Category: Layout Design

My layout room is a mess. (What does this have to do with track plans, you ask? Bear with me.) If you’ve watched any of the videos I’ve posted on my YouTube channel, you might think that my layout room is a pristine oasis. You’d be so So SO wrong. …

I recently got a chance to return to the Amherst Railway Society’s Hobby Show as a spectator rather than a vendor. I’ve talked about the inspiration a really good train show can provide, especially the modules. But I also find that viewing the layouts does a good job of: Reinforcing …

In my last post I talked about the logical reasons for choosing the Eastern Ave. underpass for the corner just past Consolidated Coal (track plan). But some research provided additional interest that clinched it for me. That area will be the first project in Phase II of the layout build, …

Although I’m committed to building the layout in sections (as discussed here and here) that doesn’t mean I’m not prone to letting my mind wander to the future. The General Motors trackage and Penn Mary/Canton yard tracks and leads are in place and operational, track for Consolidated Coal is nearly …

After my “Autorack Woes and Assorted Time Issues” post, in which I mentioned that my layout models the seven days between July 11 and July 17, 1984, my friend Tom asked why my time frame was so narrow. And although I quickly answered him then, I felt it was worthy …

I’m a Chessie and Conrail guy at heart. But you can’t really talk about the Penn Mary area without bringing the Canton Railroad into the conversation. The Canton RR was started in 1906 as a way to bring customers into the then-undeveloped area. Neither the B&O nor the Pennsy wanted …

I know I’m repeating myself, but in my view any track plan is only the latest draft; it’s never finished. Changes happen, and they should be welcomed. As we talked about last time, I’d already laid and wired the track for the GM plant when I discovered I wasn’t happy …

Once upon a time, in the city of Baltimore, there was an auto plant… Joe wanted to model it, so he drew a track plan for it, built it, nailed it, and lived happily ever after. If only it were so simple.

I’m a little behind on my model railroad magazine reading. This could be because I’ve been wasting time building a layout, or that I spend too much time blogging, or that I subscribe to too many model-oriented publications, but I doubt it. It’s probably just because I’m lazy. Either way, …

I’ve said it before, my layout, although strongly based on Baltimore, will not be an exact replica. In fact, I look at it more as an alter-ego than anything else, with the freedom to change things based on my needs (and whims). General Motors is no exception. In the GM …