2 x 8 layout contest rules and guidelines

Do they have to be in “XtrkCad”?

I’m going crazy trying to figgure it out, and I’m just wasting time with that thing. I do want it legible. and all to see that my stuff all fits correctly in the required space if someone would actually chose to build it (my entry)

Nah, no demands about using any particular program, as far as I know. It just needs to be a picture or sketch that is readable. Could be handdrawn and scanned or photographed, if that is clear enough.

Grin,
Stein

Will it never end!

Last Day! Only 86400 seconds 'til time’s up!

Edit: I forgot about time zones! Last day for east coasters.

Also Bump

LOL [:)] Already 6:10 am on the 20th over here in Norway.

Btw, Chad - those cars you had weathered in the Weekend Forum thread - very impressive!

Smile,
Stein

The Old Dog had planned to enter this turkey;

However, at the last minute the Old Dawg realized that the plan has major access problems! It would be difficult to see the positions of the turnouts for the industries and to couple/uncouple the cars with the station at the front of the module.

But the Old Hound thinks it might have one “good” concept in this disaster.

Goal 05 - Provide a module that could represent different industries during different operation sessions by using generic industrial buildings.

That might be an interesting concept.

Have fun

Dog, can’t have Turkey without something to stuff it with: [:D]

I was going to enter this, but it really doesnt meet the intent of the contest, as its really just a full-on HOn30 layout that just happens to have an HO mainline running thru it.

[banghead][:I][D)][:-^]

Hoping chip got my entry…

That was way too long a “design” time for a 2x8 in HO. I’m surprised everyone didn’t do 5 or 10 entries - but I guess they would all be really similar. Only so much wiggle room.

Depends a bit, I guess - I designed three proposals (one in collaboration with ICRR1964) and submitted two of them (joint proposal and another one just by me) to Spacemouse.

I have also seen one submission from another forum regular I exchange emails with from time to time. Four proposals, four fairly different designs . Or rather - at least three fairly different designs - the one I didn’t submit had quite a bit in common with one of the ones I did submit.

Guess it is time for vsmith to start the SpaceMouse watch again, eh ? Nothing like traditions. Just keep it clean, guys :slight_smile:

Smile,
Stein

I was surprised that the one that had so much discussion on here had a curved main line. I have railfaned in the midwest and the tracks through these little towns are usually perefectly straight. I wonder if most of the entries will be curved. I can see that its easier to get more in the layout by curving the main line, but it just doesn’t seem like the midwest. Yeah, there are a few places where the main curves through town, but most are straight. Even the real place that layout was about.

One other one I saw was maybe a joke. Seven inch radius in HOn3 does not seem practical. Probably wouldn’t even work for N gauge. But I’ve never done HOn3 or N, so I can’t say its impossible.

It all comes down to what aspect or aspects you chose to model. A model is a representation of some part of reality - you just pick what is most important to you and model that.

Thawville, version 01 (the one submitted was version 10) - mainline straight past the depot:

Here is a different design with a perfectly straight mainline - version 01 of Dalton, MN - not developed further and not submitted:

And here is version 02 of a layout where the mainline is mostly straight - Fergus Falls, MN (also submitted)

What was most important to me was to model single track mainline, typical smalltown industries (several of them on the same siding), and try to resist overloading the thing with trackage - fergus is borderline too much - even though prototypical.

If a straight mainline is the most important to you, then you just straighten the mainline - that makes the siding a little longer, and leav

So when are the layouts going up? We don’t need a repeat of “Mouse-watch”[:P]

How does tomorrow, Saturday sound?

If your refering to my withheld submission posted above,

No Joke Sparky! 7 inch radius, I’ve done it. [:D]

Reread the submission, its HOn30 (HOn 2-1/2) not HOn3, HO on N track. I have an HOn30 microlayout that operates even smaller radius, try 4"… and thats with stock equipped with Kadee couplers! [:O]

Since I decided to drop my submission I didnt write a description to go with it so I didnt include the breakdown of engines and rolling stock, but it was designed to operate with my current HOn30 collection with consist of vintage 2-axle AHM Minitrain Locos and uber-short 2 axle Egger-bahn/Roco rolling stock! so it not only is possible, its actually been done![;)]

Old AHM ad

My microlayout under construction…and Yes, I know I’m completley Nuts![:P]

Sounds good! I can’t wait to see what everyone came up with.

Hey…dont diss the mouse…

Mouse watch…11 hours, 35 minutes till Saturday [:P]

I liked the gerbil better.

So did I

Mousewatch 3 hours, 48 minutes till Saturday

LOLOLOL! vssmith, there is always some humor that you always add to a post. I’m still laughing at the funny’s you added today.

Here is a small history lesson on the small town I grew up in. Back in the 1850’s Thomas Thaw, and another man who’s last name was Roberts built a small rooming house just north, about 2 miles from the current location of Thawville on the IC tracks. There was just these 2 men who had built the rooming house, and then added a very small water tower. They did this in hopes of attracting people to settle a town there. Now as the story was told, the 2 men, Thaw & Roberts had a dispute over the what to name the town. So they abandon their current location of the future site, selling it to another person and parted company, never to speak to each other again. Two towns were later plotted out. Thawville and Roberts, Roberts is 7 miles south of Thawville on the IC line.

When I was a young boy my brother and I use to walk the tracks to the north of Thawville to go fishing about 2 miles total distance. There was a medium size foundation close to the tracks, and other small concrete walls and footings. Allot of the old timers always spoke of this place, but there was no documents to prove it was there. I tried for years to find some information on it, but never did.

ICRR1964