When it come to track plans, everyone has a favorite. After all, each modeler values and prioritizes different aspects of model railroading. Some prefer intricate freight switching layouts, while others prefer long, continuous passenger routes. Some like layouts with dense foliage and rolling hills, whereas other modelers may prefer flat, desert landscapes. We here at Model Railroader are no exception — while we appreciate all forms of model railroad layouts and their track plans, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t have a few favorites, be it for practical or sentimental purposes. The following are some of the Model Railroader staff’s favorite track plans.
The Walla Walla Valley Railway in HO scale
The track plan for Blair Kooistra’s 10 x 11 foot layout has intrigued me ever since it appeared in Great Model Railroads 2005. The around-the-walls layout is set in eastern Washington state in 1968. The model railroad makes efficient use of space, with a nice mix of large and small rail-served industries; cleverly concealed staging; and the Northern Pacific-WWV interchange (Valley Yard) in a closet. If you enjoy the days of loose-car railroading, short-wheelbase diesel locomotives, and 40- and 50-foot freight cars, this is a plan worth checking out. – Cody Grivno
The Akron, Canton & Youngstown layout in HO scale
From the article “Modeling an Ohio Classic” in Model Railroad Planning 2019, this large walk-in layout features a 290-foot mainline and winds through iconic scenes in northern Ohio. The line modeled used to go through my small hometown until it was abandoned in the early 80s. Bob Lucas did an excellent job at portraying the important industries and interchanges on the railroad, as well as the many curves that one might not expect on a line that basically goes east to west. While I don’t currently have the space for something like this, I’ve started the planning of a future layout based on Bob’s track plan. – Bryson Sleppy
The Housatonic Railroad in HO scale
This seemed like a manageable size for a model railroad, and it offered interesting switching opportunities on a regional or shortline railroad, along with a segment of Class 1 main line action. The right side of the 12 x 15-foot Housatonic Railroad, which originally appeared in the May 2003 issue of MR, featured the Conrail main line. It was designed to loop back under the main part of the layout into staging tracks that could have run around the perimeter of the room. I liked the idea of being able to just run a train, letting it circle through staging, appear on the layout, then disappear back into staging.
This cake-and-eat-it-too plan also had a branch line depicting the Housatonic RR that wound around the room and out onto a peninsula. Creating a train out of cars dropped in the Pittsfield Yard by a passing Conralil train, then running it up the Housatonic, stopping in towns along the route to switch industries, was appealing to me.
A layout like this would allow either for a small crew operating session, with one person running the Conrail side of things, and another person or two running trains on the Housatonic. They would interchange with the Conrail crew, so you’d have a combination of solo work and team work to get through a session. Alternatively, it would certainly be possible to operate the layout solo, running one railroad’s trains, and then the others. For modeling, you’d have beautiful New England scenery, with a single-track main line, as well as a more industrial area with a heavier Class 1 presence.
While I can’t say I was thinking about this plan as I developed the idea for my someday basement layout, my current thinking is along the same lines, with a main line that circles the basement feeding a branchline that runs out a peninsula in the middle of the room. This will allow me to run the various long mid-’70s rolling stock such as TOFC flats, auto racks, and 86-foot hi-cubes on reasonably wide curves, yet still have some space for industrial switching areas.
Mike and Jim Tylick had a great idea here! – Eric White
The Minneapolis & St. Louis Story City Branch in HO scale
The track plan for Clark Propst’s HO scale model railroad, which originally appeared in Great Model Railroads 2020, reminds me of the small towns I grew up around in northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. His 12 x 19-foot linear walk-in plan is based on the Minneapolis & St. Louis in central Iowa, but it could depict any number of Midwest granger lines. The modeled towns feature a healthy number of rail-served customers, many centered around agriculture. I especially like where multiple customers are served by the same siding, which adds to the operational interest. The towns are balanced out by open spaces, allowing trains to stretch their legs while passing by farm fields and over wood-pile trestles. – CG
The Salt Lake Route in N scale
I can still remember going to the store to pick up the January 2010 issue of MR, the cover of which featured the staff’s 2010 project layout — The Salt Lake Route. At the time I had no interest in N scale (heck, I was just discovering HO scale after a childhood of O gauge,) but this layout proved that you can make a layout that looks massive in a small footprint and still include multiple scenes. And after using Kato Unitrack for our T-TRAK series, I’ve come to realize how easy it is to make a layout look realistic while still using sectional track. This layout is perfectly suited for big, modern equipment but can easily be backdated to any time period you wish. – BS
The Royal Gorge Route in HO scale
I love verticality and autumnal colors on my layouts, but there’s much more than that to the Royal Gorge Route layout. This layout, which originally appeared in the pages of MR in the January 2021 issue, packs a lot of action into a relatively compact space. The Royal Gorge, which is actually an addition to the Scale Rails of Southwest Florida club layout, takes up only 8 x 12 feet, but certainly makes the most of that space. Rail lines encircle the mountain, running up to Red Mountain Town which sits atop it. If you’re like me, and want to model a mountainous region like Colorado, the Royal Gorge Route is a great track plan to study to learn how to make the most of your available space! – Mitch Horner
