I enlisted the help of Byron Henderson of Layout Vision to critique my track plan before I begin building. Having no former experience building a model railroad I wanted a well trained eye to look over what I had designed in hopes that serious design blunders would be found before saw blade hits lumber or [...]
My Druthers called for a single deck layout. Staging and the continuous run-back were to be suspended below the deck in a semi-hidden fashion. As I worked through the construction details I realized this may be a less than optimum way to go about it. Lack of clearance, difficulty in laying and cleaning track, and [...]
After a year of doddlin’ and noodlin’ I have arrived at what I believe to be the final track plan for the LK&O. See it here. What seemed so simple at the onset turned out to be an utterly complex problem solving exercise. And a tremendous learning adventure as well. Layout a track plan. Sounds [...]
I had an epiphany. Why not use the space under the layout table for storage space? Duh! Originally, the plan called for leaving the built-in shelving in place because they are large and store many of those big plastic totes real well. My wife uses the totes extensively for items stored in the basement. It [...]
The model railroading forums are an immense help to me. The entry before this one was about my posting of the proposed LK&O track plan on the forums asking for critique. It is a week later and the advice has rolled in. Bountiful advice matter of fact. Having so many experienced modelers give your plan [...]
I have been working on the track plan for some time. Essentially from Christmas on. This weekend I had it to the point where it roughly satisfied the Givens & Druthers. A lot of artistic liberty had been taken with the placement of industries relative to Brittain yard but I was at a loss of [...]
Have you seen the Bird’s Eye view feature on Bing’s maps page? Really cool. The images are high quality and you can rotate the camera angle. Technology is amazing! Check out the views of Brittain Yard I was able to get from Bing. Now if only I had available the entire 68′ it would require [...]
One lingering challenge in the design of the LK&O is how to introduce elements (locomotives and rolling stock) from a wholly different time period into the scene in a manner that minimizes the negative visual impact. The situation is created as a result of conflicting interests. I want to model the AC&Y and I really [...]
A good friend reading the LK&O blog for the first time commented that I did not make it entirely clear what railroad is the LK&O (or will be). Is the LK&O a real railroad that is being modeled or is it fictional? What relationship does the LK&O have with AC&Y, CSX, and CN? Actually, his [...]
…the Akron Canton and Youngstown RR is not a fallen flag? …the AC&Y interchanges CN at Delphos and CSX at Mogadore? …unit grain trains move from Michigan to western Maryland? …endless coal drags move from western Maryland to Michigan? …everything is 1/87th size? …some guy is having a blast in his basement? You would be [...]