oe TRACK PLANS For Model Railroaders LINN H. WESTCOTT CC CrEach of these track plans is an adventure in itself, like a visit to another model railroader's home railroad. Each plan is built around some railroad theme with an atmosphere of real, or sometimes imaginary, countryside. Almost every plan offers you ideas that you can use on any model railroad — which makes this book far more useful and more interesting to browse through than one might expect of a collection of track plans. Easy to use The plans are arranged mostly by size, starting with railroads for the smallest tabletops and ending with club-sized and deluxe railroads. Simple steps are given in the text to help you: 4. Choose the best plan. 2. Modify tif desired. 3. Build the railroad. Literally thousands of scale model railroads have been built from plans by Linn Westcott, and he has included examples of his most popular railroad ideas along with some of the best work of other expert track planners. Many of these plans have never appeared elsewhere and others are completely revised from the most popular plans of the past. Westcott, Linn Hanson, 1913-1980 101 track plans for model ralroaders / by Linn H, Westcot p. om. ISBN 0-89024-512-6 1. Raliroads~-Models--Design and construction. |. Tite. ‘TF197.W378 1992 625.1420 92.3370101 TRACK PLANS For Model Railroaders LINN H. WESTCOTT Plans Railroads for very small tables 2 Small shelf railroads 6 Small table railroads 10 Railroads for 4 x 8 tables 4 Railroads to 6 x 10 18 Railroads up to 9 x 12 n Railroads for 12 x 16 spaces 33 Trolley layouts mM Larger shelf railroads 45 Railroads for a single garage 48 Railroads for large spaces 4,857 Plan index 70 Other features How to choose your track plan 3 How to build your railroad from plans 5 How to change plans fo suit your needs 9 If had a million 60 © 1956 by Kalmbach Publishing Co. Al rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in part orin whole except in the case of ‘without veriten permission fn Published by Kalmbach Publ o-s9028-5126 Printed in the United Stat O88. Eighteenth printing, 1989, Nineteenth 3 printing, 1994, Twenty-second printing, 1996. Twenty wenty-fith printing, 2008 KALMBACH BOOKSWhat scale do you build? N_ SCALE "The plans in this book were prepared belore N scale was developed. However, ‘yout can reduce any plan to sit Nvseale needs by following the dimensions wiven Inthe tables, Remember, though, that any slleways running into the table space must be maintained wide enough for you to walk conveniently. You have great Freedom in planing with N scale. ‘The Tuled lings on all plans are @” apart. TT SCALE You're lucky, because no matter what the size of your railroad room, you hhave a wide choice of plans Out will tit The ruled lines eeross all plans are ©" apart for you. Such dimensions aa elevations, tumtable’ diameters and epectal STE ee tte ceasirel te St toma te eamect ges po ‘se. Read the text and you'll find other suggestions that will help ¥ou. HO SCALE 2. Kettle Hills & Eastern RR. Very sharp curves 3, Bay State Western Ry. (At left.) Sharp curves ‘A double-reck ralltoad needs at least one crossover preferably ‘feo. To mave apace, one switch ofeach crossover Is Hopped from {he usual positon so that it can extend into Uhe eurver This Is Shays a good tick in track planning. 4, Reddy River & Piedras RR. (Opposite page.) Sharp curves “This railroad can handle two train, oF you can switch one while ‘another runs. Originally this was just sketch in Monet Rax~ osoer magazine but it has so many good points that we've fg- {red i more carefully for your uae 2 Railroads for very small tablesHow to choose your track plan "HE frst step in choosing a plan in this book is to discard all the la outs that are tou big for Use space you ave, The plans are arranged, for the ost part, in groups of gradually in- creasing size: you can find all sizes compared in the Index on page 10. Later on Tl show you how plans ean be adjusted to the exact size and shape of your table or room. After ou have narrowed the selection to those plans which will fit your space, the choice depends on what you like ‘While searching through the book for plans, turn the pages upside down, then to the right or left. Look at all the plans in a mirror, too, In this way you won't overlook any plan that’s ‘well suited to your space. What plan would I choose if 1 wanted a good average layout? Look for a plan with one- or two- lap main lines. Tf space allows, these should have return loops in each di- ction so trains can be turned to go clockwise or counterclockwise for fore variety of operation. An aver- vge layout should have some space for Scenery, but if the area ic small, get- ting in enough track is usually more of a problem. Selected ene-lep ond two-lep oval 150,770 Selected plon with ene return tek 13, 27,42, 50,61. Seoced on wt ie dee rk What kind of plan is best for switching? It doesn't matter much how the main line goes as long as you have yards and industrial spurs’ in good supply. Take any plan in this book and add more spurs and yards if there aren't already enough. If you prefer way-freight operation, pick a. plan with a long main line with spurs frequently turning off in every direc tion. If you prefer yard switching, keep the main line more simple and choose a plan that allows for many yard tracks. Aotvondsfeotring swiching 34,6, 7,8 9, 10,11, 12, 18, 20, 23, 24 25,26, 27,38, ond mat plone from 38 onward eid face indicates plane where switching i the What plans are best for railroadlike train operation? ‘The estence of railroad train opera tion is to make up a train in the yard and then send it over the main line (or perhaps a branch) to another vard or terminal. This is called point-to- point operation by model railroaders, but you don't necessarily requive a point-to-point plan to accomplish It Any plan with @ main line of some Tength can be used if the terminals are arranged well. You can connect two terminals into any oval so that a train ‘must use most of the oval main line when going from one terminal to the other, like this: By using a loop for one terminal, you'll usually have more space to build a bigger yard at the main ter- minal. Notice how this was done in plan 100. The wye allows trains to en- ter the two-lap oval going either way After passing the wye, a train is forced to stay on the main line all the way around. "There are no short cuts as they wouldn't improve operation. ‘The train reaches a terminal only after completely cireuiting the main line. In this plan the train has a choice of terminals: it can go back into the original yard (as though it had reached a different city), or it ean terminate in one of the retarn loops — Little Miami Loop or Barberton Cut- olf. From these itis immediately ready to make another trip over the main line in the opposite direction ‘The point is that'its nice to have an oval type of plan for test and display runs, but an oval can also be arranged for railroadlike point-to-point op- eration as well. For most men a plan that combines both kinds of operation is more satisfying. Pure point-to-point plans have a simplicity and charm of their own, es= pecially if track never doubles back fn itself. T think you'll see this better than I can explain in words if you look over several point-to-point plans. Poin to-poiet reo 5.8, 10,40, 43, 44, 45,47, 51, $5, 68, 69,72, 73, 75, 78, 81, 63, 7, 94, 95, 96, 101. Bold numbers ere lop-ttoop pons Reoeds suited to both point pot ond ove B.A, V8, 24 26, 7, 28, 3, 35, 42, 48, 30, 53, 54, 59,61, 62, 6, 65,66, 67, 70,72, 73, 100. 64 ond 76 ave outond-bock type What kind of plans are most suited to runing two or more trains at once? On most plans, you ean run one train on the main line while another is switched in the yards. Sometimes pro vision can be made so the two never interfere. ‘A two-track main line is obviously suited to running two or more trains. Put one on each track and just let How to choose your track plan 34 5. Atlantic Line. Conventional curves [A shelf railroad is at ite best with a minimam of track so the scenery, Industries and ‘lot of shell. Using conventional curves" you got the sias listed on page 7, them go. If this gets boring, as it will for many, then you need something that is more challenging for the man ‘who is controlling the trains. A single track with passing sidings is often preferable, If one train is to over- take a slower train, a single siding is all you need, ‘On an oval plan, you need at least two sidings to run trains in opposite directions, but three sidings are bet- ter because there is more variety in where the trains meet In general, if you count the passing sidings and divide by two, you'll get an approximation of the maximum number of trains you can handle at a time on a railroad. It’s also fun to operate several trains by being a towerman at a location where several routes converge at a point. Trains eome at you from every ireetion and your job is to get them through that point. Imagine sitting at University Tower, plan 80, and you'll get the idea. Any plan with several routes converging has the same pos- sibilities. In this kind of operation the route of the main line is unimportant. inated Portland Fi rosbdy BR, How to choose your track plan ICESTER am Are some plans better for the man ‘who wants signaling or all-automa- tie control? Some of our plans are especially prepared with signaling in mind. Reikoads mont sited to sgnol installation 9.19.24, 31, 38, 0,41, 46, 49,50, 52,34, 56, 57, 58,59, 60, 61, 62, 68, 73, 74,76, 77, 80, 2, 85, 86, 91, 92, 94, 97, 98, 100. Those shown in bold ore exsir to. odop! for ATC ‘long with plans 13 ond 29. Of course, you can add signals or automatic control to any plan, but the electric cireults are much simpler on one-way track such as you'll find where most or all of a railroad is double-tracked. Wouldn't a plan with a double- If you like fast-running, heavy traf fic, or if you want to run two trains with a minimum of control-panel equipment, double track has the ad~ vantage. But usually single track is the better choice. It offers more op ferating fun per train because you have more to do. ‘Also, scenic effects are easier to work out on a single-track type of plan. ‘The track is narrower so it Teaves more space for scenery, but the most important reason is that nar- row track looks much longer. Your ‘whole railroad may look half again as big with single track as with double. What plans are the best for scenic effects? Look for plans with ample space be- tween track routes and plenty of space between the track and the table edges. Usually simple track arrangement is most satisfactory, but where you can make the scene look logical, sev- eral routes can be run through the same part of a seene. Layouts with grades and curves make more inter- esting scenery than straight level lines. Don't overrate the importance of scenery in choosing a plan. You canIN BOOKS about model railroad ear- pentry, track laying, and scenery cunstruetion, you'll find that you have a choice between “fat top” and “er (open top) types of table construction In a nutshell, the type of table with a fat plywood sheet for a top saves a little time in construction providing you build a one-level type of railroad. ‘The open or grid type of construction is better for scenic reasons, but may take a little longer to build. On a multilevel railroad, grid construe- tion undoubtedly saves. time All plans can be built by grid methods. How do I transfer track locations from the printed plans to the rail- road framework? Our plans have lines ruled across them each way in uniform spacing, ‘The spacing represents: 6" for N ele construction $° for TT scale construction, 12" for HO seale construction. 1s" for § seale construction. 24° for O seale construction If you draw these same lines across the top of your framework or plywood surface, you can estimate how many inches any feature is from the nearest lines and transfer this Iocation from the plan to the corresponding lines on the railroad table. For greater ac- curacy, measure the seale inches from the nearest lines on the plan, ‘We've printed seales on the margins of our index pages for your con venience. Many of the plans are drawn in 4", %", or Se" scale. You'll find an ordinary ruler has the desired six or 12 marks per square on the plan for ‘measuring anything that falls between lines. Isn't it a good idea to work from large plans? Large plans are better if you plan to make changes of your own. But otherwise you should get along fine with plans just as they come in this book, ‘This is because so few dimen- sions on a track plan are really er cal. We don’t ordinarily permit per- sons to copy plans from our publiea- tions without written How- fever, you have our permission to get an enlarged copy made of any plan if it is for building your own personal home railroad. Photocopy firms in the nearest city are well equipped to do this for two or three dollars. It’s also easy to enlarge plans by drawing lines 114", 2", or 3° apart each way on a piece of paper. Then you copy the location of track one square at a time, enlarging it by hand from the squares on the plans in the book. ‘This may sound tedious, but it isn't as bad as you might expect. Usually freehand work will be accurate enough, but double check the 10 tions of curve centers and switeh lad~ ders for safety ‘What parts of the track should be located carefully? ‘The curves near the comers of a table often have a critical location. Ladder tracks in yards should also be arranged accurately or else there may not be enough room for all the switches, Where tracks are closely parallel, be sure tracks are separated enough’ so cars on one track won't sideswipe engines or ears on the other Here are the minimum distances to maintain between track centers for x * Tr ny HO z = : a 6. ap © 5 Y ‘Straight tracks can be as close as 13 scale feet fom center to center, and this looks very realistic. However, our plans and most builders use the separation shown above for broad curves for straight track as well. ‘We used this same distance as the clearance from track to edge of table ‘or wall in most of our plans. If you have difficulty making things fit, you cean cut this in half, You might en- counter such a difficulty ifthe switches you use are longer than NMRA size, fas they frequently are. More about this later: Can I use sectional track to build from these plans? Yes, but you'll have to cut many short ‘pieces of straight and curved NWN EN . as ‘y % ESTs. SI How to build your railroad from plana 5Ssck because only rarely will a plan «track that matches an even num of pieces of sectional track. if you have @ little more space than = hye 4 A i. Wea it a t cus a LS \ Sa Lez ie 7]a Railroads for —— SN 12x 16 spaces WON ae i plen 60 whi ix 11) aa a <\ — ao aie ' ¥ MS 7 i 2 SS —S a Ming ashes Oren et UT CORT TS ae eee ——s ie a a Tae ’ “VP SAY ee He aa Test Ha : i since HG aby dg i | EnayE pial & Reivoteto9e2Railroads to 12216 3359. Great North Pass RR. Conventional ‘This was one of several plans considered fora series felling all about how to. bulld a. model railroad (featured in the Model Rairosder starting in Apri 1950. ‘The plan eventually chosen for the Great South Pass was similar to this but more compact. ‘This by-product had good features so T saved It for thi book 61. Dan Patch Lines. Sharp Curves ‘More yard capacity is provided in this lan than in the original from which it grew, lan 50, One advantage of building « railroad in se~ tions is that you can build on the workbench where tle are handy. You can make alterations the sume way even after the entire rail= road is completed. 34 Railroads 10 12.216( il SZ ; yyw Ye Wed HR. NY om iiver Falls engine terminal. This railroad was originally built in O gauge. If built in HO, the cockpit would be so small you couldn't stand in it. You need at east an_18%-square hole to stand in, and that’s not big enough for a control panel too. The answer here, if you're working in a smaller scale, is to adjust things so you can build a larger con- trol pit. You might have to move the roundhouse somewhere else or even omit it ‘Most plans were designed with HO convenience in mind, so the S gauger ‘and O gauger will have to look out for another hazard, thet of having to reach too far from the edge of the table to get at some important place. Four feet is about as far as you can reach, and that's the limit. Look for a place to build another hatch for easier ‘access or else move tracks around to make room for a hatch. How do I choose a plan for an ir- regularly shaped space? There are two good ways. The easiest way Is to choose a plan that will fit into part of your space and then expand portions of the railroad into the extra areas. You do this by swinging one or several tracks side- ways into the widened space, by mov- {ng a yard to an outside location (very Likely an improvement), by swinging fa track into an L or Tso far that it ‘makes a horseshoe or hairpin curve, by adding a branch line with many scenic industries, villages or resorts 36 Railroads to 12216 63, Rio Grande Southern Ry. Sharp curves. Stub switches Probably more becutifal photos ff a ralroad scene have been faken near the ‘Ophir Loop on the Tio ‘Grande Southern than Snywhere else in America, Now the real rellroad is gone, but you (gan rebuild iin model form, ‘This plan uses stub ewitehes but [Not switches will ft with ite fo change of tack alignment ould be fitted into many other Shapes of rooms by completely revising the right sideong the new space, and so on. Til e you more help on relocating ck later. The other way is to take a plan of out the proper area and bend tt, etch it, squeeze it or pinch it nai w at the middle, This takes more ‘sing, but the method I'm going ‘describe of cutting a tracing of the an into four comers and then re- ating them is good for this. More pointers about choosing your track plan ‘The most important thing to cor der in making your choice is the ar— igement of the main line. Is it long gh? Does it make an interesting amey for the trains? en though a particular plan ‘t have what you want in yards, ry, spurs or other details, if the in line is right you've probably ind the best layout for your needs. Scenery ean always be changed. In ‘you can treat almost any plan in fa thousand different-ways when it ‘comes to adding scenery Spurs can also be changed. You ‘can add more, take some away, run others in different directions. Lots of fellows don't build spurs until later on anyway, and that’s an idea that has some merit Passing sidings can also be moved. Likewise, you ean change double track to single track or vice versa. Yards aren't quite as flexible, but fn almost any plan there are at Teast ‘two places where yards could be | cated, so even here you have a choice. Look at yards on other plans; often you can make a substitution more to your liking. ‘We've tried to Ieeep the yards in the plans to about the right sizes for the main lines they serve. However, most fellows eventually acquire more ears than they can use. If you're one of them, you'l either have to add more yard tracks somewhere, or else build ‘a wall display ease for extra equip- ‘ment so the layout doesn't get yard- heavy Many plans that have been pub- ished have wasted trackage that is added for effect without consideration ‘of how trains will operate. One test of f good operating plan is that a train should go over practically all main- line track before repeating any of it Altemate routes and cutofls which connect into the main at two places usually are of little use and merely clutter up space, There sometimes are {00d reasons for having these cutofls, but I'm criticizing plans that have a jumble of trackage that connects into Itself here and there without ever really getting anywhere. Branch lines are another thing. A branch line adds a lot of operating Interest. Usually it works out best if it ties into the main line at only one place, at a point fairly well away from the main terminal. ‘This makes for longer running. Check your aisles and operating spaces, ‘Many plans require some space out- side the main tables for standing room. Railroads 012216 37| i Jig rN eehave a curve of this sort. You can use them in place of standard switch de- signs, but they won't help much unless you also lop off the extra 1" of Straight track aheed of the points on these switches. Building part of one switch over- lapped into the space of the next is another way to save space. Slip switches and three-way switches are ‘common forms of overlapped switches, Dut you can make many other unusual switches to save space. Leaving out part of a plan also helps. Or you can change from double track to single track, omit an entire lap of the main line, leave out the roundhouse, ete How can I make the best use of ex- tra space around the plan? If your railroad space is bigger than the plan calls for, you're well off be- cause almost any plan can be im- proved by a little expansion. Some- times just leaving more space around the outer tracks is the best thing you ‘can do. Tilting a plan diagonally in a space creates triangular corners for scenery and may improve an other- ‘wise stiff-looking oval. A very good way to expand a plan Into a larger space is to make a trac~ ing of the original plan, then cut through it each way. Paste the four corners you made into the corners of fan outline drawing of your new larger space. Make new connections be- ‘tween the corners and your new ex- panded plan is done. Compare plan 5 with plan 58 for this is just what I did here. If the plan you like has sharp curves and No. 4 switches, consider changing to conventional curves and No. 6 switches. This will take up a foot or so of your extra length and improve operation as well. TE your mainline has only two pass Ing sidings, see if you can work in three by moving them around a litle Three is much better for two-train ‘operation. ‘More yard trackage is always wel- come. You can lengthen all yard tracks. If you need still more yardage, you can add more switches to the adder or build another ladder on the other side of the main line. If you lengthen yard tracks, you may want to lengthen sidings as well as they must hold the same trains. With quite a bit of extra space, you ‘can consider adding a trolley line, a branch line, or perhaps an extra lap of main line for longer running. One more way to enlarge a plan is to spread the whole railroad propor- tionately. Consider the squares. as larger than originally intended. For 40 Railroads t0 12 216 67. Monon Route. Sharp curves 1f you're familiar with the real Monon, youl have fan with this pan. Otherwise You might ‘want to use the track arrangement for some ther theme. ‘Some might want to use the ‘Wabash ‘iver space to enlarge the yard68. Iron Ridge & Mayville. By Paul Larson. Conventional curves Here's 8 honey of a point-to-point railroad for the fel low who wants lo have the wtmest in a realistic effect ‘The theme is a Milwaukee Road branch line instance, in HO the squares might represent 15” instead of 12". This ‘would make a railroad with eurves of 25 por cont greater radii; the over- all size of the plan would also be 25 pper cent greater. Use the same size of track switch and figure switch loca- tions by the P.LF. method on page 7. Double track and yard tracks should not be spread when you use this method. Keep the original center-to- cconter distances. Can I change a plan with a sing! track main line to double track? ‘This is fairly easy, but if your space 4s small you may need a few inches more in length and width than the original plan. Use the same curve centers and add a second track on the outside of the original mainline curves. If this pushes into the terri- tory of another track, you'll have to move the next track out of the way. ‘This method will change the direc- tion of straight trackage in reverse curves, which does no harm. Compare plans 8 and 85. These are single-track and double-track versions of the same theme. Can I substitute No. 8 switches for the No. 6 size shown in many plans? Usually there isn't enough room for ‘a substitution except in the biggest rooms. No. 8 switches take half again as much length as No. 6, and while they look nice they are not needed even for operating at speed. Can I add switches where the plans don’t show them? ‘You can almost always cut a switch {into an already existing straight track, but cutting a switch into a curve calls for a little caution, A regular No. 4 switch corresponds roughly to a radl- ‘us a litte larger than the curve tually used with (about 22° radius in HO for example). A No. 6 is a lot broader, however (about 48° radius in HO). So, particularly with a No. 6 switch, i's dificult and often im- possible to cut a switch into an ex- isting curve without introducing kinks that are just asking for car dersil- ments. If you cannot relocate track centers to provide for a regular switch, build a custom switeh with a curve through the frog. hoe Railroads to 12x16 41rerpasses the upper tack should be 4” above the lower (HO) and the grades connecting the upper and lower level ‘Should be uniform, Trolley layouts 4344 Trolley layoutsLarger shelf railroads = Or) J. —— rf [ Fo DS. —=—— argent eae i ——— SS{] WANT P4Z lo SS 80. East Bay Belt Line, Conventional curves ‘This is an expansion of a plan by Sanford D. Ashford, an authority on real ralroad signaling, ‘The layout furnishes Interesting signaling problems and also provides junctions ‘that will be fun te operate a8 towerman, ‘The than who likes ‘railroadlike”treckwork ‘will also be bape’ with this type of model railroad. 81. San Diego & Arizona Eastern RR. Con- ventional curves with an exception You'll have to make the table wider than four feet if you want to use 24° and 2614" rad curves at ‘Tacumba, Otherwise this railroad can handle any Tncomotive. Railroads for a single garage81. SDRAE. See opposite page Railroads for a single garage 82, Toledo & Southern Michigan RR. Peano Railroads for a single garage 4950 Railroads for a single garage83, Yosemite Valley RR. Sharp curves ‘Once upon a time you could ride to the portals of wonderful Yosemite National Park through fpevious anyon slong Mord’ River the Tuxury of a fine observation car. One of the features long the line as an incline where Umber was lowered to mainline level on fat cars held beck by’ cable a uithca baat fhe lrwer eno ep th lows frm than between the ralla Ia Merced Yard, three-way Railroads for a single garage 51@ eo Railroads for a single garage 53januoy "Buoy someones po ae do sence 14 yo) Com Rl {eeennd Sau peraren Tones sabe coke pa sates akon! ‘sunoNenn 54 Railroads for a single garageRailroads for a single garage 5588. Chesapeake & Ohio RR. Conventional thnery makes this pike unusual 56 Railroads for large spacesRailroads jor large spoces 5721, Opposite pom aaltaon van troed IE My gl i I) | WE LMS He) Railroads for large spaces 592 a =94. Eureka & Golden Gate RR. A rallroad for e very large space can have any kind of curve, and the exact location of track en real ther Hen plan 1WSl Mode! ‘Railronder. “Highlights of the ea are repeated below. HEN money and space are no problem in building a railroad, there are still practical limitations such as determining just what size it will be and the method of planning it. This railroad isn’t impossibly big, at least for a club, for as this is written a version of it is well under way at the HO club in the B&O station at Wheel- ing, W. Va. ‘A super railroad should be big enough to keep a man busy at his hobby of building, operating and re~ building. Tt shouldn't be so. large, however, that maintenance takes up more time than construction. Here are some of the ideas incorporated into this plan: The building is designed specifically to house the railroad. A ground floor entrance, workshop, storage space and lounging’ area are provided,. con- venient to the layout. A baleony pro= vides bird's eye viewing and an oper ating position for mainline track running. Switching and way freights are handled while walking alongside the trains The aisles are arranged radially so you can either stand at one point and ‘ee all of the railroad, or you ean walk into one bay to get a realistic view of just one scene. ‘A room 60% 65 feet is best for this railroad in HO, but similar arrange- ‘ments ean be worked into spaces of 50 feet, or perhaps less. The railroad room needs no windows; in fact, it shouldn't have them, but good dust- proof ventilation or air conditioning is desirable. Lighting consists of even “sky light” reflected from a curved false ceiling. Holes through the ceil- ing allow yellowish spot lights to send beams of “sunlight” down as though from openings between clouds. All spotlights are pointed at the same downward angle and their beams do not overlap. ‘The railroad itself must be a plan that looks like a possible, if not en- tirely probable, scene in any close-up view. Loop-to-loop operation is al- most essential unless there's going to be plenty of manpower available to switch trains in the terminals. Natu- rally, switching is wanted, but it’s hard’to keep the main line busy if all trains must be tumed in a yard. The loops let many trains turn easily. ‘Track doesn't ever return into the same seene twice except to climb to the summit ‘Angels’ Fleight is a funicular (cable railroad) to @ pagoda and amusement park atop Blackwall Palisade. Railroads for large spaces 6164 Railroads for large spaces 97. Philadelphia & Reading System. Broad curves Parts of this plan came from another railroad that T designed for George Allen. "This is areal "bow! of spaghetti type of plan and shoul 7° the man who wants a realy long main line and interesting routing in com> pect area, Suburban trains operate from overhead eatenery over part of the Tine, then they take a short cut beck to the terminal. A suspended car on ‘cable rises to the summit of the mountain on the hour. Notice the short fnd long routes between Mahanoy Junction and Port Clinton Junction, At Wayne Junction some slip switches are needed both for looks and %0Railroads for large spaces 6566 Railroads for large spacesWhen I planned this for the South Bend HO club in 194, 1 wondered if such 99. South Bend, South Shore & Chicago RR. Broad curves interfere with operations, so be sure you know what you are doing, How about feeders? Move them to any convenient place along the very same rail, but not be- yond any gaps in the rails. What do I do when the letter R ap- pears near track feeders? Eventually you'll want to build a control panel such as the dual-throttle type on page 87 of the book How 1o Wire Your Model Railroad, but at first you can get by with only one extra eversing switch of the double-pole double-throw type, Connect all mainline tracks through this switch. Connect R feeders direct to your regular controls, bypassing the new direction-control switeh, How are crossings wired? Our plans are wired with the as- sumption that all crossings have jumpered wiring. This is the way most, if not all, commercial crossings are made. How about scissors or double eross- ‘Most commercially made crossovers don’t have enough gaps for proper ‘two-train operation. There should be no way for electricity to get from one approach of the crossover to any other. Usually you must eut your own gaps at XX in addition to those ready de, Railroads for large spaces 67You certainly want to reach the switches of a yard from a convenient aisle. All small plans present this problem, and you should keep it in mind when looking for a suitable one. Larger plans usually provide operat- ing aisles within the table space. If one side of the railroad must be tight against a wall, either choose @ side that has few if any switches, or else provide 18"-square hatches where you can pop up through the scenery to get at them. If your room is large enough, try to provide an 18" aisle behind all parts of ‘the railroad and a 36" or wider aisle wherever visitors will want to go; 24° is enough for one-man control spaces. Do many of these plans seem too complicated? We've put a lot of detail into our plans to help you with construction. ‘This makes them look much more ‘complex than if you saw just the track lines alone. But if the plans for your size of space still have more in them ‘than you want, choose a plan for a smaller space and build it instead, You can easily blow any plan up toa larger size by methods explained on age 5. Don't overlook the idea of building plans as simple as those on page 2 into spaces two or more times as big. 100. Ohio Central System. Conventional 68 Railroads for large spaces‘CARCROSS | ay NY a e \ A(\ \| “ a nee a Ie i sete mame so SS pm : SF ON = ow vet + 1 [\ \ Ty ao 101, White Pou & Yokon A Get Se aay NE See ers A » | ep \e ab = Elche VSN Sy mmm SEAN UT : rmmeede pe. \ SS = 7 SKAGWAY WHARF” S i az ‘Armstrong has done, Railroads for large spaces 69— PLAN INDEX Arvangement: Plans are listed in samme or- der asin the main part ofthis book. ‘They fre in order of size, but with » number of fs to the nearest foot in each {Gerve rai: are for curves liniting maine ‘Tumout size: Most plans use No. 4 or No.6 tuacke switches and exceptions are marked fon the plan. If you don't care to build stub FORN SCALE RAILROADS, DIVIDE THE HO DIMENSIONS BY 2 wre age ony inten, | MRM 1] 2a aa as oxo | 14 a5 2] sa me 707 | rn as a) aa as 67 ano} om ie 4] sa 46 9 onz fiom ae 5 |2o29 26136 a9457 52476 |10 24 16249 ant? | 19% 18 tt 20620 | 18 24 wets 226 22 | 13% 18 19199 29088 98077 | 22% 20 as 509 oxi | 4 8 12 | 26 ae ar ans fre ta | 38 37 set0 ante [3% 10 ra | 38 47 6x10 ants [0% 18 1s | 3a ses 7a8 9u10 [a9 18 w | as 47 sao zat fru a5 was 47 60 oats fia 10 w | as as 59 rat fia 18 20 | a5 467 xt ania [19% 18 | ae as 6x onto [13 10 mr | set ase? | 134 8 a | sea aes onto fish 18 2a | oe a8 oxi? amis [10% 18 as | 26 a8 62 ane [13 18 26 | 2x6 4x8 xt2 ats [1008 18 a7 | 2x6 4x8 oxt2 ante fr 18 ae | 26 4x8 rz anne tas 18 ao | ox 4x8 ont? ante fi9% 18 30 | 5x56 48 Getz ants 70 for custom switehes, which usually aren't eally-made, you can often substitute No, 4 Turnout widhout any major changes Grades: are shown to nearest half percent. ‘These are a general guide as to how heavy a locomotive is needed to pull «given train Grodes are deliberately made sifer than need be on some plans for visual effect Space shape: “Table” means two oF more sides must be accesible for maintenance ‘Front sie” meane other: sides may" be against walls. “Central alsle” reaches into Ponte RR Table. 4 & Cambridge RR, Table. Oval and e hole & Smoky Mountain Gorge BR. Front space from outside: no ducking. “Open enter” munt be reached by dicing op via Stairway. Shelf" is narrow and usually fan be bent around corners, See plan $4 for explanation of "radial sisle™ Operating pattern: “Oval” means any con- ‘Unuous route where track isnot redoubled, Inches Rigure-eight, cle. “Return” means ‘loop or track which reverses direction of {rain one-way around oval. “Returns” al- low reversat both wave “Boint" Je a stub terminal. “Loop” ig'¢ return Toop with oF ‘without a stab yard in conjunetion wi ‘Combination routing” is a particularly flexible arrangement consisting of terrl- ‘aim line available. In addition there are Connecting track for oval running snd Pe= {urning in cach dircetion around the oval (On some’ Iargcr plans ‘exact. descriptions fcnt be made in the space of this index Stockton & Deringtn RR. Toble. Two-ep evel. Swell yord, IRR. Teble, Two ove Bey Stee Wester Ry. Toble, Double. rock ov Reddy Rive & Piedras RR, Table. Ove! with roundhouse [Air ine U-shell Loop 1 lop. Fasy grades lang shoreline. Shall. Yord oly ‘Apple Creek Junction By. Shell. Yord only yt Ogden & Northern RR. Shll, Yards ond switchbock ie RR. Shelf end centol etl. Complete sytem. Large yord Comer shelf. Yor. Mechanic Street Yord. Sha. Yor Elaabeth & ohway Volley Ry. Table ot fron! esl, Ovel wih RR, Table oF front isle, Ova tobe Dist Ry. Table, Theelep oval oF table. Twolep evel ond 1. Font cae or tble, Orel Ovch Shall estosion sentra width ting BR, Toble, Ovel. Switching footed senor & Oyster Bay Ry. Front cise, Ovel RR, Tobe, Tweop evel elombie & Cotcode RR, Tobe. Oval Toronto, Momiton & Dewoit RR Table. Combineton routing Mohawk Southern Ry, Table. Oval Pennsylvenia & Potomac RR, Table, Ovol and poi! to pot Table. Loop tk re Ea AH yr mom td mee) | x 2 Komumete ule 2 vals ; wale 5 he ule 6: te Mao wale 7 Pewfe ee cals ome man |e 10 ne a8 re wale 11 tape voule * me a fall ga vale an aan |4 14 Velay aa nf. Ov mo {so pow " zouls : poule 28 Now dy vows 0 274 an a npeh torte vials alm vous ™ rule one tm at [498 ah et hn in i vials 4 mm 2% 90 | 4 Sh 0 +s Lime Ridge, Merculs & Portland RE Teble. Twolop evaFOR N SCALE RAILROADS, DIVIDE TH “ 0 o Fa a a ne ast at ss Pra) 6 4 a6 48 xe 88, a xa 5x10 x8 6x10 7 68. as 67 are) ax 57 68 6x10 ox on12 759 9512 oe at 59 7x12 9 ont 65 BB 9 912 sa ext 78 91 59 on 58 710 39 0x19 9 10x12 ae sat sn 75 99 2x12 exit ta exit tons Pit 9nd ai 9x4 7x10 10x14 9x2 1206 on on on ont ox ox ma 88 exis ons oie eat ex? ma vans vaste mate nae raat oar m7 ry 15x23 4x21 axa 4x20 esa ons ans ane ans ane exis 0<20 12420 na8 16x20 ox24 15x23 vente as24 vaaza vex 124 4x20 20x04 aa 4x30 max a 1ex20 19x20 19927 2092 Ho DIMENSIONS By me 13% 8 13% 18 as ay ry 13% 1s 5 ry 1 ™ Py 1 mu u 4 2 8 18 ry 2% 2 2% 2% eee eos 8 888 “ 2% 26 26 6 & 36 “ si custom sit a a m% % a a ™ om eriny Vlley Cantal FR, Tobe or half, Two lop oval. Caster From Renge RE. Table. Ove Aeyside & Southampton Ry. Fron sila. Two ovel. Laguna Plate RR. Front oil. Point to pont end eval Denver & South Pork RR. Table. Oval wth returns 1, Dodge & Kk City B. Tobie Ovol. Depressed Feature, ‘Yonkee Midland Ry. Tobe. Oval Toy & Mahewk Valley By. Open center, Loop to loop Cvokerstee Eaten RR. Open cones, Oval with ltecrate route Sonenis &Phrox RR. Open center, Two-lap oval ond return Deedweed, Big Horn & Paste RE, Table, Laop loop. Mining Rechport& South Ftk Lumber Co, Tobe. Pont to point. Lumber. ‘Grode optional Range RR, Cenirl esl. Point 0 point. Ore Jorden Valley 8. Conve ose, Ove. eve Ato RR, Tobe, Switthbock Haborete yor Virginio & Tuskee BR. Central isle. Poin 1 pont ond oval. Old Fthevan & deal River RR. Display fable, Oval with bronch, Union & Oveilnd RR. Open center, Point to loop ond oval. See- nel Fre lner Bet Line, Label. Yerds ond industri, FR. Open centr, Tworlop oval and branch New York, Onere & Westen RE. Open canter. Oval with broneh from wye Yolo, Son Marin & Eche Movatsin Ry. Front eisle ond open center. Com elon! & Meoteheed Lake shat, Point te point Dayton & Northern RR. Open center. Orel. ebimore & Hudson RR. Front ‘oer. Popular le ond open canter, Oval with re ‘Grand River Western BR. Enlrged version of plon 57 ‘Great Nerth Pets BR. Front aisle. Combination routing. Pltonice River Southern RR. Table. Oval Large yor 04 Enlorged version of plan 50, Adiondec 88, Control a Lop to lop, eval, ond branch. Yard io Grande Sothern Ry. Centra aisle. Poin Yo point end evel Uniontown Southern RR Open canter. Ovl wih eon, Southern Crom Ry. C2. Lahoped. Oval with retvns and branch. ree Fureko, Shaste & Greet Eastern fy. Lshoped. Point loop ond Monon Cantal ciala, Oval and returns Iron Ridge & Mayle RE. Ushef. Point 10 point nFORN SCALE RAILROADS, DIVIDE THE HO DIMENSIONS BY 2 _ ‘shuttle. P 1g EAR nah ce [eee ee 1 leaeie nara 2 soa 6/2 4 7 saat et a tha m|) mort ae dail eh 7S aN IOEA 9 oe muta sa nad te ol Se 7x15 10x22 13490] 18 2435 | 6a ww ond open center, Ovals and rats, a] ses 420 600 aol ise 18 a7 36! 6 San Diego & Aricone Foster RE. Shelf Terminal 1 loop a2] rats 921 ast teat] 8 ma 36 a8! 6 182 Toledo & Southern Michigon RR. Front ssl ond epen center. Loop. 1 lop pln bench, Cory groden | ena toma vssa6 aonte| tam 18 27 24] 4 24 osm Valle Cantal ile. Pant pit Cost be om 4) e015 10520 15130 20«40| 22% 20 45 Go| 6 «2A The Wincone Route. Open canter, Combination routing as] ext4 0x19 52m 20037] 22% 30 45 60/ 6 «28S. Ardmore, Cadeno & Fermi BR. Veriation of plon 84 6] ex15 10120 15120 20040/ 18 24 26 48 | Mixed 386 Cojon Pots, Sab Lake & Santa Fe RR. Open center. toop ‘ond eval x14 10x18 15327 20436] 1315 18 2736] 4 A _AF_—Pasc Gret Enuterm RR. Teble, Point fo point Could be onelevel 4s8/11015 15120 29490 90140] 18 24 36 48 | 4,6 3.88 Chetopeoke & Ohio RR. Front and central al Pole to pint and UEERRED HUSH HS | | i | Lt a9 | 10015 14120 2030 rae | 18 24 26 a8 | 6 89 Bednige & Fine River BE Open canter. Termine to loop end eval 9) 9x15 12421 18x21 2oat| 22% 30 45 40| 6 290 Allont, Biminghom & Columbus RE. Lshopad. Combination rout 91 | nat 2yas sma3| 27 36 84 72) 6 91 Toledo &Indione RE. Display eae. Oval. Central workshop | 914 12019 Yexze 2500 | 1 24 36 48| 6 «292. MinnowimarTexes Systm. Open canter. vols and rstvns Trolley broneh sa]rtety 14x23 21035 2646 | 22% 30 45 40| 6 290. Tennessee Estrn Ry. Tcble, Ovel with retn. Wye ond terminal 94 |oxes 2x60 00<90 1051120] 27 36 54 72| 8 2 94 Eureka & Golden Gate RR. Rodel cil. Loop to lop. Idee plan B os|riaze vexae 21057 ange] 13% 18 27 36| 4 495 Hungry Hore Tinber Co, Rodi sila, Point fe point with loops. be 96 | 2015 320 5a0 uo] 12 16 24 92/6 96 Orla Mining RR. Shel. Switehboc. = 7| 9920 12026 1839 24082| 22% 20 45 40| 6 297 Philadelphia & Roding System. Tobie. Combinotion routing = Complex ™ va] viata weet 21cas zeae] 18 24 35 48] 6 298 Butte, Anaconda & Posie RR, Centre nt to point ond EB 99| 35x40 47480 70x80 94x106| 6 299 South Band, South Shore & Chicoge RR. Centra isle table. Com plate elo Broo | 214 vext9 24x27 a2xa8| 18 24 36 48/ 6 2100 Ohia Cont Lines, L shaped. Combintionrovting For |rs5e15 20x20 20130 40040] 18 24 36 48] 6 4101 White Pass Yokom Ry. Control ctl, Point fo pointHow to Build Model Railroad Benchwork, 2nd Edition ‘Demonstrates ow olan ae bul the basi sramener 0 sugpor 0 gauge 8 103 120; socoe. 12175 + $14.95 uf any se, shape, 8 TTS BBW Every issue Includes intriguing artis that take you on a tour ofthe work's nest layouts and introduce you othe hobby’ experts You'l als discover a weath of prototype data, detaled how-to instructions, ct reviews, tis, tchniques, issuesiyear Easy Mode! Railroad Wiring, 2nd Edition Everyting you nee wo how about wing & emanet ayo covered nbs how-to gud ma Control. By Andy Span, 8x bw pos 160 su; ete 12207 + $21.95 peer ane es 4p | Maroy ‘Trackside Scenes You Can Model Histon clean lackand-wee potogaks capture iting prottpe aoa stings tom ‘allover he US The autor deta how you can ‘eaticaly mote! ech tte scare on your ‘wm ay ach chap fetes descr of ‘he scene induting ackge, stu operating ero sggesies track 8 Ji Kly Bx 1%; 80 pps: 80 clr and 25 us Start planning your next layout! ‘Scenery for Your Model Railroad your model ard! Ts ‘rom pound cave and rokrk, oes, ‘and moe eum tetishing touches tat ge a acter 810K 80 pos; 150 ear and 25 bn pres; 10s: sozover 12194 + $18.95 ‘Trackwork and Lineside Detail for Your Model Railroad Leathe fe eas of weckwork and nese cvs Yul dps, etnies, ad eas fo working wth tack ad the deals nme longadef Fetes clear otogragense rackvers ad delat Fom Aaeader maga. 8x 10%; 96 ps; 150 color and 25 bw toe 60 lu: soo 12235 + $ Available at hobby shops. Visit hobbyretailer.com to find a store near you. 0 oocR By mat: inbtshing ow, dupe amas oer” Cessoase Cele 0. fi 9, Wass, WL S167 Shpseg& arg cages. MEROMANDISE TOTAL K00 Sisovetes $49 Sisornoc $850 Soorssoc S650 Soorsrsco $750101 TRACK PLANS For Model Railroaders Every one of the 101 track plans in this book is an PT Won ee Briere COB ev iets (cor ee meee ELE om Cele OME Mn onl iy em Tiled Pre oko Mie ee eS RON rd table to a huge estate-size railroad designed for a specially built building. The author, Linn Westcott, also explains Vm COR on me EDC em mmm Ta ole outs that would fit on ac model railroad scales, how to build a layout from Pe EME teM itm CMe eee oe Emmett m ce) tae ent erent ind KALMBACH BOOKS