Blog

NOTE: I'm in the process of updating the scripts that run the blog, so there will be changes made in the next few months. Comments no longer need approval, but you must be logged-in to view posts. If you want to become a member of this website, just click on the 'Sign-In' link on the menu bar for more information. Cheers, Rob.


Theme: Single Station / Town

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, April 18, 2022 at 11:48:48 ADT.)

Monday, April 18, 2022

On30 SCALE: Lazy Town (Single Station Design)

Judging from the date on this design (2001), I think it is probably one of my very first designs done in On30 scale (On30 was still in its infancy back then). The original track plan was done using PECO HO turnouts, but I converted them to Fast Track #5s. The client I designed this layout for wanted a very simple track plan...

2019.10.21D-001.gif (25065 bytes)

Views: 1924 | Comments: 2

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



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, August 27, 2021 at 8:46:56 ADT.)

Friday, August 27, 2021

On30 SCALE: Sydney & Louisburg Coal & Railway Company (Havenside)

As you probably know, I have a very avid interest in the two-footers of Maine. In fact, I have plans to base my On30-scale layout on look and feeling of those lines. One of the most appealing prototype scenes to me is the waterfront in Wiscasset (ME) on the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington RR (WW&F). Through the year, photos...

2020.01.01F-001.gif (27661 bytes)

Views: 1783 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Canada (Provinces): Nova Scotia, My Projects: Sydney & Louisburg Coal & Railway Co, Types of Industries: Wharves



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, January 01, 2020 at 12:52:00 AST.)

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

HO SCALE: Sydport Industrial Park

Back in March of 2018, I offered another member of Facebook group that I belong to some ideas for his modest shelf space. He was very interested to see what I could come up with for his 15" x 9' space, and the result was this design for a standalone industrial park layout. I liked track plan so much that I decided to mock it up...

2020.01.01I-001.gif (17992 bytes)

Views: 2772 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Switching Operations



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, January 01, 2020 at 14:30:00 AST.)

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

On30 SCALE: East Tennessee & Western North Carolina

Back in November of 2018, I was asked by a client to design a proto-freelanced single station layout based on the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina or Linville River Railway set in the 1920s. It was to be done in On30 scale with a footprint of 12"x96", and would also include a 30" long staging cassette...

2020.01.01J-001.gif (16192 bytes)

Views: 1213 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, Theme: Single Station / Town



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at 6:06:12 AST.)

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

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...

2020.01.01K-001.gif (43197 bytes)

Views: 4038 | 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 Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, January 01, 2020 at 15:30:00 AST.)

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

HO SCALE: Canadian National Ry (Kensington Sub)

This HO-scale layout was done for a friend of mine back in 2016. The design was to occupy an L-shape space of 8'0" by 12'6", with 16" wide shelves and using a minimum radius of 24". The layout is based on Canadian National's Kinsington Subdivision on Prince Edward Island in the 1980s. Power is provided by a single...

2020.01.01L-001.gif (37113 bytes)

Views: 2896 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town, Canada (Provinces): Prince Edward Island, Canadian Railways: Canadian National Ry



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, May 08, 2020 at 6:05:43 ADT.)

Friday, May 08, 2020

HO SCALE: New Minas (in 4 square feet)

This was one of my entries in a design challenge that was hosted on a Facebook group where I am a member. The challenge was to create a prototypical HO standard gauge micro layout in only 4-square feet. The admin of the group was looking for American prototypes, but being from Canada, I decide to enter my Canadian version of the...

2020.01.01M-001.gif (13480 bytes)

Views: 7176 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Drop Down, Theme: Single Station / Town, Canada (Provinces): Nova Scotia, Canadian Railways: Dominion Atlantic Ry



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 04, 2020 at 10:18:00 AST.)

Saturday, January 04, 2020

HO SCALE: Guysborough & Eastern Shore Railway

This design was done for a client back in August of 2017. The client wanted a single station sea port layout with schooners and steamers. He was mostly interested in passenger traffic, but also wanted a few industries to switch. The design had to fit in a 10'6" x 12'6" room that also had a work bench and he needed lots of room for storage under...

2020.01.04J.gif (45656 bytes)

Views: 908 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Passenger Service, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Types of Industries: Wharves



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...

2020.01.04S-001.gif (37259 bytes)

Views: 4300 | 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 Articles by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, February 04, 2020 at 14:10:41 AST.)

Tuesday, February 04, 2020

ARTICLE: Duplicating prototypical track work as a small end-of-line station

This design was just completed for a member of a the Railroad Line Forums, who was looking for some inspiration for a small layout project he was considering. The design depicts the small rural station of Werley (WI) on the Chicago & North Western RR's "Dinky Line". Although the diagram below is not entirely accurate, it is a simple rendition of the...

2020.01.18A-001.gif (31403 bytes)

Views: 2623 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, Theme: Single Station / Town, Type: 3 Turnout Layout, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), USA (States): Wisconsin, American Railways: Chicago & North Western RR, Articles: Operating Small Layouts



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 10:53:00 AST.)

Saturday, January 25, 2020

HO SCALE: North Berwick (End of Branch Line Mill Town)

Back in March of 2018, I was asked by a member of small layout design group to design a layout to fit on a 16" x 80" hollow core door with the setting for the layout being an end of a branch line mill town. The layout would be set in the transition era from the late 40's to early 60's with 40-foot freight cars and small steam...

2020.01.25C-001.gif (21701 bytes)

Views: 3634 | Comments: 0

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



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 11:36:00 AST.)

Saturday, January 25, 2020

HO SCALE: Central Pacific/Southern Pacific

This design was done back in May of 2017 for a member the Railroad Line Forums. At the time, the owner was trying to come up with a layout to fit in his 30" x 60" space, and he was looking for some suggestions. He wanted to model the Central Pacific/Southern Pacific, and hope to have a design that would be accurate for his late-1800s era.

2020.01.25D-001.gif (37893 bytes)

Views: 1023 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town, USA (Regions): Southwest , American Railways: Central Pacific RR, American Railways: Southern Pacific RR



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: 1388 | 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: 4397 | 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 Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 21:09:32 ADT.)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

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...

2020.01.25G-001.gif (32465 bytes)

Views: 2095 | Comments: 1

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

BACK1234NEXT