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Layout Size: Compact Layouts

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 12:42:00 AST.)

Saturday, January 25, 2020

On30 SCALE: Lingan Colliery Railway

Back in September of 2017, I was asked to design an On30 layout with a mining theme that would fit in a 30" x 12' space. The owner wanted a complete layout without any additional staging, and also desired to have as much operation included as possible within the space. I went with a design that included a coal mine at one end of...

2020.01.25E-001.gif (22177 bytes)

Views: 1349 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Mining, Theme: Single Station / Town, Types of Industries: Coal Mines



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 13:06:00 AST.)

Saturday, January 25, 2020

HO SCALE: Lawrence North on the Boston & Maine

This proto-freelance B&M HO-scale switching layout was done for a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group to fit on two 14-inch by 77-inch doors. Set in the north east during the late 1970's early 80's, the owner wanted to include a lumber dealer, a cold storage company, and plastics manufacturer. I also was able to throw...

2020.01.25F-001.gif (109017 bytes)

Views: 4360 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Station / Town, USA (Regions): New England, American Railways: Boston & Maine RR



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 16:01:00 AST.)

Saturday, January 25, 2020

N SCALE: Single Station Free-MoN Module

A member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group asked me to design a 2'x8' Free-MoN module that included an industrial switching district, and he also wanted to be able to operate the module as a stand-alone switching layout. Although I show a backdrop, the module doesn't have one, and can be operated from either side. The owner...

2020.01.25H-001.gif (27629 bytes)

Views: 8074 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Design Feature: Modular Benchwork, Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Switching Operations



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 19:13:49 ADT.)

Saturday, August 26, 2023

HO SCALE: Lake Superior Railway & Navigation

This modern-day HO scale layout was done for member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group and his Lake Superior Railway & Navigation layout which is based on GN, DM&IR, and SOO on Michigan's upper peninsula. The owner wanted a car float and lumber transfer warehouses included in the design. I also threw in a small grain elevator (which could be bigger)...

2020.01.25K-001.gif (22178 bytes)

Views: 2803 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Staging Options: Drop Down, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Theme: Yard Operations, USA (States): Michigan



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 18:24:00 AST.)

Saturday, January 25, 2020

N SCALE: Automotive Assembly Plant

I was asked to design an auto assembly plant in N-scale on two L-shaped hollow core doors. Since modeling the auto industry was something totally new to me, I really enjoyed the research needed to make this design work. At the time, I spent a few days researching the topic, and also received some help from the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group. An...

2020.01.25L-001.gif (39155 bytes)

Views: 1710 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Industry, Types of Industries: Automotive Assembly Plants



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, February 05, 2020 at 12:24:39 AST.)

Wednesday, February 05, 2020

HO SCALE: Saint Boncathe (Single Station Design)

This HO-scale design was done for a client back in 2018, and it is a modified version of another layout design that I had designed and posted to a model railroading forum. The owner was looking for a redesign of one of his towns on an existing layout, so the benchwork was already in place. This represents a single station design and the premise is a fictional mill town...

2020.02.05A-001.gif (19378 bytes)

Views: 1628 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Station / Town, USA (Regions): New England



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 16:42:19 ADT.)

Thursday, May 27, 2021

HO SCALE: Walnut Grove (End of Line Station)

I just completed this design for a client today (Saturday, February 8, 2020). The 2x8-foot HO-scale layout depicts an end of line station during the transition era. The owner wanted a small service area for locomotives that included an engine shed, an overhead crane, a sand house and a coaling tower. Although he doesn't plan to run steam on the layout...

2020.02.08A-001.gif (27275 bytes)

Views: 4203 | Comments: 0

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



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 10:04:00 AST.)

Saturday, February 22, 2020

HO SCALE: Stewartstown RR (Stewartstown, PA, circa 1966)

A member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts Facebook group asked me to do a layout based on Stewartstown, PA in HO scale. The reference material for this layout came from an article which appeared in Model Railroader ["A Railroad You can Model: Stewartstown RR," October 1966, pg 50.] The layout era is circa 1966, and of course I had to take...

2020.02.22B-001.gif (40924 bytes)

Views: 2633 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Station / Town, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Pennsylvania, American Railways: Stewartstown RR



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 22:21:59 ADT.)

Thursday, March 14, 2024

HO SCALE: West 28th Street Erie terminal on Manhattan

Back in February of 2018 I was asked to design a layout based on Baltimore & Ohio's West 26th Street terminal on Manhattan. After completing that track plan, I decided to tackle another similar design. I finally settled on Erie's West 28th Street terminal. The design was a lot more straight forward to duplicate than the B&O one, but of course...

2020.02.22C-001.gif (21644 bytes)

Views: 1971 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Theme: Switching Operations, Theme: Terminal Railway, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): New York, American Railways: Erie RR



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, March 03, 2022 at 22:18:11 AST.)

Thursday, March 03, 2022

N SCALE: West Coast Pulp Company

The modern-day N-scale layout depicting the West Coast Pulp Company was designed for a client to fit on two 2-foot by 4½-foot modules. The layout is proto-freelance and based on western Canada coastal pulp mills with incoming traffic being introduced by a rail barge. My client wanted a pulp and paper mill, a general office building...

2020.02.29E-001.gif (26568 bytes)

Views: 1961 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Single Industry, Canada (Provinces): British Columbia, Types of Industries: Pulp and Paper Mills



Posted in Articles by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, May 19, 2022 at 1:04:27 ADT.)

Thursday, May 19, 2022

ARTICLE: Designing the HO-Scale Pennsylvania Shortline Terminal for Robert (Robin) Mountenay

Introduction by Robert (Robin) Mountenay: As a Lutheran pastor I've lived my adult life in parsonages-church-owned homes. When I retire in the near future, I'll suddenly be responsible for my own housing. In anticipation of that day, my wife and I recently bought a house in south-central Pennsylvania, a three hour drive from our current home...

2020.02.29G-001.gif (41660 bytes)

Views: 26208 | Comments: 8

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town, USA (States): Pennsylvania, American Railways: Pennsylvania Railroad, American Railways: Reading Company



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 10:21:00 AST.)

Saturday, February 29, 2020

HO SCALE: Hawthorn Industrial Sidings

Back in 2016, I was contacted by a member of a railway forum that wanted me to help design a modern switching district that would fit into a 18"x16' space on his existing layout. The design was to portray a 1990's era industrial district with some big online industries, and had to fit in an 18"x16' space. My client was very specific...

2020.02.29H-001.gif (13378 bytes)

Views: 1768 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Switching Operations



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...

2020.02.29J-001.gif (35513 bytes)

Views: 3470 | 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, March 01, 2020 at 10:29:00 AST.)

Sunday, March 01, 2020

N SCALE: Kinsey, Long & Northern RR

I was asked by a member of a railway forum to design an N-scale layout based on his proto-freelanced Kinsey, Long & Northern RR. The layout was L-shaped with each leg being 5-foot long, and 18-inches wide, and would depict a modern sawmill operation in Oregon. The layout owner wanted to model a sawmill, a woodchip loading area, and have...

2020.03.01E-001.gif (57824 bytes)

Views: 1098 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Single Industry, Type: No Run-Around Track, USA (States): Oregon , Types of Industries: Sawmills



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, March 29, 2021 at 12:31:55 ADT.)

Monday, March 29, 2021

HO SCALE: Railcar / Loco Maintenance Centre

I offered to help a member of a railway forum design a HO-scale locomotive and railcar maintenance centre since I haven't done one before, and I thought it would be something a little different. I knew the layout owner's space would be a good match for the design, and I could really include a great deal of detail and some support structures in the...

2020.03.05A-001.gif (35381 bytes)

Views: 3801 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Single Industry, Theme: Switching Operations, Type: No Run-Around Track, Types of Industries: Railcar / Locomotive Maintenance Centre

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