Tag Archives: small layout design

Small Layout Design Handbook

Posted on August 12, 2022 by snitchthebudgie

As regular readers will know, I do like small model railways.  And until recently (with lockdown and retirement) I seemed to design far more layouts than I ever built.  So seeing this book advertised, and spotting the key words ‘small’ … Continue reading →

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A small shunting layout – repost

Posted on July 12, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Interestingly, Number 3 is this little American switching 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’ … Continue reading →

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Another Minories

Posted on January 31, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Last layout from the Southampton show – Spanker Lane, a Minories layout under construction in ‘N’.  The show guide states that: Spanker Lane is found in the north of England, where green DMU’s are the order of the day, although … Continue reading →

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Couple of links

Posted on June 5, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

Couple of quick links on a busy Monday afternoon…. Some good thoughts on better track standards for ‘N’ gauge (without going 2mm FineScale) come from N Gauge Forum.  NMRA standards are not far off from the wheels on recent UK … Continue reading →

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Rosamund Street (Low Level) Sidings

Posted on November 12, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Came across Rosamund Street on RMWeb.  Only 5′ long in 4mm scale (plus sector plate and fiddleyard, but a very attractive design.  It also contains the classic ‘Inglenook’ shunting puzzle.  The builder describes the concept: As a trainspotter in the … Continue reading →

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Wisbech & Upwell doodles

Posted on September 19, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Been doodling around with track plans for the Wisbech & Upwell tramway, home to GER tram engines and latterly O4 shunters with side skirts over the motion. It all started with Iain Rice’s ‘Creating Cameo Layouts’ book, where I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspiration, Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design, Prototype | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Dawson Station

Posted on January 5, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

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 →

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The Patch

Posted on November 2, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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 →

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A small shunting layout

Posted on October 13, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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 →

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Another small layout idea – and a view from across the pond

Posted on March 13, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

Trevor Marshall’s “Achievable Layouts” regularly comes up with some interesting model railroad ideas.  They are often small (and achievable), as Trevor models in ‘S’ gauge, so a medium size layout to him is a very buildable small layout in ‘N’.  His … Continue reading →

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