Layout Planning Ideas
Layout Planning Ideas
Layout Planning Ideas
Workshop tips
Layout planning
ideas
Model railroaders can be sticklers place for the main streets through your Today’s urban sprawl would seem
about detail and prototype appearance. town? Do all the buildings in town have out of place on layouts set in an earlier
To some, the wrong horn or radio an- street access and adequate parking? era. Cities grew up around a compact
tenna on a diesel stands out like a bea- Do your roads have any curves, grades core. In most towns, the depot was in
con. Yet many of these modelers build or intersections that would be improb- the heart of it all, with major streets
their layouts with towns that would give able on the prototype? Do your streets leading to it. Look at historical maps to
urban planners nightmares. have the striping, curbs, gutters, signs see how towns grew with the railroads.
As model railroaders, our first pri- and other details you would find on the Google Earth (earth.google.com) is a
ority when planning a layout is going prototype? Do they seem to have a pur- good source for current aerial views of
to be the track. But it’s often easy to pose and go somewhere, even if it’s just prototype street and rail arrangements.
forget that the cities and towns on our off the edge of the layout?
layout should exist for reasons beyond When deciding where to place your Give your town a history
the railroad. Making sure your minia- streets, also keep grade crossings in Your layout may represent a specific
ture villages are livable, drivable, and mind. Although in railroading’s early moment in time, but your town has a
realistic looking will have visitors to days it was common to lay tracks in the past. It’s easy to give your town a sense
your layout swearing that they’ve driv- middle of streets, these days, grade of history with a few simple details. A
en through the area you’re modeling, crossings are avoided wherever possible. pioneer or military figure in a scale
even if your layout is freelanced. Look at your layout and ask whether larger than your trains could be draft-
any grade crossings could be eliminated ed into service as a memorial statue to
Realistic street arrangements by road over- or underpasses, by shift- grace a downtown park. A sign on a
Try looking at the terrain around ing a street to cross the railroad where bridge might mark the high-water point
your layout as a city planner might. there are fewer tracks, or by simply end- of a historic flood. A dead-end street,
What is the easiest and most obvious ing a street at a dead end. closed to eliminate a grade crossing,
Track is expensive
Our instinct as rail enthusiasts is
the more sidings, the better. However,
prototype railroads don’t feel the same.
To them, track is expensive both to lay
and maintain, and turnouts even more
so. For that reason, rail-served indus-
tries tend to locate along existing spurs,
rather than getting industrial sidings
of their own.
So rather than looking for a place to
wedge in another turnout, lengthen an
existing spur and add a couple more in- The company houses on the Turtle Creek Mine Branch are as effective at
dustries along its length. Not only will placing this layout in Appalachia as the mine or the mountains behind them.
this add to your switching challenges,
but just as on the prototype, it will save few books about your road. Even if trackside industries may be rare, but
you on track maintenance. you’re freelancing, look in the library this site can help you get an idea of the
Or, instead of having that siding for books about roads that served your general architectural style of the area.
serve just a few buildings, put in a load- railroad’s area. If you are modeling an older era, a
ing ramp and turn it into a team track. If you model the modern era, your little more digging may be required.
Any kind of off-line business can ship task is easy; the buildings you want to Search online for historical societies
or receive cargo on a team track, mak- model still exist. You can find pictures for the state, county and town you’re
ing it a potential destination for all of the area you’re modeling online fair- modeling. Not all will have a photo col-
sorts of interesting cars. For a bigger ly easily. Search the Web for the home lection online, but members should be
town, a freight house or truck terminal pages of the city or county govern- happy to help guide your research.
serves a similar function. ments, chambers of commerce, down- Museums, universities and larger
town business associations, and real city libraries also sometimes post his-
The prototype look estate agents in the area you’re model- torical photo exhibitions online. Vir-
Giving your railroad a feeling of ing. Also, try searching for the name of ginia Tech, for example, has a huge file
place should go beyond choosing the your town at images.google.com to find at imagebase.lib.vt.edu/browse.php, in-
terrain your trains move through. Mak- pictures; you can eliminate some of the cluding more than 12,000 images in
ing sure your buildings fit the location less useful results by adding terms like the railroad category alone. Try search-
you’re modeling is as important as pick- “downtown,” “historic,” “buildings,” or ing with the terms “historic photo col-
ing the right trees. If you wouldn’t stick “railroad” to your search. lection” to find other online archives.
a cactus on your New England-based Another place to find contemporary Paying a little attention to how you
railroad, you shouldn’t put up a stucco photos online is www.City-Data.com. model the towns on your layout can
depot, either. This site compiles vital statistics about pay off in increased realism, and may
If you model a specific prototype, cities large and small and allows users improve your operating possibilities,
you probably already have access to a to post their own pictures. Photos of as well. –Steven Otte
High line
across
doorway 65"
(elevations
shown in
inches) 651⁄2"
Summit
M ost track-planning
out. Usually
ommend
turnback
out designer
ders,
this will involve
loops – avoiding
liftouts,John
and Armstrong
guides
“blobs” as duckun-
rec-
having
master lay-
swinging gates
with gates or liftouts. Second, it
•allows
Movable
wouldif drawbridge,
drops, with
layout section.
seamless sceneryAand
or “elevator” (a layout
no breaks
gate,back- • Castered chair or wheeled gar-
at theseg- den seat. It’s easier to sit and bend
open-
say – on either side of the entrance. ment engineered to move straight up, from the waist to roll under a layout
possible. However,
Or perhaps the layout we’ve all discov-
schematic ing normal
will leaving or duckunder
headroom area.
for people that crosses a doorway than it is to
ered
allow at one time or
a stub-ended another
terminal yardthatonto walkingHowever,
beneath) remember that the crawl on all fours.
can allow no-stoop
one or both sides of the entry. Either access just
get optimum use from some spaces older we get the less agile like a walk-in plan. See we
the • Low handrails under the layout.
way, the walk-in layout will allow en- photo at the top of this page for a sim- When all else fails, railings at least lend
we have
trance andtoexit
locate the track
without across
stooping become.And, especially when deal-
or ple example. solid support to people duck-walking
abending,
door opening
which most or other
model walkway.
railroad- •ing with an entrance
High-altitude crossing.to Where
the layout,
through an unwelcome but unavoid-
ers consider the ideal. the the
mainannoyance
line can cross
of athe doorway able duckunder. A railing is also handy
duckunder
To duck or not to duck
In some situations, having the layout with sufficient elevation, you can walk when using a rolling chair.
cross a side entrance may be the only through could eventually
normally diminish
or perhaps your
with only • Narrow the layout. If you must
wayShould youthe
to achieve leave
trackanplanarea as a
schematic overall enjoyment
a “nod-under,” of the
as in the track planhobby.
seg- duck under, try to make the unpleasant
you want. Even
duckunder? Thatso, depends
there mayupon still be ment above,
Figurebowing
1 showsyoura head as you
typical duck-trip underneath is as short as possible.
ways to get into the train room without pass under the layout. This can be use- Whichever entry option you choose
how much
groveling on ducking
your hands you’ll
andhavekneesto ful under location. If you or
for mountain-climbing domulti-
choosewilla then be easier to implement and
do. If the
through thebottom
dreadedof the framepas-
“duckunder” is deckduckunder, here areifsome
railroads, especially tips toless onerous for both you and your
the lower
sage. Consider
fairly high (50″ these
oroptions:
taller), and you decks don’tincross
keep the entrance.
mind: guests. – Andy Sperandeo
and your operators are under 6 • Keep the layout at the duck- Layout Planning Ideas
feet, ducking might not be too under area as narrow as you can
Yards that work
Think about the purpose of the yard before planning track
Railroad yards come in a wide variety a compound ladder, where the turnouts branch line. The locomotive needs a
of types: classification, terminal, inter- branch off one track and then divide way to get from one end of the train to
change, storage, and more. Model rail- again. Then there is the choice between the other after the end of its run. The
roads also have one type of yard not parallel and sequential track accomo- simplest way is to add an additional
found on the prototype, the staging dations, the latter most often seen on track and a couple of turnouts, forming
yard. Regardless of type, for a yard to the prototype in commuter operations, an escape track. See fig. 1.
work on a layout, it must have several where one train is terminated behind Another way to free an engine from
basic features, including provisions for another on the same track. What you its train is to use a switch engine to pull
switching, service, and storage. It must plan to do with a yard is an important the train back from its locomotive and
also be sufficient for the traffic density factor to keep in mind when deciding into a siding or yard track. This switcher
it is to handle. on track arrangements. can be justified as the size of the branch
Yard tracks may have a variety of terminal city grows in importance and
configurations. Some have simple lad- Smaller stub yards more tracks are added. Arriving trains
ders, in which the turnouts all diverge Let’s start with a very basic arrange- can pull into a stub track and have the
from one lead track. The alternative is ment, like the end of a single-track train pulled back by the switcher, allow-
Runaround
Minimum of one
engine length
Switch lead
Freight house
Escape track
Station
ing the road engine to head off for ser- A train traveling counter-clockwise
vicing. A runaround track may still be on the Union Terminal main line first
needed to get the motive power on the passes the turnout that leads to the
right end of any cars to be switched to switch lead and the rest of the layout. It
industry spurs. All of these features then passes a short runaround before
can be included in a very small layout, pulling into the stub terminal. A switch
such as the 4 x 8-foot HO Scale Union engine, spotted on the lead or the turn-
Terminal Ry., shown in fig. 2. table tracks, can then pull the train off
the road engine and sort the cars.
Larger yards
As the terminal grows in size, the
same design principles apply. As shown
Fig. 3
Bekin United RR in fig. 3, the Bekin United RR has a
HO scale (1:87.1)
12" grid
To main
Double-ended yards
Double-ended yards are more flexi-
ble. They allow for greater traffic den-
sity simply because both ends of the
yard can be worked at once. Also, cut-
ting the engine off an arriving train is
not as much of an issue. ample. The yard, just east of Lubbock, containing the engine servicing area,
A lack of space often prevents using Texas, served as a division point, a the yard lead, and the junction with the
double-ended yards on smaller layouts. junction with a branch line to Lamesa, Lamesa Branch. The engine terminal
However, it’s possible to include such a Texas, and the western end of a main- amounts to little more than diesel ser-
yard on an HO scale layout less than 10 line section that included a stiff grade vice tracks, since the roundhouse and
feet on a side. up the Caprock Escarpment. steam servicing buildings were re-
The part of the Silver Gate Northern In the model world, the yard may be moved by the mid-1970s.
shown in fig. 5 has a yard with the best represented by flipping it front-to- The entrance to the Lamesa Branch
same features as stub yards. The lad- back, as shown in fig. 6. This puts the is on a wye, just as on the prototype.
ders are compound to maximize yard yard ladders next to the aisle for easier This allows turning engines or cars
track length, and the tracks are curved reach and viewing, as well as making it without a turntable.
to fit in the limited space while still easier to see cars at the ends of the The mirror imaging of this yard
maintaining side-to-side clearance be- tracks, where most switching, cou- puts the yard switch lead on the same
tween tracks. pling, and uncoupling would happen. side of the main line as the Lamesa
Since flipping the yard puts the Branch. The crossover arrangement
Adapting from the prototype main line next to the backdrop, it could has been slightly modified to allow any
Prototype track modeling can be continue in a straight line across a of the yard tracks to be reached from
very satisfying, but it’s not always the doorway drop leaf at the west end of the lead, main, and branch tracks. This
best choice for layouts. The prototype the yard. permits the use of two switchers, if
exists to make a profit or serve a public The west end has a straight ladder necessary, to keep the yard fluid under
interest, while layouts exist for the en- with no. 6 turnouts arranged on a no. 5 busy conditions. The caboose tracks
tertainment of the builder and fellow lead angle. A slight curve after the frog also have been modified to provide ac-
modelers. The difference is subtle, but permits longer body tracks while keep- cess from both ends.
it should be taken into account. ing the gentler no. 6 turnouts. The yard tracks are about 25 feet
The Slaton, Texas, yard of the Atchi- The east end of the Slaton yard, long, so the yard lead isn’t long enough
son, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. is one ex- shown in fig. 7, is the business end, to pull an entire track in one move. If
Fig. 6
Track on drop leaf
ATSF Slaton, Texas,
Runaround
yard, west end
HO scale (1:87.1)
Fig.12"
6 grid
ATSF Slaton, Texas, Roundhouse
Runaround
yard, west end lead
HO scale (1:87.1)
12" grid
Roundhouse
lead
Fig. 7
ATSF Slaton, Texas,
yard, east end
HO scale (1:87.1)
Fig.12"
7 grid Main
ATSF Slaton, Texas,
yard, east end
HO scale (1:87.1) Yard lead
12" grid Main
Lamesa Branch
Yard lead
Lamesa Branch
conditions merit, the Lamesa Branch Yards on model railroads tend to be tion of basic design principles. Deter-
could be used as a lead for pulling an congestion points because our roads mine the purpose, fit the tracks to the
entire track. have a higher mainline traffic density. available area and desired purpose, use
Overall, most of the operation is up This makes good yard design all the straight ladders or compound them for
front nearest the aisle, where there is more important. the longest possible body tracks, and
better access and viewing, just as at the Yards that work on model railroads ensure adequate access from the oper-
west end. result from straightforward applica- ating aisle. –Don Mitchell
Hidden electromagnet
Earlier versions of Kadee’s no. 309 electromagnet used
pole pieces that had to extend above the ties, along with a
plastic mounting that was as unrealistic as any exposed
magnet. Now this uncoupler has been modified so it’s
effective from below the ties, like the no. 308 permanent
magnet. Since electromagnets work only when energized,
they’re ideal for main tracks, passing tracks, and double-
ended yard and station tracks, since they won’t cause
unwanted uncouplings in passing trains.
Installation of the electromagnet requires a slot through
the subgrade measuring 1" x 21 ⁄8". The upper photo shows
how I used strips of .100" styrene to support the magnet’s
plastic spacer strip so the steel pole pieces are level with This no. 321 electromagnet is supported on white styrene
the top of the cork roadbed. blocks so the steel pole pieces are level with the top of
The electromagnet could be secured by screws through the roadbed. The coil hangs 11 ⁄8" below the ½" plywood.
the spacer, but I cemented the spacer to the .100" styrene,
which I’d first glued to the plywood. Another way would be
to add metal brackets on either side of the pole pieces and
coil to secure the magnet from below, so it could be
removed if necessary.
Once the magnet is in place, you can cut narrow strips
of roadbed and install them on each side to conceal it.
Kadee recommends covering the opening in the roadbed
with aluminum foil before laying and ballasting the track,
so you don’t have to fill the gaps around the magnet with
ballast. I’ve used thin tracing paper for the same purpose,
but I left this one open so you can see how it fits.
The no. 309 needs 12VDC, but now includes a rectifier
and capacitor so you can power it from an AC supply. Use
a push-button or other momentary control (not included), Here you can see the electromagnet’s pole pieces
as the coil can overheat if energized for longer than 2 directly under the ties. In practice you can cover the
minutes. As with the hidden permanent magnet, you’ll magnet opening with a piece of foil or thin paper so
need to mark its location after the track is ballasted. there won’t be gaps under the ties to fill with ballast.
A paper mill, like the Crown Vantage mill near Berlin, N.H., is an industry large enough to be a layout all on its own. As
part of a larger model railroad, a big industry can give a railroad an obvious reason for being. Marty McGuirk photo
Selective compression – modeling But what if you could give that in- docks, unloading points, and holding
something as smaller than it really is dustry the space it deserves? tracks to handle the constant flow of
by shrinking dimensions or omitting Modeling a truly big industry can cars. These operations might require a
parts – is one of the most useful tricks pay off in a big way. The most obvious dedicated switcher, which would need
in the railroad modeler’s toolbox. How- benefit is realism. The bigger a busi- its own enginehouse and servicing
ever, there are reasons you may want to ness is, the more it looks like it needs tracks. Often these complexes will have
model a really big business. rail service. You can ship more cars to their own power plants, creating a de-
Some prototype industries, such as and from a big industry. A large, diverse mand for gas, oil, or coal.
steel mills, only come in one size: XXL. industrial complex, like an auto plant, For some examples, check out “Mod-
Compressed versions of these trackside would also demand a wider variety of eling a steel mill in 4 x 8” in Model Rail-
behemoths just never look quite right, cars than, say, a stamping plant alone. road Planning 2008 and “Big industry
so we settle for backdrop flats or imply And instead of receiving those cars in the valley” in the special issue How
a larger complex by modeling only a on one or two spurs, a big factory com- To Build Realistic Layouts: Industries
corner of it. plex would have numerous sidings, You Can Model. – Steven Otte
Brewery
Brewery complex Bottling/warehouse/ Corn syrup
Breweries are a common industry in the Coal receiving Grain/malt elevator Brewhouse shipping unloading
Northeast and Midwest, though large ones can
be found anywhere from Florida to Alaska. Many
offer interesting modeling opportunities, as
buildings in different architectural styles were
added over the years.
The heart of a brewery is the brewhouse,
often a tall brick building with large, distinctive HO scale (1:87.1), 12" grid
windows. A large complex will also need a Illustrations by Model Railroader staff
bottling plant, warehouse, water tower, grain boxcars or, later, covered hoppers; tank cars of corn syrup; and
elevators, and covered loading/unloading areas packaging materials in boxcars, including empty cans, bottles, kegs,
for sensitive ingredients. Breweries receive rail and cardboard boxes. The finished product ships out in reefers or
shipments of barley malt, corn, and hops in insulated boxcars.
Auto plant
Transition-era auto plant Lube and cutting
How much of the auto industry you model will oil tanks
HO scale (1:87.1)
depend on the era of your railroad. In the early 12" grid
days, most fabrication was done on-site. A Two-story manufacturing building
steam-era auto plant needed shops to work with
iron, steel, glass, wood, and textiles. After World
Newer angled Curved loading dock
War II, factories specialized in engines, wheels, three-story Three-story
electrical systems, and more, and these parts plant wall with original plant Pedestrian
were then shipped to assembly plants. Most short section flats along Finished auto entrance bridge
of end wall both walls loading docks
parts would be shipped in boxcars, though rolls Fuel
of steel, gondola loads of auto frames, hoppers Covered steel Holding track Railroad storage
receiving area for hot cars yard office tanks
full of plastic pellets, and tank cars of fuel, oil,
solvents, and welding gases would add variety.
You’ll also need to ship out those new
automobiles. An early plant would have long
docks to load finished autos into double-door
boxcars, while a modern one would have
movable ramps at the end of stub tracks to load
today’s multi-level auto racks.
Steep hill
The terrain should look Retaining wall
Steep hill