View by Category

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.


CATEGORY: Layout Designs

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 22:21:59 ADT.)

Thursday, March 14, 2024

HO SCALE: West 28th Street Erie terminal on Manhattan

Back in February of 2018 I was asked to design a layout based on Baltimore & Ohio's West 26th Street terminal on Manhattan. After completing that track plan, I decided to tackle another similar design. I finally settled on Erie's West 28th Street terminal. The design was a lot more straight forward to duplicate than the B&O one, but of course...

2020.02.22C-001.gif (21644 bytes)

Views: 1971 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Theme: Switching Operations, Theme: Terminal Railway, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): New York, American Railways: Erie RR



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at 22:40:45 ADT.)

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

HO SCALE: Soo Line (Branch Line & Interchange)

This concept design was done back in March of 2018 for an owner of a partially completed N-scale pike who has grown weary of the level of operations required on the layout. The N-scale layout occupied this space, but had been dormant for a few years. The owner was considering moving up to HO, and from modeling mainline operations to a more...

2020.05.09L-001.gif (58747 bytes)

Views: 1813 | Comments: 8

TAGS: Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Branch Line Railway, American Railways: Soo Line



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 18:31:56 ADT.)

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

HO SCALE: Canadian National (End of Line Prairie Town)

Back in 2017, I had been inspired by a member of a railway forum that was modeling a Soo branch line on a mini HO-scale layout. Since that time, I had taken a keen interest in modeling Prairie towns and grain elevators operations. So I began designing some small modules depicting small stations, with grain operations...

2019.10.14H-001.gif (24573 bytes)

Views: 7018 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Canadian Prairies, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town, Canadian Railways: Canadian National Ry



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, March 03, 2024 at 8:16:29 AST.)

Sunday, March 03, 2024

HO SCALE: Sugar River Railroad

A member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layout Facebook group requested a HO scale layout featuring an end-of-the-line station to fill his 55x80 inch space. The proto-freelanced short line railroad would be located in South-central, or South-west Wisconsin during the transition era. The member wanted the layout to include ...

2021.06.26A-001.gif (41411 bytes)

Views: 2124 | Comments: 6

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Station / Town



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, January 07, 2024 at 11:35:06 AST.)

Sunday, January 07, 2024

On30 SCALE: Cat Mountain Line

These two 2'x4' On30 portable modules were done for a client's freelanced Cat Mountain Line. The narrow gauge railway runs from a small seaport out into the mountains to a mine in the pacific northwest sometime between 1930 and 1950. My client wanted the layout to include a pier, single track car ferry, mine, simple...

2019.10.12D-001.gif (45534 bytes)

Views: 1758 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Design Feature: Modular Benchwork, Design Feature: Switch-Back, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Mining, Theme: Waterfront, Type: No Run-Around Track, Types of Industries: Coal Mines, Types of Industries: Wharves



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 19:19:47 AST.)

Thursday, December 28, 2023

HO SCALE: Rumington Industrial District

Back in December of 2021, a member on my JoMRD Facebook group, Gary Ruming (I named the track plan for him), 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...

2023.02.17F-[AB].jpg (180448 bytes)

Views: 1064 | Comments: 2



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, December 04, 2023 at 21:08:24 AST.)

Monday, December 04, 2023

HO SCALE: L-Shaped Modern Industry (ISL)

This was done as part of a challenge on the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts Facebook group to design a HO-scale layout to fit in a 6'x6' corner. For this attempt, I decide to go with a modern single industry. Although I didn't specify the type of industry depicted, it could easily work for a few types. The plan is self- contained, with a reasonable sized...

2020.03.08B-001.gif (37218 bytes)

Views: 4424 | Comments: 1

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Industry, Theme: Switching Operations, Type: No Run-Around Track



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 15:15:53 AST.)

Sunday, November 26, 2023

HO SCALE: Burnside Industrial Park (ISL)

Back in October of 2019, a client asked if I could design a modern switching layout for him in his very limited space. He then proceeded to say that he wanted a layout to fit in his 2x4-foot space, and he was wondering what I could do with it. Now, if you know me, I am always up for a challenge, but I also knew that such a space was...

2020.02.22A-001.gif (14938 bytes)

Views: 3698 | Comments: 8

TAGS: Design Feature: Folding Designs, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 19:14:54 ADT.)

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

HO SCALE: Pel-State Industrial Lead

This modern era design was done for a client who is a professional railroader that wanted a modern era proto-freelance layout based on two industrial spurs in Shreveport, Louisiana where he works. The layout room was 10'6" x 11'6" and had a closet that needed access, but I could use a lift-out across both doorways. There are still a few...

2020.05.09O-001.gif (90270 bytes)

Views: 2238 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Small Layouts, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Louisiana



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, October 06, 2023 at 5:24:00 ADT.)

Friday, October 06, 2023

N SCALE: Norfolk Southern (Switching Layout)

This is a modern-era freelance Norfolk Southern N-scale switching layout loosely based on NS lines in eastern Pennsylvania. The track plan is designed to fit in a 8'8" x 11'8" L-shaped space using 18-wide shelves and 12-inch minimum radius. The design also has a continuous run option that will be used as...

2022.02.04B-001.gif (43134 bytes)

Views: 3301 | Comments: 8



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 6:30:48 ADT.)

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

HO SCALE: The Dixie Southern

The track plan was just completed for a client that wanted an HO-scale layout based on the Central of Georgia Railroad in south Georgia. It was to be based on the "what if" scenario that the Central of Georgia was still operating as an independent line in the 1970s. The L-shaped space was 6x10-foot and would fit along two walls of a small...

2023.02.21A-[AB].jpg (189664 bytes)

Views: 1164 | Comments: 2



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, September 08, 2023 at 20:00:14 ADT.)

Friday, September 08, 2023

O SCALE: Southside Connecting RR

One of the members of my JoMRD Facebook group was looking for an O-scale track plan to fit his 2x14-foot space. Since I hadn't designed very many O-scale switching layouts for a small space, I figured that I would give it a hook. After just a few attempts, I came up with a rough draft that I liked. The track plan has 11 car spots, and has room...

2023.02.16B-[AB].jpg (253448 bytes)

Views: 682 | Comments: 1



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, September 01, 2023 at 1:00:03 ADT.)

Friday, September 01, 2023

HO SCALE: Cascade Paper Recycling Plant

This track plan was done for a client back in December of 2021. 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 type up to...

2023.02.21D-[AB].jpg (205415 bytes)

Views: 1216 | Comments: 0



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 19:13:49 ADT.)

Saturday, August 26, 2023

HO SCALE: Lake Superior Railway & Navigation

This modern-day HO scale layout was done for member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group and his Lake Superior Railway & Navigation layout which is based on GN, DM&IR, and SOO on Michigan's upper peninsula. The owner wanted a car float and lumber transfer warehouses included in the design. I also threw in a small grain elevator (which could be bigger)...

2020.01.25K-001.gif (22178 bytes)

Views: 2803 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Staging Options: Drop Down, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Theme: Yard Operations, USA (States): Michigan



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, June 06, 2023 at 15:19:52 ADT.)

Tuesday, June 06, 2023

HO SCALE: Brownville & Ashland Railway

This design was done back in February of 2019 for a client who had plenty of high end custom locos and freight cars that he wanted to showcase on the layout. The layout was to depict a modern day paper mill setting in a remote part of Northern Maine. Boxcars would transport raw pulp wood and bales of recycled scrap paper into the mill...

2020.01.05B-001.gif (28156 bytes)

Views: 4301 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Drop Down, Theme: Single Industry, Type: No Run-Around Track, USA (States): Maine, Types of Industries: Pulp and Paper Mills

BACK12345678910111213NEXT