Recent Comments
snitchthebudgie on Seaboard Southern NMRA show, 1… 
Dan Spalding on Seaboard Southern NMRA show, 1… 
Brian on Potpourri #1063 Brian on ESNG meeting – 4 January… 
bickersgateblog on It’s Boxing Day
Tag Archives: layout design
New York port railroad maps
For the map enthusiast, a few more hours of tracing rail lines….. From the UMSL Digital Library, maps of the port of New York , prepared by the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors. These maps are a set … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Layout design, Prototype
Tagged inspiration, layout design, model railway
1 Comment
An alternative grouping
‘Proto-freelancing’ is far more popular in the USA than in the UK. Perhaps this is due to the use of the same locomotive designs, with detail differences, across many railroads – for example the iconic F3 and F7 diesels. Bu … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Out and about, Weird and wonderful
Tagged hints and tips, inspiration, layout design, model railway
Leave a comment
Odd modelling idea #1677
It’s becoming a forgotten art, converting one model into another prototype. When I was a teenager, Triang GWR Clerestory coaches could be made into almost anything, with a new roof and a bit of cutting and sticking. But this article suggests … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Out and about, Weird and wonderful
Tagged hints and tips, inspiration, layout design, model railway
Leave a comment
Odd modelling idea #999
As I return back to the UK and the depths of Redhill….. Here’s why there is a red telephone box graveyard between Merstham and Redhill For most of us who commute by train the journey to work will be a … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Out and about, Weird and wonderful
Tagged hints and tips, inspiration, layout design, model railway
Leave a comment
Off my trolley – North Hollywood yet again
Noticed recently that the restoration of the old Pacific Electric / Southern Pacific depot at North Hollywood has been completed and reopened as a commuter café on the Metro Orange Line. This article gives the details, including: The official grand … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Layout design, Prototype, Traction
Tagged inspiration, layout design, modular layouts, N gauge, Pacific Electric
1 Comment
Dawson Station
Another delightful minimum space layout….. Dawson Station is my portable 1′ x 4′ n-scale model railroad layout and is based on the Hull-Oakes lumber mill located in Dawson, Oregon. Hull-Oakes, one of the last steam-powered sawmills in North America, is … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Layout design
Tagged inspiration, layout design, model railway, small layout design
Leave a comment
No New Ideas
Mike Cougill continues to post challenging – and dare I say it philosophical – articles on his OST blog. It is not that common to read contributions from authors who can build models, but also to think and write. Here … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Layout design
Tagged hints and tips, layout design, model railway
1 Comment
The Patch
An interesting part of the Los Angeles railway system was ‘The Patch’, an industrial area near downtown Los Angeles, served by the Santa Fe. The area contains many old buildings and industries, served by a patchwork of tracks down streets … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Layout design
Tagged inspiration, layout design, model railway, small layout design
Leave a comment
A small shunting layout
Model Railroad Hobbyist has a very nice ‘shunting plank’ in its October edition. It’s in ‘O’ gauge, but the dimensions are a very reasonable 11’- 6” x 17’–19” with a 6’ removable extension for operation. Note that this converts to … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Layout design
Tagged inspiration, layout design, model railway, small layout design
4 Comments
Is what you see what you get?
After a couple of weeks of exhibition photographs, it’s back to the crazed ramblings of the budgie….. (I’ll try and visit another show soon.) Reading a non-railway magazine I came across this little story. Some years ago, a confectionary company … Continue reading
Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, Out and about, Weird and wonderful
Tagged hints and tips, inspiration, layout design, model railway
Leave a comment
esngblog 