Well, I’ve taken the liberties of translating BB the beagle’s idea on a single-industry layout that actually is 8 feet by 51 inches (I built the framework for it on Saturday, pictured here and guarded by BB). The top is masonite and it probably weights about 125 pounds.
There are several features that I’d like to share in case anyone has similar aspirations.
First off, it is sort of minimalist in design. Rather than cram tons of track into every nook and cranny, I wanted to open it up a bit. Same for structures. The structures will be related to the quarry and there will be an operating electric crane that will pick up marble blocks (Styrofoam coated w/Durham’s water putty with magnets embedded in the foam, to simulate marble blocks).
The quarry itself is outlined in blue. As you can tell from the design of the table, I can design a depression into the center and then shape a quarry with Styrofoam. In the center of the quarry, I’ll put a very dark epoxy lake or pond.
I’ve already scratchbuilt flatcars used for hauling the marble blocks.
Now for the logic of the trackwork.
I’ve got a Williams U-boat that takes 042 as well as some long freight cars so I designed the outside of the track to be 042, as well as the switch that leads to the crossing. All of the other switches are 027, to facilitate my GP-9 shuttling quarry flatcars.
A nice feature of the layout is that the quarry train can operate independently of the mainline freight or passenger train(s).
Another feature is that the layout is expandable with the track at the crossing. I could add another table, perhaps of a different size, or a stub yard track leading into a closet.
Finally, the most interesting feature of the layout