Yeah Ethan that’s a good idea to start a thread it will help keep me on track, as for the layout this layout design is probably my 10th design. When I get board I get on anyrail and start messing around with the layout design to see if I can make if I can make it better. I’m in the planning phase now and saving the money to buy the stage shed I want, unfortunately I don’t have the room in the house to build a mrr.
I understand, I'm awaiting construction of a new layout building myself. I'm not sure how many different designs I've tallied so far, but my design folder has 100+ layout files in it currently, and another 30 I've moved into a "junk" folder. I have something of a pre-build thread going right now here: http://frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/the-future-iantha-branch.13766/
Here is an idea I have been working up. Since seeing the Pete Munger diorama/switching layout last year at the St. Louis RPM, I have been considering building something similar. Something that I could break down into ~4 sections and fit in the back of the (covered bed) pickup. Most likely something to show my ~1900-1930 models. I considered building a representation of Scammon KS on the Afton Sub (Between Cherokee and Columbus KS). Pretty simple...maybe too much so. I do have my scratch built model of the Scammon station that I have not used. I also am considering this expanded version of the "Cherokee Interchange" ... Maybe this one is too complex? Both would be 4 X 4-ft sections. -Bob T.
I really like the Cherokee Interchange design. There's plenty of industries to switch out, and the interchange and passing sidings provide plenty of space to stage cars between op sessions.
I’ve come up with another layout design, it would be 20x20 shelf style layout based in Quanah TX as if BN didn’t get QAP as part of the merger. I’ve based it off of aerial photos from the late 70s and brought it to the 90s. There were a few thinks I couldn’t make out but it’s probably about 90% accurate. Then I added 2 industries the transload facility which never exited the other Quanah oil which was never railserved to my knowledge but sits really close to where the track would have been. I’ve also included a u shaped shelf layout where acme is freelanced and the coop is moved over by Quanah oil. The coop curranly sits on the outside track but in the late 70s it wasn’t there the that track was used for cars going to Acme, so I rearranged some of the track around the y to put the coop there.
