Layout Designs

© Ian Holmes

This plan was devised for the first layout design competition on the small layout design forum on Yahoo! for a layout in 3′ x 1′. This is a slightly larger version, proving that you can benefit from adding a couple of inches to any plan!

The main feature of the plan is the hidden rotating turntable. This can be lined up with all exit roads and rotated through 360 degrees. This removes the need for any complicated pointwork for sidings and run round loop. In addition by having interchangeable cassettes on the traintable you remove the need for a fiddle yard too.

The traintable will take a 12″ (305mm) cassette that is long enough for a loco and 3 skip wagons in the chosen scale of Gn15.

Gn15 is LGB scale 1:22.5 using 00/H0 track and mechanisms to represent a 15″ prototype, though this plan would work in any narrow gauge combination.

Ian spent his early railway modelling years pouring over the plans of Roy Link in Railway Modeller. Years of living in small bedrooms in houses, student dorms, bedsits and flats ingrained the practice of small layout design in him.

Ian now lives in America and has a large basement, but still only designs small layouts.

© Ian Holmes

This plan was devised for the first layout design competition on the small layout design forum on Yahoo! for a layout in 3′ x 1′.

The main feature of the plan is the hidden rotating turntable. This can be lined up with all exit roads and rotated through 360 degrees. This removes the need for any complicated pointwork for sidings and run round loop. In addition by having interchangeable cassettes on the traintable you remove the need for a fiddle yard too.

The traintable will take a 12″ (305mm) cassette that is long enough for a loco and 3 skip wagons in the chosen scale of Gn15.

Gn15 is LGB scale 1:22.5 using 00/H0 track and mechanisms to represent a 15″ prototype, though this plan would work in any narrow gauge combination.

Ian spent his early railway modelling years pouring over the plans of Roy Link in Railway Modeller. Years of living in small bedrooms in houses, student dorms, bedsits and flats ingrained the practice of small layout design in him.

Ian now lives in America and has a large basement, but still only designs small layouts.

Part 3 of Geren W. Mortensen’s growing plan - another mini plan for you.

© Geren W Mortensen

Geren W. Mortensen is planning (and building) a series of modules that go together to create a larger layout but that work perfectly well on their own - a great way to build up to a large layout of your own.

Geren models in On30 scale and so can plan for 9″ radius curves with O scale scenery.

Geren wrote: “Attached is a version of the ‘transition module’ meant to be used between the “Salisbury Loop” and the “Crisfield Industrial” plans. In addition to making a transition, this module can stand on it’s own as a small shunting layout. This is the town of Berlin.

“Some changes are made to the “Crisfield Industrial” track plan to accomodate this module. First, the entire plan is pushed “back” on the module so that the lead track (which enters from the upper right of the “Crisfield” plan) is 3 inches on center from the back of the layout. A meandering branch is added to the front of the “Crisfield” module, 3 inches from the front, which may join another module at a later date.”