A couple of micro layouts for starters.

A Rob Chant 8’x4′ plan, that could be 4’x2′ in N.  Nothing special in this design in one sense, but interestingly designed for operation.  Note that reverse track (1E to 6B) that allows exchange of cars at both ends of the line.  A sort of ’empties in – full out’ idea.  Rob Chant describes operations thus:

All crews start their day in Mann Lake, and head north (clockwise) towards Paradise. While each station is assumed to have a passing track, only the trackage/industries designated for the station (they are numbered and colour coded on the track plan) can be used when switching the town. Between each stop at a station, the crew must make a complete lap around the layout.

When the northbound train reaches the last stop of Paradise, the crew works the CP interchange and the local industries, then heads back (counter-clockwise) to Mann Lake, completing any work that may have been skipped on the northbound trip. Once the crew reaches the home base of Mann Lake, the CN interchange is switched again, then the train crew ties-up for the night.

Since a train crew would need 1½ laps to get to the next town, it would take nine laps to get from Mann Lake to Paradise, and another nine to get home, which is quite a bit of train running in such a small space. And since the interchange track is feed from both ends of the layout, there will be an endless supply of incoming traffic to shuffle between the interchanges and the online customers.

As you can see, this layout packs a lot of prototypical operation in a space that is only 4’x8′, just by using your imagination and “seeing” only what you’re suppose to see at each station. I think it is a great way to get the most out of small layouts with continuous run designs.

In contrast, this is a tiny O gauge micro.  But looks fun to shunt.

Also for the modeller, these pictures of track on the IOW Steam Railway and at Ventnor give some good material for ballasting.

Was there anything more elegant than an LBSCR H2 Atlantic?  And they do look good in British Railways lined black livery.

Except maybe a K class 2-6-0??

I’ll finish with something less elegant, but one of my all time favourites.  An ex-LSWR ‘0330’ saddletank.  I think this one ended up on the Kent & East Sussex Railway.  I think that I have an O gauge kit for one of these hidden away somewhere.  One day….