jimsmodeltrains

Nice looking layout. I recently came into possession of a 4x1 feet MDF 'plank',. Can you tell me what size your layout is as I was thinking of using a similar track plan on my MDF plank to what is on your layout?

Here are some photos of the Pier 39 switcher operating on the layout recently. The COFC / TOFC / bulk transfer track faces the same way as the yard tracks, so there is no need to run around cars being moved to / from that track. GE44 switcher (usually the only motive power on the layout) moving some Canadian covered hoppers to the bulk transfer track. Moving a Canadian covered hopper into yard tracks. Switcher coming off the transfer table. The Team Tracks face the opposite way to the yard tracks, so to move cars between the team tracks and the yard tracks requires running around and a switchback into the team track lead track for cars being moved between them. Switcher (usually the only motive power on the layout) picking up an empty reefer to move it to the yard tracks. Switcher moving empty reefer to the team tracks lead track. Switcher pushing the reefer onto the transfer table and runaround track. Switcher running around the reefer to be able to push into the yard tracks. The aggregate transfer area is adjacent the team tracks lead track, so that track is also used for transferring aggregate between railroad cars and the aggregate transfer area. The team track lead / aggregate transfer track faces the same way as the yard tracks, so no run around of aggregate cars is required. Switcher picking up a couple of short open hoppers from the yard tracks. Switcher pushing open hoppers to the aggregate transfer area.

Over the last few weeks, I have done a fair bit of work on my HO scale Pier 39 micro switching layout. Before I started this batch of changes, the track was un-ballasted, and there was very little scenery done. But now, most of the scenery is done including most of the ballasting, and some of the scenery elements help hide things like the track alignment bolt that keeps the transfer table aligned. One thing I did try, as a bit of an experiment, was to paint the Atlas point motors a medium grey color to try and make them less obvious. I’m not sure it quite had the desired effect, but at least they aren’t a very obvious shiny black any more. I am planning to add an aggregate transfer area on the team tracks lead track, as another place for hoppers and gondollas with aggregate to be spotted. I think this will add some extra operating interest.

Recently I added lighting over my HO scale Box Street micro switching layout. To do this I added LED lights, a switch and power supply (in this case a 9 volt battery) under the baseboard for the Pier 39 layout which sits above it. When the room the layout it is in is darker than usual and the layout lights are on, it frames the layout rather nicely. Above: Before lighting Above: After lighting. Here are a few photos of the lighting set up: The switch that turns the lighting on and off is attached under the frame for the Pier 39 layout, which keeps it hidden from general view and doesn’t detract from the scenery on the layout. Depending on how the 9 volt battery works out, I might wire the LED lights into a 12 volt power supply.

Hi Keith. The short 4 wheel English rollingstock with a Ruston & Hornsby 48DS I tried on the Petra Pizza worked ok with the newer tension lock couplings provided on new rollingstock these days. The American 4 axle open hoppers I use on the layout have bogie mounted couplers, but when I have cars with body mounted couplers they mostly work ok. Thats the rollingstock I have, which is varying brands and quality. But I do sometimes need a caboose or other body mounted car between the loco and the cars with bogie mounted couplings! Probably because of the overhang on the GP 4 axle loco and the resulting coupler angle which seem to force the bogies on the next car of the track.

Hi Keith. I attached the lazy susan base under the double stacked layout configuration. There is a very slight wobble, but it's hardly noticable and so I don't think it's anything for me to worry about. I think the low amount of wobble might be attributable to the fact that the Petra Pizza on top is quite light. The frame is the heaviest part of the layout, and it's basically an 'x' under the baseboard, with 'fairly thin plywood around the edges, and light wooden blocks in the corners to fasten the outside frame to. Which is why the Petra will be on top as the baseboard on the bottom has a more traditional and heavier pine frame around the edge.

Hi Neil. Had a look at the webpage at the link. Looks like a good little layout you had there. I think If I decide on a Pizza, I will probably go for a couple of short operational sidings rather than purely decorative ones. I'm not sure whether I will go for British outline yet although British outline models certainly have the advantage of being quite short and able to handle tighter curves than American models might. Your layout at the link does present some interesting ideas and possibilities.

Hi Keith. I am probably leaning more towards the square foot estate than an inglenook, and it would probably be standard HO equipment (I tend towards using standard / non-modified / non-customised equipment). I might try an inglenook if I decide to go for N scale or HOn though. I haven't tested the lazy susan under the double height layout in the picture yet. The layout base is about twice the width of the diameter of the lazy susan base, and the lazy susan base is only about 5mm high. I have heard of multi-storey lazy susans being used for foods stuff and some of them could be about as high as the layout in the picture, but then the weight and 'overhang' might not have been as great as it will be for how I am planning to use it. I think it will probably be ok, but thanks for informing about a possible wobble.

400mm legs added under the Petra Pizza layout so I can add another pizza (or maybe an inglenook or something like the square foot estate but bigger) underneath. The round thing on the bottom baseboard is a lazy susan 'bearing plate', which will be added under the bottom baseboard so I can spin the layouts around for different views.

YES! Dining tables are obviously meant only for special occasions and model railways.

The Ruston & Hornsby 48DS I have works a treat on the tight radiuses on my Petra layout with the Hornby couplings. But then it's a really short loco.

I think that's good advice on turning the loco from time to time! I must remember that. The GP / SW's I have used on the layout seem to be ok, but I think the tight curves are really at the limit of the smallest radius they can handle.

I use a web based Waybills management application for managing where cars go to on my layouts, but using Scratch to build a app to do it would be as effective. I might have to try that myself!

My Pier 39 switching layout has been operational for quite a while now, but very little scenery had been added to it. Over the last week or so I have started to do something about that. I have started to add the Team Track platforms, done some ballasting and added some foliage. There is still more work to do on the platforms. The filler I used to fill the gap between the platforms and the rails and that has been put on the foam core platforms will need to be sanded back to a more smooth surface to look like concrete. And I will probably have to paint those areas a concrete grey to complete the effect. I am also considering what sort of building, if any, to add to help hide the transfer table while still allowing aces to lock the tracks in position when a train has to go from or to the transfer table. I have considered using a scratchbuilding building I had on my previous large-ish layout and am working towards trying to add that to see how it looks and works. Another option is that I could model the inside of a building, with forced perspective to give the illusion of depth. I have never tried that before but it could be quite effective if I manage to do it properly. Because the layout is quite small (1200mm x 300mm, 4×1 feet), and is more or less at eye height, the way I scenic the front elements of the layout will probably be quite important in providing the over all scenic effect I am trying to achieve.

Track planning books can be helpful, but even they can be overwhelming at times with so many options. I've been through that process a number of times, and usually I opt for a relatively simple track plan which I then change to suit my locos and rollingstock and operating interests. if you want a track plan that will be fairly quick and easy to set up, you might try something like an inglenook. If you are mainly moving locos around, then you might be able to have the lead track shorter than is usual for an inglenook The beauty of an inglenook is that it's good easy starting track plan, which can have extra complexity added to it later (if that's what you want), and it scales up or down in size fairly well. it can also be the basis for a larger layout later on.

More scenery work completed over the last few days. And some motive power and rollingstock on the layout. Left to right, top to bottom: 1) Passenger train at Ruston Town; 2) passenger train at Ruston Junction; 3) Ventilated van being unloaded at Ruston Town; 4) Ruston & Hornsby and goods wagons at Ruston Junction.

Thanks for your comment Jeff. I tried a GE44 and GE70 on the layout, but they seemed to like the sharp curves less than the GP I tried (strange, I know). The GE44 and GE70 developed some very obvious drive train problems as a result of using them on the layout, although they might have had unknown drive train problems before using them on the layout. I managed to fix the drive train problems, but then didn't want to try them on the layout again in case the same thing happened. The GP I tried works ok but has a lot of overhang. I also tried a Bachmann DCC Onboard FT-A loco, which works quite well and doesn't have anywhere near the overhang of the GP. I figure a loco that has no trucks / bogies would work and look better, so am thinking of a Plymouth or something similar. Considering the trains a quite short, a smaller loco would look quite good, I think.

Photo of this layout and my Pier 39 switching / shunting layout (see elsewhere on RMWeb or my website) 'doubles stacked' in their custom built bookshelf. This photo was taken before the bookshelf has it's sky blue background added, so the sky blue corrugated iron wall of the shed they were in at the time can be seen.

Micro Layouts for Ease of Moving This HO scale micro layout was one of a few layouts I proposed to build to replace a large-ish modular layout due to the possibility of an impending move some time 2020. At the time I decided that it would be best to minimise the layout moving stress and dismantle the previous modular layout in favour of some smaller and easier to move modules. Layout Description The Pier 39 layout is a 1200mm x 300mm HO scale micro layout which has a 2 track transfer table, with each track able to hold a loco or one or two cars depending on the length of the cars. The track plan is shown below. The track plan is based on the track plan of the same name on the late Carl Arendt’s small and micro model railroading website. I was able to add some extra trackage, such as the RIP / Loco track, and the COFC / TOFC (Container-On-Flat-Car / Trailer-On-Flat-Car) track along the top which adds more operational interest. The two team tracks in the bottom right and the TOFC / COFC track in the top left of the plan can each hold 2 cars 50 scale feet in length. The 3 yard tracks can hold 5 cars in total if 50 scale feet in length. The drill / lead track for the team tracks, can hold one short loco like a GE 44 tonner or shorter, and one car up to 60 scale feet in length. The 'runaround' track can hold 1 car up to 60 scale feet in length. This layout got operational reasonably quickly, it taking about a week to build it to an operational state, around the start of 2020. Scenery on this layout is barely started, but mostly all it will need is ballasting or 'concreting' of the track, walkways, and other clutter - not overly hard or time consuming to accomplish. It's just that I have been concentrating on the scenery on my other micro layouts and so haven't got to the scenery on this layout yet. The layout almost operational - the tracks hadn't been added to the transfer table when this photo was taken. The layout fully operational. This layout is 'double stacked' with my Box Street micro layout (see elsewhere on RMWeb or my website), which is the same size. The photo below shows the two layouts in their custom built bookcase, the Pier 39 layout on top and the Box Street layout underneath. The photo was taken while the layouts lacked sky blue backgrounds, so the sky blue corrugated iron of the shed it was housed in during most of their construction can be seen. Operating Sessions For an operating session on this layout, the ‘aim of the game’ is to ‘swap’ inbound with outbound cars. Cars are hand staged in the yard tracks, and they have to be moved to the relevant industry track, while cars already in those tracks have to be moved to the yard tracks. Because usually only one car can be switched at a time there is a need for the train crew to think ahead, and treat the movement of cars somewhat like a strategy game. Most cars moved on this layout are virtually interchanged with other layouts through the Virtual Interchange group I am a member of. Motive power is usually a GE 44 tonner diesel loco although an Alco S2 or other similar size switcher has also been used for motive power. Locale The Pier 39 Yard layout is representative of an Erie Railroad car float served switching area in the metro New York city, USA area where cars arrive / depart by car float (implied rather than modelled) between the Pier 39 Yard and New Jersey.

The Box Street micro HO scale switching / shunting layout that is 1200mm x 300mm in size, the track plan based on the Boxer Shortline plan that can be found on the late Carl Arendt’s small and micro layouts website. But I did add some extra trackage, and industry switching possibilities due to the extra width of the layout compared with that in the original Boxer Shortline plan. Below is the track plan I decided on. Layout Description The layout has 2 standard turnout / points, a single slip, a double slip and a sector plate. The sector plate can hold 1 short switcher and a 40 scale foot car, or a longer loco and no car. There is a run around track for getting to the other side of car to switch some of the tracks, a 2 track ‘yard’ where trains ‘arrive’ from, 2 team tracks, a flour and grain industry spur, and a food manufacturer. The sector plate is also used to serve some industries, and is part of the scenic area of the layout rather than having it hidden away. This layout progressed quite quickly to an operating state, and when I finally decided to do the scenery, the scenery was fairly quickly added as well, although there is more to do (isn't there always). This layout, along with another micro switching / shunting layout called "Pier 39", was added to a custom built bookshelf so that the two 1200mm x 300mm layouts only take up a little more than 1200mm x 300mm in floor space as they are housed in the bookshelf 'double stacked' one on top of the other. The layout can handle about 6 cars an operating session, with some cars already in industry spurs and some in the interchange tracks. It is built to be operated as part of the Virtual Interchange operations group I am a member of, which tends to have 1 or 2 cars per waybill and most spurs can hold about 2 cars each.. How It Is Operated The start of an operating sessions sees some cars in industry tracks awaiting moving, and a loco and some cars (placed there by hand) in the interchange tracks. The loco crew has to work out how to best perform the required moves in the minimum time and with the minimum amount of moves, This usually means that an operating session is akin to playing chess, each move having to be thought out in advance especially when the number of cars is close to capacity for the layout. Locale The layout represents a small switching area near the B&OCT Barr yard in Riverdale, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, USA. It’s motive power is either a B&O S4, or a CM / MPAC switcher from CM / MPAC Blue Island. CM = Colorado Midland, and MPAC = Midland Pacific, 2 model railroads operated by another member of the Virtual Interchanging group I am a member of.

Here are some videos I made of construction: Video 1: This video is "proof of concept" - whether a less than 12 inches curve radius would work with the locos and rollingstock I already had. Video 2: This video shows scenery building for the layout, and a few extra different locos and cars that can be run on the layout. Video 3: This video shows scenery detailing for the layout including painting rock faces and ground, and first round of adding vegetation to the layout. Video also includes footage of a loco and cars running on the layout. Video 4: This video shows completed scenery, including extra detailing, and running trains.

This HO scale micro layout was one of 3 I proposed to be built to replace a large-ish (approx 14x8 feet) modular 'U' shaped freelanced American outline model railroad representative of the area around Dolton, IL. With the possibility of an impending move some time in 2020, I decided that it would be best to minimise the layout moving stress and dismantle the previous modules in favour of some smaller and easier to move modules. The 3 micro layouts were the result, with a possible 2 more easily stored ans set up ultra-micro layouts. Layout Description The “Petra Pizza” is a 600mm x 600mm square (approx. 4 square feet) layout, with a single circle of track, with mountainous scenery, and very tight curves (for HO scale) averaging about 11 inches radius. It represents a small quarry branch to a small fictional town called Petra somewhere in Maryland, USA, which is also the location of a quarry which is the main industry served by the branch and the only industry modelled on the layout. The curves on the layout are around 11 inches on average (which means there are some parts of the circle tighter than that)! You might be tempted to think this limits the cars and locos that can run on it. Well, it does. But not as much as you might think. As far as motive power, a Bachmann DCC Onboard EMD GP 4 axle loco works ok, and the shorter wheelbase Alco S series switcher also works ok. As far as rollingstock, I have some 22 foot mineral hoppers and 40 foot open hoppers which serve the quarry, some 40 foot MOW cars which run as a tourist train, and some other carefully selected 40 foot cars that can handle the tight curves. I am hoping to purchase a small Plymouth switcher to operate the branch, as it will look a lot more at home than the longish GP locos I am currently using on it. Operation Operating a layout that is just a circle of track might seem somewhat boring. But I have worked out a relatively interesting way of operating it none the less. A train including some open / mineral hoppers starts off somewhere on the layout away from the stone loader, representing Petra Junction, the place of interchange with a class 1 railroad. The train is started, and makes it’s way up the mountains, passing through many tunnels, for a set number of minutes, then it arrives at the Petra stone loader. At this point the train crew has to align each hopper under the stone loader so they can be loaded. Once all cars are loaded, any extra cars (eg box cars or fuel tankers) are moved to the trackside shed / depot a little way from the stone loader for unloading. Once that is done, the train starts again back to Petra Junction. The operation of the weekly MOW cars as a tourist train is operated in a similar way, starting at the Petra Junction depot, and running to Petra depot up in the mountains. But instead of stopping for each car to be loaded under the Petra stone loader each car has to be stopped in front of the Petra depot.

The buildings and basic scenery on the layout so far. Left end (Ruston Junction). Right end (Ruston Town).

I just used buildings I had left over from other projects / dismantled layouts. And the size I had available more or less dictated what buildings I could use. The only money I spent on it was on the two points - everything else I already had. I think carendt.com has this sort of track plan, and has building flats along one edge, but basically any form of scenery could be used, even rural / mountainous scenery. If you have it as a 'both ends of the line', you could have a scenic break between the two points and then model related industries at each end.

I also added a switch to bypass the resistor if other locos I use have better slow speed control with the P5P or if I have a DCC system attached to the layout.