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948-8893 #3 Wye $26.98
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948-870 150' 45m pkg(50) $153.98 948-8801 #4 Left Hand $26.98
948-8802 #4 Right Hand $26.98
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Bridge Track
948-886 w/Guard Rails & Separate
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948-832 60° 948-8805 #8 Left Hand $30.98
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948-897 Code 100 to Code 83
6" Long $9.98 948-8828 #8 Left
948-8803 #6 Left Hand $26.98
948-898 Code 83 to Code 70 Hand Curved $45.98
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948-841 pkg(50) $11.98 Curved $45.98

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948-8812 #6 Double Crossover
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948-8896 #8 Double Slip $92.98

948-8814 #6 Double Slip $81.98

948-8836 #6 Single-Slip Turnout

$81.98 948-8884 #10 Left Hand $34.98
948-8826 #6-1/2 Left Hand Curved 948-8885 #10 Right Hand $34.98
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Find a hobby shop near you now — visit walthers.com or call 1-800-487-2467!
Prices and availability as shown were accurate at press time, for updates visit walthers.com. ©2010 Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.
43 FROM THE EXPERTS
TRACK PLANS
OFF TO SEE
THE WIZARD
“WE’RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD . . .”
That memorable refrain from the 1939
film version of L. Frank Baum’s The
Wizard of Oz could be used to accurately
capture the thoughts behind this compi-
lation of track plans from Model Railroad
Planning magazine. Year after year, Tony
Koester, MRP’s editor, has pulled together
what some of the brightest and best
minds have to offer at the forefront of
layout design. And even if you have
no interest in modeling a narrow gauge
Gold Rush railroad in the Yukon Terri-
tory or a standard gauge mountain rail-
road through Tennessee Pass, you’d be
hard pressed not to agree that the kinds
of stories found in MRP are what one
could consider “a good read.”
Model Railroad Planning has always
been a “think tank” of track planning
ideas. The concepts presented in the
publication are often considered to
be cutting edge stuff when it comes to
layout design and construction, and
there’s a good reason for that.
Each plan represents countless hours
(sometimes a lifetime’s worth) of research
and planning. Chances are good that the
author of an MRP story is an authority
on that particular railroad or region.
Or, the author is one of the elite track
planners, those like John Armstrong and
Iain Rice, who possess a knack for under-
standing prototype railroads and working
that knowledge into their designs.
And, there’s also usually a dose of “layout
wrestling” too, the wisdom that comes
from good ol’ fashioned trial and error.
The plans presented here were selected
from the past 11 years of MRP (those in
our electronic archive). Although we’ve
written brief overviews of each plan and
have given you our opinions of some of
the useful design concepts they contain,
I strongly encourage you to go back to
the source, the original MRP articles
themselves, for the complete story. (Call
1-800-533-6644 for back issues.) Seek
out the wizards behind the curtain and
be amazed by what you’ll learn!

CONTENTS Editor
Art Director
A. David Popp
Thomas G. Danneman
Editorial offices
Phone: 262-796-8776
Editorial Staff Neil Besougloff Fax: 262-796-1142
4 SMALL: TRACK PLANS FOR Andy Sperandeo E-mail: mrmag@mrmag.com
COMPACT SPACES Jim Hediger
Cody Grivno
Web: www.ModelRailroader.com

Plans 1 through 9 Dana Kawala Advertising and Trade Sales

Steven Otte Advertising inquiries: 888-558-1544,
16 ROOM: RAILROADS FOR Editorial Associate
Kent Johnson
Eric Stelpflug
extension 533

BEDROOMS AND STUDIES Graphic Designers Drew Halverson

Scott Krall
Retail trade orders: 800-558-1544,
extension 818
Plans 10 through 21 Fax: 262-796-0126
Illustrators Rick Johnson
Advertising e-mail: adsales@mrmag.com
38 MEDIUM: DESIGNS THAT FIT
Jay Smith
Roen Kelly Dealer e-mail: tradesales@kalmbach.com

GARAGES AND REC ROOMS Kellie Jaeger

Customer Service
Plans 22 through 28 Kalmbach Publishing Co. Customer sales and service: 800-533-6644
President Gerald B. Boettcher (Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT)
52 LARGE: LAYOUTS FOR Executive Vice President
Vice President, Editorial
Charles R. Croft
Kevin P. Keefe
Outside U.S. and Canada: 262-796-8776

BASEMENT-SIZED PLACES Publisher

Vice President, Advertising
Terry D. Thompson
Scott S. Stollberg
Fax: 262-796-1615
E-mail: customerservice@kalmbach.com
Plans 29 through 36
Vice President, Marketing Daniel R. Lance 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

68 DREAM: PLANS FOR WHEN

Corporate Art Director Maureen Schimmel
Managing Art Director
SPACE ISN’T A CONCERN Advertising Director
Advertising Sales Manager
Plans 37 through 43 Ad Sales Representative
Ad Services Manager
82 AND ONE MORE,
Ad Services Representative
(ISBN 978-0-89024-833-1) is published by Kalmbach
Michael Soliday Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612,
Scott Bong
Scott Redmond
Waukesha, WI 53187-1612. Single copy price: $7.95
U.S., $9.95 Canadian and international, payable in U.S.
Martha Stanczak funds drawn on a U.S. bank. (Canadian price includes
GST.) BN 12271 3209 RT. Expedited delivery available
Sara Everts
for additional $2.50 domestic and Canadian, $6
Jodi Jeranek foreign. ©2011, Kalmbach Publishing Co.

A 3-PHASE PLAN Production Manager

Production Coordinator
Plan 44 and a little more Corporate Circulation Director Michael Barbee
Group Circulation Manager
Circulation Specialist
Circulation Coordinator
Single Copy Sales Director
Helene Tsigistras
Cindy Barder
Title registered as trademark. All rights reserved.
Printed in U.S.A.
Catherine Daniels
Valerie Lane
Brian Qualman
Jerry Burstein

www.ModelRailroader.com 3
 1
Small
RURAL RAILROADING
DESIGNED BY IAIN RICE
MRP 2007
COMBINE STEAM AND DIESEL locomotives
with a gas-electric, mix in a junction and
depot in a rural setting, and you have the
recipe for this 5 x 7-foot track plan by
Iain Rice. Though the inspiration for this
model railroad came from a section of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Ry.
(CB&Q) in Nebraska, it could easily be
modeled as any grain-hauling railroad in
the Midwest.
The layout’s focus is a junction and
depot where a CB&Q branch line meets
the main, although the actual junction is
on the outskirts of town. Since this
model railroad is set in the 1950s, diesels
would be primarily used on the main,
while steam and the gas-electric would
be relegated to branchline service.
This layout was designed to fit on
bookshelves in a college dorm room, but
don’t let its small size fool you. The lay-
4 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
ON A SHELF
Usable desk
space under
layout
Iain Rice designed this layout to fit on
bookcases in a college dorm room.
out offers switching, continuous run-
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
ning, places for opposing trains to meet,
a secondary whistle stop (Union), and a
pair of staging tracks hidden inside or Name: Transition-era CB&Q
behind removable structures along the Scale: N (1:160)
back of the yard. 43 Size: 5 x 7 feet
Prototype: Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy
Locale: Nebraska
Now on ModelRailroader.com Period: 1950s
Looking for more track planning Style: donut
ideas? Visit the track plan database Mainline run: 24 feet
at www.ModelRailroader.com to Minimum radius: 12"
view more than 580 plans for other Minimum turnout: no. 6
great layouts in a variety of scales. Train length: 9 cars
 Structures at rear are removable
Coal
Wood grain Freight Meat-packing storage Storage Concrete
Feed mill Industry elevators house plant bins Oil depot tracks grain elevator
Coal silo
Low-relief
structures add
depth to
Doodlebug shallow scenes
spur and hide
storage tracks
Depot
Section Team track
house Amersford
Curved
Desk
trackwork
gives layout a Old ice
house
Branch natural look Spacious area
Main Coal
for one or two dock
Transition-era CB&Q operators Sand
Silo Water
N scale (1:160)
tank
Layout size: 5x 7 feet
Barn Scale of plan: 3⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid If possible,
Tower Turnouts no. 6 unless marked leave at least
Curves 15" unless marked
Junction Peco curved turnout 6" of elbow Roundhouse
Red arrowheads show layout joints margin at edge
Diner-gas
of layout
Creek Cottage Store Union Depot
station
Farm

Duckunder entrance
Section Section
joint joint

Ceiling-mounted
Single-deck layout lighting light source Double-deck layout lighting
Source located far enough out
Upper shelf wider to light front edge of layout
than layout Normal-width
Strip light upper shelf
Valance
Standing close Strip lights
can create
shadows
Forward mounting of
light source avoids
unlit foreground objects
About 10"
centers

Layout can be viewed

close-up without Lower shelf narrower to
casting shadows ensure good illumination

www.ModelRailroader.com 5
2
Small
A HOLLOW-CORE DOOR FOR A
BIG-CITY SCENE
DESIGNED BY BYRON HENDERSON
MRP 2010
DESIGNING AN OPERATIONALLY interesting
yet compact track plan of the Missouri-
Kansas-Texas RR in downtown Dallas
for a hollow-core door is no easy task.
But by focusing on signature elements,
such as the engine terminal, Burris Mills
grain elevator, and Dallas Power & Light
plant, custom layout designer Byron
Henderson was able to re-create the Katy
in Big D on a 2'-6" x 6'-8" door.
Though the oval main line is great for
watching trains run, it also plays a key
role in operations. A freight from the
staging yard would pass through the vis-
ible scene, setting out and picking up
cars on the double-ended siding. Then a
local switcher would use the yard tracks
to classify (sort) the cars by destination.
6 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
The Missouri-Kansas-Texas RR
enginehouse in Dallas is one of
the signature structures on Byron
Henderson’s N scale plan. C.W. McDonald
photo, Kalmbach Publishing Co. collection
The switch crew could line up the
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
outbound cars for pickup by different
through freights. Another approach
would be to have a local freight come Name: The Katy in downtown Dallas
from staging and terminate. Then anoth- Scale: N (1:160)
er crew would pick up an engine to Size: 2'-6" x 6'-8" (hollow-core door)
switch the industries and make up an Prototype: Missouri-Kansas-
outbound train. Texas RR
No matter how you operate the lay- Locale: Dallas
out, the Katy in Dallas is sure to provide Period: 1970s
hours of enjoyment. 43 Style: island
Mainline run: 15 feet
Minimum radius: 121⁄2" (main),
101⁄2" (spurs)
Minimum turnout: no. 5
Maximum grade: none
Train length: 12 cars
 Optional
The Katy in staging
extension
downtown Dallas
N scale (1:160), Layout size: 2'-6" x 6'-8"
Scale of plan: 11⁄2" = 1'-0", 6" grid
Warehouse

American
Paper Stock

Setting
structures and
streets at
angles helps “Fascia flats”
break up suggest the
rectangular structure
benchwork extends into
the aisle

Hiding staging
tracks makes
small layouts
seem much
larger Burris Mills
grain elevator

Backdrop

Staging

Dallas Power
& Light

Signature
Fascia
structures help flats
communicate
the Water
atmosphere of tower
the real locale
Engine-
house

Diesel fuel
and sand

Optional
staging
extension

www.ModelRailroader.com 7
3
Small
A PACIFIC NORTHWEST
LUMBER PORT Waterfront
structures are Top of 4 percent grade
Grades and
curves add
Start of often close interest to
4 percent grade Wood
together Ore bins small layouts
and chutes truss bridge Firehouse
Salmon cannery
0"

1"
Net store Fishing harbor 3.5"
and chandler

17" R
3"

Main harbor

Lighthouse 2"

Harbor
entrance
channel

Office Enginehouse
Rock fill Pole
derrick
Mine spur

Loleta & Mad River Short spurs are Staging

HO scale (1:87.1) typical in older cassette makes
Layout size: 4x 8 feet Mad River Port Loleta harbor areas it easy to turn
Scale of plan: 3⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid Logging
equipment

DESIGNED BY IAIN RICE The Loleta & Mad River can be a stand-
alone model railroad or serve as the
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
MRP 2002
nucleus for a larger layout.
Name: Loleta & Mad River
RAIL-MARINE OPERATION is a popular look of the layout and makes it easier to Scale: HO (1:87.1)
theme with model railroaders, and Iain reach the area to the right of the cannery. Size: 4 x 8 feet
Rice designed this plan for a West Coast Trains going off the railroad end up in a Prototype: freelanced
harbor town. staging cassette, cleverly concealed be- Locale: northern California coast
The rocky coast of northern Califor- hind structures and a rock outcropping Era: pre-Depression
nia provides the setting for the Loleta & at the right end of the layout. The cas- Style: island
Mad River. The switching railroad pri- sette is designed to slip in and out like Mainline run: 27'-6"
marily earns its keep moving ore and a drawer. Minimum radius: 17"
lumber, but the L&MR also serves a fish The Loleta & Mad River is a great Minimum turnout: no. 5
cannery and a general merchandise pier. stand-alone model railroad, but it could Maximum grade: 4 percent
Though the plan is a 4 x 8, the slight also be the nucleus of a larger layout, as Train length: 6 to 8 cars
curve along the front edge softens the shown in the small illustration. 43

8 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

 4
TWO HOBBIES FOR THE Small

PRICE OF ONE
Chesapeake Harbor Belt
HO scale (1:87.1)
Layout size: 4x8 feet Bunker Brownhoist Fabrication Heavy
Scale of plan: 3⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid Warehouse Tug berth fuel depot “Little Hook” Office shed overhead crane

Shipyard

Swing
bridge

U. S.
Customs
office

Engine Diner
facility

Switchman’s Dockside
Gantry Mobile Yard office
shanty crane
crane crane

Modeling a Concave curve Waterway A layout height

harbor scene in center divides layout close to eye
gives you two breaks up the into two scenes level adds to
hobbies for the rectangular the illusion of
price of one layout shape depth

DESIGNED BY IAIN RICE span allows small ships, tugs, and

barges to enter this side creek of the THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
MRP 2002
Elizabeth River.
Operations on the CHB are switching Name: Chesapeake Harbor Belt
RUN-DOWN WHARVES and a small repair and transfer runs. For the modeler, the Scale: HO (1:87.1)
yard that maintains tugs, barges, and main challenge is routing cars to their Size: 4 x 8 feet
other harbor craft provides the backdrop individual destinations around the Prototype: freelanced
for the HO scale Chesapeake Harbor harbor. The variety of industries also Locale: Virginia waterfront
Belt (CHB). This 4 x 8-foot track plan, requires an interesting mix of cars, Period: 1950s
designed by Iain Rice, depicts a gritty including flatcars, gondolas, tank cars, Style: island
Eastern waterfront in the 1950s. and boxcars. Mainline run: 20'-6"
The focal point of this plan is the cen- By modeling a rail-served harbor, you Minimum radius: 20"
tral waterway, crossed by the railroad on get two hobbies for the price of one. Minimum turnout: no. 5
low timber trestles patterned after those Not only do you get to enjoy model Maximum grade: none
used by the Norfolk & Western and Vir- railroading, but you can try your hand Train length: 4 to 6 cars
ginian Ry. At the opposite end, a swing at building a few ship models, too. 43

www.ModelRailroader.com 9
5 C&O RAIL-MARINE LAYOUTS
Small

C&O Brooke Avenue Yard,

IN N AND HO
Opening lets Modeling in N
Norfolk, Va., ca. 1950 you reach requires less
N scale (1:160) trains in any selective
Layout size: 6x8 feet
Scale of plan: 1⁄2" = 1'-0", 12" grid location compression Construction
Backdrop
Not to scale
Botetourt St. F. G. Ennis Paper Co.
Thomas St. 1⁄4" lauan plywood top
Warehouse Colonial Meats
Southgate Terminal Corp.
Curved 1" foam board
Shed no. 2 glued to plywood
crossing

Elizabeth
River Glasgow
Brewing
Co.
12" R 1 x 4s around perimeter
1 x 3 cross members
Tramp
steamer Boush Cold
Storage Notch
Ocean Water surfaces
pier C&O and NYP&N Wood frame
(PRR) passenger Special glued directly to frame Notch 1 x 4 to
Freight station lower water level
Shed platform
trackwork adds Plywood cutting diagram
C&O steam no. 3
Molasses
visual interest Scale: 1⁄4" = 1'-0"
tug and car float Coal dock
tank
Crew shanty
Coal trestle C&O freight house
Entire layout
uses one 4x8
DESIGNED BY BERNARD KEMPINSKI sheet of
MRP 2002 plywood

SINCE URBAN WATERFRONT PROPERTY is so station was omitted to allow better ac-
valuable, every square foot is put to use. cess to the yard ladders. THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
Closely spaced buildings served by A two-thirds prototype size car float
twisty tracks offered the ideal prototype is at the left end of the layout. To com- Name: C&O Brooke Avenue Yard
for layout designer Bernard Kempinski. pensate for its lack of capacity, you can Scale: N (1:160)
He based the accompanying N and HO “sail” the float and swap it for another Size: 6 x 8 feet
scale plans on the Chesapeake & Ohio’s float with different cars. Prototype: Chesapeake & Ohio
Brooke Avenue Yard in Norfolk, Va. Operations on both layouts would Locale: Norfolk, Va.
The N scale plan is designed to fit in a start with a loaded float arriving with Period: 1950s
6 x 8-foot area on a creatively cut piece of cars for the local crew to switch to their Style: island
4 x 8 plywood. The left side of the layout destinations. Outbound cars would be Mainline run: not applicable
would make an impressive scene with spotted on the float. The float can then Minimum radius: 12"
the river, ships, and waterfront struc- be removed and replaced with another Minimum turnout: no. 4
tures. There’s also room for a model of a carrying a fresh block of inbound cars. Maximum grade: none
car float as well as tramp steamers, If handling car floats full of cars Train length: 5 to 7 cars
barges, and passenger ferries. seems too difficult, a session could con-
The HO plan is a 4 x 16-foot shelf lay- sist of the time needed to unload one
out. It’s compressed 15 percent in length float, spot those cars, and put outbound
and even more in width. The passenger cars back on the float. 43

10 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

 6
Small

Transfer Coaling
Tramp steamer Ocean pier bridge tower Shed no. 3 Molasses tank Southgate Terminal Corp. Colonial Stores meat plant F. G. Ennis Paper Co. Backdrop

Brooke
Slip switch Avenue
Freight platform
Crew shanty Sawtooth
and toilet
C&O freight house profile of
Car float Angled layout
low-relief Boush Cold Glasgow
and tugboat
Car float shape gets Brewing Co.
buildings adds Storage
provides a away from A small layout
visual interest
fresh source of traditional gives you more
inbound freight rectangle time to build
cars detailed
structures
C&O Brooke Avenue Yard,
Norfolk, Va., ca. 1920
HO scale (1:87.1)
Layout size: 4x16 feet
Scale of plan: 1⁄2" = 1'-0", 12" grid

THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE

Name: C&O Brooke Avenue Yard
Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 4 x 16 feet
Prototype: Chesapeake & Ohio
Locale: Norfolk, Va.
Period: 1920
Style: shelf
Mainline run: not applicable
Minimum radius: 20"
Minimum turnout: no. 4
Maximum grade: none
Train length: 6 to 8 cars

This 1956 view looks west toward the Elizabeth River from the Boush Cold
Storage Building. Buildings along the right side provide an ideal prototype for a
backdrop made up of building flats. C&O Historical Society collection

www.ModelRailroader.com 11
7
Small
A WESTERN BRANCH LINE
FIT FOR A SHELF

A pair of Union Pacific chopped-nose

Geeps sets out a string of covered
DESIGNED BY JOHN FLANN hoppers at the Consolidated Elevator
in Providence, Utah. Photo by John Flann
MRP 2009

THOUGH MANY PEOPLE ARE DRAWN to busy designed to have one train on the rail- THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
mainline railroading, the relaxed pace of road at a time.
branch lines has a charm of its own. Cre- At 6 x 15 feet, the layout won’t fill Name: Providence River Branch
ating a plausible setting and realistic most basements. It’s the perfect plan for Scale: HO (1:87.1)
method of operation is what John Flann someone who wants a layout that’s af- Size: 6 x 15 feet
wanted to achieve with the HO scale fordable to build, easy to maintain, and Prototype: Union Pacific
Providence River Branch. fun to operate. 43 Locale: Utah
Though this plan is freelanced, it was Period: 1980s
heavily influenced by the Union Pacific’s Style: linear walkaround
Cache Valley Branch in northeast Utah. Mainline run: 34 feet
Most of the industries on the branch are Minimum radius: 18"
agriculture-based. However, distribution Minimum turnout: no. 6
centers, high-tech industries, engineering, Maximum grade: none
manufacturing, and mining also take Train length: up to 8 cars
place along the line. The branch line is

12 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

8 ONE BRANCHLINE TOWN IN
Small

Grove St. Barns River

TWO SCALES
Nubanusit Builders Lumber
supply piles Feed Store Backdrop School St. Houses and sheds Brick mill
Old grade
Church to Henniker
GAR hall

“That Depot
Joint corrugated Oil depot
Mill race shed” Joint Depot St.
Retail coal yard Creamery
Hillside
Joint Weir Main St.
Field Dams and other
Peterboro, N. H., special water Abandoned
Covered bridge circa 1952 effects draw track suggests
helps convey HO scale (1:87.1) visitors into railroad has
the locale of Layout size: 11'-3"x16'-6"
scene history
Scale of plan: 3⁄8" = 1'-0", 12" grid
the model
railroad
To fiddle yard
(built as space
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
permits) Fiddle yard
allows for Name: Boston & Maine
real-time Scale: HO (1:87.1)
equipment Size: 11'-3" x 16'-6"
exchange Prototype: B&M
Locale: Peterboro, N.H.
Period: 1952
Style: shelf
Mainline run: 17 feet
Minimum radius: 30" main, 24" spurs
Minimum turnout: no. 5
DESIGNED BY IAIN RICE Maximum grade: none
Train length: 11 cars
MRP 2000

THOUGH IAIN RICE BASED THESE two track
plans on the Boston & Maine branchline
terminal in Peterboro, N.H., he designed
the HO and O scale plans using lessons
he’d learned in the United Kingdom,
where he lives.
So what does a British-style terminal
layout consist of? First, it has a fiddle
yard at the outward end where locomo-
tives and cars can be transferred off the
layout, turned, or rearranged by hand.
Examples include a ladder or stub-end
yards with turnouts, swiveling sector
tables, or vertical stacking systems.
British layouts are typically 12 to 18 both on and off the modeled portion of
feet long and often in an L shape to fit the railroad.
around the walls of a bedroom. They’re There’s also the need to service loco-
also built in sections that can be easily motives before they return to their home
transported in automobiles for display at terminal, and they may need to be
model railroad exhibitions. The section turned as well.
joints are marked on each plan. Both plans show where fiddle yards
Though the operation of a branch are incorporated into these layouts. The
terminal may sound limited, it can be sector plate shown with the O scale plan
interesting. Operations can be made could be used in place of the fiddle yard
realistic and challenging by introducing on the HO scale plan.
a timetable for passenger service and Whether you model in HO or O
some form of waybill system to scale, these plans will work for both
determine freight traffic destinations home and road. 43

14 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

 9
Small

Not all
buildings are at
right angles to
Building to hide backdrop Curved
Creamery Water Shanty end of track Coal dealer Backdrop turnout
column
Turntable

Y Y

Metal shed Paved

Joint highway
Building supply
Depot End of covered
Stores Joint
Mill Main St. Wye turnouts bridge hides
Y = wye turnouts
save space entrance to
sector plate
Joint

THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE Peterboro, N.H.

In O Scale
HO scale (1:87.1)
Name: Boston & Maine Layout size: 6'-9"x 14'-0"
(13'-0"x16'-5" with sector plate Pivoting sector
Scale: O (1:48) and fiddle yard) plate with two
Size: 6'-9" x 14'-0" Scale of plan: 3⁄8" = 1'-0", 12" grid fiddle tracks
Prototype: B&M View block screen
Locale: Peterboro, N.H.
Period: 1952 Sector plates
Style: shelf and fiddle
Mainline run: 12 feet yards expand
Minimum radius: 36" the scope of Pivot
Minimum turnout: no. 5
small layouts
Maximum grade: none
Train length: 7 cars

The illustration at left shows how

a shadow box would look on the HO
scale layout (Plan 8). The shadow box
frames the model railroad, focusing
attention on the layout and making a
clear delineation between the modeled
scene and the fiddle yard. This same
technique could be used with many of
the plans in this book.

www.ModelRailroader.com 15
10
Room
A SHELF LAYOUT WITH AN
INTERCHANGE
DESIGNED BY BERNARD KEMPINSKI
MRP 2000
SPARE BEDROOMS ARE popular venues for
model railroads. But what if the bed-
room isn’t spare and has to do double
duty? In this plan, designer Bernard
Kempinski uses a working junction and
a large-scale industry to pack as much
operation as possible into an around-the-
walls plan that leaves most of the floor
space open.
The prototype for this N scale plan is
the interchange of the former Chesa-
peake & Ohio and Richmond, Fredricks-
burg & Potomac at Doswell, Va., in the
mid-1980s. A single tight curve leads the
RF&P into two concealed staging tracks,
providing a source for off-line freight
traffic. The operator will be kept busy
switching interchange traffic, but there
are also a few sizeable industries, includ-
16 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
A CSX freight passes through Doswell,
Va. (left), as just to the south, Amtrak
crosses the C&O’s former Piedmont
Sub (above). Doswell is a key feature of
this N scale plan. B. Kempinski photos
ing a paper mill and a wood-chip plant,
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
to provide more operating interest.
Bear Island Paper, which occupies
most of one wall, is the biggest industry Name: Piedmont Subdivision
on the layout. The prototype mill opened Scale: N (1:160)
in 1983, and the Westvaco Doswell Pulp Size: 12 x 12 feet
Yard shut down in the late 1980s, so this Prototype: C&O or CSX
layout is set in between. If you set your Locale: Doswell, Va.
version later, keep in mind that the C&O Era: mid-1980s
joined CSX in August 1987. Style: around-the-walls
The versatility of the plan is the Mainline run: 37 feet
removable sections. One such piece Minimum radius: 9" (RF&P staging),
provides a connection for continuous 16" (main)
running. Another lifts out to provide Minimum turnout: no. 4
window access. But the most interest Maximum grade: none
comes from the two oNetrak modules, Train length: 10 to 15 cars
which can be lifted off their shelf brack-
ets and placed on legs for operation at a
club or train show. 43
11
Room
ONE BEDROOM,
TWO RAILROADS

DESIGNED BY TOM HOKENSON

MRP 2000

EVEN IF YOUR LAYOUT must share a room
with a twin bed, desk, and other furni-
ture, careful planning might let you fit in
not just one, but two railroads. The Y
Street, York & Kettle Creek – “Y2K” for
short – shares this point-to-point layout
with the City Central RR, a connecting
line that provides interchange traffic.
In keeping with its tongue-in-cheek
abbreviation, the HO scale Y2K is set in
the year 2000. This means long freight
cars, so the plan has curves 24" or wider.
Unlike plan no. 10 on the previous page,
which has a lift-out section in front of
the window, this plan maintains window
access by being mounted just 40" high.
Structures in front of the window are
also kept to a minimum.
The Y2K is the primary focus of oper-
ations, with several industries to serve at
both ends of its line. What elevates this
design above many switching plans,
though, is the inclusion of the second
railroad. The City Central provides the
Y2K with its link to the outside world,
giving cars working off-line origins and
destinations. The CCRR’s main line has
a three-track staging yard at each end,
meaning five CCRR trains per session
can pick up and drop off cars for the
Y2K at the Y Street Yard.
Though there are no industries on the
CCRR, a commuter station allows pas-
senger traffic. A push-pull operation
would let the same consist represent
multiple trains in both directions, com-
plicating switching maneuvers that use
the Y Street crossing. 43
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
Name: Y Street, York & Kettle Creek
Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 12 x 12 feet
Theme: modern urban switching
Locale: freelanced city
Era: 2000
Style: around-the-walls
Mainline run: 32 feet
Minimum radius: 24"
Minimum turnout: no. 4
Maximum grade: 3 percent
Train length: 4 to 6 cars

18 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

13
Room
USE A CLOSET TO
HIDE STAGING
DESIGNED BY DON BALL
MRP 2000
THERE’S A RULE OF THUMB among model
railroaders that you should always build
twice as much staging as you think your
railroad needs. But when the time comes
that you realize your estimate is off, cre-
ative solutions may be needed.
That’s what happened to Don Ball and
his room-sized HO scale Moraga Springs
Northern, a turn-of-the-last-century
steam road serving the Sierra Nevada’s
mining towns. Originally, Don envi-
sioned Freeport as the railroad’s western
terminal. But when he considered ex-
panding service to the San Francisco Bay
area, he knew he’d have to represent that
part of the railroad somehow. But where?
22 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
Train No. 2 prepares to leave Freeport,
Calif., for the new Oakland staging yard
on Don Ball’s HO scale Moraga Springs
Northern. Don Ball photo
Don found the answer in the room’s
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
closet. Since it was already used to store
model train kits and supplies, Don found
it simple to add a three-track staging Name: Moraga Springs Northern
yard with a lift-out access bridge so the Scale: HO (1:87.1)
door could be closed. He also installed Size: 11 x 12 feet
infrared occupancy detectors. Theme: turn-of-the-century steam
With the staging in place, the Moraga Locale: California’s Sierra foothills
Springs Northern became a realistic, Era: 1899
point-to-point model railroad. The Style: walk-in
road was busy with passenger and mail Mainline run: 44 feet
express trains, scheduled through and Minimum radius: 18"
local freights, and mine extras. If that Minimum turnout: no. 5
seems like a heavy schedule for an 1890s Maximum grade: 3 percent
short line, remember the 21-mile Virginia Train length: 5 to 6 cars
& Truckee ran 40 trains a day. 43
14
Room
THE ROMANCE OF
THE PRAIRIES
DESIGNED BY IAIN RICE
MRP 2001
PRAIRIE RAILROADS don’t usually have
the benefit of dramatic scenery to create
visual interest. Endless flat plains and
backdrops made up of mostly sky don’t
hold the same allure as the vertical scen-
ery of the Rockies, Appalachians, or
even the Ozarks.
But granger lines have a pull all their
own. Roads like the Illinois Central,
Chicago & North Western, Minneapolis
& St. Louis, and Wabash decked out
their early hood units in some of the most
attractive paint schemes on the rails. The
grain, oil, farm equipment, and meat
packing industries provide lots of freight
traffic. And it’s hard to beat the charm of
a well-modeled farm town.
24 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
Though it was photographed at West
Point, Ky., Illinois Central no. 911 and
its short train would be right at home
on Iain’s HO scale Riceville, Iowa, IC
branch. H.N. Proctor photo
The HO scale Illinois Central depicts
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
the Midwest with broad, gentle curves. A
double-ended staging yard provides a
source and destination for off-layout Name: Illinois Central, Riceville
traffic. An engine terminal stands ready Branch
to serve the last generation of steam. Scale: HO (1:87.1)
And just because a model railroad Size: 10 x 15 feet
lacks grades doesn’t mean the terrain has Prototype: Illinois Central
to be table-flat. The Plains have their Locale: Iowa
rocky riverbeds and gentle, rolling un- Era: early 1950s
dulations, both of which are modeled on Style: walk-in
this plan. Cuts, fills, wooded ridges, and Mainline run: 74 feet
low trestles guarantee that “flat” isn’t Minimum radius: 24"
necessarily a synonym for “boring.” 43 Minimum turnout: no. 4
Maximum grade: none
Train length: 8 to 10 cars
 Track to
staging also
serves as
interchange

Elevator

Meat packing plant

County road
Staging behind
Enginehouse
Illinois Central buildings and
branch to Riceville CGW connection
wooded ridge
HO scale
Scale: 5⁄8" = 1'-0" RICEVILLE, IOWA
12" grid

Coal dealer Staging (CGW/M&StL,

hidden behind buildings)
Elevator
Depot

Depot

Backdrops
Access
separate towns
into discrete
scenes

Team track

Elevators
View block

Ramp

Low trestle Farm Supply Co.

River Oil depot

Fuel dealer Freight house

Feed and
seed dealer
Elevator
River provides
below-grade View block
North Iowa Junction scenic interest
IC team track
IC depot Door
IC freight house
View block Liftout bridge
for continuous
Curved backdrop running
Liftout or
fold-down section

www.ModelRailroader.com 25
15
Room
TWO RAILROADS IN
FOUR SCENES
DESIGNED BY IAIN RICE
MRP 2001
ONE OF THE ATTRACTIONS of Midwestern
modeling is that, for many towns, the
railroads were the main link to the out-
side world. In the heart of practically ev-
ery town was a train station, fuel depot,
farm supply, and one or more “prairie
skyscrapers” – grain elevators.
Though that makes the prairies inter-
esting from a railroad operations stand-
point, the vast, empty plains in between
those towns leave a lot to be desired
when it comes to scenery. Iain Rice’s
N scale Iowa Central track plan
addresses that issue by simply cutting
them out, modeling only the towns.
Curved backdrops divide the layout into
four distinct scenes, each with its own
26 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
A Minneapolis & St. Louis passenger
train pulled by a gas-electric motor car
stops at Oskaloosa, Iowa. A variety of
equipment is one lure of transition-era
railroads. Robert H. Milner photo
industries and character. Setting the lay-
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
out height at least 60" above the floor lets
low features like buildings, trees, and
shallow cuts disguise where tracks pene- Name: Iowa Central
trate the backdrops. Strategically placed Scale: N (1:160)
view blocks do the rest. Size: 10 x 15 feet
This track plan also capitalizes on a Prototype: Minneapolis & St. Louis
common feature of Midwestern roads, and Rock Island
the junction town. Two railroads, the Locale: Iowa
Minneapolis & St. Louis and the Rock Era: early 1950s
Island, connect at Grinnell, Iowa. Both Style: walk-in
lines use a common staging yard that is Mainline run: 89 feet
connected to a track that runs around Minimum radius: 18"
the perimeter of the room. This track is Minimum turnout: no. 4
set behind a low backdrop, and allows Maximum grade: none
both railroads access to their appropriate Train length: 12 to 15 cars
layout scenes. 43
16
Room
SMALLER SPACE,

Fiddle-yard cassette
BIGGER TRAINS
Spring clips connect cassettes and power
Extra cassettes to suit train length

Fixed angles
connected to
track power

Lead
track

Aluminum angle
screwed to wood base
Track gauge

DESIGNED BY IAIN RICE

MRP 2009

ONE WAY TO FIT bigger trains in smaller The plan also saves space by provid-
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
spaces is to model narrow gauge. Just as ing essentially infinite staging using
on the prototype, narrow gauge models removable fiddle cassettes. These four-
can negotiate tighter curves and turn- foot-long sections of aluminum angle, Name: Sheepscot RR
outs. Narrow gauge locomotives and cars screwed to plywood bases, hold staged Scale: On21⁄2 (1:48, 30" gauge)
tend to be shorter than their standard trains. The angles, precisely spaced to Size: 10 x 15 feet
gauge counterparts, also, meaning more track gauge, not only give the cassettes Theme: Maine two-foot-gauge
cars can be run in a given length. The rigidity, they act as the rails, carrying railroads
smaller length of locomotives also keeps current to the locomotives. Once a train Locale: Maine
engine terminals to a size that will fit enters the layout, the cassette can be re- Era: 1920s
even in a compact layout. This plan, in moved and “fiddled,” or reloaded with Style: around-the-walls
fact, has room for two of them. another train. At the end of its run, a Mainline run: 33 feet
The Sheepscot RR represents one of train can enter an empty cassette and be Minimum radius: 30"
designer Iain Rice’s favorite prototypes, removed from the layout. 43 Minimum turnout: no. 5
Maine’s two-foot-gauge railroads of the Maximum grade: 2.5 percent
early 20th century. The around-the-walls Train length: 5 to 6 cars
plan puts one town on each of the long
walls, linking them with an unsce-
nicked, removable section. Trains on this
section can pause during their runs to
lengthen the time between the two
towns, enabling realistic timetable oper-
ations despite the short run.

28 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

17
Room
A LAYOUT SURROUNDED
BY STAGING

A low backdrop, representing a wooded

ridge, hides the staging tracks from
DESIGNED BY MIKE HAMER the operators’ view on Mike Hamer’s
HO scale Boston & Maine Western
MRP 2001
Route layout. Peter Nesbitt photo

FINDING SPACE FOR STAGING can be chal-
lenging for a layout built in a small
room. You can hide it along one wall,
and sacrifice the extra space needed for
an aisle to reach the yard. Building it in
the open sacrifices realism. And putting
staging under the layout requires either
steep grades or a space-eating helix to
reach the lower level.
Another option, used in this HO scale
Boston & Maine track plan by Mike
Hamer, is surround staging. This tech-
nique wraps long, double-ended staging
yards around the outside of the room,
concealing them behind a low, scenicked
divider representing a wooded ridge or
city skyline. Since the staging tracks take
the widest circumference around the
room, there’s plenty of length to stage
trains without giving up a lot of depth.
Tracks can enter the backdrop and con-
nect to staging wherever needed, repre-
senting multiple off-layout connections.
And staging can be reached easily over
the scenic divider.
The biggest drawback with such a
scheme is that entry to the layout must
be via a duckunder. This problem can be
minimized by building the layout as
high as possible, and keeping the duck-
under section narrow. 43
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
Name: Boston & Maine, Western
Route
Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 11 x 13 feet
Prototype: Boston & Maine
Locale: North Dover, New Hampshire
Era: late 1950s to early 1960s
Style: around-the-walls
Mainline run: 27 feet
Minimum radius: 31"
Minimum turnout: no. 6
Maximum grade: none
Train length: 6 to 8 cars

30 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

 All buildings removable over only Martin Pasch Scodras
Pop-up access Mary’s garden section of hidden staging track Guitar Co. Printing Grocers

to distant
staging
Wingate
Wholesalers Access
Phillips
Furniture
Meek Tunnel
Holy Spirits 60-degree
Distilleries crossing

Outbound Freight
NORTH DOVER Depot Inbound Marshall Binkley
(from Boston) station (to Boston) Creamery & Assoc.

Haney Boston & Maine Reach-over

Fuels
Western Route access to
North Dover, New Hampshire staging tracks
HO scale (1:87.1)
Baxter’s Layout size: 11x 13 feet
Gas Scale of plan: 1⁄2" = 1'-0", 12" grid Haney Gorge
Numbered arrows indicate prototype New England River
photo locations
Track 6
Boston & Maine
Mainland Elementary School Maine Central Conley Lumber Mitchell
Track 7
MEC abandoned and Coal Creek
F. B. Hamer
& Sons Dummy
Salmon Howard
River crossing track Street
overpass
North Tower

MEC
Access staging

B&M staging Access

Track 1 Door and

Track 2 duckunder
Track 3 Track 4 Track 5

Hidden Duckunder Sky painted

entrance to entrance on wall
staging
Backdrop Staging
Scenic
portion
A Maine Central
train emerges
from staging, the
entrance to which
is concealed by
the overpass
and interlocking Benchwork
cross-section
tower. The MEC
line crossing the
Section at
Boston & Maine 48" New England River
in the foreground Not to scale
is a dummy track.
Vertical pilaster
Peter Nesbitt photo
Floor Wall

www.ModelRailroader.com 31
18
Room
A SPARE ROOM-SIZED
FRISCO BRANCH
DESIGNED BY PAUL DOLKOS
MRP 2008
WHEN MODELING A LARGE PROTOTYPE in a
small space, one approach is to model a
branch line. Picking a small part of a big
railroad lets you model that prototype
faithfully, without compromising track
arrangements or operations too much.
That’s the approach of this track plan
by Paul Dolkos, which represents part of
the St. Louis-San Francisco’s Clinton
Subdivision. Since the line models a
lightly trafficked branch line and in-
cludes only one main switching area, the
layout is within the building and operat-
ing scope of a single modeler. And
though there’s a lot of space to capture
the line’s rural character, multiple inter-
changes and staging at both ends keeps
32 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
Frisco train No. 58 runs north through
a traditional small-town setting at
Belton, Mo., behind a Baldwin VO-1000
in May 1964. Paul Dolkos photo
things interesting. The engineer on the
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
Frisco’s Clinton local will never lack
work to do.
Though Dolkos didn’t have room to Name: Frisco’s Clinton Subdivision
model the prototype’s track arrange- Scale: HO (1:87.1)
ments in their entirety, his HO scale plan Size: 9 x 11 feet
includes industries and other interesting Prototype: St. Louis-San
features gleaned from prototype track Francisco Ry.
charts and aerial photos. Paul discovered Locale: Western Missouri
the Peabody Coal Co. tipple, for exam- Era: early 1960s
ple, from Frisco track charts. Railroad Style: around-the-walls
historical societies can be great sources Mainline run: 48 feet
of such information. 43 Minimum radius: 20"
Minimum turnout: no. 5
Maximum grade: 3 percent
Train length: 8 to 10 cars
19
Room
SERVING MORGANTOWN’S
GLASS INDUSTRY
DESIGNED BY ERIC HANSMANN
MRP 2001
MENTIONING THE BALTIMORE & OHIO in
West Virginia conjures a mental image
of long hopper drags bringing coal from
the mountains. But the B&O also played
a key role in another important industry
in the state, glass. This industry can be
the focus of a fascinating and fun to op-
erate model railroad.
The Morgantown & Kingwood was
built by local businessmen in the late
1800s. By the time it was bought by the
B&O in 1922, the line served six glass
factories in Morgantown proper and
four more along the 9-mile line from
Morgantown to the Pennsylvania state
line. The glass industry was dependent
on railroads to bring in sand, lime, pack-
aging, and fuel for the furnaces, as well
as to ship out the finished product. In-
34 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
This aerial view of Morgantown, W.Va.,
in the late 1950s shows the Seneca
Glass factory, a thriving industry
served by the B&O. West Virginia and
Regional History Collection, WVU Libraries
cluding South Morgantown’s Warehouse
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
Row, with its assortment of industries,
adds to the operating interest.
The branch also saw plenty of bridge Name: Baltimore & Ohio, Morgan-
traffic between the B&O’s main line at town & Kingwood Branch
Fairmont, W.Va., and the new main at Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Connellsville, Pa. To liven up the operat- Size: 12 x 14 feet
ing scheme, you could add coal drags, Prototype: Baltimore & Ohio RR
time freights, empty hopper extras, or in Locale: West Virginia
an earlier era, passenger trains. Era: 1952
On this HO scale plan, a helix below Style: walk-in with duckunder
Seneca links both ends of the main loop Mainline run: 32 feet (visible)
to a three-track, double-ended staging Minimum radius: 24"
yard below South Morgantown. A four- Minimum turnout: no. 4
track stub yard provides more staging Maximum grade: 3 percent
space under Sabraton. A duckunder is Train length: 12 to 14 cars
required to reach the main operating
area, but the benchwork at this point is
narrow, limiting the inconvenience. 43
20
Room
A SEASIDE LAYOUT
Warehouse
Hoist house
Bulk discharge leg
High-boom crane
Sample center
expansion
section
DESIGNED BY IAIN RICE
MRP 2006
THERE’S A DIFFERENCE between sectional
and modular layout construction. Mod-
ules are designed to link together in any
order, thanks to standardized size and
track arrangements. In contrast, a sec-
tional model railroad is built like a stan-
dard layout, but the benchwork is
designed to come apart between sections
if necessary. This makes it easier to move
or expand upon when more space be-
comes available.
That’s the rationale behind the Gulf-
port, Yarde & Industry. The model rail-
road starts out as a waterfront town in
two six-foot sections. With the addition
of a staging shelf to represent outside
connections, Gulfport is a satisfying
switching layout all by itself. If a little
more space is available, it can be expand-
ed with the addition of one or more sec-
36 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
THAT GROWS
Joints between baseboard sections Oil depot Swing-span bridge
Boatyard
Inset track
Navigation beacon Gulfport
HO scale (1:87.1)
Layout size: 15 x20 feet
Scale of plan: 1⁄2" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Staging yard
for operation
as stand-alone
Optional center section switching
layout
Staging
tions in the middle, as shown in the
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
smaller track plan above.
But sectional design has another ben-
efit: mobility. When the opportunity Name: Gulfport, Yarde & Industry
comes to move to a home with more Scale: HO (1:87.1)
space for railroading, the layout can Size: Gulfport: 2 x 12 plus staging;
come apart for transport. Once in the GY&I: 15 x 20 feet
new location, Gulfport can be the begin- Theme: Louisville & Nashville branch
ning of a larger model railroad. With the Locale: Gulf Coast
addition of a couple of connecting sec- Era: mid-1960s through 1970s
tions, Gulfport and Yarde could be op- Style: shelf (Gulfport);
posite sides of a 7 x 16-foot continuous- walkaround (GY&I)
operation oval. If even more room is Mainline run: Gulfport: 13 feet;
available, the sections can be rearranged GY&I: 93 feet
again, as part of the larger system at Minimum radius: 30"
right. And if you get the idea to change Minimum turnout: no. 6
its locale or prototype, simply remove Maximum grade: Gulfport: none;
and replace the necessary sections. With GY&I: 2 percent
sectional design, you’re never locked in Train length: 6 to 8 cars
to a single configuration or theme. 43
 21
Medium

Original
sections Add center
become start sections to
of larger layout expand layout
Joints between baseboard sections
Swing bridge Off-stage track Sugar and corn syrup storage

3"

Boatyard

Yard YARDE Old coal

Car-repair shop office tower Enginehouse
Pier
View block Down 2 percent
2 percent at top of grade View block
Oil
storage
GULFPORT

3"
0" The
Gulfport, Support column
Melon field
High
boom Yarde & Kaolin works
crane Industry
HO scale (1:87.1)
Room size: 15 x 20 feet
Scale of plan: 5⁄16" = 1'-0", 12" grid 2" (foot of grade)
Warehouse

Kaolin
Bulk Up 2 percent
discharge leg View block View block

View block 11⁄2"

Liftout section INDUSTRY

Stairs Up
Staging tracks
2"
Laundry
room Start of downgrade Old depot
on continuous run (2 percent)

Liftout bridge
at doorway

www.ModelRailroader.com 37
22
Medium
MODEL A TOWN WITH
3 RAILROADS
DESIGNED BY HARRY BILGER
MRP 2008
A WEALTH OF INDUSTRIES to switch, three
major railroads that interchange with
each other, and space for a workshop are
all part of this plan featuring Moscow,
Idaho, in the mid-1960s. Harry Bilger
designed the layout to fit a 250-square-
foot room that also houses his model
railroad workshop. By carefully arrang-
ing the layout in the space, he kept the
windows and shop entrance clear. A
drop gate makes it easy to get in and out
of the middle of the railroad.
Harry attended graduate school in
Moscow in the mid-1960s and docu-
mented and photographed a lot of the
railroads’ activities during that time.
Years later, when planning his layout,
38 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
With three railroads, Moscow, Idaho,
was a busy place in the mid-1960s.
The massive Moscow Idaho Seed Co.
was a key industry. Harry Bilger photos
Harry used Sanborn fire insurance maps
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
as a starting point for his design.
The Union Pacific and Northern Pacific
figure heavily in the layout presented Name: Moscow, Idaho
here, since both entered Moscow from Scale: HO (1:87)
the west parallel to each other. The Great Size: 9'-6" x 22'-0"
Northern came into town from the Prototype: Northern Pacific, Union
north, so it’s only represented on the Pacific, and Great Northern
plan as a three-track interchange yard, Locale: northern Idaho
similar to the real yard along Third Era: fall 1965
Street shared by all three railroads. Style: donut with entry gate
A typical weekday in Moscow in 1965 Mainline run: 36 feet (NP),
saw a UP local, three NP freights, and 32 feet (UP)
one GN local. The NP still ran passenger Minimum radius: 31"
service to Moscow (trains 311 and 314), Minimum turnout: no. 6
which were typically handled by Rail Train length: 7 to 8 cars
Diesel Cars. 43
23
Medium
A PLAN FOR MODERN URBAN
DESIGNED BY LANCE MINDHEIM
MRP 2009
A HULKING LOCOMOTIVE creeping through
gritty side streets and back alleys with a
short string of freight cars sporting
graffiti is a common sight in modern
railroading. Lance Mindheim of Silver
Spring, Md., used this urban image,
played out daily on the CSX’s Miami
(Fla.) Downtown Spur, as inspiration for
this mid-sized layout.
The main purpose of this model rail-
road is switching, and many of the
industries along the Miami Downtown
Spur receive and ship goods from cars
spotted directly on the running tracks.
The layout features a sampling of the
40 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
SWITCHING
For car storage on Lance Mindheim’s
HO switching layout, he built drawers
that hang under the benchwork (inset).
Lance Mindheim photos
industries found on the prototype, in-
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
cluding a variety of produce warehouses,
a foundry, a scrap metal dealer, a bot-
tling company, and a paper recycler. Name: Miami Downtown Spur
A trip down the branch is not a sim- Scale: HO (1:87)
ple 20-minute outing. For operators on Size: 17'-0" x 21'-0"
this layout, the design makes switching Prototype: CSX
the railroad a mental workout. They Locale: Miami, Fla.
need to get the correct cars spotted at the Era: present day
right locations in the proper sequence. Style: linear walkaround
Spot a car at the wrong time, and they’ll Mainline run: 70 feet
end up having to move it again, since Minimum radius: 24"
their engine often can’t work around it! Minimum turnout: no. 6
All in all, this railroad should provide Train length: 12 to 16 cars
hours of switching enjoyment. 43
24
Medium
A REALISTIC MOUNTAIN
MAIN LINE IN N
DESIGNED BY BERNARD KEMPINSKI
MRP 2006
ONE OF THE GREAT ADVANTAGES of N scale
is that you can model impressive scenes
in fairly compact spaces. Modeler Bernie
Kempinski used the stunning scenery of
Tennessee Pass in the Colorado Rockies
as the basis for this mountain railroad,
all in a basement room that measures
10 x 30 feet.
At 10,212 feet above sea level, Tennes-
see Pass was home to the highest main
line in the United States, and it was the
D&RGW’s original route across the
Continental Divide. (See the map on the
opposite page.) The layout features the
former Denver & Rio Grande Western as
42 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
part of the Southern Pacific in 1993.
When the two railroads merged in 1988,
traffic surged through the pass because it
provided access to SP’s connections in
Pueblo, Colo. During the early ’90s you
could see coal trains and all sorts of
transcontinental freights, including vehi-
cle racks and intermodal traffic, running
through the pass.
The design for the layout takes advan-
tage of a fairly long and narrow space,
allowing for a winding mountain main
line. The plan also makes good use of a
closet under the basement stairs for the
location of the east-end staging yard.
Long trains fight their way through
Tennessee Pass on this realistic plan
from Bernard Kempinski, set in 1993.
B. Kempinski photo
Although the plan indicates future west-
end staging will be located in another
room, it could easily be wrapped under
the benchwork at Red Cliff.
One other neat feature on this layout
is a one-turn loop, hidden in the tunnel
at Rock Creek. The loop not only aids in
elevation change, it increases the main-
line run of the layout by 15 feet. 43
26
Medium
1990s RAILROADING
DESIGNED BY PARTRICK LAWSON
MRP 2002
THE SPLENDOR OF FRASER RIVER CANYON,
British Columbia, Canada, and a great
railfanning town are the settings for this
double-deck HO scale design by Patrick
Lawson. His plan represents the Cana-
dian Pacific in this region in 1990. One
of Patrick’s reasons for modeling that
year was that VIA Rail still operated
passenger trains on the line. Another
was that the Canadian Pacific still used
cabooses (called “vans” by the railroad)
on all of its trains. The inclusion of both
features adds a lot of interest to the layout.
The design includes two decks. On
the lower level is Mission City, B.C.,
complete with a double-track main line,
a small yard, several industries, and a
46 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
ON THE CP
Three SD40-2s cross a bridge on
Patrick Lawson’s HO layout depicting
British Columbia’s Fraser River Canyon
(inset). Patrick Lawson photos
branch line running south. This level
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
also includes a three-track staging yard
that’s tucked under the canyon on the
upper deck. Name: CP Rail’s Cascade Subdivision
On the upper level is a representation Scale: HO (1:87)
of scenic Fraser Canyon, as well as a sev- Size: 16'-4" x 18'-0"
eral more industries and a passing siding. Prototype: Canadian Pacific
Patrick used the space in an adjacent Locale: British Columbia
room to house two helixes and several Era: 1990
running tracks that connect to the lay- Style: two-deck, around the wall
out’s three distinct scenes. This effectively Mainline run: 90 feet
provides hidden running room between Minimum radius: 30"
the modeled portions of the layout, Minimum turnout: no. 6
making for a longer run. It also allows Maximum grade: 2 percent
Patrick to operate longer trains of grain Train length: 12 to 14 cars
hoppers or container cars pulled by
multiple locomotives. 43
27
Medium
A RURAL BRANCH
DESIGNED BY CHARLIE DUCKWORTH
MRP 2010
FAMILY TIES TO A RAILROAD can offer a re-
warding foundation for a layout. Charlie
Duckworth’s father worked for the Mis-
souri Pacific, and eventually, Charlie did
too. Years later, after his father retired,
Charlie and his dad would spend time
together exploring former MP branch
lines in Missouri, and that’s how the HO
scale Bagnell Branch layout was born.
The MP’s Bagnell Branch was located
roughly in the center of Missouri and ran
from Jefferson City, the state’s capital,
southwest for 45 miles to the little town
of Bagnell. The line was started in 1871,
and the MP bought it and finished it in
1884. By 1954, the year Charlie models,
the branch had been cut back to the
48 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
ON SHELVES
A Missouri Pacific 4-6-0 pulls a one-
car train along the Bagnell Branch on
Charlie Duckworth’s two-deck layout.
Pat Student and Charlie Duckworth photo
town of Eldon, Mo., where the Rock
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
Island crossed the MP.
Charlie designed the layout to fit
around the walls of a room on shelves. Name: Bagnell Branch
The plan has two decks, connected by a Scale: HO (1:87)
helix with a 1.5 percent grade. Shelf Size: 21'-6" x 24'-0"
brackets support the benchwork. Prototype: Missouri Pacific
The Bagnell Branch features small Locale: central Missouri’s Ozarks
towns with numerous rural industries, Era: 1954
including grain elevators, feed mills, Style: shelf, double deck
livestock pens, and oil distributors. The Mainline run: 155 feet
prototype’s track arrangements are well- Minimum radius: 30"
suited to building a railroad on narrow Minimum turnout: no. 6
shelves. The MP’s trains were short (6 to Maximum grade: 1.5 percent (helix)
12 cars), and included a lot of 40-foot Train length: 12 cars
rolling stock. All of these features offer
interesting operating possibilities. 43
28
Medium
BUILDING A LAYOUT WITH A
FULL-SIZED TOWN
DESIGNED BY JOHN KING
MRP 2005
RAILROADS ARE BIG THINGS, even when
you shrink them down to model size. In
designing a new layout featuring the Bal-
timore & Ohio’s Shenandoah Subdivi-
sion, John King selected the small city of
Winchester, Va., as his first planning
project. John’s idea for his new layout was
to model fewer scenes on the railroad,
leaving ample space to better capture the
prototype. As a result, John’s design for
Winchester runs more than 35 feet.
Even though John still had to use
some selective compression, the space
allowed him to include all of the track of
the prototype in a scale half-mile, mak-
ing for an accurate model railroad that
includes a variety of industries.
50 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
John King built these HO mock-up
structures to test track arrangements
for the town of Winchester, Va., on his
layout. Paul Dolkos photo
Winchester was known for its apple
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
growers, so there were several cold-
storage warehouses and a fruit-packing
house. Other businesses supported the Name: Winchester, Va.
region’s agricultural industry, and there Scale: HO (1:87)
are also distributors for fuel, lumber, Size: 8 x 35 feet
groceries, and furniture, providing hours Prototype: Baltimore & Ohio
of model building and switching work. Shenandoah Subdivision
John designed and built his layout Locale: Virginia
one town at a time, so we’ve included Era: 1953
Winchester here, as well as a sketch of Style: around the walls
how the rest of John’s layout would look Mainline run: 44 feet
when he started the project. If you’re Minimum radius: 30"
interested in modeling a single-town Minimum turnout: no. 8
railroad, you could build Winchester as Maximum grade: none
shown and loop both ends of the track to Train length: 30 to 40 cars
make a staging yard. 43
29
Large
MODELING JUNCTIONS IN
COAL COUNTRY

A model of the Western Maryland’s

Cheat Junction is the centerpiece of
DESIGNED BY ROY WARD Roy Ward’s Appalachian coal country-
MRP 2006 themed track plan. Roy Ward photos

A UNIQUE TRACK ARRANGEMENT at Cheat The main line is a loop-to-loop configu-

Junction on the former Western Mary-
land Ry. inspired Roy Ward’s freelanced
West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Ry.
track plan. Although collectively called
Cheat Junction, this location actually
contains three junctions: Cheat Junction,
Greenbrier Junction, and Elk River
Junction. They’re the centerpiece of
Roy’s track plan and strongly resemble
the way the prototype railroad looked
and operated.
The WVC&P is set in 1958. The main
line of the railroad is a bridge route that
connects the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie,
Pennsylvania RR, and Pittsburgh & West
Virginia at Connellsville, Pa., with the
Chesapeake & Ohio at Durbin, W.Va.
ration with staging tracks in both loops.
The staging tracks are hidden on two
levels under the scenicked part of the
layout at Durbin. A stub-ended branch
line splits off the main at Cheat Junction,
then heads up to serve Slaty Fork.
On the main line and the branch, coal
trains with long strings of hoppers wind
their way through the mountains. The
steep grades mean there’s the opportuni-
ty to run helper locomotives. Roy’s track
plan has a lot of the features that make
modeling Appalachian coal railroads
so appealing. 43
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
Name: West Virginia Central &
Pittsburg Ry.
Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 19 x 24 feet
Theme: freelanced W. Va. route
Locale: West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
and Maryland
Era: 1958
Style: walk-in
Mainline run: 154 feet
Minimum radius: 24" (main)
Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main)
Maximum grade: 3.5 percent
Train length: 12 to 25 cars

52 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

31
Large
FAITHFULLY MODELING
FOUR CN TOWNS B-A Oil Co.

Bryan Mfg. Co. Ltd.

Lumber shed

Planing mill
Lumber sheds Collingwood
(May 1955)
0 500 feet
D. G. Cooper
Coal & Lumber
Lumber shed

Huron Street Coal shed Regent Oil Co.

Turntable
Coal sheds
Boiler
Carpenter shop house Ramp track To Allandale
Punch shop Depot
Shear leg Collingwood Co-op
Cold Storage
Georgian Bay No. 1 dry dock Office Freight shed Agent’s house fruit warehouse
Collingwood Boiler
Shipyards shop
No. 2 dry dock Machine shop

To Meaford

Breakwater

Georgian Bay Freight shed

Collingwood Terminal elevators
DESIGNED BY IAN WILSON Timber crib
WITH IAIN RICE
MRP 2002

AS THE AUTHOR of the book Steam at
Allandale (Canadian Branchline Minia-
tures), Ian Wilson drew from his knowl-
edge of the prototype Canadian National
Ry. when he started sketching the
HO scale Allandale Division. He set
his model railroad on that secondary
CN line in southern Ontario during the
1952 produce rush. In that pastoral
setting, six- and eight-drivered steam
locomotives led mixed freight/passenger
trains and strings of 40-foot wood-
sheathed freight cars.
The goal of the layout is to model a
few signature scenes on the prototype as
realistically as possible on a single-level
model railroad. The main concept for
the track plan came from Ian’s friend
and noted layout designer Iain Rice.
To save space, there aren’t long stretches
of main line between towns. Instead,
view blocks separate three of the four
towns on the main line into a series of
linked dioramas. The Holland River
separates Allandale from Bradford.
This design concept provided enough
space to model scenes from four towns
as prototypically as possible. Each town
on the layout is based on CN track
diagrams from the 1950s. Some selective
compression was required, and Ian
reduced the space between some of the
structures, but the finished track plan
still strongly resembles its prototype.
The hidden staging yard and Newmarket Ian Wilson used prototype track
Subdivision also give the trains some- diagrams to model the towns on his
place to go once they’re done working steam-era Canadian National Ry. track
the towns. 43 plan. Ian Wilson photos

56 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

33
Large
A GARAGE-SIZED
COAL HAULER
DESIGNED BY PHIL BROOKS
MRP 2007
THE N SCALE CLINCH RIVER RR is a free-
lanced model railroad that was built for
realistic operation. Layout designer
Phil Brooks chose to model in N scale
because he could run long trains that
look like they’re going somewhere. He
didn’t want to have the engine in one
town while the caboose was still in the
previous one.
Phil was inspired by prototype coal-
country railroads, such as the Interstate
RR, as well as prominent Appalachian-
themed model railroads, such as Tony
Koester’s old Allegheny Midland (AM).
Similar to the AM, the main line of the
Clinch River runs from one hidden stub-
ended staging yard to another. The lay-
out has broad curves and a long main
60 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
N scale railroading means you can
have impressive scenes like this yard
and engine terminal without using a lot
of space. Phil Brooks photo
line to handle large coal trains led by
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
steam and diesel locomotives. There’s
also a branch line and interchange tracks
to add variety to the types of cars run on Name: Clinch River RR
the railroad. Scale: N (1:160)
The yard at Big Creek is located at the Size: 19'-6" x 23'-6"
end of the layout to maximize the main- Theme: Appalachian coal road
line run. This location is actually two Locale: east Tennessee and south-
yards connected by a crossover. The west Virginia
rear yard serves as arrival and departure Era: 1957
tracks, while the front yard is for car Style: around the walls
classification. Mainline run: 173 feet
Phil’s plan for the Clinch River layout Minimum radius: 16" (main),
does a good job of modeling the setting 15" (branch)
and operation of a transition-era Appa- Minimum turnout: no. 5
lachian railroad. 43 Maximum grade: 1.5 percent
Train length: 25 cars
34
Large
AROUND THE WALLS,
NO HELIX REQUIRED
DESIGNED BY STEVEN ORTH duties with first-generation road diesels. Division and the bottom level is the UP
subsidiary Oregon Short Line. Staging
MRP 2004 Steve Orth’s UP track plan lengthens the
main line by climbing along the walls. for the Wyoming Division is two stacked
His plan steadily gains altitude from 38" stub-ended yards. One of the leads to
A LONG RUN IS REQUIRED if your model- at Pocatello staging to 60" at the upper staging marked “To Rawlins” on the
ing focus is Union Pacific mainline traf- level staging yard, all without resorting track plan allows continuous running
fic in 1958. At this time massive 4-8-8-4 to a space-eating helix. on the upper level. The other track,
Big Boys, 4-6-6-4 Challengers, and gas- The upper level of the layout is the marked “To Montpelier,” goes down to
turbine-electrics shared freight-hauling Third Subdivision of the UP Wyoming the lower level.
A To upper level

48"

Monsanto phosphate loader

Window
Main line
Freezer climbs along Stockyards Window
walls and
eliminates the 36"

need for a helix

44" Lakely
Elevator
Up

47"

Bear
River S. F.
Up Chemical
B To Green
River
44"

Pillsbury
To Rock Springs Elevator

Walton
UP’s Wyoming Division Elevator

Third Sub and Farmers

Elevator
Oregon Short Line Winton Junction
P&L Elevator
HO scale (1:87.1) Freight house
Layout size: 24x 24 feet
Scale of plan: 1⁄4" = 1'-0", 24" grid
Montpelier
44" Depot
Pocatello Depot
Soda Springs
staging yard Elevator
includes LOWER LEVEL Soda Springs
reverse loop
Horsley Elevator
36"
36"

62 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS

 THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
Name: Wyoming Division Third
Subdivision & Oregon Short Line
Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 24 x 24 feet
Prototype: Union Pacific
Locale: Wyoming and Idaho
Traffic on the layout includes freight, representing the branch to Superior, Era: 1958
passenger, coal, and phosphate ore Wyo., to serve a coal mine. Style: multilevel linear walkaround
trains. All the towns on the line are Green River includes a large classifi- Mainline run: 240 feet
based on prototype track arrangements cation yard and engine terminal. This Minimum radius: 36"
modified as needed for smooth model location could keep a yardmaster busy Minimum turnout: no. 6
railroad operations. For example, Steve putting together trains for waiting crews, Maximum grade: 2.7 percent
modeled only two legs of the wye at and also employ a hostler to pull loco- Train length: 18 cars with a caboose
Thayer Junction. Instead of a third leg, motives from the roundhouse and and large locomotive
his “wye” enters a hidden staging loop service them. 43

A To lower level

60"
Staging yard
Washer
52" Rock Springs
Stacked Drier
Depot
staging yards To Winton Junction
save space
UP Mine no. 8

Track to
Rawlins allows Quealy
continuous Water 60" Mine
tower
B running Thayer 52"
Furnace Water
To Rawlins Rawlins heater Junction
To Montpelier Freight
platform 54"

Coal chute
Workbench

Power plant
Staging for Superior,
Roundhouse Wyo. branch
500,000-gal. water tank and softener

Roundhouse is
only partially Bitter
modeled to Creek
48" 60"
save space
UPPER LEVEL Peninsula removable
Ash pits and gantry crane for utility room access East
Coal chute with sand and oil Green
Green River River
Ready tracks
Caboose track Removable
section
Water 48"
columns

Locomotive shop Window Storehouse Diesel service Sliding door

www.ModelRailroader.com 63
35
Large
GET MORE WITH A
MUSHROOM
DESIGNED BY JERRY BELLINA
MRP 2003
JERRY BELLINA’S WEST VIRGINIA WESTERN
packs a lot of railroad into a 25 x 28-foot
space. The plan has a 240-foot main line,
10 towns, two large yards, a 100-foot-
long helper grade, a 150-foot-long
branch line, and three 25-car passing
sidings. In addition, the WVW is a lin-
ear layout, where trains pass through
scenes only once between Huntington
and Elkins. There’s plenty of action to
keep up to six operators and a dispatcher
busy for hours.
To maximize space, Jerry designed
a mushroom track plan. On a typical
multilevel layout, the decks are stacked
shelf-over-shelf. On a mushroom layout,
scenes overlap horizontally so only one
level can be seen from either side. This
design concept, first presented by track-
64 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
A mushroom is a multi-deck layout
design that does a good job separating
scenes and isolating train crews during
operating sessions. Paul Dolkos photo
planning genius John Armstrong in
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
“Meet the mushroom” in the October
1987 Model Railroader, does a better job
of organizing a multi-deck layout, keep- Name: West Virginia Western
ing scenes and train crews isolated from Scale: HO (1:87.1)
one another during an operating session. Size: 25 x 28 feet
A raised floor is required for this type Prototype: inspired by the Western
of design. As an operator follows the Maryland Ry.
train around the WVW main line, the Locale: West Virginia between Elkins
relative height of the track to the opera- and Huntington
tor remains nearly the same. Era: mid-1950s
One of the biggest advantages of this Style: mushroom multilevel linear
plan is that the decks of the layout are walkaround
connected without sacrificing any of the Mainline run: 240 feet
main line to a helix. (There is a helix to Minimum radius: 30"
the lower staging level.) The mushroom Minimum turnout: no. 5
does require more carpentry and ceiling Maximum grade: 2.3 percent
height than other layouts, but is a great Train length: 25 cars
way to model a long main line. 43
 Cross section Cross section
Upper level Lower level

Cumberland (staging) Ashford Charleston

Mushroom
Sutton
design can
Mill
Creek Lake double Webster
Springs
available Branch Clen-
layout space dennan
Western
Maryland Nitro
trackage
rights To lower-level
“Bellina-drop”
Elkins staging
-Cumberland
Double-
track
Elkins helix

Chelyan
Huntington
Clay Deepwater Subdivision

Cross section Cross section

Scene built on
West Virginia Western top of helix
HO scale (1:87.1)
Layout size: 25x28 feet
Scale of plan: 1⁄8" = 1'-0", 24" grid Top view Side view
Hidden return Ceiling
curves on Valance
lower level
Backdrop Backdrop
make towns
seem farther
Scenery
apart Aisle Fascia
Scenery Track

Aisle Not to scale

Mushroom cross-section
Mushroom
9-foot ceiling Valances and
designs fluorescent lighting
requires taller
Valances Valances and
and fluorescent lighting
ceilings To
fluorescent Cumberland
lighting staging
Towns can be
stacked
Staging Mill Creek Nitro Elkins
without Main line up
interferance to Elkins
Main line up Operators do between train
to Elkins
not see both crews Deepwater
levels at the Sub
Deepwater
Sub same time Huntington

Floor raised 22"

Not to scale

www.ModelRailroader.com 65
36
Large
USING SHELVES TO BUILD A
DESIGNED BY BILL PISTELLO
MRP 2004
A PROFESSIONAL RAILROADER on the
Canadian Pacific, Bill Pistello designed a
track plan that models the high-density
traffic of a modern main line. Without a
dedicated train room, Bill designed the
layout to fit into a space that also had to
serve as a dining room for family events.
Bill’s around-the walls shelf plan pro-
vides a long run for N scale trains, while
keeping the center of the room open.
Traffic on the layout includes through
freight and passenger trains as well as
local freights. Bill also added a Southern
Pacific main and branch line to inter-
change with the UP. He designed all the
industry spurs and sidings to hold three
to six modern freight cars.
The main line runs through a small
storage closet that separates the two
66 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
MAIN LINE
The twin tunnels of West Riverside
Junction (far left) on Bill Pistello’s
layout run through a closet where
trains are held. Rich Weyland photo
main scenes of the layout. Bill uses the
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
track inside the closet to hold trains for
71 ⁄2 minutes (30 minutes on a 4:1 fast
clock) to simulate the time it would take Name: Union Pacific Los Angeles
for a train to travel through Pomona, Subdivision
Calif. Holding tracks are an effective way Scale: N (1:160)
to slow down operations and make a Size: 26 x 34 feet
train crew’s run last longer. Prototype: Union Pacific
A large off-layout staging yard serves Locale: Southern California
both ends of the railroad. A hidden stag- Era: 2004
ing lead runs along the backdrop of the Style: around the walls
layout and emerges at Riverside. The Mainline run: 62 feet
Southern Pacific main and branch lines Minimum radius: 16"
have their own dedicated staging tracks Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main),
under the layout. no. 4 (spurs)
The N scale Los Angeles Subdivision Maximum grade: 2 percent
is a clever shelf track plan that operates Train length: 16 cars
well with Bill’s prototype-based Central-
ized Traffic Control operating system. 43
37
Dream
REVISITING A PLAN BY
DESIGNED BY JOHN ARMSTRONG AND JARED HARPER
MRP 2009
LOOKING FOR A MODELING subject, Jared
Harper began investigating branch lines
along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe.
He eventually found the Alma District, a
branch line running between Alma and
Burlingame, Kan., where it connected
with the AT&SF line between Topeka and
Emporia. This line had started life in the
1870s as a much bigger joint venture be-
tween the Union Pacific and the Santa
Fe, but eventually the two partners had a
falling out, and the Santa Fe wound up
with this piece of the operation.
The AT&SF’s Alma District was very
much an agricultural railroad. Spring
and fall cattle movements, as well as
wheat shipments, were its steady busi-
ness. The line also had a six-day-a-week
mixed train that moved passengers and
goods through the line’s small towns.
After doing some research, Jared liked
68 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
ARMSTRONG
Jared Harper used employee
timetables, station plats, and other
documents to help him place the
tracks and buildings for Eskridge, Kan.,
on his HO layout. Jared Harper photo
the idea of using the Alma District as a
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
subject for a model railroad, and he
hired John Armstrong to design a layout
for him. John’s original plan appeared in Name: Alma District of the Atchison,
the August 2006 Model Railroader. Topeka & Santa Fe
Although Jared was happy with John’s Scale: HO (1:87.1)
plan, he later acquired a bigger space for Size: 22'-6" x 30'-0"
his layout, so he had John make some re- Prototype: ATSF’s Alma District
visions. Once Jared prepared to build the Locale: Kansas Flint Hills region
layout, he also made his own alterations Era: May 1943
to the plan to better suit his needs, and Style: walkaround
Jared’s revised plan is shown here. Mainline run: 154 feet
Operating the branch would provide Minimum radius: 30"
plenty of enjoyment, though the draw- Minimum turnout: no. 6
back of this design is that the aisles are Maximum grade: 1.33 percent
tight in most places. Since Jared runs the Train length: 22 cars
railroad by himself, he doesn’t mind.
However, if you can add 2 feet in length
and 3 feet in width or a bit more, you
could have larger aisles, making the lay-
out more comfortable to use. 43
38
Dream
AN O SCALE PLAN FOR
DESIGNED BY JOHN E. ROBERTS
MRP 2004
WHEN MOST PEOPLE LOOK FOR a way to
rekindle flagging interest in model rail-
roading, they may revamp a section of
their layout or switch prototypes. But in-
stead of doing that, John Roberts jumped
from modeling in HO to O scale.
Although John switched scales, he
stuck with the theme he’d used for his
HO scale layout, the Chessie System in
west-central Virginia. Because O scale
models are large, John opted for a design
with a lot of switching work. John an-
chored the layout at Smith Creek Yard.
On the prototype, this yard is a small
part of the large terminal at Clifton
Forge, Va., and it has enough room to let
crews block east- and westbound cars
and make up local freights.
70 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
APPALACHIA
A Chessie System SD35 and a
Chesapeake & Ohio Geep roll through
Eagle Rock, Va., on John Roberts’
O scale layout. John E. Roberts photo
John set the layout in the late 1970s
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
and early ’80s. During that period, coal
marshalling at Clifton Forge dropped in
importance, and the yard went from Name: Chessie System (C&O) and
a sea of coal hoppers to mixed traffic, Blue Ridge & Southern
including cars for Westvaco’s paper mill Scale: O (1:48)
in Covington, Va. Size: 24 x 29 feet
In addition to the Chessie System, Prototype: Chessie System and
John included in the design his own Appalachian short lines
freelanced Blue Ridge & Southern RR, Locale: west-central Virginia
which runs out of Eagle Rock to New Era: late 1970s-early 1980s
Castle, Va. His plan also has a piece of Style: walkaround
the C&O’s Hot Springs (Va.) Subdivi- Mainline run: 100 feet
sion, which ran a regular mixed train. Minimum radius: 50"
Even though O scale takes up a lot Minimum turnout: no. 5
more room than HO, John got the most Maximum grade: 1.5 percent
out of his plan by including a lift-out Train length: 18 cars
entrance and double-sided backdrops. 43
39
Dream
USING DOMINOES TO BUILD AN
INDUSTRIAL RR
DESIGNED BY DAVID BARROW
MRP 2004
LONGTIME READERS of Model Railroader
know David Barrow as the father of
domino benchwork. The 4-foot-long sec-
tions, or dominoes, vary in width from
12" to 30" and can be used to create any-
thing from a portion of a yard to a com-
plete town or industrial complex.
The advantage of domino-based plans
is that it’s easy to draw up several towns
or industrial complexes and then move
them around in the room to increase
aisle width and resolve access concerns.
Before settling on the plan shown here,
David has rearranged the dominoes in
several different ways to fit his 30 x 36
layout room.
Domino benchwork also allows a
model railroad to develop from small
beginnings into a layout of almost any
size as time, knowledge, interests, and
other resources change over the years.
72 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
David Barrows’ HO scale Lubbock
Industrial District resides in a clean,
studio-like setting. Mesa Yard is at
right and the staging yard is to the left
behind a dividing wall. Tommy Holt photo
The domino method really amounts
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
to planning a model railroad by first see-
ing what benchwork arrangements will
fit in a given area instead of beginning Name: Lubbock Industrial District of
with a focus on the trackwork itself. the Cat Mountain & Santa Fe
Once the dominoes are positioned, then Scale: HO (1:87.1)
it’s a matter of applying track arrange- Size: 30 x 36 feet
ments. If you find you need more room Prototype: Atchison, Topeka &
or need to adapt the benchwork to fit a Santa Fe
particular section of trackwork, Locale: Lubbock, Texas
rearrange a few of the dominoes (or even Era: 1978
all of them) or enlarge a few, such as the Style: linear walkaround
wider dominoes used for the Good- Mainline run: 234 feet (Zone 05
pasture Grain section, and try again. through staging to Burlington North-
The plan has been labeled with Santa ern branch, but not operated as a
Fe zone designations. These zones corre- main line)
spond to actual switching districts in Minimum radius: 30"
Lubbock, Texas, and are a key part to Minimum turnout: no. 6
operating this layout prototypically. For Maximum grade: none
more information, see the original story Train length: 20 cars
in Model Railroad Planning 2004. 43
40
Dream
AN OHIO INTERURBAN
DESIGNED BY RAY PERSING
MRP 2004
INTERURBAN RAILROADS ENJOYED a boom
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
These lighter lines were a lower cost
alternative to the heavy infrastructure
required by mainline railroading, and
between 1893 and 1917, more than 18,000
miles of interurban railways were con-
structed in the United States. Automo-
biles, competition, and the Great De-
pression spelled the end of many
interurban lines by the late 1930s.
Interurbans can be an interesting
modeling subject, especially when you
take into consideration that traction
equipment often operated on sharp
curves and tight turnouts. It means that
you can pack a lot of railroad into a small
space. This track plan isn’t one of those.
74 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
EMPIRE
This HO scale Dayton & Troy freight
motor, scratchbuilt by plan designer
Ray Persing, is typical motive power
for the D&T. Ray Persing photo
With a spacious 24 x 36-foot room to
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
work in, Ray Persing designed this plan
for a complete interurban system. It fea-
tures the street running and complicated Name: Dayton & Troy Electric Ry.
unions beloved by streetcar fans, as well Scale: HO (1:87.1)
as industrial switching, rural scenery, Size: 24 x 36 feet
and interchanges with both steam and Prototype: D&T
electric railroads. Locale: southwest Ohio
The plan is based upon the prototype Era: early 1900s
Dayton & Troy Electric Ry. This line Style: walkaround
made most of its money hauling freight, Mainline run: 213 feet
including coal, grain, automobiles, auto Minimum radius: 8"
parts, gravel, and stone. More than 50 Minimum turnout: 8" radius
daily trains were scheduled over the Maximum grade: 1.5 percent
D&T. Keeping trains moving on a time- Train length: 8 to 10 cars
table like that could easily keep a dozen
or more model engineers busy in a D&T
operating session. 43
41
Dream
A PENNSY MAIN LINE
DESIGNED BY NEAL SCHORR
MRP 2007
THREE-RAIL O SCALE MODELS are no lon-
ger synonymous with “toy trains.” Many
manufacturers’ three-rail offerings differ
from two-rail O scale only in their wheel
contours, couplers, and power pickups.
It’s possible to use today’s components to
build a three-rail model railroad that,
apart from the track, looks as realistic as
any two-rail layout.
Neal Schorr designed and built his O
scale Pennsylvania RR Middle Division
from a railfan’s point of view. Featuring
the Pennsy’s characteristic four-track
main, gentle curves through wooded
mountains, and several picturesque
stone bridges, the layout is designed for
following trains through realistic vistas.
76 43 TRACK PLANS FROM THE EXPERTS
IN O SCALE
A set of Pennsylvania RR E8s leads
a freight over a stone arch viaduct at
Duncannon, Pa. Neal Schorr built his
O scale layout to represent an iconic
Pennsy main line. Neal Schorr photo
Although the plan is designed as a
THE TRACK PLAN AT A GLANCE
continuous loop, Neal operates it as
a point-to-point layout. One end of its
massive joint yard represents Altoona Name: Pennsylvania RR Middle
and the opposite end Enola, the two ends Division
of the Pennsy’s Middle Division. Scale: O (1:48)
Another interesting feature of this Size: 38 x 45 feet
layout is its entry through a stairway pit Prototype: PRR
that eliminates duckunders. The pit, pro- Locale: central Pennsylvania
tected with railings salvaged from an ac- Era: 1950s-1960s
tual Pennsylvania RR fence, leads to an Style: walkaround
adjacent crew lounge and workshop. As Mainline run: 300 feet
shown on the plan, the room also has a Minimum radius: 52"
conventional access door that is now Minimum turnout: no. 5
blocked by scenery. The door allowed Maximum grade: none
Neal to carry construction materials into Train length: 20 to 24 cars
the layout room. 43
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