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Design Feature: Continuous Run Option
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, June 02, 2022 at 23:47:53 ADT.)
Thursday, June 02, 2022
N SCALE: Central Alberta Railway (A Beginner's Layout)
Back in August of 2018, I had a request to do a prairie branch line in N-scale that had to include a simple grain elevator scene, and a small rural town scene. The client left it up to me the exact dimension of the layout, but he wanted it as small as possible. He also wanted Atlas code 55 track used, and he insisted on having...
Views: 3765 | Comments: 9
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Fiddle Track, Theme: Branch Line Railway, Type: Beginner Layout, Canada (Provinces): Alberta, Articles: Operating Small Layouts
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...
Views: 1380 | 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 Monday, October 14, 2019 at 21:21:33 ADT.)
Monday, October 14, 2019
HO SCALE: Engine Terminal, Small Yard, Coal Mine and Steel Trestle
As a rule I dislike island style layouts because I believe the space can be better utilized when also taking the access requirements into consideration. So, I usually try to convince my clients that they should consider other options for the room, which usually is an around the walls type layout. However, my persuasion...
Views: 1553 | Comments: 4
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Design Feature: Freight Yard (Small), Design Feature: Round House, Layout Size: Small Layouts, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Type: Beginner Layout
Posted in Articles by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 20:00:23 ADT.)
Sunday, October 23, 2022
ARTICLE: Operating possibilities on a small, continuous run layout
This design was part of a double deck N-scale layout using hollow core doors, done for a member of another railway group in 2010. The upper deck represented an unrelated coal mining branch in British Columbia, and was a very simple design. The upper deck/door was supported by sides made of ¾" plywood, and the backdrop...
Views: 2269 | Comments: 4
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Canada (Provinces): Alberta, Articles: Operating Small Layouts
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, October 14, 2019 at 18:33:00 ADT.)
Monday, October 14, 2019
HO SCALE: Aberystwith & Welsh Coast Railway
I have always had great admiration for British modelers, and I am continuously impressed with how much they seem to do with a space, no matter how limited. Some of the scenes depicted on these small layouts are many of my favourite modeled scenes. Back in November of 2016, I decided to design a UK inspired layout, and...
Views: 1098 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Branch Line Railway, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Other: United Kingdom, British Railways: Aberystwith & Welsh Coast Ry, Types of Industries: Wharves
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, June 27, 2022 at 9:45:09 ADT.)
Monday, June 27, 2022
On30 SCALE: Black Sand Mining & Timber Railroad
For me, one of the most enjoyable side effects of designing layouts is learning new things. And while designing this layout, I learned a lot over the last month and a half. For starters, I never knew that Platinum could be recovered from beach sand. And since I had to build the equipment required to do that in 3D, I also had to learn how...
Views: 1877 | Comments: 2
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Mining, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, Theme: Single Industry, Theme: Waterfront, USA (States): Oregon
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, January 01, 2020 at 9:13:00 AST.)
Wednesday, January 01, 2020
HO SCALE: Canadian Atlantic RR
This design for the Canadian Atlantic Railroad System (since renamed the Canadian Atlantic Railway) was started back in early February of 2019, for a friend of mine. The layout was to be done in HO-scale and would depict a prototype-freelanced line set in the present day. Although the layout owner had a list of G&Ds that he wanted to...
Views: 1125 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Canada (Provinces): New Brunswick, Canada (Provinces): Nova Scotia, Canada (Provinces): Prince Edward Island
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 04, 2020 at 8:31:00 AST.)
Saturday, January 04, 2020
HO SCALE: Burlington Northern in 3D
This layout was done in October of 2018 for a client that had an entire basement at his disposal, but decide to start small in one corner of his space. He was not very interested in operations, so he just wanted a layout where he could watch trains run through scenery and over a few bridges. I added a coal mine and wood chip loader to offer...
Views: 1361 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Mainline Trains, Theme: Scenic (Bridges), USA (Regions): Northwest, American Railways: Burlington Northern
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 15:50:56 ADT.)
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
HO SCALE: Redwood Lumber & Timber Co
This layout was originally designed for a client a few years ago. His space was more limited than what I show here, so I reworked the plan to relax the design a bit. For a small layout, it packs a lot of scenic punch. Operations consist of Shays hauling logs from the loading point at Camp #1 down to the sawmill. Non-geared locos then handle the finished lumber from the mill to the wharf for export.
Views: 2376 | Comments: 2
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Small Layouts, Theme: Logging Railway, Types of Industries: Logging Camps, Types of Industries: Sawmills
Posted in Articles by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, December 02, 2022 at 21:12:05 AST.)
Friday, December 02, 2022
ARTICLE: Branch line operations on a 4x8 sheet of plywood in HO Scale
Back in April of 2019, I was asked to design a HO-scale layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood based on the same operating scheme that I proposed for use with my Central Alberta Railway (CARY) design. For those not familiar with my CARY track plan, it was an N-scale layout I designed back in 2010 using a hollow core door. How that layout was operated was partly inspired...
Views: 10496 | Comments: 6
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Branch Line Railway, Canada (Provinces): Ontario, Canadian Railways: Canadian National Ry, Articles: Operating Small Layouts
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 11:45:00 AST.)
Saturday, February 29, 2020
HO SCALE: Delaware & Hudson RR (4th Subdivision)
This design was done back on October of 2017 for a client from Switzerland. The benchwork for the layout was all ready in placed, but the owner was willing to make some minor changes of needed. One of his favorite lines was the 4th Subdivision of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad which ran along Lake Champlain between Rouses Point...
Views: 1294 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Mainline Trains, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): New York, American Railways: Delaware & Hudson RR
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, March 08, 2020 at 15:43:00 ADT.)
Sunday, March 08, 2020
On30 SCALE: Crooked Mountain Railway
This design was done back in February of 2018 for a member of the Railroad Line Forums who was looking for ideas for an On30 layout to fit on a 36"x6'8" hollow-core door in his office. The layout owner wanted a continuous run with a few sidings, however, he was more interested in watching trains run during the workday, than operating the layout. I adapted...
Views: 1495 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, USA (Regions): Southwest
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, February 03, 2021 at 7:33:24 AST.)
Wednesday, February 03, 2021
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...
Views: 3343 | 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 Saturday, May 09, 2020 at 14:05:00 ADT.)
Saturday, May 09, 2020
This design was done back in February of 2018 for a member of the Railroad Line Forum. He was looking for a continuous run layout (with a few sidings) to fit on a 36" x 6'8" hallow core door in On30. Although the layout owner just wanted to watch the trains run around the loop, I also decided to allow for plenty of opportunity for some...
Views: 1139 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway
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...
Views: 2286 | 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