Frank Hodina asked if I would be interested in writing a monthly series of blog posts on planning, designing, and building my model railroad. I quickly agreed, despite the fact that my layout is still under construction, and it could be another year before it’s fully operational. Over the course of the series, I’ll describe the planning and execution of what is becoming the Burlington-Washington Subdivision of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
Category Archives: Layout Design
Deciding on a new layout adventure
Clark Propst returns to the blog with his tale on starting a new layout. Here’s Clark’s story.
Tony Koester wrote: “If you’re primarily a scenery and structures person, then maybe something like this — essentially a diorama with some movement — might be just the ticket.”
It took me decades to discover I am what Tony wrote, but add in freight car guy, too. I’m a modeler first and an operator second. Being practical, I can’t see buying and building models, and not using them. You don’t have to be really good at something to enjoy it. You just need satisfactory results. Striving to do better next time is the key. My next time came when we sold our home and my prototype layout took a one way trip to the landfill.
Helper Service – Streator pt 1
Helping others plan their layout is a fun activity which doesn’t cost anything. At least it doesn’t cost me anything; some of my friends though might have a different opinion. I’m currently helping with a layout concept based on the Wabash Railroad’s Streator branch. This was a line which originated from a small yard on Wabash’s Chicago/Decatur main line at Forrest, Illinois, and headed northwest to Streator Illinois.
