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Layout Size: Compact Layouts

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, March 07, 2020 at 1:24:00 AST.)

Saturday, March 07, 2020

HO SCALE: Great Lakes & New England Ry

This 16-inch by 12-foot single station design was done for a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts Facebook group. The layout depicts a fictional Northern Vermont location on the free-lanced Great Lakes & New England Railway. The town is to be set in the 1980s-1990s, and it had to include a small paper mill, a feed mill, a log transfer area...

2020.03.07A-001.gif (18667 bytes)

Views: 2349 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town, USA (Regions): New England, Types of Industries: Pulp and Paper Mills



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 9:13:49 AST.)

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

HO SCALE: Ingramport (Port City on the Pacific Coast)

Back in March of 2018, I wanted to do a port city with a small piggy back service yard since it was something I didn't see very often on a small layout. I kept the design fairly simple, and it would be pretty straight forward to switch. There is a provision for a connection to staging on the right hand side, and it is pretty much almost require to...

2020.03.08A-001.gif (23719 bytes)

Views: 4729 | Comments: 7

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Waterfront, USA (Regions): Northwest, Types of Industries: Wharves



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, December 04, 2023 at 21:08:24 AST.)

Monday, December 04, 2023

HO SCALE: L-Shaped Modern Industry (ISL)

This was done as part of a challenge on the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts Facebook group to design a HO-scale layout to fit in a 6'x6' corner. For this attempt, I decide to go with a modern single industry. Although I didn't specify the type of industry depicted, it could easily work for a few types. The plan is self- contained, with a reasonable sized...

2020.03.08B-001.gif (37218 bytes)

Views: 4424 | Comments: 1

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Industry, Theme: Switching Operations, Type: No Run-Around Track



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, March 08, 2020 at 10:41:00 ADT.)

Sunday, March 08, 2020

N SCALE: End of Branchline Station in UK (with staging)

This design was done for a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts Facebook group back in February of 2019. The layout owner wanted an N-scale layout depicting an end of branchline station in a rural/farming location in the UK. He also wanted to include Walther's gravel crushing plant, and a few other structures. Those that I have designed...

2020.03.08D-001.gif (62088 bytes)

Views: 1062 | Comments: 0

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



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, March 08, 2020 at 13:23:00 ADT.)

Sunday, March 08, 2020

On30: Arizona Mineral Belt

I was asked by a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group to design a layout for a western US mining railroad with lots of switching in On30, and this is the result. The owner of the layout is actually a very accomplished layout designer, and he just wanted a fresh pair of eyes to see what could be done with the theme in his space. Since I...

2020.03.08H-001.gif (23459 bytes)

Views: 1920 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Mining, Theme: Single Station / Town, USA (States): Arizona



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: 4602 | 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 Saturday, May 09, 2020 at 7:31:00 ADT.)

Saturday, May 09, 2020

HO SCALE: Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Ry (New Glasgow)

Back in September of 2019, I wanted to offer a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts Facebook group my ideas for his planned HO-scale Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Ry (CBNS). The layout was to be L-shaped and would occupy a space 73" by 118" on shelves no more than 18" wide. I offered my rough draft, and suggested...

2020.05.09A-001.gif (27002 bytes)

Views: 1577 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Switching Operations, 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 Saturday, May 09, 2020 at 8:50:00 ADT.)

Saturday, May 09, 2020

On30 SCALE: Thunder Bay Railway

This On30 layout was designed for a client's freelanced Thunder Bay Railway set in the late 1930s to early 1950s era. The layout owner wanted a narrow gauge line that hauled supplies and passengers from the landing area to a resort on the fictional Great Lakes island. The owner had allotted a space of 24x96-inches, but I had to increase the left end...

2020.05.09D-001.gif (36350 bytes)

Views: 1485 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Waterfront, Types of Industries: Wharves



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, June 27, 2022 at 21:55:18 ADT.)

Monday, June 27, 2022

HO SCALE: Hamilton Feeds (Hamilton, MI)

This is a layout based on an actually prototype industry located in the small town of Hamilton, Michigan. It was Marshall Stull (owner of the Small Model Railroads website) that brought the site to my attention. He thought it would make a nice prototype based small layout, and wanted to see what I could do with it.

2021.02.14E-001.gif (22293 bytes)

Views: 4604 | Comments: 7

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Industry, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Michigan, American Railways: CSX



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, June 25, 2021 at 9:10:00 ADT.)

Friday, June 25, 2021

HO SCALE: Switching Spur (Dallas, TX)

This track plan was mocked-up back in May of 2020, but back then I didn't have the time to do the 3D work. Over the last year, I have been picking at adding the 3D scenery as time permitted, and I finally got it completed. The prototype for this layout is a group of neat little spurs located on the Dallas, Garland, & Northeastern RR ...

2021.06.25A-001.gif (31517 bytes)

Views: 1413 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Switching Operations, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), Type: No Run-Around Track, USA (States): Texas, American Railways: Dallas, Garland, & Northeastern RR



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, March 03, 2024 at 8:16:29 AST.)

Sunday, March 03, 2024

HO SCALE: Sugar River Railroad

A member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layout Facebook group requested a HO scale layout featuring an end-of-the-line station to fill his 55x80 inch space. The proto-freelanced short line railroad would be located in South-central, or South-west Wisconsin during the transition era. The member wanted the layout to include ...

2021.06.26A-001.gif (41411 bytes)

Views: 2124 | Comments: 6

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



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 20:09:46 ADT.)

Thursday, October 27, 2022

N SCALE: Wisconsin & Southern RR

This modern-day Wisconsin & Southern RR layout was done in N-scale for member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layout group. I had an area up to 2'x8' to work with, and that is a lot of territory in N-sale. I decided to go with a rounded front fascia just to be a bit different. The member wanted the switching layout to be based on a small town ...

2021.06.27A-001.gif (30056 bytes)

Views: 1224 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Regional / Short Line Railway, Theme: Single Station / Town, USA (States): Wisconsin, American Railways: Wisconsin & Southern RR



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, February 06, 2022 at 1:36:55 AST.)

Sunday, February 06, 2022

Sn3 SCALE: Sissiboo Lumber Company

It had been quite some time since I did a track plan for a logging railway, so when a member of the Micro/Small Model RR Layouts group requested an logging themed layout done in Sn3 and set in the Pacific-Northwest, I knew that I would not be able to resist. The only problem was that doing the 3D vertical scenery required for such a layout takes a lot...

2021.06.27B-001.gif (42866 bytes)

Views: 2232 | Comments: 6

TAGS: Design Feature: Switch-Back, Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Logging Railway, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, USA (Regions): Northwest, Types of Industries: Logging Camps



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 8:12:00 ADT.)

Thursday, September 30, 2021

HO SCALE: Canadian Pacific Railway (Branch Line in Northern Ontario)

This design was done for a client who wanted to see a HO-scale Canadian Pacific branch line set in Northern Ontario during the transition era. I didn't have any control over the bench work configuration since it was already constructed in the roughly 8 x 11½ foot space in his family room.

2021.09.30A-001.gif (76814 bytes)

Views: 1034 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Branch Line Railway, Theme: Passenger Service, Canada (Provinces): Ontario, Canadian Railways: Canadian Pacific Ry



Posted in Industry Database by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 10:59:11 ADT.)

Sunday, September 24, 2023

INDUSTRY DATABASE: Sunrise Baking & Milling Company (HO scale)

While working on a track plan for a client, I stumbled upon this little gem for a bakery complex. Modeling single industries has become an increasingly popular theme for modern-day industrial switching layouts (ISLs), but back in the day, it was very common for layouts designers to stuff as much track into a space as possible, sometimes not even...

2022.01.23A-001.gif (28915 bytes)

Views: 1414 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Single Industry, Types of Industries: Bakeries

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