Mike Kieran

In HO that's 5.5x4.5 feet or round off to 6x5 feet. Very nice.

It was a treat just seeing videos of the Moshassuck Valley and the Warwick Railroads, two of my favorite shortlines.

I finally bit the bullet and redid the track plan with Peco Code 75 track and medium radius turnouts. I used a 3 way turnout on the left side of the runaround. I think that it really makes a difference in space efficiency. By converting to Peco, I was able to shorten the length of the layout to 90x18 inches. this allows me to fold the layout into a 45x18 inch transportable unit. I'm toying with the idea of changing the industry in the upper left to a brewery. I now have the final(?) track plan for the Port Able Railway. I am planning on an easily transportable (hence the name Port Able) layout 8 feet long by 1.5 feet wide that stores easily and sets up quickly. It will have two wings on each end so that it will fold into a 48x18x3 inch carrying case/sleeve that I will slide the layout into. The layout will be 3 inches deep so that I can store the rolling stock, power supply, and support legs within the layout and carrying case. The structures will be transported in a separate tote. I plan on modeling the summer of 1979 because I have an obsession with IPD box cars. The backstory is that once the Port Able Shipbuilding Company shut down in 1978, the city of Port Able bought the property and repurposed it into an industrial park. The Port Able Railway was named as the designated operator to provide rail service to the former shipyard. The Atlantic Lines bring in cars from the left side of the layout and drops them off into either yard track 1 or 2. I was originally going to go with an 8x1 foot track plan, but I decided to add another track to the “yard” so that sorting will be easier and so that I had a little more room for scenery. With the extra width, I will be able to add the crane canopy for the manufacturing company in the upper left corner of the plan. I also bent the track in the lower left corner of the plan so that center beam flat cars may be unloaded from both sides. There is a small dock in the lower left hand corner so that I have a reason to give the layout a maritime name. The switchback in the upper right of the plan is long enough to accommodate a car in E. D. Ibble Foods and a small train of 2 cars and a locomotive to serve the manufacturing plant and chair company. I designed the layout so that at maximum, one car would be pulled and one car would be dropped at each spur. I plan to run 3-5 cars per operating session by rolling a dice and using a shuffled deck of index cards for each industry. I finally bit the bullet and redid the track plan with Peco Code 75 track and medium radius turnouts. I used a 3 way turnout on the left side of the runaround. I think that it really makes a difference in space efficiency. By converting to Peco, I was able to shorten the length of the layout to 90x18 inches. this allows me to fold the layout into a 45x18 inch transportable unit. I'm toying with the idea of changing the industry in the upper left to a brewery. Here is a list of the maximum number of car loadings per week:

They never pulled that many cars anyway.

Can you imagine trying to model that? It would be a miracle if the locomotive could make it 3 feet without nudging. Great pic.

Daniel, Have you also looked at Iain Rice's Coalport Layout? that's a nice plan with lots of purposeful trackage for an HO 5x9 foot layout. Byron Henderson also designed a 6x1 foot layout in N Scale (Alameda Belt Line) that M.C. Fujiwara built with a sight tweak to the plan. The ABL layout folds in half for easy transport. M.C. Fujiwara takes it to shows. I would love to build the ABL in HO (12x2 feet) as a transportable 6x2 foot layout (hello roof rack), but I don't have 12 feet of space anywhere.

Electrical Supply usually carry them and I believe Home Depot/Lowe's or any home improvement store should also carry them (contractors regularly go to these stores for supplies). I'm not sure of the stores used for home improvement outside of the US.

Nick, those are awesome shots. Great job! Tim, great way to make sure they sleep. Wear em down. It's one of the reasons that I like to take my 2 year old daughter to the playground. No fight at bedtime. Guys, great layouts! The only thing that might be better than seeing and operating the layouts is hanging out with you fine fellows.

Amen to that Jack.

I'll have you know that I look great in a loincloth. Now where are those glasses?

But Jack is much more handsomer. Now where did I put my reading glasses?

Hopefully one day Professor. It would have also been great to see Brooklyn 3AM since I grew up and lived in the Sunset Park area of Brooklyn. I was in walking distance of Bush Terminal (I grew Up a block and a half from the Brooklyn Army Terminal-Bon Voyage Elvis).

Chris, will they be pine trees or palm trees. You know that you can't just substitute them. I love the blue supports under the layout. A place to keep your rolling stock and temporary lodging. I'm jealous that I only get to enjoy TVNAM in New York via your postings. You look like a great bunch to play trains with.

I was about to sarcastically post about Cristiano Ronaldo's celebratory hair cut, but there is no joke that can erase the heartache of a child needlessly suffering like such. It always brings tears to my eyes to see news like this. A tip of the hat to Jermaine Defoe for spending as much time as he does with Bradley offering whatever support that he can. A quality human being.

If you post this on the Model Railroad Hobbyist or Model Railroader forums, there are probably a few hundred modelers from the Dallas-Ft.Worth area who can give plenty of information.

It may mean cell tower 60. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that the track which the train is traveling on was once an interchange track. I would think that if the siding for the interchange track was facing point, the shorter track would be the runaround.

The GP9m locomotive that you posted never ran on the Santa Fe and they never ran geeps in that paint scheme. Many model companies run paint schemes on models the railroads never owned. HOWEVER, many American short line railroads ran paint schemes that were known as "Tribute" paint schemes with their own lettering. Another route to go is to buy a locomotive and either remove the lettering or paint/patch over the lettering and apply their own railroad's logo or lettering.

Piedmont Blues does have a nice ring to it. It actually has an artsy name which fits well with Daniel's typically artistic modeling.

Paul and Bill. You do realize that I was making a joke, don't you?

There's always "Devil Went Down To Georgia" with Charlie Danels. Devilwendownta, GA would be a nice & eye rolling pun. (Ducking bricks being thrown at me.)

I came up with a third plan variation. In this plan, I added a drill track under the siding in the upper right corner to the chair company. That way I could use it to drill the manufacturing and food companies as well as use it for yard sorting before I start switching industries. I went back to my longer yard tracks just to give me more room. I also added an engine house where the railroad offices will also be located.

Who said there's no Ho in England. Obviously they didn't look hard enough. He even has a house: The House of Ho Fitzrovia 1 Percy Street, London W1T 1DB, England (Fitzrovia)

I hear you Zomboid. I was advised that the slow switching speeds and 1-2 car train lengths shouldn't pose a problem, so I'm crossing my fingers.

At first, I had the turnout going toward E.D. Ibble foods all the way on the left of the middle 4 foot section. I had to have it that way to provide enough room on the switchback going into Hardley Able and Uranus Hertz for 2 cars and a locomotive. It made the runaround a little tight, but manageable. I had originally planned for the turnout for the runaround all the way on the left, but I found that it would make that switchback too short. I had discussed my plan with a renowned track planner and he mentioned the same thing. The runaround was a little tight. It was a compromise that I may have had to contend with. With a helpful suggestion on the other forum, I can have the longer runaround, an easier time switching the two industries in the upper left, and still have a yard (while smaller, it will still be enough to do the job). That made a lot of sense. I just redrew the track plan to this:

I now have the final(?) track plan for the Port Able Railway. I am planning on an easily transportable (hence the name Port Able) layout 8 feet long by 1.5 feet wide that stores easily and sets up quickly. It will have two wings on each end so that it will fold into a 48x18x3 inch carrying case/sleeve that I will slide the layout into. The layout will be 3 inches deep so that I can store the rolling stock, power supply, and support legs within the layout and carrying case. The structures will be transported in a separate tote. I plan on modeling the summer of 1979 because I have an obsession with IPD box cars. The backstory is that once the Port Able Shipbuilding Company shut down in 1978, the city of Port Able bought the property and repurposed it into an industrial park. The Port Able Railway was named as the designated operator to provide rail service to the former shipyard. The Atlantic Lines bring in cars from the left side of the layout and drops them off into either yard track 1 or 2. I was originally going to go with an 8x1 foot track plan, but I decided to add another track to the “yard” so that sorting will be easier and so that I had a little more room for scenery. With the extra width, I will be able to add the crane canopy for the manufacturing company in the upper left corner of the plan. I also bent the track in the lower left corner of the plan so that center beam flat cars may be unloaded from both sides. There is a small dock in the lower left hand corner so that I have a reason to give the layout a maritime name. The switchback in the upper right of the plan is long enough to accommodate a car in E. D. Ibble Foods and a small train of 2 cars and a locomotive to serve the manufacturing plant and chair company. I designed the layout so that at maximum, one car would be pulled and one car would be dropped at each spur. I plan to run 3-5 cars per operating session by rolling a dice and using a shuffled deck of index cards for each industry. Here is a list of the maximum number of car loadings per week: