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: Switching Operations

Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, October 10, 2022 at 15:01:34 ADT.)

Monday, October 10, 2022

HO SCALE: Canadian National (Sydney Subdivision)

Back in 2014 I was considering a HO-scale layout based on Canadian National's Sydney Subdivision in the 1980s. I had been a rail fan of the trains running on the east end of the subdivision, and came to know the area first hand. At the time I was having a very hard time squeezing everything into my 10'10" by 12'6" dining...

2019.10.12B-001.gif (66103 bytes)

Views: 1901 | Comments: 4

TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Staging Yards, Theme: Switching Operations, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), Canada (Provinces): Nova Scotia, Canadian Railways: Canadian National Ry



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 5:52:36 ADT.)

Saturday, June 25, 2022

HO SCALE: East Ashley Jct (Industrial Switching Layout - ISL)

This design was done by Sébastien Georges back in February of this year. I made a few very small changes to the original design, and then did the 3D mock up. Every once in a while, a layout designer impresses me with their creativity, and this was one of those few times. I liked Sébastien's concept drawings a lot, and I think he did a most excellent job with the space...

2019.10.12N-001.gif (39350 bytes)

Views: 6212 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 13:52:35 ADT.)

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

HO SCALE: Mohawk & Adirondack RR (End of Branch Line Mill Town)

This 12-inch by 84-inch HO-scale layout was done for a client's freelanced Mohawk & Adirondack RR. The owner wanted a layout based on a branch line terminal located in New York State circa 1943 or 1944. He wanted the mini to include a creamery, a produce warehouse, a textile mill, a small freight house...

2019.10.13A-001.gif (17606 bytes)

Views: 3366 | Comments: 13

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: End of Line Station, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Switching Operations, USA (States): New York



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, February 28, 2022 at 8:48:13 AST.)

Monday, February 28, 2022

HO SCALE: Falls Creek Siding (Prairie Branchline)

This freelance HO-scale switching layout was done for a client who was a bit vague when he filled out his G&Ds, so I had to fill in some of the blanks myself. The client wanted a layout that included grain, sand, oil, and a warehouse, but he didn't specify a location. In such a small space it would be hard to include...

2019.10.13I-001.gif (41125 bytes)

Views: 12563 | Comments: 20

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Fiddle Track, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Switching Operations, USA (Regions): Mid-West



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, October 14, 2019 at 17:58:00 ADT.)

Monday, October 14, 2019

HO SCALE: High Park Industrial Lead (ISL)

This is a very simple modern industrial switching layout (ISL) that I designed back in 2007 to fit a 15-inch by 10-foot space. I can't remember if I designed this for someone, or if I was trying to adapting a track plan to fit space that I had available. I was living in a small apartment then, and I was designing a lot of small...

2019.10.14F-001.gif (12896 bytes)

Views: 3499 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, October 21, 2019 at 9:13:00 ADT.)

Monday, October 21, 2019

HO SCALE: Hillcrest Industrial District (ISL)

This HO-scale design was done for a client back in January 2000. The owner wanted a modern switching layout with the potential to be incorporated it in a bigger layout someday. Like me, he preferred a minimum of track with a few big industries, and lots of room for scenery. He was also looking for a modern industrial park...

2019.10.21B-001.gif (31927 bytes)

Views: 4239 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Compact 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 10:37:00 AST.)

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

HO SCALE: Hastings Industrial District (with Cassette Staging)

This design was original done for a client back in February 2014. He only had limited space for a layout, but wanted something that could keep him busy for an hour or so. I introduced him to switching using way-bills and switch lists, and he was quite happy with the layout for the few months it was in operation. The layout didn't progress...

2020.01.01D-001.gif (23498 bytes)

Views: 8486 | Comments: 0

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Wednesday, November 04, 2020 at 9:41:50 AST.)

Wednesday, November 04, 2020

HO SCALE: Terminal & Tidewater Switching

I started this more or less for fun back in February of 2018, just to see what I could do. It was inspired by an article in the September 1947 issue of The Model Railroader. ["Terminal and Tidewater Switching Facilities Give This Layout an Interesting Touch" by Charles Small. MR, Sept., 1947, page 725.] While the article...

2020.01.01H-001.gif (31801 bytes)

Views: 8936 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations, Theme: Terminal Railway, Theme: Waterfront



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: 2724 | 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 Thursday, September 08, 2022 at 20:23:44 ADT.)

Thursday, September 08, 2022

HO SCALE: Canadian National (Sydney Sub)

This is a small proto-based switching layout designed for a friend of mine back in November of 2014, to fit his 12'6" x 6'0" room. The layout was based on Jefferson which was is located on the Sydney Subdivision of the Canadian National. The time frame was set in the 1980s before the secondary mainline was sold to the Cape Breton...

2020.01.05E.gif (38001 bytes)

Views: 1731 | Comments: 2

TAGS: Layout Size: Small Layouts, Theme: Switching Operations, Type: Based on Actual Location(s), Canada (Provinces): Nova Scotia, Canadian Railways: Canadian National Ry



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 14:30:00 AST.)

Saturday, January 25, 2020

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: 1949 | Comments: 0

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



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 Friday, September 23, 2022 at 11:32:01 ADT.)

Friday, September 23, 2022

HO SCALE: Autumn Park Industrial Lead (ISL)

This is the first design I posted as a new member of Micro/Small Model RR Layouts back in March 2018. The design is based on a fictional industrial park, and I was able to shoe-horn a lot of modern operations into the 14" x 96" space. I really like the unusually track work with the crossing, and the track entering the fertilizer and...

2020.01.25J-001.gif (16561 bytes)

Views: 2910 | Comments: 3

TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations



Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 15:15:53 AST.)

Sunday, November 26, 2023

HO SCALE: Burnside Industrial Park (ISL)

Back in October of 2019, a client asked if I could design a modern switching layout for him in his very limited space. He then proceeded to say that he wanted a layout to fit in his 2x4-foot space, and he was wondering what I could do with it. Now, if you know me, I am always up for a challenge, but I also knew that such a space was...

2020.02.22A-001.gif (14938 bytes)

Views: 3698 | Comments: 8

TAGS: Design Feature: Folding Designs, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Industrial Park / District, Theme: Switching Operations



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

BACK123NEXT