The job is not so tough this time as there are only 5 entries. Just pick your favorite from the bunch, come back and tell us. Well, maybe it won’t be so easy. Each has it’s merits and picking just might be a matter of what fits your style best.
If you want, tell us the why or why not.
Chessie & Atlantic.
I love the two 3 point turn arounds.
Pigeon Point. For a number of reasons:
it has a purpose (junction mainline/branchline w/small yard for reblocking trains)
adequate staging - mainline has double ended staging, branch line ends in carfloat
good idea to use elevated mainline to break layout into yard and branch scene on left
good idea to use a vertical lift bridge on high line across aisle, to make duckunder less severe
yard is well executed, one operator classifying cars, one handling arrival/departure
most industries are of a size that seems large enough to need frequent switching, and has multiple tracks/car spots
Well done! I would have loved to have a chance to run trains on this one.
Other three four layouts was also well done, but this one was especially spot on for my taste.
Smile,
Stein
I like Piegon Point for the same reasons also.
Enjoy
Paul
I missed an entry. You can change vote if you want.
I still don’t see the fifth layout.
Chip, I gotta go with Pigeon Point, for all the reasons put forth above -you can actually DO something with it! Whose-ever it is, Good Work!
Ooops. Okay there it is.
FWIW: I pick Pigeon Point as well.
The envelopes, please —
Thanks to everyone who entered, and to Chip for putting it all together so we could see and appreciate the entries.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I apologize, at front, for being a sourpuss.
Strangely, Mouse’s first and second layout competitions. with very limited physical constraints, resulted in several contestant designs that seemed believable, that is, some of the designs, when built, could portray a realistic scene.
In contrast, the later as well as the concurrent contests which provided much liberal space limitations, resulted in layout designs that looked like train layouts rather than believable, realistic scenes.
Anyway, that’s why I haven’t provided any specific comments on the last contests.
Let me tell you that I have struggled for several years to design a bedroom-sized layout. Most of the effort has been to eliminate the “model layout” appearance. One of these days I might meet expectations.
Mark
Hi Mark –
I see no need for you to apologize for stating your opinion.
While I don’t have a layout in this contest myself, and it is not a given that the main design objectives for all designers are prototype realism, I suspect that the more specific a critique is, the easier it would be for the various designers to use the provided feedback in a constructive way.
Why not pick one or two specific examples of scenes/scene parts from one or more of these 5 layouts, and point why you find these particular specific scenes/scene parts unrealistic?
Anyways - same goes for everybody else - I am sure the thread is open to comments, votes and advice for the contest participants. Being able to comment on an ongoing thread is one of the great strengths of online forums.
Smile,
Stein
My vote is for the Pidgeon Point.
I grew up not far from Wilmington and have railfanned extensively in the SE PA and N Delaware area represented by the layout. I appreciate what the author/designer is trying to do and he seems to have captured the feeling of the area rather well.
Of course, it will be rather interesting trying to switch the main yard behind (and lower than) the elevated mainline tracks…[:-^]
George
Pigeon Point is my hands-down favorite also, for the same reasons that previous posters have mentioned. The only drawback I notice is that, with those 18" radius curves, you couldn’t reliably run anything longer than 50’ freight cars - you would be restricted to modeling the transition era or earlier.
Another Pidgeon Point vote here.
I assume the yard would be accessed from the other garage bay aisleway called out in the contest specs. This would make the staging yard harder to access, which I think would be an OK tradeoff.
First the Comments:
Sunset Route 101 - I really like the concept. Goes a long way for a place to show off a train and let it actually be seen all at once. I think it could have be executed better. Most importantly there is no place to “park” the GS4 & Daylight out of sight unless one is going to break it down and fill up the whole staging yard with it. Speaking of the staging yard it is inconsistant with the design of the layout. A layout like this needs long staging tracks so that long trains can be held there until their turn to parade through the scenery. If the staging is for local short trains, there is only one place to go to. It is really a single simultaniously running train operation. I mean one can bring a train out of staging, stop it on the siding, and then bring another out of staging to “pass” or “overtake” it - but that is about all the two train action there is. Santa Barbara could use a house track at the station.
Chesapeak & Atlantic - Lots of really interesting trackwork and configurations. At first glance of the track plan, I thought it was representing a short line or busy logging/mining railroad. The equilateral and looping sissor wyes seem to me (by no means an expert) to be inconsitant with a “link road” between class ones like the B&O. Especially a major coal hauler. On the other hand, the car float and coal dock area came off very well for a layout of this size. The twice around concept is pulled off quite nicely. I can easily see this keeping 3 maybe 4 people busy. The killer here (for my vote at least) is the size. I thought it looked a bit large and sure enough it says it is 24’ instead of 20’.
Borracho Springs Railway - Very well thought out and executed. The use of grades and tunnels disguise the
Ditto on all of the above. Count me in for Pigeon Point as well. Good use of staging, lots of opportunities for switching… I love it.
I did notice the large peninsula on the left side with the main staging yard is 4+ feet wide - I assume this isn’t against the wall and you have free access to both sides of this peninsula.
I will be going with Pigeon Point Branch because of the shear amount of industry and pretty good holding space, seems like it would be good for operations.
Mike
I think we may have a “weiner”. I am also attracted to Pigeon Point, though I wonder how much of it is due to presentation as much as to the design. Love the little train cars, who’s software is that anyway?
I give second place to the Boraccho Lines, though having dabbled in G-Scale myself IMHO a lot of those sidings are awful short. I would relocate the turnouts at the DinahMight and Lucky #12 mines in order to lenghten those sidings. And I would definitely stretch out Agony Point curve by a couple of sections of straight track.
Another vote for Pigeon Point.
I think the ferry is a great feature, and placed out at the end of a spit of land like that, it becomes a nice self-contained operation.
Staging is included, and being on the same level it’s easily accessible.
Industries are planned and in-place, scattered, well thought out, and arranged so that operating them is interesting.
1, 2 or 3 operators could have a great time running this layout.