Like most model railroaders, I have more ideas than resources, at least in terms of layout design. I enjoy the idea of mainline operation, but I didn't want to rule out switching and point service operation. It took some time before I settled on a plan that featured a good compromise of both. Here's how it happened.
When I set out to design what would become the Catoctin Gorge Rail Company, I knew that the largest space I could manage would be roughly the size of an interior door (3 x 6 feet or so), and that going smaller than that would be ideal. I wanted to have a mainline that could handle medium to long trains. I also wanted to have the ability to do some switching and yard work, and include some industry spurs for operational fun. So, in a space of 3 x 6 feet (give or take) could I include all of these things? I did some trolling around on the web, looking for design tips and keeping an eye open for small layout plans. My first draft was this:
This design looked great when I first made it, but on a second look I wondered what the heck I was thinking! I had started with the design of Malcom Furlow's San Juan Central; if you look at the layout long enough you can see it. But, it looked overly crowded on the freight yard end. So, I moved the yard inside the oval and came up with this:
Notice that many of the stub-style team spurs changed into through-style sidings on this version. Also note that I expanded the layout beyond my original size restriction. That was done to give me the space I needed to get my wanted features on paper. I planned to scale it back down to size later, and worry about what to remove at that time.
For this one I explored the idea of replacing the inscribed figure-8 of the earlier designs with a twice-around style inscribed oval. My original HO layout had a twice-around structure, and it has always been one of my favorites. The heavy black line adjacent to the yard would have been a scenic seperation barrier. Now I was getting a firm grip on what I wanted, so I pulled out all the stops and created this monster:
I really like this one, even though it was strictly a creative exercise. I knew I wouldn't be able to build this, even though it was designed to be broken into two parts when not in use. When I made a full-scale printout of this brute and laid it out on the living room floor, I didn't have any living room left! Obviously, said I, this one is too big (and my wife emphatically agreed). But if I ever have the space, I may yet try this one. It's vast size notwithstanding, this plan proved crucial to the final design, in that it allowed me to truly get all of my wanted features into a single layout plan. It proved easier to design a huge layout and scale down, rather than start with a small layout and build up. Which brings us to this:
The twice-around reverted to an inscribed figure-8, and the turntable went away. But the other important features, such as the yard, spurs, and long main line, remained. This one looked like a winner! But then I began to figure out the necessary grade for the inscribed figure-8, and it was far too steep for a mainline track: almost 8%. That's even too much for a siding, and even mountain spurs try to avoid going over 5%. Even raising the lower portion of the layout didn't solve the problem. In short, the grade became an insurmountable design problem, so once again I went back to the design board.
The inscribed figure-8 finally went away, to my dissapointment, and was reaplced by a simple, inscribed oval. However, by using a basic oval insted of a figure-8, the grade problem was solved. The entire layout is on a slight slope, with the "south" side being about half an inch higher than the "north." Open top, or "cookie cutter" construction could easily take care of the slight incline. Additionally, I was able to restore the turntable without seriously compromising the yard. Furthermore, a new, long spur was added through the center of the layout, bringing in some additional operation and scenic possibilities.
The final size of the layout was 3 x 6 feet, and most of the operational features I wanted were incorporated somewhere in the track plan. I had my layout. Now it was time to build it.
Keep in mind that I have yet to lay a single piece of track, because I still have more ideas than resources. Furthermore, changes on the home front have imposed more space restrictions than I had originally expected. Specifically, my wife and I are both packrats, and we don't have much free space. So, it's entirely possible that I may build an even smaller, "starter" layout, such as a switching pussle layout, or an n-track module. That remains to be seen.
Whichever way I end up going with this, the story will be told here.
