Name: Fairmont, Morgantown & Pittsburgh (“The Sheepskin”) Layout designer: Steve Williams Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 18′-0″ x 23′-6″ Prototype: Baltimore & Ohio secondary main line Locale: Fayette County, Pa. Era: June 1952 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 62 feet Minimum radius: 32″ (main), 27″ (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (branch and yard) Maximum […]
Section: How To
O scale Grosser’s Nostalgia Trip
Name: Grosser’s Nostalgia Trip Layout designer: Ray Grosser Scale: O scale (1:48) Size: 22 x 38 feet Prototype: Soo Line Locale: western Minnesota Era: 1956 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 250 feet Minimum radius: 50″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 1 percent Originally appeared Great Model Railroads 2012. Click on the link to download the […]
HO scale Keystone Speciality Metals coke plant
Name: Keystone Specialty Metals coke plant Layout designer: Randy Costanza Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 3 x 24 feet (three 8-foot modules) Prototype: freelance Locale: western Pennsylvania Era: 1990 Layout style: modular Layout height: 48″ Benchwork: lauan waffle construction Roadbed: 3/16″ lauan Track: Atlas code 100 Turnout minimum: no. 6 Minimum radius: 54″ (branch line), 20″ […]
HO scale Liberty Street
Name: Liberty Street Layout designer: Tom Teeple Scale: HO Size: 6′-0″ x 12′-9″ Prototype: Missouri Pacific Locale: Kansas City, Mo. Era: 1895 Style: Shelf Minimum radius: 15″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared Great Model Railroads 2012. Click on the link to download the PDF of this track plan. […]
OO scale London, Midland & Scottish Ry.
Name: London, Midland & Scottish Ry. (LMS) Layout designer: Greg Simpson Scale: OO (1:76 proportion on 1:87.1 HO gauge track) Size: 15 x 20 feet Prototype: (LMS) Locale: England, West Midlands Era: 1900s to 1960s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 100 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (sidings) Maximum grade: 1 […]
Large scale Miami Rail Service Co
Name: Miami Rail Service Co. Layout designer: Bob Springs Scale: 1:29 Size: 20 x 36 feet, plus outdoor staging Prototype: CSX industrial spurs Locale: Miami Era: present day Style: around-the-walls shelf Mainline run: 200 feet (loop) Minimum radius: 66 inches Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (one spur) Grade: none Originally appeared Great Model […]
HO scale Rocky Mountain Line
Name: Rocky Mountain LineLayout designer: Don MeekerScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 53′-9″ x 69′-6″Prototype: FreelancedLocale: ColoradoEra: 1950sStyle: Multi-level walkaroundMainline run: 679 feet (1,179 feet including branch lines)Minimum radius: 36″Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (branches and yards)Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared Great Model Railroads 2012. Click on the link to download the PDF of this […]
HO scale Santa Fe “Patch” industrial district
Name: The Patch Layout designer: Keith Jordan Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 8′-1″ x 8′-10″ Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Locale: Los Angeles Era: early to mid-1950s Style: shelf Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: Atlas code 83 Custom-Line no. 4 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared Great Model Railroads 2012. Click on the link to download […]
West Side Lumber Co. in On3
Name: West Side Lumber Co. Layout designer: Ken Larson Scale: O (1:48), three-foot gauge Size: 35 x 38 feet Prototype: West Side Lumber Co., Tuolumne, Calif. Locale: Sierra Nevada foothills, Stanislaus National Forest Era: July 4, 1950 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 180 feet Minimum radius: 28″ (main), 26″ (wyes) Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum […]
Follow the Soo Line across the plains
Read how Ray and Renee Grosser modeled their HO scale transition-era layout by clicking here. Since then, they’ve now changed their layout to O scale. […]
Voodoo and palmettos
Bob Springs used Lance Mindheim article from Great Model Railroads 2008 to build his large scale Miami CSX layout. Read Lance’s article about his HO scale shelf layout by clicking here. […]
Utah Belt 2006
Track plan at a glance Name: Utah Belt Layout designer: Eric Brooman Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 22′-8″ x 39′-6″ Prototype: freelanced Period: the present Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 173 feet Minimum radius: 39″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Originally appeared in the 2006 issue of Great Model Railroads. Click here to […]