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. I chose a multiple commuter RDC train friendly John Armstrong track plan (see Plan-26 on page 14 in the book "101 Track Plans for Model Railroaders") as a feasibility study, to see how easily a mixed passenger/freight HO track plan could be upscaled to O-scale (with spurs capable of accommodating modern jumbo sized rollingstock), while building as close as designed but using only 3rail curved leg turnouts and (as much as possible) sectional track pieces. Two RDCs and one road engine can easily be on the layout simultainiously.

The original track plan was 4'x8', which would require a 8'x16' table if exactly upscaled to O-scale. Because accessing the inside of the layout would be too far of a reach at that size, and because O-scale 3rail trains can negotiate tighter curves than HO trains, I compressed the track plan to fit a more S-scale sized 5.5'x13.25' table. It is possible to shorten the table length by a further 10" (on the Hazleton side) if your are willing to reduced spur lengths slightly. There must be an access isle way along both of the tables long sides, but the short Hazleton side can butt against a wall, and the Alesburg side can have its corners rounded off.

O-scale Old School Passenger Train Layout     O-scale Old School Passenger Train Layout     Original John Armstrong Trackplan
Armstrong (*.pdf) - 5.5' x 13.25'
~ Armstrong (zipped *.scarm) - (Atlas 21st Century Track)