NOTE: Since the excessive spamming continues to be a problem, I am left with no other option but to continue showing approved comments only. So, if you leave a comment on my blog, you will not be able to view it until it is approved by me, which may take a few days. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Theme: Waterfront
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 12:34:00 ADT.)
These two 2'x4' On30 portable modules were done for a client's freelanced Cat Mountain Line. The narrow gauge railway runs from a small seaport out into the mountains to a mine in the pacific northwest sometime between 1930 and 1950. My client wanted the layout to include a pier, single track car ferry, mine, simple...
Views: 1104 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Modular Benchwork, Design Feature: Switch-Back, Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Mining, Theme: Waterfront, Type: No Run-Around Track, Types of Industries: Coal Mines, Types of Industries: Wharves
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 15:46:30 AST.)
O SCALE: Canadian Pacific Rail Barge Scene in Proto48
Here is something a little different. It is a 3'x10' layout (with a staging cassette added) done in O-scale of a rail barge operation. One possible locale for the scene would be on the Canadian Pacific somewhere in British Columbia in the mid 1970s. If I was doing the layout, I would try using Proto48 standards, since I...
Views: 1107 | Comments: 4
TAGS: Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Type: 3 Turnout Layout, Type: Beginner Layout, Type: No Run-Around Track, Canada (Provinces): British Columbia, Canadian Railways: Canadian Pacific Ry
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, October 14, 2019 at 18:33:00 ADT.)
HO SCALE: Aberystwith & Welsh Coast Railway
I have always had great admiration for British modelers, and I am continuously impressed with how much they seem to do with a space, no matter how limited. Some of the scenes depicted on these small layouts are many of my favourite modeled scenes. Back in November of 2016, I decided to design a UK inspired layout, and...
Views: 653 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Layout Size: Small Layouts, Staging Options: Cassette Staging, Theme: Branch Line Railway, Theme: Single Station / Town, Theme: Waterfront, Other: United Kingdom, British Railways: Aberystwith & Welsh Coast Ry, Types of Industries: Wharves
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 8:49:20 AST.)
HO SCALE: 22nd Avenue Warehouse & Freight District
I recently started going through my old 3PI layout files, and I remembered this design as soon as I opened the file. I played with this for fun back in 2000 and it was my adaption of a track plan that I found online. The original design was for a 1-foot by 4-foot space, and used a track arrangement very close to...
Views: 2287 | Comments: 14
TAGS: Layout Size: Mini Layouts, Staging Options: Car Float, Theme: Terminal Railway, Theme: Waterfront, USA (States): New York
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Monday, June 27, 2022 at 9:45:09 ADT.)
On30 SCALE: Black Sand Mining & Timber Railroad
For me, one of the most enjoyable side effects of designing layouts is learning new things. And while designing this layout, I learned a lot over the last month and a half. For starters, I never knew that Platinum could be recovered from beach sand. And since I had to build the equipment required to do that in 3D, I also had to learn how...
Views: 1078 | Comments: 2
TAGS: Design Feature: Continuous Run Option, Design Feature: Interchange, Layout Size: Compact Layouts, Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Mining, Theme: Narrow Gauge Railway, Theme: Single Industry, Theme: Waterfront, USA (States): Oregon
Posted in Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Friday, August 27, 2021 at 8:46:56 ADT.)
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...
Views: 1130 | 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, November 04, 2020 at 9:41:50 AST.)
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...
Views: 8463 | 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 Saturday, January 04, 2020 at 10:18:00 AST.)
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...
Views: 540 | 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 Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 04, 2020 at 11:13:00 AST.)
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: 544 | 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 Layout Designs by Rob Chant. (Updated Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 9:05:00 AST.)
HOn30 SCALE: Marble Mountain Quarry Company
I was asked by Marshall Stull to come up with an entry for a challenge he has opened on his Small Model Railroads website. The challenge was to design a micro layout to fit in 13" x 9" x 9" helmet display case that he had just purchased. Since I have never designed a layout for such a small space, I was intrigued by the idea...
Views: 777 | Comments: 0
TAGS: Layout Size: Micro Layouts, Staging Options: Turn Table (Train Length), Theme: Industrial Railway, Theme: Single Industry, Theme: Waterfront, Type: 3 Turnout Layout, Type: No Run-Around Track, Types of Industries: Quarries