Recent Comments
Allan Dawes on On my workbench – module… “Stuttgart 202… on Stuttgart 2025 – 4… 
Jonathan Caswell on Stuttgart 2025 – 4… 
Chuckster on Brockenhurst show 2025 
snitchthebudgie on Potpourri #1130
Category Archives: Layout design
Off my trolley – interurbans
WARNING – if you are from North America, please look away. This is a confirmed UK resident writing about US railroads, so total accuracy is unlikely! But I hope in this post to give some idea of the breadth of … Continue reading
Posted in Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design, Traction
Tagged interurban, layout design, model railroad, traction
Leave a comment
Off my trolley – streetcars and trolley layouts
Again we need a cultural translation here: trolley = streetcar = tram. Streetcars tended to be smaller that the big interurbans running between towns. But you could find an interurban winding its way through the city traffic on its way to … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design, Traction
Tagged interurban, layout design, model railroad, traction
5 Comments
Layout design – different voices – simple layout, complex operation
Another interesting voice in the layout design world is Lance Mindheim, who most originally posts at http://www.lancemindheim.com/. He has built a number of very interesting layouts. The first was a 20×20 foot N gauge layout of the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design
Tagged layout design, model railroad
2 Comments
Off my trolley – a new design series
As I continue to make good progress on my modules, the armchair modeller in me is already thinking about another layout. I have this irrational urge to build an N-gauge US trolley or interurban layout – sometimes known as a … Continue reading
Posted in Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design, Traction
Tagged interurban, layout design, N gauge, traction
Leave a comment
Jon’s modules – staging a fiddle
Or to put it another way, how am I going to add the fiddle yard (UK usage) or staging (USA) to the short line? I thought I had this all worked out, but once again reasoning through the options came … Continue reading
Posted in Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design
Tagged layout design, model railroad, modular layouts, N-Club International
1 Comment
Jon’s modules – board 3 track laid
And the track for the last board has gone down really quickly. Now for a lot of wiring to get the whole thing working. I’ve also got to decide how to exit the short line off the second board. This will … Continue reading
Posted in Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design
Tagged layout design, model railroad, modular layouts, N gauge
Leave a comment
Jon’s modules – a little simplification
As I mentioned in the last post, the design ideas in the ‘Missing conversation’ got me thinking about my LV modules. As originally planned, the short line interchange had a loop and two more or less equal length sidings. One … Continue reading
Posted in Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design
Tagged layout design, model railroad, modular layouts, N gauge
Leave a comment
Layout design – different voices – the missing conversation
I have recently discovered a series of digital (PDF) books that have provided new inspiration in modelling. Mike Cougill models in P:48 (American O gauge 1:48, but with prototype gauge and standards). He writes on the O Scale Trains magazine … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Layout design
Tagged ESNG, layout design, model railroad, modular layouts
Leave a comment
Layout design – different voices – micro-layouts
For a lot of layout planning fun, try http://carendt.com/ . Here you will find the late Carl Arendt’s site, “Micro layouts for model railroads – Creative concepts for getting the most bang out of the least space.” There are nearly … Continue reading
Layout design – different voices – the art of presentation
Over the next few weeks, I want to explore some ideas about layout design. There are a number of interesting voices in the railway magazines and on the internet, with practical ideas that are can be of interest and help … Continue reading
esngblog 