"Disaster has struck in the small town of Hootersville" Okay in all truthfulness a storage cabinet fell over and smashed my Hootersville HO layout. None of the track is worth trying to restore so I bring to you a problem. All I have left in another packing box is a bunch of Bachmann EZ track and EZ switches. I want to put together a switching layout that is more than a timesaver, any ideas? My workable area is small 2' X 8'. The plus side of this accident is all my Clever model disks were in another room so I can rebuild :), but this time it will be better!

Steven
Just think how much bigger the disaster would have been if you had to replace wood, urethane and plastic kits.
Dave

Please remember that the timesaver was meant to be a game and not a real layout.

I'm looking at a possible combination of "the highland terminal" and the "clever models switching layout". Since my area is condensed I need somewhat of a branchline or switching yard concept. I've really been thinking of not just the design but also operations.

Steven
I think I mentioned on another post somewhere, recently, that my switching layout is also a contest that I would run when I took the layout to shows. Basically, you start with the train, facing West (left), clear between the two turnouts on the right-hand main. The consist is engine, hopper, tank, box, gon & caboose. Those same cars (different car numbers and road names) are on four sidings, 2 facing point & 2 trailing point. The object is to swap the four pairs of cars and be ready to leave town continuing West, clear the same as when you started. LOT's of action. Least number of moves wins. Time breaks ties. All the usual rules apply, I.E. no flying switches. Switching with caboose is OK, etc. One of the nice things about this puzzle is that when the previous engineer completes the test, it is set up for the next engineer.
Dave

Steven,

You might want to take a look at the 'Gum Stump & Snowshoe' layout published in 'Track Planning Ideas' by Model Railroader 1983.

With your space you could do a runaround on the lower level and add more sidings.

John

Here is a link to a small railroad developed from the "Gum Stump and Snowshoe" design. http://www.layoutdesigns.com/categories/size/small/

If you have back issues of Model Railroader, you might look at the Poineer Valley layout shown in the last part of the 1994 issues. It is an O scale switching layout that would come out to about 1.5 X 6 foot in HO. It has good switching and structure potential, and breaks into 2 3' moduals. Contact me if you don't have access to those issues.

Unfortunetly I do not have access to those articles, although I am interested in the idea

Here is a link to the Pioneer Valley track plan
http://www.trainweb.org/tylick/opvplan.htm
Copies of the MR article are available from the NMRA Library.