Whether it is a prototype-based, pro- totype-inspired or a very-much free- lanced layout, you still have to go back to some basic hobby questions: just what is it that you are modeling (or want to model); what do you want out of a layout; what can you put into it as far as time, money, skills and emotion; and are there sufficient modeling resources to support it? Then you have to think about your modeling mode, like how much interest you have in operation, building, and the artistic impact of the layout. And, yes, editing and adapting, even moving towns, terrain and time, are part of the process. Note that none of these involve favorite prototypes, track plans, single or double decks, or whatever. Instead, they form the foun- dation for them. You have to plan the railroad before you plan the layout, then address the trackage which does the job or reflects the prototype. Now that the hobby has been around
for a while we are better at asking questions, though we often get many of the same answers. We also build better layouts. In times past all you heard was should it be a main line, bridge line, branch line or a junction, mining or big city? Then someone came up with point-to-point or out-and-back as options to the continuous running in- herited from toy trains. Finally, stag- ing grew out of hidden holding tracks. You need to make these decisions, too, and each of us has likely answered them already, maybe more than once. Bringing up planning is like opening Pandora’s Box or riding a centrifuge, and it can go all over the place. Let’s just jump to the heading for this month’s column and briefly explore a few considerations for a one town lay- out, starting with relative location and size. No matter where it is presumed to
be geographically or the theme of the layout, the position of a town or city in relation to the rest of the railroad ex- erts powerful forces on it. For one thing, that determines how it functions in the presumed economy of the area; for another, it affects the rail operation there, and, in turn, the railroad facili- ties and their modeling opportunities. Taking a minimalist approach, if one
only has a small space, either the end of track to staging or a run-through town on a main with two staging yards (or one with the main looped around back to it) could constitute a shelf lay- out. One boxcar a week behind an 18- ton Plymouth or an 0-6-0 may or may not be a viable layout for you, but mov- ing the town to a busy main could be. More can happen in the latter sce- nario: local switching and as many through trains rolling by as you wish. If there is elbow room on either side
of the town center, you can have open space and country roads or sidings for local service tucked against manufac- turing buildings. Depending upon the year modeled there could be a small engine facility and a yard; you can do a lot with a couple of tracks, just like many railroads did. This could also be an intermediate terminal for com- muter trains if you want more passen- ger service, and you can operate the railroad with a timetable or not. If you want to get in some model building and do something with structures, you have a spot for your work, too. All this on a shelf. The siting is the key factor. Going up a size or town means mod-
Bill Kaufman models the San Francisco Belt R.R. in 1944. No. he is
eling a piece of a place. We pretty much do that anyway, but in this case the rest of the world is preferably in staging (unless you want to see the same five boxcars running back and forth). Usually, layouts have more trying to model the
whole city but has edited the shortline that once ran along the Embarcadero to fit in a modest space in HO. He has also written a book on the line. This is an operations-oriented layout.
not
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