Another fun hypothetical: Amtrak based layout

[Bob Bufkin]

If I had a really large area to model I would do very early Amtra between DC and Baltimore.  The tunnels in Baltimore could go to a staging area or a run around track.  Same as the tunnels in DC.  As someone said a dogs breakfast of various equipment.  Electric (still running GG1, diesels, Southern Crescent and Southern Piedmont (a very easy to model train).  PC and B&O (Chessie) freights running the corridore and you could even model the Popes Creek branch off the corridore to run those long coal trains people like.

[Kentuckian]

Maintenance facility in Beech Grove, IN, transfer table and all.  That would make a good n-trak module.

Or my honeymoon train, the 1985 Cardinal, somewhere between Cincinnati and White Sulpher Springs.  BTW, it will be 29 years the end of the month.

[eric220]

Again, since no budget or size restrictions, I'd be interested in doing a European style layout focused on tower operations from Zoo down to 30th Street. East/west traffic meeting north/south traffic in the middle of the NEC plus commuter operations on the second floor of the station. All the trains would be automated, and the fun of the layout would be routing the traffic. Even that could optionally be automated, so one could sit back and railfan, just like I did in college. Swedish meatballs, HHP8's, ACELA's, regional commuter, intercity, long distance, and freight bypass. That would be a fun layout.

[nkalanaga]

King Street Station, Seattle, early 1970s.  It would be very easy to run GN/NP trains from the late 60s if desired, BN freights went through, with their variety of schemes, and the UP/MILW station was next door, so it could also be used for the 60s.  The same cars would be used for both eras, as well as GN/NP/BN F units for power.

With a tunnel at the north end of the station, it would also be perfect for a staging yard.

[Viperjim1]

If you want a passenger layout look up in mrr magazines achieve Metropolitan union passenger layout in HO and convert it to n scale this is what I'm in the process of doing a lot of goings on on this layout , in HO scale it is 10 by 20 feet but you'll need to scale it down if you want it comes out to Bout 7 by 12 really to give you some edges for landscaping .

[Catt]

If I were to do a AMTRAK themed layout I would have to do my home town's Pere Marquette.Ever since the first one rolled torward Chicago AMTRAK/ Michigan tried to kill it as a money pit.Then some young smart a$$ AMTRAK accountant figured out that the PERE MARQUETTE ridership was actually increasing by 20% yearly and was more money maker than loser.Now they have decided to give the train a brand new station.

By the way the ridership is still increasing yearly.

[rswinnerton]

I would model the CR era Pennsylvanian. My layout would be double track and I'd have folks over for my ops session, make then wait an hour and 40 minutes past train time, run it when they're not looking and then let them grumble for another hour. Lol

[chicken45]

I love the direction this is taking!

We took the train from Toledo to Chicago. Superliners there, beer cans back. Late, both times. The first time was because of some rain and they had to go super slow.

Then I see on the BLMA Facebook page where they take pictures of the Super Chief or something out there that is over a day behind. That's madness.

[mcjaco]

There's a gentleman here in the Chicagoland area that models Chicago Union Station's South End Ops.  Metra and Amtrak until your heart is content. 

[djconway]

New Haven CT to New London CT
Early years - a mix of all the leftovers from the PC crash plus what ever they could scrape together that sort of stayed on the tracks.
Now - high speed electric top of the line equipment.
Did I say FAST operations, you could let your Katos roll at near max speed.

And when that gets boaring you could throw in a little P&W freight (at night).

[Philip H]

King Street Station, Seattle, early 1970s.  It would be very easy to run GN/NP trains from the late 60s if desired, BN freights went through, with their variety of schemes, and the UP/MILW station was next door, so it could also be used for the 60s.  The same cars would be used for both eras, as well as GN/NP/BN F units for power.

With a tunnel at the north end of the station, it would also be perfect for a staging yard.

This might be a close second for me, but with modern trains - Sounder and Cascades/Talgo included.  Given how nicely the station renovation has turned out it would be a real showpiece.

[conrail98]

This one's easy for me, Morrisville Cutoff through just north of Trenton. I had planned on doing this at my parents house and still have the plans somewhere. No with my interest in steel, doing the 80s with Fairless Hills still in decent operation would really be a no-brainer at this point. Seriously, if someone makes an AEM7, this is getting done one way or another,

Phil

[randgust]

I can think of two places that would be wonderful.....

1)  Harrisburg, PA - where the GG1's and electrics changed over to diesel on the historic trainshed.   Almost any era you look at, that scene is a classic, and there's a lot of variety and density to work with.    And you have the tower, the Allentown line coming right in to the interlocking there, all the freight traffic, yeah.  Even past the GG1 era, you have the one on display there until the rehab just started.   For a relatively compact area you can have a lot of variety and traffic going on.

2)  As long as we're talking.... Roosevelt Road in Chicago.   From the Amtrak maintenance facility and yards into Union Station.   We're going to need more switches.... and another dozen Superliners.

[kt9797]

I would go for out by the Palmer MA area. Be able to run the lake shore train from bos to ny and back plus the vermonter commuter a few tims. Depending on the year modeled toss in CSX or Conrail manifest/intermodel/auto trains coming from selkirk to springfield/worcester/framingham/boston plus run some of the New England Central frieghts. Need Lots of staging but could be resonably done.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

These are all pretty cool. I think this is a great way to learn about various things that I didn't know about before, like that insanity in Dallas.