Element Track Plans:

The goal of the Element Track Plans are to create a portion of a scene (such as a small business or activity) that can be inserted into a layout to instantly expand Operating interest. Perfect for Freelancers or "Tinplaters", they use a minimal number of turnouts, and can often be populated with toy structures. The track plans and structure styles in each element differ slightly, for visual variety should multiple elements be added to your layout.

Sleeper Setout Track

The following spur represents a setout track at a large town station, that allows sleeping car passengers to board early or depart late (typically for trains that pass through in the wee hours of the morning).

O-scale Sleeper Setout Track
Sleeper (*.pdf)
~ Sleeper (zipped *.scarm) - (Atlas 21st Century Track)

Express depot - (origin)

The following spurs represent an express depot with optional driveway unloading, that can handle full-length "baggage cars" without disturbing each other.

O-scale Express Depot
Package-1 (*.pdf)
~ Package-1 (zipped *.scarm) - (Atlas 21st Century Track)

Flower wholesaler - (destination)

The following spur represents a business that requires high-speed delivery of extremely perishable product (cut flowers).

O-scale Flower Wholesaler
Package-2 (*.pdf)
~ Package-2 (zipped *.scarm) - (Atlas 21st Century Track)


Permanent Layout Track Plans:

These Layout Track Plans were conceived as self-contained permanent layouts to fit in a typical name-sized room. Some are continuous run, while others are "vignettes". All could be traditionally wired, and many could be built from permanent modules. Most are shelf style, but even the island style layouts have their track easy enough to reach that they do not require any popup hatches.

Passenger Train Layout in a fun "Tinplater" style - capable of being stored on edge

This semi-portable layout is built upon the traditional single sheet of plywood (hosting a minimal amount of structures which could get damaged), which you could even temporarily setup outdoors on a pair of saw-horses. Whereas a typical plywood sheet layout is designed for short freight cars and tiny motive power [EXAMPLE], this exclusively for local passenger, long distance passenger, and express freight traffic layout can not only accommodate your prized Passenger trainset, but it gives the trainset an exciting, and credible, operations purpose.

O-scale Spare Bedroom Layout     O-scale Spare Bedroom Layout 3dView     O-scale Spare Bedroom Layout Schematic
Plywood (*.pdf) - 4' x 8'
~ Plywood (zipped *.scarm) - (Atlas 21st Century Track)

Note: Traffic was intended to move in a clockwise direction. Opposite direction running is possible though if you use the ovals as runarounds.


Commuter Layout - for an unused dining room

This staging-to-point layout features dense commuter passenger operations on a tight timetable [EXAMPLE] in a moderate sized space (see a continuous run example on page 107 in the book "Creative Model Railroad Design"). Several infrequent freight destinations were included, should you wish to inject freight traffic as a foil. Unlike on many compact layouts, the tracks pass between a large swath of freestanding non-railroad buildings and scenery.

Although comfortably operable by one person in "sequential" mode, this track plan shines with the addition of a second person to handle the fiddleable staging. To enhance re-staging efficiency, this layout uses an easy to construct sliding staging table (which is fabricated and operates much like a desk drawer). At a higher cost and significant loss in re-staging ease, you could substitute a conventional staging yard [EXAMPLE].

O-scale Unused Dining room Layout     O-scale Unused Dining room Layout 3dView
Commuter (*.pdf) - 10' x 15'
~ Commuter (zipped *.scarm) - (Atlas 21st Century Track)

Note: Although this minor station (tiny commissary and rare external car washing) is designed as a terminus, with the loss of the Freight House the track plan could be modified so that the station serves through traffic [EXAMPLE].


"Old School" Passenger Train Layout

Most track plans found in books are designed for HO, and they almost always use flex-track and straight legged turnouts. This track plan (see Plan-26 on page 14 in the book "101 Track Plans for Model Railroaders") is a feasibility study; with the track plan being upscaled to O-scale, and built as close as designed using only 3-rail curved leg turnouts and (as much as possible) sectional track pieces.

Buildings are dimensioned upon Lionel R-T-R buildings. Note that the Skillman station platform (which for esthetic reasons should be shifted further left down the cutoff track) is accessable on both sides, with the bottom side being Sillman, and the top side being "Namlliks". Railroad structures are colored blue, freight destinations are colored green, and passenger stations are colored red (the elevated Hazleton station itself is only shown in outline, with the red indicating its trackside platform). The railroad can be operated in three modes: Point-to-Point, Out-and-Back, and Continuous Run. The layout is capable of serious Operations, accepting both a Passenger Timetable and a Freight Car Forwarding scheme (freight traffic leaves the layout at Manville).

The top and bottom layout sides require access. If using walk-around control (the layout originally assumed a fixed cab in front of Skillman), you should add a scenic divider behind the Manville station, extending from the right layout edge to the cutoff track at O'keefe (note that this short cutoff could be eliminated with only minor negative impact). On the O'keefe side of this divider, you could remove the current freestanding O'keefe station, and paint the O'keefe station on the opposite side of the track on the divider itself (thus giving more visual separation from the Hazleton station). On the Manville station side of this divider, you would add a building flat of the (not previously indicated) industry being serviced by the unlabeled short spur (and if you really wanted to be creative, you could make this a swappable building flat, so that on different operating nights you could legitimately spot different car types on this spur).

O-scale Old School Passenger Train Layout     O-scale Old School Passenger Train Layout Layout 3dView     O-scale Old School Passenger Train Layout
Armstrong (*.pdf) - 5.5' x 12.5'
~ Armstrong (zipped *.scarm) - (Atlas 21st Century Track)