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Track plans for a 4 x 8-foot plywood sheet

Someday you hope to build a modelrailroad empire that fills a spare room,garage, or basement, but for now you’dsettle for an interesting layout that fitson a 4 x 8-foot sheet of plywood. Soundfamiliar?

That’s what I thought, so I chal-lenged several hobbyists who enjoydesigning small layouts to meet thatneed. In the next several pages, you’llfind plans of various scales and scopes.We hope one of them inspires you tostart building a model railroad. – TonyKoester, editor

So many of us like layouts with plentyof water. The life and sparkle fromthe surface reflections make small

layouts, which all of mine are, seemmore spacious. That’s why, when thecall came to explore the possibilities of4 x 8 layout schemes, my thoughtsturned to waterfront railroads. Dock-sides and harbors in a small space offera lot of modeling opportunities.

Think motive power firstOn a 4 x 8-foot layout, chances are

you’re not going to have a lot ofengines. The one or two locomotivesthat can be accommodated need to bedarn good models in both appearanceand performance. You’ll need to focuson one key model, then design the rail-road to make best use of that type ofengine and let it operate properly.

This means careful attention tocurve radius, overhangs, and clear-ances, not to mention switching leads,engine tracks, turntables, and run-around tracks. Most four-axle dieselsare quite flexible in this regard, andsteam switchers and geared steamers

such as Shays also work well. For thetwo HO plans presented here I imagineusing Bachmann’s 70-ton Shay andLife-Like’s United States Railroad Admi-nistration (USRA) 0-8-0.

Practical considerationsA limiting factor of the traditional

4 x 8 is that you need a lot more spacethan that to build and operate it if youwant access to three or four of itssides. Allowing only a meager two-footaisle on all sides increases the arearequirements to 8 x 12 feet. A site ofthat size offers a whole range of mod-eling possibilities, and sticking a 4 x 8island layout in the center of it proba-bly isn’t the most efficient or exciting.

If you’re content with access ononly two sides and stick the 4 x 8 in acorner, the required area drops toabout 6 x 10 feet. The two plans shownhere could be built in that space.

Moreover, if you build these layoutsreasonably high off the floor, say 45" to48" or even a tad more so you’re look-ing across and not down on them, it’smuch easier to achieve the illusion of amore spacious scene. It’s also harderto judge the sharpness of a curve. Evensmall structures placed in the fore-ground can interrupt the view of pass-ing trains, divide the scene, and givethe impression of greater distance.

High-level layouts have other prac-tical advantages. There’s a lot of spaceunder them for storage and a work-bench, for example – even a TV or bedif the room has to serve other func-tions. The downside is that very highlayouts can be pigs to work on.

There are three ways around this:Build the layout at a convenient height

and raise it to final display level onceit’s finished, use a step stool to workon it at the final level, or – more radi-cally – design the layout so the trackand scenery are tackled separately.That is, finish and ballast the track,then lift the layout to the desired level.You can build the various scenic ele-ments at the workbench on their ownmini-bases of Styrofoam insulationboard, then install them like pieces of agiant jigsaw puzzle.

Harbor-based layoutsCrowded waterside locations typi-

cal of older ports have a lot going forthem as subjects for a small layout.The unavoidable tight curves are rightin keeping with such prototypes, as areshort spurs, short trains, and struc-tures crammed closely together.

Harborsides have other advantagestoo. While they aren’t quite a “univer-sal industry” like an interchange track,most car types can be loaded orunloaded at a port. Switching opportu-nities abound. And if you enjoy build-ing atmosphere-laden structures andship models, you’ll have a field day.

There’s also variety in harbors, asthese two plans demonstrate. Save fortheir 4 x 8 footprints, they differ inalmost every way. One features thewide-open airiness of a Pacific North-west lumber port in the pre-Depressionera, the other the grittiness of a run-down Eastern waterfront in the 1950s.

Plan 1:Loleta & Mad River

A rough, raw, storm-wracked har-bor on the rocky coast of northern Cal-ifornia – anything farther removed

4 x 8 feet on the water

East and West Coast railroads in waterfront settings

By Iain Rice

Flexible 4x8: 1

© 2009 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. www.ModelRailroader.com

1 7Model Railroad Planning 2002

from the cramped and grimy confinesof an East Coast coal port would behard to imagine. And as such it offers adifferent set of modeling challengesand operational opportunities.

Logging and mining are by natureephemeral, so very little of their infra-structure was built to last. This isreflected in the limited and crude facil-ities at Port Loleta. Grouped around anarrow, rocky, deep-water inlet, thebuildings are all shack-like affairsthrown up using the local product,rough-sawn softwood.

There are three main commercialactivities at Port Loleta: fishing, min-ing, and lumber export. The fish,mostly Pacific salmon, goes throughthe cannery and winds up in tins forexport. Some of this traffic reachesSouthern Pacific rails via its inter-change with the Loleta & Mad River,the railroad of our immediate interest.The mines produce limited quantitiesof a high-grade ore, “unobtainium” per-haps, which is loaded raw directly intocoastal steamers for transport to dis-tant smelters. The lumber is exportedas boards, sawn and finished in theVan Duren Lumber Co.’s mill at

Bridgeville a few miles up the MadRiver valley east of Loleta.

Model railroads based on the min-ing and lumber industries have lots ofadvantages for minimum-space lay-outs. Grades and curves that would beimpractical for a mainline railroad arenormal on logging and mining roads,thanks to their short rolling stock andarticulated or geared steam power.Features like the 270-degree curve on a4 percent grade that forms the exitfrom Port Loleta isn’t far-fetched in thiscontext and will let the three-truckShay work for its keep. A Model DieCasting two-truck Shay or RivarossiHeisler would also be at home here.

The harbor at Port Loleta is builtaround the edges of the steep-sidedrocky inlet. Ore is loaded into ships orbarges by chute from a short spur offthe high line, while lumber is handledat a timber-faced quay (wharf) built onpilings. The hefty timber derrick,which could be pinched from theWalthers Midstate Marble kit, hoiststhe stacks of lumber onto a schooner.

Other spurs serve the fish canneryand a general merchandise pier.Sundry fishermen’s shacks, a general

store, and a couple of small ware-houses round out the scene. A light-house guards the harbor entrance.

Practical featuresThe actual table top forms the har-

bor water level, and the rest of the lay-out is elevated above this. I’d make thesurface of the quay about 11⁄4" abovemean sea level, and the grades markedon the plan are based on this referenceelevation. This gives about a 5" or 36-scale-foot clearance beneath the highbridge – enough for the small boatsthat can get into the inner harbor.

The slight curve along the frontedge both softens the look of the lay-out and provides better access to therear areas, especially the hidden stag-ing, which lurks behind a row ofremovable structures between the can-nery and the harbor bridge. An extratrain can be stabled in this area.

Trains going off the layout actuallyend up not in that staging track but in aremovable train “cassette” concealedbehind structures and rock outcrop-pings at the right end of the layout. It’sdesigned to slip in and out, drawerfashion, thus allowing trains to be

Firehouse

Office

Lighthouse

PLAN 1: LOLETA & MAD RIVER

Fishing harbor

HO scale

Start of 4 percent gradeSalmon cannery

Top of 4 percent grade

Mine spur

Ore bins and chutes

Wood truss bridge

Net store and chandler

Harbor entrance channel

PORT LOLETA

Mad River Logging

Engine house

Pole derrick

Main harbor

Rock fill

3.5"

3"

2"

1"

0"

1 8 Model Railroad Planning 2002

turned or for the cassette to be storedbeneath the layout and replaced withanother one holding a different train.The variety of rolling stock is thereforeonly as limited as the space allotted tostoring extra cassettes.

This layout is intended to form thenucleus of a larger system that mightbe built at a later date in a single-cargarage or spare room. The smaller dia-gram above shows one possiblescheme for expansion.

For an authentic logging layout,handlaid track is preferred, but youcan make flexible track look less uni-form by removing every fourth tie orso and respacing, at odd angles, thoseties that are left. Micro Engineeringcode 55 track would be a good choice,but you’d still have to handlay theturnouts. Code 70 is therefore morepractical for those who don’t want tohandlay, although many modelers findit an enjoyable diversion.

OperationIn the pre-Depression era of the

teens or twenties, a place like PortLoleta would have been quite busy –bustling, even. Trains of ore and sawn

lumber would come cautiously down-grade into the yard. Ore cars would becut out and shoved back up the gradeto the loading chute, and loads of lum-ber placed quayside for unloading.

Outbound traffic could include emp-ties plus coal and oil, general supplies,logging and mining equipment, andsome agricultural necessities. Thelocomotive would typically be placedon the downhill side of the train inboth directions for increased safety.

Plan 2: Chesapeake Harbor Belt

The town of Chesapeake, Va., is notthat important a place. It was the portsnearby – Norfolk, Portsmouth, andNewport News – that grew to becomemajor export harbors for the mightyAppalachian coal fields. Modeling oneof these ports is an undertaking farbeyond the scope of a 4 x 8 layout.[But see page 52! – Ed.]

Coal piers aren’t the entire story ofport activity around Hampton Roads,however. A number of smaller facilitieswere scattered around the estuary andup the narrower reaches of the Eliza-beth River. A railroad map of the area

looks as though it were drawn by amoonshine-swilling spider with a penon each leg, so I figured that one morerailroad would go unnoticed.

Enter, then, the imaginary but nottoo implausible Chesapeake HarborBelt Line, connecting these minor portinstallations with the major railroadyards and the main lines of the Norfolk& Western, Chesapeake & Ohio, Nor-folk Southern (the original one), theVirginian, and the Tidewater & West-ern, plus indirect connections to themany other railroads of that region.

Belt lines handle a good range oftraffic over short hauls and work insome very cramped locations. Many,such as the Indiana Harbor Belt, reliedentirely on hefty steam switchers suchas the IHB’s well-known three-cylinder0-8-0s. The USRA 0-8-0 thus drops rightinto this scheme, or you could substi-tute a diesel switcher of your choice.

A cramped backwater locationThe layout represents one of the

many minor facilities the CHB serves,a collection of run-down wharves and asmall repair yard that maintains tugs,lighters (barges), and other harbor

Warehouse Office

Shipyard

Diner

PLAN 2: CHESAPEAKE HARBOR BELTHO scale12" grid

Brownhoist “Little Hook”Tug berth

Bunker fuel depot

Fabrication shed

Heavy overhead crane

Swingbridge

U. S. Customs office

Yard office

Dockside crane

Switchman’s shanty

Mobile crane

Engine facility

Gantry crane


craft. A compact engine terminal tendsto the one assigned switcher.

The format is the usual continuousrun with harbor operations arrangedon each side of the waterway and ashort staging siding on the “off-stage”part of the circuit, hidden by a remov-able block of structures. If the layout isbuilt near eye level, these structuresdon’t need to be overly large to con-ceal trains and tracks.

To aid access and get away fromthe boxy look that characterizes many4 x 8s, the front of the baseboard fol-lows a flowing line that produces aconcave curve in the center while los-ing an angular corner.

The focal point is the central water-way, crossed by the railroad on lowtimber trestles patterned on those ofthe N&W and VGN over the ElizabethRiver. At one end, a swing span allowssmall ships, tugs, and lighters to enterthe confines of this side creek of theriver. In addition to the small repairyard with its slipway, gantry crane, andfabrication shops, there are two gen-eral wharves, a bunker fuel dealer, asteel yard, and a warehouse.

Walthers’ waterside-series struc-tures, notably the Front Street Ware-house, offer excellent opportunities forthe kitbasher. And don’t overlook thepotential of Design Preservation Mod-els modular kits.

The track is almost all curved with aminimum radius of 20". I envisioned

using Walthers code 83 flextrack formost of the layout along with thematching turnouts: no. 5, no. 61⁄2curved, and wye. Lighter rail wouldlook nice, especially on the spurs.Don’t overdo it on the ballast; cinderswould suffice. This ain’t the high iron!

Ships and cranesHere’s where you get two hobbies

for the price of one, thanks to somenice kits that let even a novice enjoythe challenges of a little ship modeling.Walthers’ tugboat is an obviouschoice, but spend time looking at themodel boat section of your favoritehobby shop and at ship model catalogsfor other ideas.

I’ve featured a number of cranes,with Walthers’ chunky overhead trav-eling crane an ideal choice to serve theshipyard. Piko’s neat little no. 61102gantry would work fine for the steelyard. Check Model Power’s no. 424traveling crane or Walthers’ no. 933-3067 pier with crane for the mainwharf. That’s Alexander Scale Models’no. 7519 Brownhoist Little Hookmounted on a gantry or tall pillar onthe lighterage quay across from theforeground wharf.

Harbor Belt operation Switching and transfer runs are the

business of the Chesapeake HarborBelt. Routing cars to their individualdestinations within the complex is the

main challenge. The various industriesallow an interesting mix of car types:flats and mill gons for the steel fabrica-tor and the ship repair yard, tank carsto the oil depot, and boxcars to thewarehouses. The repair yard alsomight get boxcars or flats carrying lum-ber. And the general wharf can accepta wide variety of car types. MRP

Iain Rice is a regular contributor toMRP and Model Railroader, and theauthor of Small, Smart, and PracticalTrack Plans from Kalmbach Books. Hisflowing British-style layout plans standin sharp contrast to the typically tightgeometrical alignments conceived onthis side of the Atlantic.

Learning points• You get two hobbies for the priceof one when a layout combines rail-road and harbor facilities.• Be sure you can acquire, and enjoybuilding or detailing and running,the required type of motive powerfor a given type of layout design.• A watercourse down the center ofa table-type layout divides the areain half and can be used to createtwo or more distinct scenes.• Building the layout closer to eyelevel adds to the illusion of depthand helps disguise sharp curves.

2 0

Let’s say you’re just dipping intomodel railroading for the first time,and you think you’d like to try this

“operation” that you’ve read people dowith their layouts. You might be look-ing for a simple, quick-startingapproach that would let you try build-ing and running a layout to see howyou like it. Of course, your leisure timeis all too short, so you don’t want towaste any effort on something thatwouldn’t be expandable if the bugreally bites. If that sounds like you,you’ve come to the right place.

Planning for the futureYou may have heard of modelers

who incorporated their first layout intolater, and larger, model railroads.Here’s a way you can do that:

Start by cutting a slot down the mid-dle of a sheet of plywood, stopping 6"from each end. Make the slot just wideenough to slip in a length of 18"-highhardboard to serve as a backdrop.Give the base a coat of brown paintand the backdrop a coat of sky blue toseal the material and to give your newlayout a finished look.

These plans are designed with Atlascode 83 (the rail is .083" high) HO trackin mind, though other brands and railheights would be just as good. Thedrawings show no. 6 turnouts and 22"-radius curves. For such tight curves, I’dstick to short 40-foot cars and smallengines – an Alco, Baldwin, or Electro-Motive diesel switcher would be ideal,or you could go even smaller with aGeneral Electric 44- or 70-tonner.

Most of the tracks are curved,which means the structures alongsidethe sidings, or at least their loading

platforms, must be curved to match.Since these are tricky to build, I choseindustries that don’t require tracksidebuildings: a stockyard, scrap dealer,and team track. The latter is a good“industry” to model in that it can holda wide variety of cars. A ramp at oneend of the track allows farm imple-ments to be rolled off flatcars.

My choices for industries give therailroad little vertical height, whichmakes folding it up against a wall forstorage easier. If you want to use tallerstructures, make them removable.

These industries also require a vari-ety of cars, which

adds to thev i s u a l

and

operational interest. You will need flat-cars, stockcars, and gondolas as wellas ubiquitous boxcars.

Two spurs are truncated “inter-change tracks” or connections withother railroads. Almost any type of carcan be interchanged between railroads,making these “universal industries.”

Expanding the empireWhen a larger space becomes avail-

able, you can easily convert this layoutinto a single town on the new linearrailroad. Remove the curved tracks ateither end, take out the backdrop, andextend its slot to cut the base in half.

Placing the halves end-to-end willcreate a 2 x 16-foot town, which mightfit along one long wall. It may be easierto find two shorter walls, in which case

an L-shape might be more advanta-geous. I’ve added a new con-

necting piece in thecorner, and with its

two-foot sides itmakes the L-

shaped 10 x 10-foot plan on page 22.

Only minor track realign-ment is required for either

of these adaptations.

Flexible 4x8: 2

One plan, three options

An oval, I-, or L-shaped HO layout using the same basic plan

By Linda Sand

Model Railroad Planning 2002

Illustration by Rick Johnson



Beginning operationsOn the 4 x 8-foot plan, there is room

at the industries for ten cars. If youwant to be able to deliver different carsat different times, use 20 cars: a mix ofsix flatcars and boxcars for the teamtrack, eight stockcars for the stockyard,and six gondolas for the scrapyard. Buycars that are evenly divided for rail-roads east and west, or north andsouth, of where you’ve located yourrailroad geographically. This will helpsimulate traffic movement across NorthAmerica.

Using 3 x 5 index cards, make outone card for each car you own, asshown on page 22. It needs to tell youthat it’s for a certain type of car (flat,box, and so forth), what its reportingmarks (initials) and number are, suchas “UP 45682,” and whether it headseast or west to go back to home rails.Divide the resulting stack of cards intotwo piles, one for return-east, the otherfor return-west. Then shuffle eachstack so the car types are mixed up.

Begin operating by drawing twocards from each pile and placing thecars they describe on the east andwest interchange tracks as though con-necting railroads left them there foryour railroad. (If you do this before asession, it’s called “staging.” If you con-tinue to do this as the session pro-gresses, it’s called “fiddling.”)

Now use a locomotive to pull thecars from both interchanges anddeliver them to the industries. No needto get fancy here with destination infor-mation on the cards, as you can tellwhere they go by the car type.

Draw another set of cards anddeliver those cars from interchanges

to industries as well. You now have therailroad populated with enough cars tomake it seem as though some workactually gets done there.

The next time you draw cards andmove cars to the industries, pick upcars already spotted there before youset out new cars. Move them to thesmall yard and later to the interchangetracks where you can remove them tosimulate off-line movement.

Any inbound cars that won’t fit inalready-filled industry tracks can beheld in the yard until you decide theoutbound cars already at industriesare ready to be picked up. The yardcan also be used to sort the in- and out-bound and east- and westbound carsbefore making switching moves orworking the interchange tracks.

Expanding operationsWhen you rearrange the 4 x 8 into a

linear design, you may be able to buildan expanded yard and more inter-change tracks elsewhere in the room.This will allow you to convert the exist-ing yard and interchange tracks intoadditional industrial tracks, thus pro-viding more destinations for cars.

For these new industries I chose afurniture factory, printing plant, fuel oildealer, and food processing plant.Choose businesses that reflect theindustrial base of the region your rail-road depicts. Since there isn’t room tomodel large industries on the shorttracks, I depicted the furniture factoryand printing plant as “flats,” wallsplaced against the backdrop to suggestthat the other walls are behind them.The food-processing plant area, how-ever, is large enough to allow a

Austin

Beeville

Road

Team track – 3 cars

Stockyard – 4 cars

Road with ramp

Scrap dealer – 3 cars

Furniture factory – 2 cars

Fuel oil dealer – 3 cars

Food processing plant – 3-4 cars

Printing plant – 2 cars

Austin

Beeville Yard

Backdrop

Road

A flexible 4 x 8Scale: 1⁄2" = 1'-0"12" gridHO scale

East interchange – 2 cars West interchange – 2 carsRunaround track – 3 cars

Yard lead

Road and loading ramp

Team track – 3 cars Stockyard – 4 cars Runaround track – 4 cars Scrap dealer – 3 cars

Illustrations by Kellie Jaeger

Austin

Beeville

Road

Road with ramp

Team track – 3 cars

Stockyard – 4 cars

Runaround track – 4 cars

Scrap dealer – 3 cars

Fuel oil dealer – 3 cars

Furniture factory – 4 cars

Food processing plant – 3-4 cars

Printing plant – 2 cars


Walthers Car Shops kit (don’t get hungup on a kit’s name) to be used as a ship-ping/receiving building next to a GoldenValley Cannery processing plant.

WaybillsWith these new industries, you no

longer have just one destination foreach car type, so you need to expandyour paperwork to suit your expandedempire. This is where waybills come in.Each bill of lading lists the type of com-modity the car contains, the type ofcar that lading requires – it wouldn’tdo to load corn syrup in a stock-car – and who gets the loaded car. Abill might therefore say “Gondola,empty, Austin, scrap dealer” or “Flat-car, machinery, Austin, team track.”Just for labels I used town namesbeginning with “A” and “B.” Have funchoosing regionally descriptive namesfor your towns and industries.

I like the information in list formatwith blank lines between the car type,load/empty line, and destination lines.Having the car type at the top makes iteasier to match the bill of lading to a

car card. Combining the two makes theequivalent of a railroad’s waybill. Aspace in front of the destination makesit easier to see where it’s going, just ashaving the town on a separate linefrom the industry makes it easier tolook at just town names when sortingcars into trains in a freight yard.

Make the bills a little smaller thanthe car cards, since you need to beable to read the reporting marks androad number of the car cards when thebills and cards are combined.

I recommend a selection of bills,typically four for each industry spot.This means you can send four cars ofone type, four different types, or somecombination thereof to each spot.More bills mean even more variety.

Start switchingNow that you have bills of lading

and car cards, draw enough bills tomake up a train that doesn’t over-whelm the railroad. Then dig out carsappropriate for those bills and placethem on the interchange or staging/fid-dle tracks so trains can be made up to

give your growing empire the promptrail service it deserves. MRP

Linda Sand is a frequent contributorto MRP and an active member of boththe Layout Design and Operations Spe-cial Interest Groups of the NationalModel Railroad Association. Moreinformation on these SIGs is availableat www.nmra.org, or you can check outthe chat lists of each of these groups atwww.yahoogroups.com.

Learning points• Start small, but smart, so youroriginal layout can become part ofan expanded empire later on.• Modest track realignment allowsthis oval plan to be converted to alinear design as a stand-alone layoutor as part of a larger layout.• Match industrial choices to cartypes to ensure visual and opera-tional variety, and choose them to fitthe era and region you’re modeling.

Gondola

CNJ 8000

Gondola

empty machinery

Bills of lading and car cards

Car card made from 3 x 5 index card

Transparent pocket taped to card using 3M BookTape

Top of pocketEmpty

Return West

Two bills of ladingmade from one 3 x 5 card

Flatcar

Cut line

Bills of lading and car cards can be quickly handmade or formatted on a personal computer.

AustinScrap dealer

AustinTeam track

A4 x 8-foot layout, often a beginner’sfirst foray into model railroading,offers opportunities for experi-

enced modelers as well. That’s trueeven when you want to model an actualprototype railroad. Long mainline runsaren’t practical, even in the smallerscales, but an industrial or switchingrailroad in N scale is within reach.

Four key characteristicsMost successful model railroads

share four important characteristics:staging, major industries, interchangebetween railroads, and prototype inspi-ration. Incorporating all of them into a4 x 8 space is challenging, but carefullyselecting a prototype helps, whichbrings us to Houston’s Port TerminalRailroad Association, the PTRA.

The PTRA is a switching line formedin 1924 by a number of railroads thatserved the port area. In the 1980s, theera this plan depicts, member rail-roads included the Burlington North-ern; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe;Southern Pacific; and Union Pacific(including the former Missouri Pacific).

These roads provided locomotivesfor use by the PTRA, and much of the140 miles it operated was over trackagerights on its member roads, primarilySP. The PTRA then handled about500,000 cars annually to serve numer-ous grain elevators, docks, manufactur-ing and chemical plants, and refineries.

Today’s PTRA members includeBurlington Northern Santa Fe, TexasMexican RR (part of Kansas City South-ern), and UP. It serves about 150 indus-tries and the public docks, has morethan 350 employees, and handles half amillion cars each year. Instead of leas-

ing power, it operates 24 MK1500Dlocomotives delivered in 1996. Formore information, visit www.ptra.com.

Squeezing a huge operation like thisinto the confines of a 4 x 8 may seemfoolhardy, but it can be done by cap-turing the flavor of the line rather thanmodeling it scene by scene. I focusedon a few miles of the PTRA’s “SouthSide” where it runs over SP rails. Itleaves the Espee at Deer Park Junction(operated remotely by CentralizedTraffic Control or “CTC”) and passesunder the Jesse H. Jones Highwaybridge over Houston’s Ship Channel toserve a large industrial area near theEquity grain elevator.

Hidden stagingStaging is hidden behind and

beneath “backdrop boxes” made fromsheet styrene, thin plywood, or evenfoam core (see page 25). The boxessupport industry flats on their sides oron “air rights” above. Building the sup-ports as boxes with openings for thetrains to pass through allows them to

be thinner and easier to lift off the lay-out for track maintenance or rerailingequipment. Curved turnouts increasethe usable length of the staging tracks.

As the PTRA and SP emerge fromstaging into a visible scene in thelower-right corner of the plan, theyshare a single track. The first industrythey encounter is a massive Shell Oilrefinery. This facility is actually servedby Shell Oil’s own crews, but we’ll letboth PTRA and SP crews switch it onthis layout. Multi-track tank car racksand a small spur for equipment deliv-eries are located here.

Deer Park Junction is at the lowerleft. That the SP and PRTA divergehere is underscored by operating oreven dummy CTC signals. The PTRAthen serves the large Lubrizoil (STP)plant in the foreground to the right ofthe junction.

Lubrizoil: “fascia flats”Lubrizoil is represented by thin

“fascia flats” – the fascia rises up toform the silhouette of the building. Themodeled front of the building isinserted between the fascia and thesiding. The flats are relatively low in Nscale, so reaching over them to uncou-ple cars or clean track is no problem.

Chemicals arrive at Lubrizoil on onetrack in tank cars and are then blendedinto gas and oil treatments. Boxcars ofpackaged products are shipped fromthe other track.

Beyond the backdropTo the left of the junction both rail-

roads pass under the highway bridgeas they parallel the Houston Ship Chan-nel. The SP then disappears back into

Houston’s Port Terminal Railroad in N scale

An urban switching “association” that handles half a million cars a year

By Byron Henderson

Flexible 4x8: 3

Learning points• You can get more operation in asmall space by focusing on anindustrial switching layout.• Structure flats and photographicbackdrops make it possible to modellarge industries in a small space.• Trackage rights and joint stagingallow two railroads to be modeled inthe space of one.• A 4 x 8-foot layout can be devel-oped beyond a beginner’s project.



staging, while the PTRA continues onto serve another industrial area from asmall yard shown along the top of theplan. This area represents the storageyard at the Equity grain elevator, andbuilding flats are used to depict thetowering structures in this area.

Nearby industries include Empak, acar cleaning and repair service for tankcars and hoppers. One Empak trackrepresents an open-air cleaning areaunder a high awning. Viewers can actu-ally look into the truncated repairbuilding served by the second track.

Rollins-Pearle, an environmental-services firm, receives tank cars andboxcars filled with 50-gallon drums ofwaste for treatment. It’s representedby a tank rack and photographic back-drop or thin flat. Nearby Rohm & Haasdoes its own switching, so the PTRAsimply shoves cars onto R&H tracksbehind a chain-link fence.

The giant Equity elevator can load300 cars a day, so our model of itneeds to convey a sense of size. This isaccomplished by positioning a smallmirror in the lower right-hand cornerof the layout to extend its apparentlength. The large silos are modeledover the staging tracks.

Two-railroad operationBoth the SP and the Port Terminal

RR serve the refinery, and each bringscars to the small yard from stagingwith some interchange between thetwo railroads occurring there. A PTRAroad job would serve Lubrizol andsome other industries from staging,

while a dedicated switcher could workEquity and other nearby industries.One challenge is that switching therefinery would usually require using astaging track as a lead, but this seemslike a reasonable trade-off.

On the prototype, the Santa Fe andKaty (Missouri-Kansas-Texas) hadtrackage rights to bring their graintrains bound for Equity into nearbyManchester Yard and to pick up emp-ties there. Transplanting this operationto the storage yard seems reasonable.This traffic could be staged on the stag-ing yard’s single-ended siding.

Equipment could be quite varied. Inthe late 1980s PTRA locomotivesincluded units from all parent railroadsand ranged from ’50s-era AT&SF andSP GP7s and 9s to UP GP38-2s. Rolling

stock would include tank cars, box-cars, and hoppers.

By focusing on industrial switchingrather than a main line [an increasinglypopular approach, as Chuck Hitchcockexplains on page 68 – Ed.] we can get alot from the humble 4 x 8: an authenticmix of liveries and equipment, largeindustries, and varied operations. MRP

Byron Henderson has been “betweenlayouts” for 29 years but is working hardto rectify that. He, wife Marian, anddaughter Claire live in San Jose, Calif.,where he works in marketing for a largenetworking company. Byron recentlyserved as the editor of the Layout DesignSIG’s highly informative Journal (contactBob Knoll, 7788 E. Whileaway Pl., Tuc-son, AZ 85750).

Equipment delivery track

HOUSTON'S PORT TERMINAL RR IN N SCALE

PTRA

Joint SP/PTRA

Track 2Rollins-Pearle (industrial flat)

Rollins-Pearle track 1 (tank rack)

Rohm & Haasinterchange behindchain-link fenceand gate

Empak cleaning track (open air under awning)

Empak repair track(open to aisle toshow interior and cars)

HoustonShip Channel

Scale: N (1:160)10" minumum radius5⁄8" = 1'-0"; 5⁄8" gridPeco code 55medium-radius turnouts

Jesse H. Jones Highway BridgeDeer Park Junction (with CTC signals)

Shell OilAccess road

Tank car docks

Shell Oil

Shed with dock

Storage tanksand piping

Access road

Tank car docks

Lubrizoil (STP) tank rack with “fascia flat”

Lubrizoil loading dock (boxcars)

Equity Grain (built on“air rights” over staging)

Mirror

View blocks(in blue)

Refinery pipe bridge (to staging)

Cross sections

Tracks

Double-sided backdrop

Building a backdrop box to support lightweight structures is an easy way to hide tracks. Attach building flats, tanks,silos, and other background elements to the basic boxes. Additional view blocks or structures hide “portals” at the boxends. The box can be easily removed to clean track or reach equipment.

Illustrations by Terri Field

Flat

Tracks

Single-sided backdrops

Bachmann’s introduction of afford-able and highly detailed O scalenarrow gauge cars and locomotives

built to run on HO gauge track rekin-dled my interest in narrow gauge mod-eling. This scale/gauge combination,designated On21⁄2, puts 1:48-proportionmodels on track laid to HO gauge, with16.5mm (5⁄8") between the rails. Thatallows a reasonably authentic modelrailroad to be built within a relativelysmall space – even on a 4 x 8-foot sheetof the building material of your choice.

I say “reasonably authentic,” sincethe proper gauge for the Colorado pro-totypes Bachmann offers is three feet.But a six-scale-inch compromise – 5⁄8"

instead of 3⁄4" – isn’t much if it allowsyou to get there from here painlessly.

Moreover, as baby boomers agethey may begin to wonder if N or HOisn’t getting a bit too small. Then theability to model in O scale in the spacenormally associated with an HO layoutcan be mighty appealing.

Setting prioritiesMy goals in designing this layout

were multi-train operation, Coloradoscenery, a continuous run, and a littlebit of switching to keep things inter-esting. To accommodate Bachmann’s2-6-0 Mogul and passenger cars, I used18" minimum-radius curves – about the

same radius that an HO modeler woulduse on a 4 x 8 layout.

I designed the layout so it could besplit into two 2 x 8-foot sections. Thisboth ensures that it remains portableand provides an easy way to mount abackdrop: Just wedge it between thetwo halves.

For the beginnerSince this is unabashedly a begin-

ner’s layout, the plan features Atlas HOsectional track. Although Peco offers

Colorado & Southern 2-8-0 no. 65 crosses the high bridgeof the Georgetown Loop in May 1938, with a “4 x 8-size”train of short boxcars trailed by a four-wheel caboose.

R. H. Kindig

Flexible 4x8: 4

O scale railroading using HO gauge trackEnjoy large-scale modeling in a small-scale area

By Chris Webster



correctly scaled On21⁄2 flextrack andturnouts, I believe a beginner is morelikely to use HO sectional track for hisfirst layout, perhaps burying the under-sized ties under the ballast.

There are no grades, and all theturnouts are within a foot of the edgeof the table. With the turnouts soaccessible, it’s handy to use inexpen-sive and easy-to-install ground throwsto operate the switch points.

If a 4 x 8 space is not available, it’spossible to build only half of the lay-out and replace the other half with aloop of track mounted on a drop-leafsection, so the layout could be shovedback against a wall when not in use.

OperationsBoth passing sidings are long

enough to hold a passenger train con-sisting of a 2-6-0, combine, and coach,or a freight train headed by the Mogulwith three freight cars and a caboose.Two mainline operators can thus bekept busy running on the mainlineloop, meeting each other at the sid-ings, and taking on water. Frankly,however, this layout would do a betterjob of keeping just one operatorengaged switching the freight and mov-ing it out of the way of the occasionalpassenger train.

Switching opportunities include aloads-in/empties-out connection be-

tween a coal mine and a coal prepara-tion plant, thus eliminating the need toload and unload gondolas. Despite myintentions to have Rocky Mountainscenery, the mine/prep plant schemehas an East Broad Top (Pennsylvania)flavor. If that bothers you, simply setthe railroad in the Appalachians, butColorado narrow gauge railroads alsoserved coal mines.

One town has a team track onwhich boxcars and flatcars can bespotted for wagons drawn by teams ofhorses (hence the name) to load orunload. Both towns have an “industry,”perhaps a freight house or lumberyard,where cars can be spotted.

Benchwork cross-section

Bolt

Foam backdrop

Four piecesof 2" foam

1 x 3s 1 x 3s

Scale: 3 ⁄4" = 1'-0"12" grid

2-1⁄2"1⁄2-18

1⁄2-18

1⁄3-18

Depot

Watertower

Watercolumn

Roadoverpass

Standard gauge hopperunder prep plant

Coal prep plant (loads in/empties out)

Shed

Teamtrack

Industry no. 2

Backdrop

Water tower

Depot

Coal tipple (empties in/loads out)

Loadingchute

Roadoverpass

Unmarked track sections are 9" straights or 18" curves.All turnouts are Custom-Line no. 4’s.

RHRH

RH

LH

Road

Road

Industry no. 1

Creek

6"

6"3"

3" 1"

1-1⁄2"

2-1⁄2"

1⁄2-18

1⁄2-18

1⁄3-18

1⁄3-18

1⁄3-18RH

RH

RH

LH

LH

15

6"

6"

6"6"

6"

22" R

22" R6"

3"

3"22" R

22" R22" R22" R

22" R

22" R

22" R

Track list

Atlas Model RR Co. Inc. HO track

510 9" straight, 16511 15" radius, 1512 18" radius, 10513 22" radius, 9521 6" straight, 2522 3" straight, 1523 11⁄2" straight, 1524 Snap-Track assortment, 1533 1⁄2 18" radius curve, 4534 1⁄3 18" radius curve, 4543 manual Snap-Switch, right, 1561 no. 4 Custom-Line turnout, left, 3562 no. 4 Custom-Line turnout,

right, 5

Illustrations by Kellie Jaeger


Construction and sceneryThis layout could be built on a sand-

wich of two pieces of 2" foam insula-tion board. This sandwich would sit ona benchwork frame of 1 x 3 boards.This wood framing is required to keepthe joint between the two halvesaligned and to prevent longitudinalsagging. Cutting some of the foamaway to allow for water courses won’tcompromise the structure, thanks tothe wood underpinnings.

Although the layout is only 4 x 8feet, there are several interestingscenic highlights. On the mine side ofthe layout, the tipple itself is bound tobe an eye-catcher, and there are kitsoffered for Western mines. There are

also a short trestle over a creek, twotunnel portals, and several opportuni-ties for small, close-up scenes wheredetailers could go to town.

For example, the small depot couldbe populated with folks waiting for thenext train to the big city. Teams ofhorses could be tied adjacent to theteam track awaiting the local freight.

On the other side, a coal prepara-tion plant, where raw or “cleaner” coalfrom the tipple is cleaned and sized,provides a destination for loaded gon-dolas. Coal comes in over the narrowgauge, is processed, and is then loadedin standard gauge hoppers for the tripto market. The visual contrast betweennarrow and standard gauge gons and

hoppers will be a visual highlight ofthis layout.

Industries to consider are sug-gested by the available freight cars: alumberyard that receives boxcars andflats, a scrap-metal dealer loading gon-dolas, a stock pen where cattle, hogs,or sheep are loaded, or a place for tankcars to deliver petroleum products.

CompromisesIf you’re new to model railroading,

this is as good a time as any to dis-cover that the hobby is all about mak-ing choices and compromises. In thiscase, there isn’t room to build scale-size industries, the passing sidings andspurs are short, and curves are tight. Icouldn’t even fit in a small yard orengine terminal, although an extensionoff one end of the layout would accom-modate either or both.

Speaking of choices: The track into“industry 1” could instead head into anenginehouse, with the engines beingcoaled right at the tipple loading chute.Staging tracks could similarly be addedto one side, perhaps on a roll-away ordrop-down section, to provide a con-nection with the outside world.

As a starter layout, this one offersjust enough action to challenge a new-comer to the hobby. It can also let vet-eran modelers try their hand in alarger scale in a modest area. MRP

Chris Webster, a registered profes-sional engineer who lives in Maryland,began modeling at age 13 when he waswelcomed into the Central New YorkDivision of the National Model RailroadAssociation. Although primarily an HOmodeler, Chris controls occasional out-breaks of narrow gauge fever with 1:20.3and On21⁄2 projects.

Learning points• On21⁄2 offers the size advantagesof O scale with the more modestspace needs of HO, an ideal combi-nation for baby boomers givingmodel railroading a try.• Adding extensions to the basic4 x 8 plan can accommodate ayard, engine terminal, more indus-tries, and staging to simulate therest of the rail network.• A Colorado setting is logical, giventhe choice of equipment, but model-ing a three-footer in the Midwest oron the East or West Coast is feasible.• Adding a bit of standard gaugetrack underscores the diminutivesize of the slim-gauge equipment.

Comparison of standard HO track and Peco HO gauge track made for On21⁄2 shows the more realistic tie length and spacing.

Here HO (1:87), left, and On21⁄2 (1:48 narrow gauge) steam engines show the size comparison between models made indifferent scales that nevertheless run on the same gauge of track.

Both photos by Jim Forbes

46 ModelRailroader•www.ModelRailroader.com

IllustrationsbyTheoCobb

REALISTICTRACKPLANS

©2009KalmbachPublishingCo.Thismaterialmaynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutpermissionfromthepublisher.www.ModelRailroader.com

Many model railroaders base their first layouts on 4 x 8 sheets of plywood, for obvious reasons. A

flat tabletop is a lot easier to build than L-girder benchwork, and almost any home has room for a 4 x 8 table at one side of a bedroom or den.

Great things have been done on a single sheet of plywood. However, that shape does impose certain limitations. Though the tighter curves usable in N scale open up more possibilities, in HO

scale, a plywood sheet restricts you to a few variations on an oval or figure eight. And being able to see your entire layout from a single vantage point lim-its the realism.

But what happens if we cut that ply-wood into three pieces, and reassemble them in a different shape? These three track plans use a few cuts of a saber saw to open up the possibilities locked in a 4 x 8, while keeping the benefits of compact size. Supporting and splicing

together the odd shapes resulting from our jigsaw-puzzle technique will re-quire a bit more involved benchwork than a 4 x 8 table does, but it pays off in much greater visual and operating in-terest. MR

Three track plans for one sheet of plywoodCutting a 4 x 8 sheet into three pieces yields creative layouts in HO and N

By Steven Otte

o8/o8•ModelRailroader 47

Tom’s Diner

Oil pumps

Oil tanks

Oil loadingplatform

Cattle pens

M-K-T main

Interchange track

Interlocking tower 45-degreecrossing

No. 6 wye turnout

90-degree crossingDiesel fuelingGlobal Tirefactory

Deep cut

Hill with cut

90-degree crossings

M-K-T depot

Downtownbuildings

MammothTool and Die

Electricorp Supply

O&W depot

Scale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 6 x 12 feetScale of plan: 1/2" = 1'-0", 12" grid

Oklahoma & Western RR

Okie Pride MeatPacking

Cutting diagram

The simplestofthesethreetrackplansusesonestraightandonediagonalcuttoaddabranchlineandaninterchangetracktoanHOscaleoval.Thedouble-endedtrackallowsforrunaroundoperationsneededtoswitchthethreeindustrialsidingsinsidetheloop,butit’stheeight-foot-long,taperedpeninsulathatbreaksthislayoutoutofthebox.

Wrappingtheleadforthebranchlinearoundtheoutsideoftheloopmaximizesitslength,whileavarietyoffacing-pointandtrailing-pointturnoutsmakesswitchingchallenging.NotethatthesecondtrackinfrontoftheO&Wdepotcan’tbeusedasapassingtrackfortheloopwithoutabackingmaneuver.

ThetrackthatcrossesthemainandthebranchrepresentstheMissouri-Kansas-TexasRy.,arealrailroadwithwhichtheO&Winter-changes.Thisdoesn’tjustaddvisualinterest,butalsoallowstheO&Wtoshipanykindofcaronandoffthelayoutviatheinterchangetrack.CarsduefordeliverytotheO&WcanbestagedinfrontoftheM-K-Tdepotbeforetheoperatingsession,andshiftedtotheinterchangeforpickupbyaroadswitcher.Likewise,carsfromonlineindustriesslatedfordestinationsoffthelayoutcanbedroppedoffontheinterchangetracktobepickedupbytheKaty.

ThelocaleisthefoothillsofwesternOklahoma,representedonthemodelrailroadbyhillsontwocornersofthelayout.Thedeepcutonthelargerhillalsoservestovisuallybreakupthemainline,disguisingtheoval.

Themajorindustriesandresourcesoftheregion–cattle,meatpacking,tiremanufacturing,andoil–arerepresented,helpingtoreinforcethelayout’ssenseofplace.Acouplesmallerindustrialspursbranchingoffthemainloopaddoptions.

Settingtherailroadinthetransitionerameansthateitherearlydieselsoroil-firedsteamlocomotiveswouldbeathomeonthislayout.AVanderbilt-tender2-8-2MikadooranFunitcouldhandlemotivepowerdutiesontheO&W.FortheM-K-T,anAlcoRS-3wouldbeagoodchoice.

Ifyouwantedtoexpandthislayoutlater,thelineattheendofthepenin-sulacouldbeconnectedtoastagingyard,ormaybeabigcitylikeTulsa.YoucouldalsoextendtheKatytrackintoanewarea.

Oklahoma & Western RR

Name: Oklahoma&WesternRRScale: HO(1:87.1)Size: 6x12feetPrototype:freelancedLocale: WesternOklahomaEra:1950sStyle:tabletopwithshelfMainline run:29feetMinimum radius:19"Minimum turnout:no.5Maximum grade:none

The track plan at a glance ▸▸

Okie Pride Meat Packing: Atlas721MiddlesexManu-facturingCo.

Mammoth Tool & Die: DesignPreservationModels103Cutting’sScissorCo.

Electricorp Supply:Wm.K.Walthers933-3611

Tom’s Diner: CityClassics110Route22Diner

Global Tire factory:Wm.K.Walthers933-3172Arm-strongElectricMotors(backgroundbuilding)and933-3514industrialtankset

Suggested structures ▸▸

48 ModelRailroader•www.ModelRailroader.com

Hotel

Northern Stone Products

Aardmore Coal & Lumber

Sunnydale Creamery

Norwick

Depot

PatriotIronworks

45-degreecrossing

Interchangetrack

Covered bridge

Housatonic River

Grain elevator

General store

Middleboro

Depot

Farm houses

Cutting diagram

Concealed staging tracks

Gravel pit

Hidden trackexposed betweenbuildings

HerbertMills

Houses

Station

EastportWarehouse

Seagold Cannery

EastportScale: N (1:160)Size: 8 x 9 feetScale of plan: 1/2" = 1'-0", 12" grid

HousatonicValley Ry.

Dam

Freighthouse

For this N scaleplan,onestraightandoneS-shapedcutyieldsthreelongpiecesofplywoodthatassembleintoan8x9-foot,U-shaped,walk-inlayout.Using91⁄2"and11"curvesletsusplanloopsattheendofthetwopeninsulasforabasicdogbonedesign.SettingtherailroadintherollingterrainofNewEnglandgivesusarationaletoconcealthereturntrack,andevenacoupleofstagingtracks,underforestedhillsalongtheouteredgesofthelayout.(Ifyoubuildthislayoutalongthewalls,besuretomakeyourhillsremovableforaccess.)

Ratherthanattachingthetrackandroadbeddirectlytotheplywood,thisplancallsforalayerofrigidextrudedfoaminsulationontopoftheplywood.Thefoamcanthenbecutawaytomodelwaterfeaturesbelowthelevelofthetrack,liketheHousatonicRiverandthedocksatEastport.

Thisdesignisforasteam-eraroadlinkinganindustrialseaporttoaninlandagriculturaltown.Usingthehiddentrack,youcanrunthelayoutasacontinuousloop,orasapoint-to-pointroadwiththestagingrepresent-ingoutsideconnectionsatbothends.

Acutoffconnectingtoasectionoftrackexposedbetweentwotunnelsstandsinforaninterchangetrackwithasecondrailroad.Justasonthepreviousplan,thistrackletsthehomeroadshipinoroutanykindofcarsdesired.Thecutoffcanalsobeusedasareversinglooptoturnaconsist.

Asontheprevioustrackplan,industriesontheHousatonicValleyhelptoestablishasenseofplace.TheseaportinEastportfeaturesafishingboatdockedatacannery,aware-house,andateamtrack.Alinenmill,agravelquarry,anironfoundry,andacreameryrepresentindustriescommontothearea,whileautumnfoliage,CapeCod-stylehouses,andacoveredbridgeoverthetracksnearMiddleboroevokewell-knownNewEnglandsights.

OnecornerofthelayoutincludesanothercommonNewEnglandlandmark,asmallhydroelectricdam.Thetrickhereisthattheupperreservoir’swaterlevelisactuallyabovethehiddentrack.Theeasiestwaytomodelthiswaterwouldbewithcommercialplasticwatersheet.Justbesuretopaintthebottomorbackitwithopaquematerial,soyourguestsdon’tseetrainsmovingthroughDavyJones’Locker!

Housatonic Valley Ry.

Name:HousatonicValleyRy.Scale:N(1:160)Size:8x9feetPrototype:freelancedLocale:NewEnglandEra:1930sStyle:walk-inMainline run:43feetMinimum radius:9.5"Minimum turnout:no.5Maximum grade:none


Fishing boat:SeaPortModelWorksH114N83-footsardinecarrier

Seagold Cannery: GCLaser507BrennonSeedCo.

Eastport Warehouse:Ameri-canModelBuilders604transferbuilding

Herbert Mills: Wm.K.WalthersModularssets933-3295and933-3283

Gravel tipple:Wm.K.Walthers933-3241GlacierGravelCo.

Covered bridge:GCLaser418Patriot Ironworks:ModelPower

1546HollandIron&Steel,1573NationalCasket,and2608GeneralElectricCo.

Aardmore Coal & Lumber:BranchlineTrains893ValleyFuel&Supply


o8/o8•ModelRailroader 49

Station

GibsonImplements

Team track

Rockland

Rockland Oil

ArrowsmithBrewing

HoosierMills

Downtown buildingsGrain elevator

No. 8 curved turnout

Farm field

30-degree crossing

No. 6 turnout

No. 6 wye

Depot

Waynesboro

Seed and feed dealer

Apartment buildingbacks

View block

Fort Garth

Optionalextra staging

Chicago/Gary(staging)

Scale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 6 x 7 feetScale of plan: 1⁄2" = 1'-0", 12" grid

Indiana & Aurora RR

Cutting diagram

This layout represents adiesel-erashortlineservingaMidwesterncityandthesurroundingfarmlands.SlidingapartthesectionsoneithersideoftheS-shapedcutyieldsalayouttablethatisstillcompactbuthasroomfor24"curvesneededbylarger,moremodernequipment.

Althoughthecutofftrackleadingpastthegrainelevatorprovidesforcontinuousrunning,thestagingtrackshiddenbehindthebackdropallowittobeoperatedasapoint-to-point.Atraincouldoriginateeitherinthestagingyard(Chicago/Gary)orintheyardinfrontoftheRocklandstation.Asittravelsaroundthelayouttotheotherend,thetrainwouldpassthroughthesameurbanscenerytwice,butsincethetrackisnotconnectedatthispoint,foroperatingpurposesitcanbetreatedastwoseparatecities.

WhileRocklandhasacoupleofindustryspurs,threestationtracksandateamtrack,FortGarth’stwolinesideindustriesshareonedouble-endedsiding.Switchingthesewillrequiresomecarefulplanningbytheyardmaster.Ontheothersideofthelayout,afarm,acoupleofagriculturalindustries,andtheflagstopstationatWaynesbororepresentIndiana’sruralcountryside.

FortGarth’sflourmillandbrewery,bothmodeledaslow-profileback-groundbuildings,andthebusinessesontheagriculturalsideofthelayout,agrainelevatorandafeedmill/farmsupplydealer,representtheline’sagriculturaltheme.TheindustriesinRockland–abulkoildealer,asmallagriculturalimplementfactory,andateamtrack–provideoperatingvariety.

Thoughtherearetwodepotsonthelayout,alinesetinthe1970slikethisonewouldseelittledemandforlocalpassengerservice.AshortlinelikethismightnothaveratedanAmtrakroute,butyoucanincreaseoperatinginterestbyaddingacoachorcombinetoturnadailylocalfreightintoamixedtrain.

Thislayoutisanaturalforfutureexpansion.SimplycutthetrackplanapartatthetopandbottomoftheD-shapedoperatingpit,pullthehalvesapart,andaddnewsectionsofbenchworkandtrackinbetweentoextendthemainline.Thetracksleadingpastthegrainelevatorandtheseedandfeeddealercouldalsobetheconnectionsfornewbranchlines.

Indiana & Aurora RR

Name:Indiana&AuroraRRScale:HO(1:87.1)Size:6x7feetPrototype:freelancedLocale:NorthernIndianaEra:1970sStyle:doughnutMainline run:40feetMinimum radius:24"Minimum turnout:no.5Maximum grade:none


Hoosier Mills:Wm.K.Walthers933-3160CentennialMills

Arrowsmith Brewing:Wm.K.Walthers933-3193ArrowheadAle,

George A. Nickels Milling & Feed:BranchlineTrains692

Waynesboro depot:WoodlandScenics239flagdepot

Gibson Implements:DesignPreservationModels106LaubeLinenMill

Rockland station:Wm.K.Walthers933-2841ClarkesvilleDepot


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