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CATEGORY: Layout Designs

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, March 15, 2021 at 21:37:36 ADT.)

Monday, March 15, 2021

HO SCALE: Glen Oak (End of Line Station)

I started this layout for a Facebook friend of mine back in October of 2018, but I didn't get around to putting the finishing touches on it until February 2019. While the layout has a relatively small footprint, it packs a lot of punch-both operationally and visually-in the small space...

2019.10.14D-001.gif (22298 bytes)

Views: 10232 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 17:12:04 AST.)

Thursday, March 11, 2021

HO SCALE: Lakeshore Industrial Spurs ( Mid-West Setting )

This layout was designed back in September of 2018 for another member of a railway forum I joined. The client wanted a very modern layout with only a few large online industries set in the mid-west. I tried to get as much variety in rolling stock as possible, while making the structures very visually appealing. The 16" wide shelves...

2020.03.08I-001.gif (33831 bytes)

Views: 4650 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations, USA (Regions): Mid-West



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 13:14:37 AST.)

Thursday, February 18, 2021

HO SCALE: Armadillo Lumber Company

This 1920 era HO scale layout was designed for a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts Facebook group and his freelanced Armadillo Lumber Company set in east Texas. The owner only wanted the layout to include a sawmill with log pond and a engine repair house. However, as you can see, I kind of expanded a bit on the theme. Since I have...

2020.02.22D-001.gif (45761 bytes)

Views: 4899 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Logging Railway, Theme: Single Industry, USA (States): Texas, Types of Industries: Sawmills



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 3:56:00 AST.)

Sunday, February 14, 2021

On18 SCALE: Fugere Manufacturing & Fabrication, Limited (Concept Drawing)

Late last year, a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layout group was discussing building a layout in On18 scale. Since I had never designed in that scale before, I contacted him about designing a layout in a small space using either a sector plate, or a transverse table. While trying to decide what I was going to do in the scale, I came...

2021.02.14C-001.gif (51020 bytes)

Views: 694 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Design Feature: Train Elevator, Layout Size: Micro Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Single Industry, Type: No Run-Around Track, Types of Industries: Manufacturing Plant



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 3:04:00 AST.)

Sunday, February 14, 2021

On30 SCALE: Gowrie Colliery Tramway (No Turnout Layout)

I'm in the process of writing an article for my blog that highlights and explains some different types of micro and small layouts and how they are operated. I plan to start with a very simple layout, and then increase the complexity as the article progresses. I will try to go into detail on how I see each one being operated, and the options that can be...

2021.02.14B-001.gif (24965 bytes)

Views: 1034 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Micro Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Mining, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, Theme: Waterfront, Type: No Run-Around Track, Type: No Turnout Layout, Types of Industries: Coal Mines, Types of Industries: Wharves



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 2:02:00 AST.)

Sunday, February 14, 2021

O SCALE: Pickering Valley Feed & Farm Supply Co.

I was asked by member of the Micro/Small Layout group to offer some suggestions for an 20x72-inch extension off his existing circa late 1950's O-scale layout. He wanted to keep trackage to a minimum with an industry suitable for Pennsylvania , southern New York, or West Virginia that was served by box cars and flat cars....

2021.02.14A-001.gif (35732 bytes)

Views: 1169 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Micro Layouts, Theme: Single Industry, Type: 1 Turnout Layout, Type: No Run-Around Track, USA (States): Pennsylvania



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, February 09, 2021 at 7:40:32 AST.)

Tuesday, February 09, 2021

N SCALE: Western Maryland Railway

The owner of this design didn't really have one prototype in mind, instead, he wanted a generic layout with a few big online mines that would allow him to run whatever he liked, but mostly coal drags. The layout had to have a staging yard, an interchange with another railway, and also allowances for continuous running. My client didn't have an exact location in mind, but he did mention somewhere around...

2019.10.12K-001.gif (69895 bytes)

Views: 1375 | Comments: 1

TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Coal Haulers, Theme: Mainline Trains, USA (States): West Virginia, American Railways: Western Maryland Ry, Types of Industries: Coal Mines



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, February 03, 2021 at 7:33:24 AST.)

Wednesday, February 03, 2021

N SCALE: North Kensington

I was asked by a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts to do a single town scene in N-scale on a hollow core door. However, by the time I had finally gotten around to designing the layout, the member had left the group, so I never made contact again. I decided to go ahead with the design anyway, but I didn't put as much detail or effort into...

2020.05.09G-001.gif (38813 bytes)

Views: 3334 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Single Station / Town



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 15:46:30 AST.)

Sunday, January 31, 2021

O SCALE: Canadian Pacific Rail Barge Scene in Proto48

Here is something a little different. It is a 3'x10' layout (with a staging cassette added) done in O-scale of a rail barge operation. One possible locale for the scene would be on the Canadian Pacific somewhere in British Columbia in the mid 1970s. If I was doing the layout, I would try using Proto48 standards, since I...

2019.10.14B-001.gif (30682 bytes)

Views: 1805 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Type: 3 Turnout Layout, Type: Beginner Layout, Type: No Run-Around Track, Canada (Provinces): British Columbia, Canadian Railways: Canadian Pacific Ry



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 14:10:22 AST.)

Thursday, December 31, 2020

HO SCALE: Port Carbon Industrial Railway (with Car Float)

Back in March 2018, there was some talk on a railway forum about using car floats/ferries as staging on a small layout to make it a "stand alone" design. Since many people are very limited when it comes to layout space, they may not even have any additional room for staging. With that in mind, it is always good to have an option of...

2020.05.09E-001.gif (18069 bytes)

Views: 1958 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Types of Industries: Wharves



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, November 04, 2020 at 9:41:50 AST.)

Wednesday, November 04, 2020

HO SCALE: Terminal & Tidewater Switching

I started this more or less for fun back in February of 2018, just to see what I could do. It was inspired by an article in the September 1947 issue of The Model Railroader. ["Terminal and Tidewater Switching Facilities Give This Layout an Interesting Touch" by Charles Small. MR, Sept., 1947, page 725.] While the article...

2020.01.01H-001.gif (31801 bytes)

Views: 8964 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations, Theme: Terminal Railway, Theme: Waterfront



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, October 31, 2020 at 21:12:01 ADT.)

Saturday, October 31, 2020

N SCALE: Railserve (Murfreesboro, TN)

This is a bit different from my usually designs: it is a track-for-track copy of an actual industry served by Railserve, Inc. (Railserve is a contract railroad services company that that provides in-plant railcar switching for over 70 companies in North America.) This layout is based on the General Mills' Pillsbury Plant in...

2019.10.13H-001.gif (11359 bytes)

Views: 1704 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Small Layouts, Theme: Single Industry, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Tennessee, American Railways: Railserve



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, October 31, 2020 at 7:07:35 ADT.)

Saturday, October 31, 2020

HO SCALE: Soo Line Branch Line

Back in July of 2017, a member of a railway forum offered to send me something that I still needed for my On30 layout in exchange for my layout design services. At the time, I had pretty much all the motive power, rolling stock, and track that I needed, so I explain the situation, thanked him for the generous offer, and assumed that was the end of it. However, he...

2020.03.08K-001.gif (60644 bytes)

Views: 1689 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Branch Line Railway, American Railways: Soo Line



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, October 08, 2020 at 9:08:34 ADT.)

Thursday, October 08, 2020

HO SCALE: Cunningham's Gap (Single Station)

This is another design for a single station layout, and it was originally designed as two potable modules for a model railroading club. Back in the 1990s, I had been involved in a joint project with the club to develop some standards for their modular bench work system. The original standard called for 24-inch wide modules as a minimum, but...

2019.10.12L-001.gif (16604 bytes)

Views: 2178 | Comments: 0

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



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, August 22, 2020 at 8:53:02 ADT.)

Saturday, August 22, 2020

HO SCALE: Prairie Branch Line Railway

This design was just completed for a client that wanted to model a prairie branch line railway located somewhere in the province Saskatchewan. My client sees it as a former Canadian National line that was cast off during the 1990s, and its main customer is an ethanol plant at the end of the branch. The owner had a lot of structures already...

2020.05.18A-001.gif (55887 bytes)

Views: 1547 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Canadian Prairies, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Canada (Provinces): Saskatchewan, Types of Industries: Ethanol Plant

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