The plan shows the industries switched on the layout but none of the other structures. Some Details about the layout.
Modelling Date April 9,1977.
Room Size about 11' x 11'. Scenery including structures ~90% complete.
DCC Digitrax, all Locomotives are SoundTraxx Equipped. SoundCar is mounted under the layout with two Rail Master Speakers.
Maximum Grade 0%.
Track work is Micro Engineering Code 83 and 70 flex track.
Switches are Walthers Code 83 modified with PCB ties to replace the huge plastic throw bars. Cork road bed on Main and run around. Track dips down to the foam on all other sidings.
Bench work is box frame, with plywood tops and pink foam. Hills are made with florist foam. All mounted on adjustable shelf brackets. Bench work is 52" off the floor.
Backdrop is Masonite with made by me Photo Backdrops on 2 walls and painted backdrop on the third. I wanted to learn how to do both methods.
Staging is a removable 2 track staging yard with 8-9 car capacity including Locomotive and Van.
The layout tour travels from West to East along the line. I have completed the feed mill since these pictures were taken. I will post about it in the short future. Enjoy..
Looks great, Ryan - thanks for sharing the plan and tour. I've seen the layout, of course - but it'll be a useful post to share with other people.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
- Trevor (Port Rowan in 1:64)
Thanks for the plan and the photos, Ryan. That's a lot of fun, and only seven turnouts!
ReplyDeleteSimon
Your welcome Simon. The layout is a blast to run. It typically takes over an hour for a 2 man crew to switch about half the spots on the layout.
DeleteVery nice tour of a wonderful layout!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the props Marty...
DeleteRyan
Really nice effort... I'm impressed by the simplicity, realism and integrity, for lack of a better word... have a pretty strong feeling that we are influenced by the same modeler regarding scenery and seasonality!
ReplyDeleteJim,
DeleteThanks for the kind words. It was all to easy in the design phase to just keep adding more. But, I exercised restraint and tried to keep things simple. I think it makes it more believable.
Wow! Nice, simple and to the point layout! Reminds me of a small Mike Confalone layout. Makes me want to really simplify what I have.
ReplyDeleteShannon,
DeleteNot sure how far you are on your layout, but I found that it takes much more time to build it than you think, and even a simple switching layout can take more time than you think to operate.
Nice un-busy layout. Looks good for an early spring northern locale.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris..
DeleteSimple really can be better. Something important to remember for those of us still in the planning stage (or the hoping to have space to build a layout stage). Looks like it offers lots of challenges in switching the industries and making use of the space to challenge an operating crew.
ReplyDeleteStephen,
DeleteI think I could even cut the layout in half and still have it take an hour or so to operate prototypically. I bet you have enough room for a 1 industry layout that could be stored under a bed for example and pulled out on the kitchen table when you want to operate.
Great to see an overall tour of the layout. Looks great! I like the scale of your trees to the structures, very realistic. Did you build the eastern pines using caspia? I have that on my list to try.
ReplyDeleteNever mind - checked your Archives and found your post on the EWP's!
DeleteThanks for the comments Mike , hope you find some time to make the EWP's they really make such a big difference to the scenery.
DeleteRyan,
ReplyDeleteI have just stumbled across your layout and I have to say I'm blown away. I am in the middle of planning my 12x12 around the room layout after graduating up from an abandoned 4x8 effort. This has made me totally rethink my layout plan. I was trying to squeeze in a working yard as per the 10 commandments of http://www.housatonicrr.com/yard_des.html and a quarry, a cement plant, a scrap yard, and a lumber yard plus a team track, hidden staging etc etc. It was going to look far to cluttered and totally unrealistic.
Your layout has encouraged me to strip back my design to a more 'branch line' feel. I think I was trying to model a major line to allow me to run interesting loads but I have realised that the use of a team track, the right setting and a good scenario back story allows one to accomplish of all this in a rural setting.
I am still a couple of months away from prepping the room for bench work as it is still a 250 year old outbuilding so there is plenty of time to keep working on the track plan but I expect it will look strikingly similar to what you have created here. If you don't mind!
I have spent the last few days returning to this web page to admire the work and gain inspiration. I am based in the UK but remain fascinated by US railroad as you guys haul way more freight, have much more diverse loads and the quality and range of prototypical models is vastly superior.
Thank you
Dominic
(Will be) Modelling a lazy summer afternoon on a back water branch line circa 1980 in the Amercian North East. Think Pulpwood loads, the occasional battered gondola on a team track and the odd flat car on a rusting spur.
Very nice train layout, keep it up and put several photos online.
ReplyDeleteHC Belgium
Are the backdrop trees in photos 11 and 12 photos or painted?
ReplyDelete