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Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, December 03, 2019 at 6:53:01 AST.)
Tuesday, December 03, 2019
HO SCALE: Pembroke & Western RR
This is based on a design that I did for a friend back in 2009. I had to reconfigure the plan to fit a 10'-6" x 12'-6" room, but it is very close to the original. The owner wanted a point-to-point mainline with some staging, a good variety of online industries, and space for a large coal mine. He wanted to use Atlas...
Views: 838 | Comments: 2
TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway
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: 1264 | 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 Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, October 13, 2019 at 14:56:00 ADT.)
Sunday, October 13, 2019
HO SCALE: Tallulah Falls Railway (Cornelia, GA, to Franklin, NC)
Back in October of 2014, I was asked by a member of a railway forum to help design a big basement layout based in the Tallulah Falls Railway in HO scale. The railway ran from Cornelia, GA, where it interchanged with the Southern Ry, to Franklin, NC. At first, the owner just wanted to model the line from Cornelia to...
Views: 836 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Layout Size: Large Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Georgia, USA (States): North Carolina, American Railways: Tallulah Falls Ry
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: 1877 | 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 Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 14:12:17 AST.)
Thursday, November 10, 2022
N SCALE: Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway
This layout was done back in 2000 for a client that was quite a railfan, and I just recently updated the design with some roughed in 3D scenery. The owner of the layout loved watching and taking photos of trains, especially those running through some of the most beautiful scenery along the Bras d'Or Lakes on Cape Island....
Views: 1065 | Comments: 6
TAGS: Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Mainline Trains, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Theme: Scenic (Bridges), Type: Based on Actual Location(s), Canada (Provinces): Nova Scotia, Canadian Railways: Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Ry
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: 850 | 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 11:13:00 AST.)
Saturday, January 04, 2020
HO SCALE: South Rochester & Eastern RR
This was done for a client who wanted a generic urban switching layout in a New England mill-town setting with just enough action for two operators. He had found a track plan online that he liked, and wanted it adapted for his slightly larger space. His list of Givens & Druthers included several large industries to work, and a minimal of track...
Views: 714 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Urban Scenery, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Theme: Waterfront, USA (Regions): New England
Posted in Articles by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 15:17:25 AST.)
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
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: 3789 | Comments: 18
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 Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 7:44:00 AST.)
Saturday, February 29, 2020
This design was done for a client back in May of 2018 who wanted an HO-scale layout to fit in his spare bedroom plus it's closet space. The layout was to be set in northern California sometime during the fall in the 1930s. Since this was my client's first room-sized layout, he didn't really want anything too complex, but he did...
Views: 910 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, USA (States): California, American Railways: Sacramento Northern
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 12:49:00 AST.)
Saturday, February 29, 2020
HO SCALE: Paducah & Tennessee Midland (Dredson Branch, Tennessee)
Back in September of 2018, I was asked by a member of a railway forum to design a small shelf layout to fit along two walls of his bedroom. The layout was to be based on the Dredson Branch of his Paducah & Tennessee Midland RR (P&TM) located near McKenzie, TN. Since the layout owner only had limited spare time to dedicate to...
Views: 2978 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Tennessee, Types of Industries: Clay Processing Plants
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 9:05:02 ADT.)
Sunday, May 29, 2022
HO SCALE: Kendallville Terminal RR
Back in August of 2018, I was asked to do a small layout based on the 1.1 mile long Kendallville Terminal RR in Indiana. After reading up on the line, I thought it would make an excellent choice for a small layout. I wanted to include all major features of the line if I could, and decided as a minimum that I had to include the Rush Street Yard; the salt...
Views: 6155 | Comments: 7
TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Sector Plate, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Theme: Single Station / Town, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), Type: Inglenook, Type: No Run-Around Track, USA (States): Indiana, American Railways: Kendallville Terminal RR
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, March 05, 2020 at 21:05:09 AST.)
Thursday, March 05, 2020
HO SCALE: Port Arthur Belt Line Ry
Back in August of 2017, I was contacted to do a modern industrial switching layout (ISL) for a 13'x15' room. However, instead of cramming the space with a lot of industrial tracks, I convinced the layout owner to go with more of a branch line feel that offer a good variety of car types, with some very nice scenery and a good variety of structures. I kept...
Views: 924 | Comments: 2
TAGS: Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, May 09, 2020 at 11:17:00 ADT.)
Saturday, May 09, 2020
HO SCALE: New England & Southern Railway
This is a rough draft (it still needs a lot of polish) of a design that I worked on for a client back in 2017. The client was interested in many aspects of the hobby including passenger train operations, mainline running, run thru and local traffic, online switching, and branch line operations. He also liked yard operations, but didn't want to...
Views: 711 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Freight Yard (Small), Design Feature: Helix, Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Branch Line Railway, Theme: Mainline Trains, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, USA (Regions): New England
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, May 09, 2020 at 12:22:00 ADT.)
Saturday, May 09, 2020
N SCALE: South Carolina Central RR (SCRF)
This N-scale design is based on the South Carolina Central RR, a class III railway that operates 42 miles of former CSX Transportation trackage in South Carolina, from the CSX interchange at Florence, to end of track at Bishopville. Primary commodities include agricultural products, chemicals, construction materials, fertilizers, minerals, plastics, pulp and paper, and steel and scrap. It handles about 30,000 carloads per year.
Views: 660 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Helix, Layout Size: Medium Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): South Carolina, American Railways: South Carolina Central RR
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 11:42:10 ADT.)
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
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: 1726 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Small Layouts, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Louisiana