Blog

NOTE: I'm in the process of updating the scripts that run the blog, so there will be changes made in the next few months. Comments no longer need approval, but you must be logged-in to view posts. If you want to become a member of this website, just click on the 'Sign-In' link on the menu bar for more information. Cheers, Rob.

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, May 07, 2023 at 11:11:42 ADT.)

Sunday, May 07, 2023

HO SCALE: Detroit Connecting RR (Detroit, MI)

Back in May of 2020, I was contacted by a member of my JoMRD Facebook group who was trying to building a reasonable representation of the Detroit Connecting Railroad (reporting mark DCON). The DCON is a Class III shortline railroad owned by the Adrian and Blissfield Rail Road, which began its freight operations in December 1998 with 2¼ miles...

Views: 705 | Comments: 2

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, April 28, 2023 at 1:57:54 ADT.)

Friday, April 28, 2023

HO SCALE: Meteghan Valley Railway

This HO scale design was done for a client back in September of 2011. The bench work had already been in place from a previous layout, and although I was given some leeway to change it, I decided to keep it as built. Most of the shelves were 24-inches wide, and I think that is overkill for shelf layouts and adds too much unneeded space...

Views: 638 | Comments: 2

---

---

Posted in Articles by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, April 10, 2023 at 9:53:05 ADT.)

Monday, April 10, 2023

ARTICLE: Grain Handling and Storage Facilities, by Chad Thomas

Many of us have driven through the countryside and have seen those tall steel structures with long pipes going over to tall galvanized or concrete structures. How many of you actually know what these structures are and their purpose? Why are there different sizes? Why are there so many different structures? In this article I hope to answer...

Views: 855 | Comments: 6

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 16:52:27 ADT.)

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

HO SCALE: Maine Central

I was asked by a member of a rail group that I belong to, to do a freelanced end of branch line HO layout based on the Maine Central to fit his 18-inch by 8-foot space. The layout owner wanted the design to include an interchange with the Bangor and Aroostook and a few online industries to switch including a...

Views: 5968 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town, USA (Regions): New England, American Railways: Boston & Maine RR

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 18:44:05 ADT.)

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

HO SCALE: Barchester on the Pennsylvania Railroad, by Robert (Robin) Mountenay

Back in August of 2019, I designed an HO scale L-shaped layout to fit in a corner of Robert (Robin) Mountenay's basement space. Since that time, Robin has transformed my original design into what is quickly becoming a beautiful piece of 3D artwork. It has been absolutely amazing watching the layout progress from empty bench work to finished scenes. The layout depicts the fictional town of Barchester on a fictional branch line of Pennsylvania Railroad during the summer of 1949. The layout was just featured in the 90th anniversary issue of Railroad Model Craftsman (March 2023) and I am collaborating with Robin on an article for Model Railroad Planning 2024. Before the RMC issue went to press, Robin asked me to create an updated version of the track plan, now that the types and names of industries and structures had been finalized. Here is the final draft of that revised track plan. In the near future, I will also put together a layout tour of the layout.

Views: 709 | Comments: 3

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 20:14:00 AST.)

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

On30 SCALE: Mitchell Quarry & Stone Company

Back in October of 2019, a member of the Micro/Small Layouts Facebook Group asked for some track plans and ideas for railway that would serve a soapstone facility. The layout was to be done in On30 using Porters as motive power, and short (12') flatcar and gondolas for rolling stock. The layout was to have a footprint 12" to 16" wide by...

Views: 696 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, February 20, 2023 at 16:48:00 AST.)

Monday, February 20, 2023

HO SCALE: Aviston Switching District (ISL)

I created this HO-scale industrial switching layout (ISL) back in February of 2014, but never published it on my blog since the 3D work was never completed until now. Just in case you notice, the design is quite similar to the 1st draft of my recent Nova Scotia Railway layout. Although I think the track plan best fits in an 18-inch by 12-foot space...

Views: 1097 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, February 20, 2023 at 15:26:00 AST.)

Monday, February 20, 2023

N SCALE: New York & Greenwood Lake Railway (Passaic, NJ)

A member of my JoMRD Facebook Group wanted and N-scale layout based on the New York & Greenwood Lake Railway in Passaic, New Jersey to originally fit in a 1x6-foot space. After looking at his list of G&Ds and Google maps, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to squeeze it all in that footprint. After voicing my concerns, the member...

Views: 840 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, February 20, 2023 at 15:13:00 AST.)

Monday, February 20, 2023

HO SCALE: Angel Manufacturing & Fabrication Company (HO Scale)

After John (A member of my JoMRD Facebook page) made a post talking about what could be modeled in a 9x60-inch space, I started wondering myself. Along with his post, John also included a very simplistic track plan and attributed the original design to Bill Livingstone from back in the late 1940s. John also felt that the resulting track plan...

Views: 603 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 7:56:00 AST.)

Sunday, February 19, 2023

HO SCALE: Sweet Tooth Bakery & Milling Co

This is an HO Scale track plan I did for a client back in October of 2020. The footprint is 14x72 inches and the owner wanted a single industry layout with as many car spots as possible. He left the choice of the industry up to me, but he wanted to shuffle around covered hoppers and box cars, and possibly tank cars. I decided on depicting a...

Views: 2822 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Single Industry, Type: No Run-Around Track, Types of Industries: Bakeries

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, February 17, 2023 at 16:25:00 AST.)

Friday, February 17, 2023

HO SCALE: Seaboard Air Line (Paper Mill)

Back in June of 2021, a member of my JoMRD Facebook group requested a paper mill to fit his 13x78 inch space done in HO scale and set in the 1950s to mid-1960s era. I knew from the beginning that the space was not ideal to represent an entire paper mill complex, so I had to choose what I was going to included. In the end, I settled on...

Views: 681 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, February 17, 2023 at 10:20:00 AST.)

Friday, February 17, 2023

On30 SCALE: Bishop Creek & Sierra Railroad

This On30 scale layout was developed for a member of the RR-Line Forums back in 2017. The bench work was already built in the room as a series of modules to make any future moves easier. The track was to be hand-laid with #5 Fast Track turnouts using Micro Engineering code 83 rail. He planned to use an minimum curve radius of 24-inches on the...

Views: 443 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, February 17, 2023 at 7:08:00 AST.)

Friday, February 17, 2023

HO SCALE: Silver Star Mining & Railway Company

Simplicity is the first step on the road to believability in layout design, and I feel it is always a good idea to respect the KISS principle, and this design lives up to that principle. This HO scale track plan was done for a client back in February 2008 who wanted to depict an end of line station on an ore mining branch set somewhere in a south...

Views: 412 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, February 17, 2023 at 0:06:00 AST.)

Friday, February 17, 2023

HO SCALE: New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board, New Orleans (LA)

This is my take on a track plan for the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board plant in New Orleans (LA) which was posted to my JoMRD Facebook group by Tony Creamer on November 12th. I always wanted to design a layout for an outside corner, since it was a configuration I don't think I have ever used for a layout in the past. The way the...

Views: 405 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 23:20:00 AST.)

Thursday, February 16, 2023

HO SCALE: Cass County Railroad in Logansport, Indiana by Tom Johnson

I was asked recently by Tom Johnson to sketch up a track plan for his bedroom-sized Cass County Railroad. The layout depicts the town of Logansport, Indiana during the autumn of 1978, and is built around three walls of his U-shaped 11'4" x 10" x 8' space. Tom used Peco Code 83 track with a minimum radius of 24 inches and #6 turnouts. Staging is...

Views: 664 | Comments: 0

---