Initial design complete for the largest HO scale system

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Greetings,

I started a thread a few months ago about designing the world’s largest ho scale system. Many of you asked to see the finished product. Here is what I’ll call the “rough draft”:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/192819106@N02/51403437095/in/dateposted-public/

Red = rail lines

Blue = water (ocean, rivers, lakes)

Green = road/highway/runway

Purple = significant rail corridor or mountain ridgeline

Black dot = city center

First, for a very long list of reasons, I found it easier to hand draw it rather than drawing it digitally.

There are close to 900 locations that I had to piece together like a puzzle. Some connected beautifully while others were a major challenge as you can see in the gaps between the red lines. Many of the gaps just represent open farmland so I didn’t draw it as it’s not a priority. To condense it as much as possible not all the locations are drawn at a true north compass.

There are still some missing locations that I’ll add over time.

All class 1’s are represented as well as a significant number of shortlines: W&LE, WSOR, NYSW, WM, OHCR, PNWR, COPR, NECR, VTR to name a few.

To answer the questions that I think will follow…

How big is it? — from the westernmost point to the easternmost point is 3.5 miles and from the northernmost to the southernmost is just under 2 miles.

How much track would that take? — If the entire system was a single mainline it would take 92 miles of track. That doesn’t account for double or triple track mainlines which there are many, sidings, industries, or railyards. I don’t have an accurate number that includes everything but if I would have to guess, I’d say around 210 miles of track.

Why even draw this? — The simplest answer is,

2

I like it.

Thanks for showing what you’re doing.

Ed

3

I admit I was skeptical on your first thread. Your proposal is a huge undertaking but you seem determined. The best of luck to you.

4

If you want funding, now is the time, after all someone spent $65 mil on a jpeg!!!

5

Plus pushing way beyond the boundaries of building construction for freestanding buildings with no interior structural support

6

Obviously we see a lot of intricate detail, but I don’t have much of a clue as to any geographical identification. I assume it represents the USA, and a country border outline would be a huge help. State borders would be a huge plus too.

7

Yeah, I’ll agree with you there. It is at such a scale that nothing stands out. It just looks like a mess of lines. But, best of luck to Jared nonetheless.

8

All I know is if/when it is built, I would not want to be involved in the maintenance of such a layout. I think you’d need a small army. Then there’s the admission charge, lol?

9

Jared. That appears to be very ambitious. Have you secured funding for it?

10

It looks like smack in the middle is Chicago, IL, that three sided city with the gaping hole known as Lake Michigan being the 4th side.

Proposing to build a model of Chicago, IL in 1/87th scale?

If I followed these threads correctly, that would be only part of the HO scale layout.

11

Well, it looks like a huge map. I see major reach challenges, for building, viewing and maintenance. Maybe look at the Miniature Wunderland layout for inspiration:

http://www.pcrnmra.org/pcr/clinics/Nathanson-MiniatureWunderland.pdf

Simon

12

That was my first thought, as well. Forget about being the biggest/largest/greatest, etc; concentrate on making the layout manageable. If it isn’t manageable it won’t operate well and then it won’t last long.

Tom

13

I’m reminded of the O scale “Santa Fe” layout at the Chicago Muesuem of Science and Industry. I’m guessing it was about 60x40 ft or so, and it soon fell into disrepair in the mid 1960s. Pretty sad for sure…

14

Ahh,mobilman, your memory serves you well. Enjoy!

http://midnightrailroader.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_27.html

Rich

15

Hello All,

My wife and I visited the museum this past April.

The O scale display has been replaced by an HO scale one.

It depicts the modern BNSF line from Chicago to Seattle.

The museum was putting the final touches on some of the walk-in areas so the entire display was not available for close inspection.

They did have many of the interactive “buttons” working that operated several vignettes around the display.

One interesting feature was the use of forced perspective. On a depiction of the “distant” Rocky Mountains, an N scale train ran on a high mountain trestle.

The modelers of the display use squares of textured carpet painted to represent various crops in the plains states.

When “She Who Must Be Obeyed” saw the squares of carpet she commented, “Look, they haven’t finished their scenery either…”

Hope this helps.

16

That HO layout has been up for nearly 20 years now. They run those trains 8+ hrs a day and there is a least one fella who works on the 3,500 sq ft layout and the locomotives daily to keep them both running.

Tom

17

Back to this project.

3.5 miles x 2.0 miles of HO scale layout? Ain’t gonna happen.

BTW, what era are we talking about?

Rich

18

Actually, I purposely left off all of the identifying detail. I haven’t copyrighted it yet.

And I forgot to include the quotes … sorry about that.

19

Think of it like a spider web. Altogether it takes up a large area but the modeled portion (or web) is small or thin in comparison.

As for the time period, most of it will be modern but many areas will be a blend. For example, many locations between Minneapolis and eastern Washington will include the Milwaukee Road as if the line was never ripped up and still in operation. Other cities will be modeled during the era that was their “heyday” in railroading terms. So there will be a little variety of time periods.

20

Pieces of Chicago. In fact, pieces of a few hundred cities.