The Gulf & Pacific Railroad layout in HO scale

Facts & features Name: Gulf & Pacific RR Scale: HO (1:87) and HOn3 (HO scale, 3-foot narrow gauge) Size: 20 x 24 feet Prototypes: Freelanced Locale: Generic Era: Early 1960s Style: Shelf Mainline run: 180 feet Minimum radius: 30″ (main), 24″ (branch and spurs) Minimum turnout: No. 6 (main), No. 4 (branch and spurs) Maximum […]

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An L shaped N scale shelf layout

A sketch of an L shaped N scale shelf layout on graph paper

In some of my early “Sketching with Steve” articles – in particular, “What is a station?” and “Big industries for small spaces” – I admit to having an ulterior motive. I was building toward something. Specifically, I had been thinking for a while about building an L shaped N scale shelf layout in my basement office. […]

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Building Bay Junction 17

Cody Grivno next to layout

Lots of work is taking place on the Model Railroader staff’s Bay Junction model train layout. Associate editor Cody Grivno has installed his United Cooperative grain elevator, while senior editor Dana Kawala describes building the fertilizer plant that will be located in front of the scene. Managing editor David Popp will also show how the […]

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Five ideas for a shelf layout

A sheet of graph paper holds five sketches of 1 x 5-foot HO scale shelf layout plans

As the author of Model Railroader’s “Ask MR” column, I get a lot of questions from readers. Usually I either know the answers or at least where I can find the answers for them. Sometimes, though, I get a question that stirs my imagination and prompts me to compose a more involved response. Such was […]

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Bill Clancy’s HO scale Rio Grande Pacific layout

Track plan of Rio Grande layout

Facts & features Name: The Rio Grande Pacific RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 26′-0″ x 44′-6″ Prototype: Denver & Rio Grande Western; Great Northern; Spokane, Portland & Seattle; Union Pacific; and Western Pacific Locale: Colorado, Utah, and California Era: June 1948 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 544 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 (industrial […]

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Issue preview: January 2022 Classic Toy Trains

Hal Miller with the cover of the 2022 January Classic Toy Trains issue preview

The January 2022 issue of Classic Toy Trains features advice on modelling winter from Dennis Brennan, a master of scenery and photography. You’ll also learn at least five other design and construction techniques from him that could improve your display! Plus there are multiple layout visits – including one in S gauge – filled with […]

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Building the HO scale Bay Junction layout

Bay Junction

Bay Junction was a project railroad for the editors of Model Railroaders in the early 2010s. Track plans and videos for that project are linked to below. Bay Junction track plans The Bay Junction track plan Industries and tracks and Williams Bay   Bay Junction overview article Read the first article about the second Milwaukee, […]

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Building the HO scale Bay Junction layout

Bay Junction

Bay Junction was a project railroad for the editors of Model Railroaders in the early 2010s. Track plans and videos for that project are linked to below. Bay Junction track plans The Bay Junction track plan Industries and tracks and Williams Bay   Bay Junction overview article Read the first article about the second Milwaukee, […]

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N scale Four Corners & Five Lakes Ry. track plan

NscaleFourCornersFiveLakesRy

Click on the image or link below to download a PDF of this track plan. The layout at a glance Name: The Four Corners & Five Lakes Ry. (a business unit of FCFL Transportation) Scale: N (1:160) Size: 20 x 30 feet Theme: freelanced Locale: Four Corners region of U.S. Era: modern Style: around the […]

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N scale Gauley Shavers Fork

NscaleGauleyShaversFork

The layout at a glance Name: Gauley & Shavers Fork Layout designer: Bob Ferguson Scale: N (1:160) Size: 16′-4″ x 33′-6″ Prototype: Baltimore & Ohio, Chesapeake & Ohio, Norfolk & Western, and Western Maryland Locale: Appalachia Era: mid- to late-1960s Style: shelf Mainline run: 75 feet Minimum radius: 9.75″ Minimum turnout: Peco medium radius Maximum […]

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Track plan for a port that fits on shelf

PortofBrunswick

See a PDF version of this by clicking here. This might be the simplest track plan ever to appear in Model Railroader. It includes just three turnouts, almost all the track is dead straight, and it’ll fit in office cubicles, studio apartments, dorm rooms, and other spaces traditionally considered too small for a model railroad. […]

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