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 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...

Views: 4347 | 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

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, May 26, 2023 at 8:45:44 ADT.)

Friday, May 26, 2023

HO SCALE: Westbury (Urban Industrial Area)

This design has a bit of a back story to it. Back in March of 2017, a client of mine was looking for suggestions for an urban industrial area on his HO scale layout. His only request was that the area must include a few tall brick buildings, and have a downtown small city feel to it. After searching online for a few ideas...

Views: 3605 | Comments: 8

TAGS: Design Feature: Urban Scenery, Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Single Station / Town

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 14:11:26 ADT.)

Sunday, May 21, 2023

HO SCALE: Vandelay Industries (Single Industry Inglenook)

This HO-scale design was done for a client that wanted a small layout that he could practice his skills on before attempting a larger layout. He wanted a design that included as many aspects of modeling in a small space as I could possibly squeeze in. Initially, he only wanted to use a 12-inch x 60-inch board, but I convinced him to move up...

Views: 5178 | Comments: 10

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Single Industry, Type: 2 Turnout Layout, Type: Beginner Layout, Type: Inglenook, Type: No Run-Around Track

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 2:03:58 ADT.)

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

HO Scale: Hiseler-Johnston Manufacturing & Fabrication Co. Ltd.

This was done for a client back in January 2018. The original was done in a 4-foot long space with an hidden 36-long sector plate. But for this version, I used a 3-way turnout to eliminate the sector plate. I had started the 3D work back in 2018, but it was never completed until recently. This is a pretty relaxed plan with lots of room for...

Views: 790 | Comments: 0

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 8:04:49 ADT.)

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

HO SCALE: Coastal Industrial Park

This design was done for a friend of mine that really liked my Northside Industrial Park track plan, which done in a 1'4" x 9'0" footprint. My friend had a shelf that was 2'0" x 16'0", so a great deal of extra square footage was added to the original after the expansion. With more width available, I was also able to...

Views: 1395 | Comments: 2

---

---

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, May 07, 2023 at 11:14:07 ADT.)

Sunday, May 07, 2023

On30 / On2 / Sn2 SCALE: Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad

Anyone that is familiar with my interests will know that I have a fondness for Maine 2-footers. While the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway is my favourite (and I also have another unfinished design based on that line as well) this design is of the longest 2-footer: the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad (SR&RL). This is another design that...

Views: 1043 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Design Feature: Helix, Layout Size: Large Layouts, Theme: Maine 2-Footers, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Maine, American Railways: Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes RR

---

---

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: 576 | 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: 489 | Comments: 2

---

---

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: 5797 | 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: 552 | 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: 581 | 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: 936 | 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: 686 | 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: 497 | 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: 2604 | Comments: 3

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

---