
E. L. WoodsManufacturing
Collett’s Cannery
WasteTreatment
Shortwall
Computertable
Lift bridge
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Hotel
X marks the spot at Nichols Junction, where four subdivisions of the St. Louis-San Francisco Ry. intersected. This track plan models Frisco opera-tions in and around Springfield, Mo., in the 1950s, when sleek passenger trains shared the rails with through and local freights. Business blocks and wooded hills hide the fact that the four legs of the X form a figure eight, as well as disguising the staging yards at both ends of the shelf.
Springfield, Mo., on the Frisco
Published:December2003Scale:N(1:160)Plan size:12'-6"x12'-6"Minimum radius:10"Minimum turnout:no.5
21
This railroad’s designer sought to make his small layout look like a big city. Layers of tall structures, kit-bashed to fit between adjacent tracks, create the look of a much larger urban area. He also doesn’t let track over-whelm the layout, keeping the main to a single track and hiding some tracks under hills and behind buildings.
Waterbury Branch of the New Haven
Published:January1999Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:10x13feetMinimum radius:23"Minimum turnout:no.5Maximum grade:3percent
22
IllustrationbyRickJohnson
IllustrationbyKellieJaeger
www.ModelRailroader.com 13
Sawmill
Access hatch
American Boathouse
WymanLumber Co.
Depot
Lighthouse
Puget Mills
Duckunder
Georgetown
Puyallup River Canning Co.
Coal tower
Icing platform
Enginehouse
Lift bridge
TACOMA
Foundry
Yakima Fruit Growers
Depot
Kent Coal Co.
Lake Quinault
50"46"
46"
46"
46"
46"
46" 50"
50"
Duckunder
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
49"
48"
48"
48"
49"
Workbench
Boston
Union Freight RR
105-foot turntable
Boston yard
Passenger platform
Buzzards Bay
Cape Cod Canal bridge
Hyannis
Province-town
Orleans
90-footturntable
Yarmouth wye
Cranberrybogs
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
EDITOR’S CHOICEMODEL RAILROADER
There’s a lot of main line in this track plan, but it doesn’t look crowded. Linking distant parts of the layout with track hidden in tunnels maxi-mizes the mainline run while leaving lots of room for realistic scenery, from urban blocks to rugged mountains. Keeping hard-to-reach track, includ-ing most hidden tracks and those on the far side of a shelf from the opera-tor, to single track without turnouts reduces access problems and reduces the chance of derailments.
Olympic & Puget Sound Ry.
Published:March2007Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:15'-0"x16'-4"Minimum radius:24"Minimum turnout:no.4Maximum grade:2.5
percent
23
Maybe it’s because I grew up around water, but I’ve always been fascinated by seaside railroads. The interchange of cargo between ships and trains, the visual interest of bridges and trestles, and the many different ways to model water also add to the appeal.
This plan by John Pryke has all of those elements, from Boston Harbor to the lift bridge over the Cape Cod Canal. That bridge’s 544-foot span was a record-setter at the time it was built, and is almost mandatory for a layout like this.
When that bridge was built in 1933, its weight limits prevented its use by heavier engines developed later. Similar restrictions can be used to add to the operating challenges of any railroad. – Steven Otte, associate editor
New Haven’s Cape Cod Branch
Published:October2006Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:12'-6"x20'-0"Minimum radius:26"Minimum turnout:no.4Maximum grade:1.5
percent
24
IllustrationbyRoenKelly
IllustrationbyRickJohnsonandRoenKelly
14 28trackplansformedium-sizedspaces
BARSTOW Station
NEEDLES
Daggett
Station
Highway bridge
Garage door
Needles roundhouse
Fuel and sand
14 AT&SF staging tracks
3 UP staging tracks (elevated)
Highway bridge
40-foot trailer storage
Diesel fuel pads
Service shed
Santa Fe diesel house
Duckunder
UP to Salt Lake City
UP 4-track staging under peninsula
Dry wash
Lee Way Trucking Transfer
Desert Cement
U.S. Rt. 66
Anne’s Diner
Shell Oil refinery
Komo’s Scrapyard
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Kabinett
Staging and SouthernPacific interchange
Engine tracks
Closet door removed
End of scenery
Westen Meg’s Mine
Summit Ridge
Summit
Stern MarmotCenterPeak
Center Creek
Black Rock
Pete’s ProduceMeek’s Supply
Able Pottery Oil CityDistributors
MarmotManufacturing
Black RockIndustries
Black RockLumber
Chad’s Chairs
Station
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid 47"
47"
50"
50"
50"
48"
48"
AA
49"
This freelanced railroad is set in the mountains of northern California. Judicious use of tunnels keeps the track from crowding out the terrain, which stretches from the forest to the high desert. The tunnels also disguise the mainline loop, making the track seem like a more realistic point-to-point operation. Stopping a train briefly in a tunnel can also increase the virtual distance between stations.
Black Rock & Marmot
Published:December1999Scale:N(1:160)Plan size:14x14feetMinimum radius:18"Minimum turnout:no.8Maximum grade:2.5percent
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This railroad is designed for the modeler who has a lot of motive power and wants to show it off. Big yards at both ends, backed up by staging in an
adjacent room, means the ability to run plenty of trains. Gentle curves on the double-tracked main line show off long trains to their best advantage.
Santa Fe, Needles District
Published:September2002Scale:N(1:160)Plan size:9'-8"x20'-0"Minimum radius:151 ⁄2"Minimum turnout:no.6Maximum grade:2percent
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IllustrationbyKellieJaeger
IllustrationbyRickJohnson
www.ModelRailroader.com 15
38" 45.5"
York, Pa.
Red Lion, Pa.
Slate Hill, Pa.
Delta,Pa.
Relay, Pa.
Cardiff, Md.
Removable staging forPennsylvania RRand WesternMaryland interchange
Depot
DepotPeach Bottom Branch to Slate Hill
Depot
To Baltimore (staging)
Depot
Ash pitCoal Water
Scale of plan: 3⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
MKQ/Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe double track to Link, Colo.
CSX
Abandoned quarry
Field
Field
Hatch A
Grain elevators
Farmhouse and barn Santa Fe depot
CSX (B&O)
CSX (B&O)
Farm shed CSX (ex-B&O) depot
Backdrop
Tractor dealer
To Sedalia, Colo., MKQ/ATSF
Hatch B Hatch C Hatch D
Babe’s Diner
EDITOR’S CHOICEMODEL RAILROADER
Oak Grove, Ill. on the Missouri, Kansas & Quincy
Published:June2005Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:6'-9"x16'-0",plus
off-layoutstagingMinimum radius:30"Minimum turnout:no.6
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The interchange between two Class 1 railroads at a Midwestern town is the focus of this plan. Grain elevators and other agricultural-themed businesses help place this railroad in Illinois. This plan could be part of a larger layout, although it provides plenty of operating interest on its own.
This track plan depicts a layout built by modeler Stan White. I had the pleasure of operating it a couple of times, so I can attest that it was faithful to its prototype, a well-known Eastern short line, and a lot of fun. The main line ran from the stub-end terminal at York, Pa., to a reverse loop with storage sidings hidden beneath York, representing the “Ma & Pa’s” big-city terminal in Baltimore. Besides the off-stage loop, interchange tracks at York provided additional
beyond-the-layout connections to other railroads. Despite its short mainline run, the layout supported realistic operation. Stan’s layout design satisfies many of my own criteria for a success-ful model railroad, including walk-in access, representation of an interesting prototype, and a realistic operating scheme. The layout’s sharp curves, 18" radius in HO scale, were no hindrance to the Ma & Pa’s small locomotives and short passenger cars. – Andy Sperandeo, executive editor
Maryland & Penn-sylvania, Pennsyl-vania Division
Published:December2005Scale:HO(1:87.1)Plan size:8'-8"x22'-0"Minimum radius:18"Minimum turnout:no.4Maximum grade:2percent
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IllustrationbyRobertWegner
IllustrationbyRobertWegnerandRickJohnson