NOTE: Since the excessive spamming continues to be a problem, I am left with no other option but to continue showing approved comments only. So, if you leave a comment on my blog, you will not be able to view it until it is approved by me, which may take a few days. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Type: No Run-Around Track
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 12:34:00 ADT.)
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...
Views: 906 | 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 Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 15:46:30 AST.)
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...
Views: 904 | 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 Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 6:06:12 AST.)
HO SCALE: Florida Central Railroad
This HO-scale Florida Central RR design was done for a client back in March of 2019 that wanted a small layout based on an industrial park in Orlando, Florida. I was very impressed with the possibilities in the area depicted on the layout; the curves are sharp and the equipment is modern, making for quite a contrast. Many buildings have rounded...
Views: 1979 | Comments: 2
TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Single Station / Town, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), Type: No Run-Around Track, USA (States): Flordia, American Railways: Florida Central RR
Posted in Articles by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 23:25:15 AST.)
ARTICLE: A case study in the minimalist approach
There was some talk on a Facebook group where I am a member about taking a minimalist approach to layout design. I welcomed the debate because it is a trend that I do believe should be followed when designing a layout. As others had mentioned during the discussions, taking a minimalist approach can be very rewarding, if you also take the time...
Views: 2323 | Comments: 15
TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Theme: Single Station / Town, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), Type: No Run-Around Track, USA (States): Wisconsin, American Railways: Escanaba & Lake Superior RR, Articles: Minimalist Approach to Layout Design
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, January 05, 2020 at 9:57:00 AST.)
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: 2361 | Comments: 0
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 Monday, February 08, 2021 at 12:59:13 AST.)
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: 2470 | Comments: 6
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 Sunday, January 19, 2020 at 11:22:00 AST.)
G-SCALE (1:22.5): Riverside Brick & Clay Company
This design was done for a member of a Facebook small layout group, who was trying to decide between a small switching layout in G-scale, or a traction layout done in O-scale. Of course, I like a good challenge, so offer to mock something up in G-scale for him. This was actually my first attempt at designing something in G-scale for...
Views: 557 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Single Industry, Type: 2 Turnout Layout, Type: No Run-Around Track, Types of Industries: Brick Works
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 9:05:00 AST.)
HOn30 SCALE: Marble Mountain Quarry Company
I was asked by Marshall Stull to come up with an entry for a challenge he has opened on his Small Model Railroads website. The challenge was to design a micro layout to fit in 13" x 9" x 9" helmet display case that he had just purchased. Since I have never designed a layout for such a small space, I was intrigued by the idea...
Views: 618 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Layout Size: Micro Layouts, Staging Options: Turn Table (Train Length), Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Single Industry, Theme: Waterfront, Type: 3 Turnout Layout, Type: No Run-Around Track, Types of Industries: Quarries
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 14:30:00 AST.)
N SCALE: Central & Eastern Railroad (A beginner's layout)
Back in March of 2018, I was asked by a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group to help design a minimalist layout with a beginner in mind. The design was to be done in N-scale, and had to fit a 11.5" x 36" space (the size of a 1x12-inch plank) and be based on an Inglenook design. The layout would be set in the American Southwest...
Views: 853 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Layout Size: Micro Layouts, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Switching Operations, Type: 2 Turnout Layout, Type: Beginner Layout, Type: Inglenook, Type: No Run-Around Track, USA (Regions): Southwest
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, February 03, 2020 at 20:11:24 AST.)
HO SCALE: Sweeney Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
Along with posting my track plans to this blog, I am also going thru my old structure files and trying to upgrade them to my current standards. This morning I found an old file that contained some rough measurement for a brick building that would make a good 1950's era factory or manufacturing company. The 2-story building measures 24-feet by 72-feet and...
Views: 711 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Drop Down, Theme: Single Industry, Type: 1 Turnout Layout, Type: Beginner Layout, Type: No Run-Around Track, Type: Tuning Fork, Types of Industries: Factories