Who says layouts have to be big? I hear people say “if I had room, I’d have some trains”. What they mean is if I had room, I’d have an oval for trains.
Those folks need to check this layout out. Spotted at the International Railfair in Roseville, CA about 2 weeks ago, this layout has 3 industrial spurs, a sector plate that allows the locomotive and one car to move between tracks, and requires about 45 minutes to complete an operating session. The spur closest to the backdrop reaches a hidden opening in the backdrop that allows loads to be moved on and off cars spotted at the opening.
According to the owner, he built the layout from scrap lumber and parts, with only about $50 of new parts for shipping containers. The scrap all came from his main home layout. However, in my opinion, a small layout like this would be perfect for someone in an apartment, a dorm room, or with limited resources. One small locomotive and a few cars, a power pack, and you’re basically out of the armchair.
Bonus Feature: “Food Train Layout”
At the train show, my wife found a “Terrain for Trains” plastic-formed layout. Since I gave up my N scale plans about a year ago, she’s wanted to find a way to run her “Food Train”.
You see, she’s a baker. The fact that she loves to bake had lead her to collect N scale rolling stock with food-related products or decoration.
Tis being a light week, we’ve ben working on the new 3 foot by 5 foot layout in the evenings (my ow Yosemite Valley layout is waiting for a Boy Scout event to occupy the layout room one more time in early December before the benchwork starts going up).
Here is a shot of the little laout. By the time we tested the track last night with a GP7, we discovered that all the turnouts were bad and need to be replaced.
Keep watching, I’ll post pictures as we make progress. This is going to be a family project, so you’ll get to see our different interests occupy different spots on the little layout.
Happy Thanksgiving!
-Jeremy
This nice little layout is a version of my well-known “Carl’s Imports” found among 250 layouts in the Micro Layout Design Gallery at . The site as a whole has another 1250 layouts for space-starved modelers.
Carl Arendt
Micro/Small Layouts for Model Railroads
“Model Railroading Makes the World Smaller”
This nice little layout is a version of my well-known “Carl’s Imports” found among 250 layouts in the Micro Layout Design Gallery at carendt.us/microplans. The site as a whole has another 1250 layouts for space-starved modelers.
Carl Arendt
Micro/Small Layouts for Model Railroads
carendt.us>
“Model Railroading Makes the World Smaller”