B&M Conn River.

[Bsklarski]

OK. so over the last few years since I went to N scale from HO, I never really got a good running start on a layout. I had the 28" x 78" door and decided that was too narrow for 6 packs. I moved to a 36" x 80" door and decided that also was too narrow. Now I am currently at the 4x8 step. That is pretty big, but gosh I love the radius for curves I use.

I still have two sections of benchwork up from the HO layout that is against the walls. It is about 12 feet on each leg and 2 feet wide. One end of one leg starts to balloon out to follow the contour of a short wall section that stuck out and I had to go through. Its just right for a return loop. The other end of the other leg has a few different options for a return loop.

I think you can see where I am going with this.

Anyone have a similar situation? Input? good, bad, ugly? Or should I through in the towel before I am in too deep and stay building model airplanes.

[Ian MacMillan]

Start building those rockwalls now!


Looking forward to this Brian. Are you still going to be doing the Holyoke area or further up?

[Scottl]

That takes me back to my days in Amherst...  Wasn't there a coal powerplant at Mt. Tom, north of Holyoke?  A nice scene to model as I recall.

[vt_railroad_guy]

Just follow the yellow brick road...all the way up to St. J!  Maine Central and B&M and CP, oh my!

[Ian MacMillan]

That takes me back to my days in Amherst...  Wasn't there a coal powerplant at Mt. Tom, north of Holyoke?  A nice scene to model as I recall.

Yes there is. It is still rail served.

[Bsklarski]

Well when I get another house with a larger basement, it will be Holyoke at the main center piece. I have B&M blueprints of the area to scale, so I will make it in N scale, to scale so tp speak.

But yes, I still want to model something along the Holyoke lines.

[Bsklarski]

How does one determine what elements, structures and industries gets placed on the layout? This is becoming more difficult than I imagined.

[MichaelWinicki]

No need to over-think this Brian...

Simply jot down a few industries you would like to see serviced and then go to town matching up potential buildings from the various manufacturers.

As far as city/village buildings just about anything DPM or Walthers will work for the New England area.

No one says that once you build and place a building on the layout, that it has to stay there forever.  If you get the itch to replace it-- replace it.  Not a big deal.

The most important thing is to get started.

[Hornwrecker]

I go through magazines, books and online, and collect photos of the area I'm modeling, things I just like from anywhere, layouts I like, and interesting buildings and industries.  Railpace is a good source.  When I have a big pile of open books and mags, then I organize them into type: like scenic elements, track arrangements, buildings, etc... then go through them again with an eye to reality of what is possible to put into a layout.

[Bsklarski]

See I think the nail was hit on the head here. The layout is way too small to make it look anything like the prototype. Im starting to think maybe certain elements from the area, landmarks that would make somebody know what they are looking at if they knew the area, yet also give someone who does not know the area a good  idea of what they are suppose to be looking at.

[MichaelWinicki]

See I think the nail was hit on the head here. The layout is way too small to make it look anything like the prototype. Im starting to think maybe certain elements from the area, landmarks that would make somebody know what they are looking at if they knew the area, yet also give someone who does not know the area a good  idea of what they are suppose to be looking at.

No one has the space to truly model the prototype.

We all end up modeling "pieces" of the prototype. 

[R L Smith]

Perhaps just concentrate on a couple of scenes with a continuous run and staging.  The Holyoke / Springfield / Windsor Locks corridor can provide interesting structures to model.  What time frame are you interested in?  That can affect the selection of locomotives and rolling stock.

I modeled the St J and LC for many years, and really enjoyed the mix of MEC / B&M / CP power that modeling St Johnsbury provided.  That variety helped keep up the interest.

RLS

[MichaelWinicki]

Perhaps just concentrate on a couple of scenes with a continuous run and staging.
RLS

This.

On a 4x8, I would have a town/city on one side and a staging yard along the backside- provided I didn't have easy access to all 4 sides of the 4x8... Knowing that many 4x8's are up against a wall.

With say 4 staging tracks and a busy town/village, this could be a very active layout.

[Bsklarski]

I am getting some opinions about what to fit, what not to fit. This will be the area North of Springfield, more specifically Holyoke area. I am not going to put one long end against the wall, but a short end.
I plan on having working layout on 3 sides. I will expand for staging simply to keep the layout larger and room for scenery to give the look I would like. Time frame is the 70s into the 80s, as so much stuff ran on that line. CP, EL, PC, SP, DH, MEC CR units. I even have seen a SP SD-40-T2 leading a coal train for Mt Tom. I guess I may need one of those!
 

[MichaelWinicki]

I don't live in that neck of the woods Brian, but you must have some kind of list in your noggin of what layout design elements you would like to include...

Make a list.

Rank them by size (how much space they'll take up on the 4x8 and by their importance to you.

That will give you some options on what can or should be included in order to fulfill your expectations of the pike.