How many of you are entering MR’s track planning contest? - It’s in the current issue, an article on track planning, then the contest information. It’s HO for a 9’ x 11’ room. I am working on (2) the limit you can submit; (1) San Diego and Arizona Eastern (SP) with Carrizo Gorge and Plaster City. (2) AT&SF branch from Oceanside to Escondido based on Robert Smaus’ layout with fruit packing. Let us know what you guys are submitting?
Chuck,
You are hitting a little close to home with your Oside to Esco layout. That is my old stomping grounds and if I was to ever do a spur line layout that one would be it. But I rather run mainline so I opt out. You need to send me your layout plan when you are done. Maybe I can help you out with any detail that you might need. A couple of months ago I drew up a 4x8 of just the Escondido area so if you need any pictures of the area, let me know. My layout was to be modern, I mean, set in the '80s actually.
Did you know that the Escondido line was actually intended to connect with the Southern Pacific line out near Palm Springs. It was to be a transcontental line.
Anyway, to answer your question, I am planning on entering the contest. Question: I didn’t know if the layout design has to be one level or not. Does anyone know? I haven’t decited what my layout will be patterned after just yet.
If it were open to N scale too, I’d jump at it. I remember from my HO days trying to use a 9.5’ x 9.5’ room, and there wasn’t much I could do. That room size really limits you to branchline ops or switching (since the contest rules insist standard gauge, although it’s an ideal narrow gauge space). You could maybe do a “cockpit” style layout (with provisions made for the door) to allow larger-wheelbase locomotives and longer cars. That’s not the best idea for folks with back problems, though, and it still doesn’t leave much room for a long run. 9’ x 11’ is not bad and is a space I’d have killed for before I switched to N, but it will take some creative thought.
Of course, these days in order for the Model Railroader folks to take you seriously, it had better be a “mushroom” design with multiple levels, LOTS of staging, wireless DCC, sound, and a fully-functioning US&S Co. CTC machine in the next room![;)]
I am thinking about entering the contest. A 9X11 room in HO is going to be challenging since I like to keep a minimum main line radius of 30".
I was thinking the same thing about the minimun main radius are at least 30 since most of the stuff I do is modern. I just might have to do a spur line too. We’ll see.
I’ve been thinking of entering too. Only question I have is- do we select a certain railroad to model or just do a trackplan w/o selecting a specific prototype?
For all I know it’s open game on whatever we do as long as it follows their guidelines of procedure on design. My guess is do whatever.
I had trouble getting a plan for my 2 x 4 foot layout. Needless to say i’m not very good at it, and probably won’t be entering.
where can I find out more about this contest? i’m guessing only US and Canadian residents can enter?[sigh]
The 30" door is a real stumper. I did one plan w/out it and now to enter, I went around the door opening inward. Still a duckunder to get in the room. It has to be a plan for a smaller than normal radius. I am working with 20-22" for the San Diego and Arizona Eastern plan. Following LDE (Layout Design Element) which Tony Koester calls it, this could work great for the layout - following the prototype. They used all the units SP loaned them in the 60’s. Old Geeps, some F-7s’ and even switchers from San Diego to El Centro. The neat part of the plan is the US Gypsum plant that makes sheetrock in Plaster City, CA. It’s going to be tough to replicate Carizzo Gorge over Goat Canyon. But it’s on the plan. The scenery will be very bland - Lots of desert and boulders in that area. I will post it to this site (the plan this weekend).
Zak:
Would love some pics, I have some topo’s from the internet and pics I took of the feed mill and oil depot at the end of the line in Escondido. I need from Oceanside to Vista. There is a lumber yard, is there not as the line comes into Escondido from Vista.
Chuck,
Escondido has mostly grain stations and back in the day it would also service the meat house, ice house, and a furniture wharehouse, and I think a concrete plant, but other than that I really don’t know of anything between Oceanside to San Marcos. If you do back in the steam era you can model the old city stations. And if you do today you can model the new Sprinter Commuter Train.
I might enter I’ll probabl do Worcester Belt Line, Basically a Belt running from Union Station, paralelling the CSX main crossing the P&W on a Diamond and ending at the GRS interchange I’ll probably try and get 30" so I can run intermodals to the Intermodal Terminal Outside Worcester Union and Autoracks to the Ford Dealer Ship Near teh P&W crossing I als might try and compress the Jersey Valley for my second layout I wont win but It would be fun
i just finished the first draft of my Nscale version of old saybrook, with P&W NR2 and NH1 interchanging with eachother, and trying not to clog up the North East Corridoor for too long. good luck to everyone that enters!
GEARHEAD426
I’m entering with a plan of the B&O landenberg branch. I also want to enter a steel mill switching layout but I’m not sure if using standard guage and narrow guage is allowed. If you know please post it here!
I’m sorry to tell you gearhead246 but the layout has to be HO scale.
Is it really only nine feet by eleven feet; there appears to be a misprint in my magazine because my copy has a couple of extraneous zeroes and says ninety feet by a hundred and ten feet; well, there goes the New York Central from Grand Central to Grand Central.
Next year’s layout contest is going to be Z-Scale in Madison Square Garden!!!
James, the complete rules are found in the September 2006 issue of Model Railroader on page 69. The deadline for entries is October 31, 2006, so I am sure that if you mail in your entry well before that date you will get in, I do not see anything that says it is limited to North American entries.
30" is going to be a problem in that space
I cannot see how to do it, Im curious to see if anyone did come with a plan for 30" on the main in that small room.
alrite! I’ll just have to wait until sept MR comes out in about mid Sept. thanks Silverspike.