Small Layout Plans.

A good resource for layout plans for use in TMR is the classic Kalmbach publications, and in particular, the books '101 Trackplans for Model Railroaders' and 'Small Railroads You Can Build' (a plan from the later book I admit I used as a basis for a Trainz route I made a few years ago as a means of taking a break from my main route building, and it turned out pretty good). I'm not sure if online versions of these books exist, but you could try looking on Kalmbach Publishing's website and see if they offer them electronically (I bought my copies years ago from a model train store so they've been part of my collection for a long time).

Either way, they have some really good trackplans that would make interesting Trainz routes, either in TRS or TMR.

And speaking of Kalmbach books and Trainz, a Trainz rendition of the layout from the classic Kalmbach book 'HO Railroad that Grows' is on the DLS and well worth a look at too.

I have that Kalmbach book! I got mine back in the 1970s for about $1.75 at the local hobby store with money I earned cutting my neighbor's grass. I used to trace the big routes and dream about building them. There were some that caught my eye back then and I've been considering building them at some point in Trainz.

The plans need a bit of adjusting when brought into Trainz due artistic license to make the plans pretty for publication, but they are really nice plans that we can use. Imagine what Lin Wescott, John Armstrong, and the others would say seeing their drawings come to life in a virtual world!
 
As I said earlier, I was attracted by St Antoine sur Mer, on the web site mentioned above, and wanted to save and print the plan for future reference. To do so would have meant printing the entire PDF! Time for some lateral thinking...

First, I took a screenshot of the page showing the plan. I then opened it in PhotoPlus which I have used for years, selected just the plan from the whole screen image, and saved it as a new image. I then tran transferred to to Paintnet and saved it as a tga. No luck - it just saved the whole PDF. Back to PhotoPlus - which will not save as a tga or jpg. Decided the only answer was to print the PhotoPlus image success! So I now have a printed copy to work from

Other plans may follow.

Ray

Well I've come to this late, but worth saying there is a 'snapshot' feature in most pdf viewers (including Adobe) which enables you to take a copy of an area in the image to the clipboard and then paste it to another application. Can be useful if you want to save bits of pdf's!

Paul
 
Also, if you have Windows 10 and the layout fits on the screen, you can use the Snipping Tool to capture just what you want on the screen and save it as a jpg, or paste it into something like IrfanView and save it as a .tga....
 
For those that are interesting in purchasing online, Kalmbach has a 25-year archive of layouts and route planning on a DVD for $15.99. The DVD includes 294 detailed plans ready for building, I mean for us scanning.

https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/product/dvd/15362

They also have smaller, less expensive, digital downloads available as well.
 
There are clearly some really useful websites for modellers of the Amercan scene. For those more interested in UK railways, there are of course the plan books pulished over many years by Cyril Freezer, for a long time editor of Railway Modeller, together with his Plan of the Month in the magazine during his time as editor. Yes, he has been mentioned many times in this forum as a sklled designer, but I think he's worth yet another mention - just in case anyone has not heard of him!

Ray
 
There are clearly some really useful websites for modellers of the American scene. For those more interested in UK railways, there are of course the plan books published over many years by Cyril Freezer, for a long time editor of Railway Modeller, together with his Plan of the Month in the magazine during his time as editor. Yes, he has been mentioned many times in this forum as a skilled designer, but I think he's worth yet another mention - just in case anyone has not heard of him!

Ray

I've seen some of his old model layouts. When I took a trip across the Pond in the 1980s, I bought a bunch of those magazines. I need to look through them again and see if there are some of his layouts in them. They're buried in boxes along with a lot of other books I bought over the years due to lack of space to put up shelving anywhere in this house. When we moved in a bit over 20-years ago, We came to the conclusion that the previous owners were illiterate!
 
Further to my earlier post about Kalmbach layout plans being useful, although they are invariably US prototype in most cases, there are a couple of examples of Kalmbach books with UK prototype plans (or at least, UK-like). Firstly in the previously mentioned 101 Track Plans For Model Railroaders; the very first plan featured is the appropriately named 'Stockton and Darlington Railroad', a very small double oval plan that is clearly meant to be inspired by UK prototype (besides the obvious reference in the layout name, the artwork depicts a town with a very British roundabout with statue in the centre, and a curve named 'Oxford Bridge').

A second layout plan that this time really is British prototype (or at least seen through an American prism) is found in John Armstrong's 1977 tome Creative Model Railroad Design, found on page 80 and 81, called the 'North Devon Branch, Great Western Railway (Western Region, British Rail)', although it's not a small plan by any means (it's clearly meant to fit into a typical US home basement judging by allowance for stairs in the plan). It still has interesting features like an attempt to replicate GWR autocoach operation and place names with silly puns (Oddleigh Cum Gletsch anyone? :p), so it's worth checking out. :) And it also is drawn for OO/4mm scale fittingly, not HO (the layout article also includes a basic introduction to British prototype and OO scale for the benefit of American modellers).
 
There are clearly some really useful websites for modellers of the Amercan scene. For those more interested in UK railways, there are of course the plan books pulished over many years by Cyril Freezer, for a long time editor of Railway Modeller, together with his Plan of the Month in the magazine during his time as editor. Yes, he has been mentioned many times in this forum as a sklled designer, but I think he's worth yet another mention - just in case anyone has not heard of him!

Ray

Definitely worth another mention Ray - I've been working on and off from Cyril's 'Layout 30' in 'N Gauge Track Plans' since 2009. One day, I might release it!

Paul
 
Thanks Annie!

To those considering small layouts, you need to be aware with Cyril's plans, the curves are way too tight for Trainz and he likes to use levels to squeeze everything in a small space.
Avoid tunnels if possible in small routes, my Lowhead layout has no tunnels but has stations on 3 levels and a very awkward bridge! this layout was very challenging and a lot of imagineering went into it.
I am working on another very challenging UK layout that looks deceptively simple, until you convert it into a Trainz model!

Having said that, challenging can be fun and rewarding too, so give a small layout a try, we have the delete facility to remove errors, which is easier than in a real world layout!
 
Yes I agree Graham. My Minories 3 rail 'O' gauge layout was just about impossible to build using the original CJ Freezer layout plan. Even with the curves eased it's still a flange squealer and only suitable for small tank engines.
 
I have several articles saved from years ago, from English, American and other magazines.
I put a picture of a standard gauge layout, "the Kootenay Lake Navigation Co."

Regards, Javier


kootenay.jpg
 
I would never try to replicate a CJF layout plan in Trainz to the exact size suggested, and have always used them for ideas, such as a typical layout for a terminus.

The plans were never drawn at the size in which they are published, always to a much larger scale, usually (to use his own words) "on a large sheet of cartridge paper -A3 is adequate but A2 is better". And " .. the plans were produced to a scale of 1:12, while the tracks were drawn with a 0.8mm stylus and are therefore 9.6mm wide! in other words, they represent broad flowing slashes made by a thick felt-tipped pen." It would be disastrous to photo-copy a plan and use it as a template in Trainz.

But the plans are nevertheless usable in Trainz, when used as I said for ideas on track layout but taking care to maintain track spacing, which for Trainz is 3.5 metres for standard UK double track - the dimension for which double track level crossings are (usually) made. It must also be remembered that whereas a loco can be almost on a turnout on a real world model railway, in Trainz it must be a certain distance away before the turnout can be thrown. The same applies to other working features - signals, level crsssings, etc.

I am not trying to be didactic, as all this is well known by those who create virtual model railways - just trying to be helpful to any enthusaiast who may be attracted for the first time by this fascinating part of the hobby.

Ray
 
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I put a picture of a standard gauge layout, "the Kootenay Lake Navigation Co."

Thank you, Javier, this plan well illustrates the comments i made a few moments before it was published. If this is intended for 00 or HO scale, the 19" track radius would represent about 38 metres radius 00 and slightly more HO in Trainz and would frankly look silly. In N Gauge, 19" radius in the real world would be regarded as quite generous, but only 76 metres 00 in trainz. However, these dimensions might be acceptable for narrow gauge.

I have never worked below 100 metres radius (equivalent to 50" in real world 00) in Trainz, and this is tight compared with the standard gauge prototype.

But it is a very attractive plan for those interested in the American scene (for which I imagine it is intended). I have copied it to my small layout plans folder. Are you planning to build it, Javier?

Best wishes.

Ray
 
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Here's some food for thought?

As Trainz track is based on actual size would not an OO scale model in a Trainz Model Railway technically be closer to EM gauge or even P4......... I'll get my coat ;o)
 
Here's some food for thought?

As Trainz track is based on actual size would not an OO scale model in a Trainz Model Railway technically be closer to EM gauge or even P4......... I'll get my coat ;o)

Actually Malc you're completely right so no need to hurry out of the room. I've worked in both P4 and British finescale 'S' so it's easy for me to see that the relationship between wheels and track is indeed a finescale one. The fact that I'd love some sets of coarse scale pizza cutter wheels for my 3 rail 'O' gauge Trainz layouts is another matter entirely.
 
Thank you, Javier, this plan well illustrates the comments i made a few moments before it was published. If this is intended for 00 or HO scale, the 19" track radius would represent about 38 metres radius 00 and slightly more HO in Trainz and would frankly look silly. In N Gauge, 19" radius in the real world would be regarded as quite generous, but only 76 metres 00 in trainz. However, these dimensions might be acceptable for narrow gauge.

I have never worked below 100 metres radius (equivalent to 50" in real world 00) in Trainz, and this is tight compared with the standard gauge prototype.

But it is a very attractive plan for those interested in the American scene (for which I imagine it is intended). I have copied it to my small layout plans folder. Are you planning to build it, Javier?

Best wishes.

Ray

Good evening,
You are right in your comments Ray, this layout is of scale N according to its author and is based on a small real Canadian barge terminal.

Regarding your question, I do not think I make this layout, in trainz I am more about open spaces although I have always liked the solutions that the authors propose in these small spaces.
I will look for other layouts in case you can take advantage of the designs.

Thank you for your kind words.

Greetings, Javier
 
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