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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 Monday, February 28, 2022 at 8:48:13 AST.)

Monday, February 28, 2022

HO SCALE: Falls Creek Siding (Prairie Branchline)

This freelance HO-scale switching layout was done for a client who was a bit vague when he filled out his G&Ds, so I had to fill in some of the blanks myself. The client wanted a layout that included grain, sand, oil, and a warehouse, but he didn't specify a location. In such a small space it would be hard to include...

2019.10.13I-001.gif (41125 bytes)

Views: 12579 | Comments: 20

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Fiddle Track, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Switching Operations, USA (Regions): Mid-West



Posted in Commentary by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 18:54:22 AST.)

Sunday, February 13, 2022

COMMENTARY: Sissiboo Lumber Company recreated in Trainz Railroad Simulator 2019

A shout-out to Ricardo (Rico) Kutz who recreated my Sn3 scale Sissiboo Lumber Company track plan in Trainz Railroad Simulator 2019. It took almost two months of on and off work for Rico to build the virtual layout. He also put together a 13-minute long promo video, that shows the layout very nicely. I was quite impressed with the details and effort Rico obviously put into the project. The video is available on YouTube.

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Views: 511 | Comments: 2



Posted in Layout Tours by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 13:10:00 AST.)

Thursday, February 10, 2022

LAYOUT TOUR: Port Haney Brick & Tile Company

I was asked to provide a few more photographs of the Port Haney Brick & Tile Company 10x14 inch micro layout I designed back in early 2020, and expertly built by David Fugere. I had to go looking, but I found a few more great photos of the layout.

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Views: 652 | Comments: 0



Posted in Layout Tours by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, February 08, 2022 at 9:47:00 AST.)

Tuesday, February 08, 2022

LAYOUT TOUR: Port Haney Brick & Tile Company (Construction Photos)

Back in January of 2020, I designed a track plan for the Marble Mountain Quarry Company, which was done in HOn30 to fit in a 9x13-inch display case. David Fugere decided to build a micro layout using the track plan, but he had to increase to increase the size to 10x14-inches, so he could use the equipment he had on hand. After seeing...

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Views: 552 | Comments: 0



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, February 06, 2022 at 1:36:55 AST.)

Sunday, February 06, 2022

Sn3 SCALE: Sissiboo Lumber Company

It had been quite some time since I did a track plan for a logging railway, so when a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group requested an logging themed layout done in Sn3 and set in the Pacific-Northwest, I knew that I would not be able to resist. The only problem was that doing the 3D vertical scenery required for such a layout takes a lot...

2021.06.27B-001.gif (42866 bytes)

Views: 2250 | Comments: 6

TAGS: Design Feature: Switch-Back, Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Logging Railway, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, USA (Regions): Northwest, Types of Industries: Logging Camps



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, February 04, 2022 at 21:27:00 AST.)

Friday, February 04, 2022

HO SCALE: New York Central (Eastbrooke Branch)

The is the freelanced Eastbrooke Branch owned and operated by the New York Central. My client want an HO-scale layout with 28-inch minimum radius on the mainline, to fit his 116"x118" space. The theme of the layout was to be an end of the line town with an small coal mine, set in either northern Pennsylvania, or southern New York...

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Views: 651 | Comments: 0



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, February 04, 2022 at 10:56:00 AST.)

Friday, February 04, 2022

On30 SCALE: Mosher's Stone Quarry & Cutting Mill

This was started back in October of 2021 for a client that wanted a stone cutting and finishing company done in On30 scale using a 15-inch minimum radius with PECO Setrack #2 turnouts. My client had a 7x8-foot corner space that could be used to depict the complex set somewhere in the 1920s to 1940s era range, using small locos and...

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Views: 646 | Comments: 0



Posted in Commentary by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, February 02, 2022 at 20:59:00 AST.)

Wednesday, February 02, 2022

COMMENTARY: Copyright Question and Fair Use

I was asked on my JoMRD Facebook group if it was considered an infringement of copyright or illegal to copy someone's designs from online without making changes to the track plan. For anyone with that same question, I will provide this reply. All the track plans posted to my blog are here for others to use as a starting point to...

Views: 512 | Comments: 0



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, February 01, 2022 at 16:21:52 AST.)

Tuesday, February 01, 2022

N SCALE: Brighton Avenue Industrial Spurs

About a month ago, a member of my JoMRD Facebook group was looking for ideas for an N-scale layout on a 1x8-foot board. He didn't want any more than 3 industries, so I suggested a modern shipping/receiving warehouse, a food processing plant, and a transload/team track. The track plan I suggested was only done in 2D, but it gave a good...

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Views: 1265 | Comments: 3



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, January 31, 2022 at 7:09:00 AST.)

Monday, January 31, 2022

HO SCALE: Nova Scotia Railway (NSRY)

I decide that I was going to start 2022 by finally building a small switching layout for myself. So on Christmas Eve, a 1x12 foot shelf was attached to a wall in my old photography studio, using two hollow core doors. I then started going back thru some of my old designs, and stumbled on a layout I designed back in August of 2018...

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Views: 765 | Comments: 0



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, January 31, 2022 at 6:27:00 AST.)

Monday, January 31, 2022

HO SCALE: Cascade Paper Recycling Plant

This track plan was done for a client back in December. When he contacted me, he was looking for a pulp and paper mill to fit in his 18x84-inch space. He also dropped a bit of a challenge on me to squeeze in as much track as I could, since his interests focused mainly on switching puzzles in the past. Since my client left the track...

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Views: 1054 | Comments: 0



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 16:47:00 AST.)

Sunday, January 30, 2022

HO SCALE: Rumington Industrial District

Back in December of 2021, a member of my JoMRD Facebook group introduced me to the Pompano spur in Florida, and I gave him some feedback and help with a track plan to fit his 66x96-inch space on 12-inch wide shelf. I was quite impressed with the area depicted in the prototype, and I wanted to create a layout for a generic industrial park based on...

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Views: 1039 | Comments: 0



Posted in Information Request by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 12:25:45 AST.)

Saturday, January 29, 2022

INFO REQUEST: Arbegust Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad (Louisville, KY)

After putting out a request for more information on the Philip Morris Cigarette Plant, Chris Broughton put me in touch with Bob Dawson, who is a local historian in the Louisville (KY) area. Bob provided a few details that helped me track down some other sources of information, and he also introduced me to the Arbegust Branch of the...

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Views: 1025 | Comments: 2

TAGS: USA (States): Kentucky, American Railways: Pennsylvania Railroad, Articles: Railway You Can Model



Posted in Resources by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, January 28, 2022 at 19:38:04 AST.)

Friday, January 28, 2022

RESOURCES: Some Good SHortline, Industrial & Terminal Railroads

Years ago, Model Railroader used to have special features titled "Railroads You Can Model." They were very popular articles that covered Class 1 to Class 3 railroads, but the series ended for whatever reason. I joined forces with Mike Kieran, and we are hoping to bring back that approach to our hobby, so we created a Facebook group call "Some Good SHortline, Industrial & Terminal Railroads."

We are trying to consolidate modeling information into one group so that we can make it easier to gather and share information. Many of the short lines that we will discuss have no, or very little information out there, but we will also discuss modeling freelanced short lines and their inspiration.

Our main focus are class 3 short lines with a information on traffic served. How much traffic? What kinds of freight cars. What did the industries do? We also want to know the railroad's history. How did the railroad come to be. Why did it shut down? In short, we are planning to go in depth about obscure and interesting operations, both past and present.

Eventually, that information will be made part of my blog, once enough background information has been collected. If you want to be part of the process, or contribute to this interesting project, please join our public Facebook group.

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LINK: Some Good SHortline, Industrial & Terminal Railroads

Views: 624 | Comments: 0



Posted in Commentary by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, January 28, 2022 at 12:55:11 AST.)

Friday, January 28, 2022

COMMENTARY: Pizza Thursday?

Pizza? It comes in a lot of different styles ... fits a lot of different tastes ... but we all have to make a choice when ordering one ... green peppers? Anchovies?? Extra cheese??? Thick crust???? The list is endless ... hundreds of combinations ... each one tailored to make that one pizza the best choice for us. But one thing most will probably...

Views: 579 | Comments: 4

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