Just kidding but if were to be done by somebody like Bill Gates, any ideas in how to model it and how big it should be.
Other thing to consider is how many staging yards will be needed and if it should or should not be a DCC layout. Let the pondering begin!
Glassware, Infared Heaters, Ohio, Iowa, or…???
http://www.fostoriaindustries.com/gasinfrared/psel_FTH-FUTSeriesSpec-TubeHtr.htm
Fostoria, OH really isn’t that big, depending on the railroad you concentrate on, and which chunk of Fostoria you’re modeling.
Being a Nickel Plate fan, when you mention Fostoria I immediately think NKP/W&LE. Fostoria was very important to these roads, but the facilities really weren’t that big. Not compared to some of the NKP’s other division points, anyway (Chicago, Buffalo, St Louis, Frankfort, Peoria). Heck, I’m modeling a pretty ghood sized chunk of Peoria, and I know at least three modelers doing Frankfort, and we’re all fitting them into basements with a few miles of mainline to spare. Fostoria can be done the same way.
Im talking about the whole thing-Ns Fostoria District from Bellevue Ohio to Findlay Ohio
NS Blair Yard; CSX Willard Subdivision from Willard to Deshler including the B&O Yard; CSX Columbus Subdivision including the C&O Yard from Marion to Toledo. Included are industries including the Mixing Center. Dispatch control would be where near the amtrak station-right in the middle of the iron triangle. Basically a gigantic operational layout with over a 150 trains to operate in a session. Coal trains and other as required trains would be up to car control and subjected to a roll of a dice.
Buy a old gutted supermarket and it might fit. It might also become the biggest layout in the world. I believe it would have to powered buy DCC otherwise the amount of wiring would be unimaginable. I would visit it.
Andrew