Utah Belt 2006

Utah Belt

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 […]

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Utah Belt

Utah Belt

Track plan at a glance Layout designer: Eric Brooman Name: Utah Belt Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size:17 ‘-7″ x 23 Prototype: free-lanced 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 Great Model Railroads 1997 and in the February 1998 issue […]

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HO scale Milwaukee Road Beer Line

MRR-G1111_BeerLine

Name: Milwaukee Road’s Beer Line Layout designer: Rich Steenwyk Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 20 x 48 feet Prototype: Milwaukee Road Chestnut Street Branch Locale: Milwaukee Era: 1975 Style: around-the-walls Branch line run: 85 feet Minimum radius: 26″ (main), 15″ (spurs) Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in the November 2011 issue […]

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HO scale Brandywine Valley RR

Brandywine Valley RR_A

Name: Brandywine Valley RR Layout designer:  Dil Huey Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 26 x 42 feet Prototype: Octoraro RR Locale: Southeastern Pennsylvania and parts of Delaware and Maryland Era: transition era to 1980s Style: multilevel walk-in Mainline run: 365 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: Peco large radius Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in […]

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HO scale Canada Central Ry.

Name: Canada Central Ry. Layout group: Montreal Railroad Modelers Association Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 37 x 123 feet Prototype: freelance Locale: Quebec and Ontario, some western landscapes Era: 1959 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 1,200 feet Minimum radius: 42″ (main), 36″ (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2.2 percent Originally appeared in the October 2011 […]

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N scale Southern Ry. Spartanburg Subdivision

Southern Ry. Spartanburg Subdivision

Name: Spartanburg Subdivision Layout designer: Steven Otte Scale: N (1:160) Size: 3′-0″ x 5′-6″ Prototype: Southern Ry. Locale: upstate South Carolina Era: early 1940s Style: island Minimum radius: 9-3/4″ Mainline run: 11 feet Minimum turnout: no. 5 Originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Model Railroader. Click on the link to download the PDF […]

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Readers’ Choice RR FasTrack plan

CTT-T0911_ALead

Layout designer: Kent Johnson Scale: O Layout size: 4 x 8 feet Track type: Lionel FasTrack Minimum curve: O-36 Originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of Classic Toy Trains. Click on the link to download a PDF of this track plan. Track plan Parts list […]

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LLG Specialty Coke Co.

LLG Specialty Coke Co

Name: LLG Specialty Coke Co. Layout designer: Gary Gealy Scale: O (1:48) Size: 6′-0″ x 10′-6″ Theme: by-product coke plant Locale: western Pennsylvania Era: early 1960s Style: shelf with peninsula Minimum radius: 27″ Minimum turnout: no. 3 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared in the September 2011 issue of Model Railroader. Click on the link to […]

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North Montana Line

Milwaukee Road North Montana Line

Name: North Montana Line Layout designer: Dan Lewis Scale: N (1:160) Size: 18 x 24 feet Prototype: Milwaukee Road Locale: central Montana Era: 1953-54 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 115 feet Minimum radius: 121⁄2″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (industrial spurs) Maximum grade: 2.2 percent Originally appeared in the September 2011 issue of Model […]

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Readers’ Choice RR extension template

CTT-R0911_template

Just like the original section of our project railroad, our preferred method of transferring a track plan to a flat tabletop uses a computer to download and print out the full-scale template of the Readers’ Choice Railroad so we can easily tell how track, accessories, and some scenery elements work on our 3 x 8-foot […]

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New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois RR

Name: New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois RR Layout designer: Dan Lawecki Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 21 x 24 feet Prototype: NJI&I (Wabash subsidiary from 1926 to 1966; Norfolk & Western branch line thereafter) Locale: South Bend, Ind. Era: 1920 or 1975 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 88 feet Minimum radius: 24 inches Minimum turnout: no. 6 […]

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Postwar-style O gauge plan No. 1

CTT-Z0711_PLAN1

Layout designer: Terry Thompson Scale: O Layout size: 5 x 8 feet, 2 x 5-foot extension Track type: Lionel O Minimum curve: O-31 Originally appeared in the July 2011 issue of Classic Toy Trains. Click on the link to download a PDF of this track plan. Track plan Parts list […]

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