Model Railroad Planning

Year	Collection	Articles
1995
1996		Yard Operations on the Allegheny Midland by Tony Koester – and notes on the evolving design of Sunrise Yard. The Virginian & Ohio’s Muddlety Creek Branch by W. Allen McClelland – if you don’t have room to model the main line, model a branch – and part of the high iron to boot! Expanding the N scale Rio Grande by Mike Danneman – for Train Magazine’s art director, this “challenge” was a chance to design a substantially larger model railroad.
1997		The Shasta Route in N Scale by Don Mitchell – our bedroom-size trackplan series continues with a plan depicting the modern Southern Pacific. A Primer On Helix Design by Doug Gurin – how to deal with a complex but useful design element of multideck layout planning.
1998		Making Tracks Disappear Gracefully by Paul J. Dolkos – how to disguise the transitions between the onstage and offstage parts of your model railroad. A More Prototypical Yard at El Portal by Jack Burgess – moving the workshop out of the railroad room provided space for modeling every track and turnout.
1999		The Virginia Teardrop by Iain Rice – a creative single-scene plan reflects layout-design ideas becoming popular in Europe.
2000		Fitting the Layout into the Room by Marty McGuirk and Iain Rice – the site dedicated the design of the HO scale Southern New England. New Hampshire Branchline Terminal by Randy Brown – Peterbro is a classic New England town with features seemingly arranged for modeling. The Peterboro Project by Iain Rice – applying the lessons of modeling in the U. K. to an American prototype.
2001		A Case For A Good Dose Of Sky by Iain Rice – a pair of praise track plans.
2002		4 x 8 Feet On The Water by Iain Rice – East and West coast railroads in waterfront settings. Making An Inch a Mile by Paul J. Dolkos – extending the scene to and beyond the backdrop.
2003		Short Lines in HO and N by Iain Rice – California and Florida railroads inspired two small track plans.
2004		Fine-tuning a Track Plan for Operation by Carlie Comstock and Don Mitchell – two heads are often better than one when it comes to layout planning.
2005		Blueprint for a Model Railroad by Paul Dolkos – John King’s method for capturing the essence of a Baltimore & Ohio branch in HO one town at a time. Finishing Off the Layout Room by Paul Dolkos – removable bead-board skirting and carpeting did the trick. A Sense of Place by Jack Burgess – names and labels help crews and visitors quickly identify locations.
2006		Modeling Tennesse Pass by Bernard Kempinski – this N scale layout features a famous Colorado rail route. Expandable Track Plans by Iain Rice – design them in discrete sections that can grow into a larger layout. Switching Santa Fe’s Elevator “A” by Chuck Hitchcock – a railroad employee provided key information (Advantages Of Switch Lists).
2007		Layout Height: Shoulder High or Bird’s-eye? by Tony Koester – there’s no one-size-fits-all when planning your layout. Shelf Layout Design Tips by Iain Rice – and N scale plan for the Burlington Route. Fifth-season New England Short Line by Mike Confalone – it pays to listen to one’s inner entrepreneur.
2008		Taking An Industrial Branch On The Road by John H. Wright. How Train Length Affects Layout Design by Tony Koester – a balance between performance, cost, and appearance. What a Helix Can Do For You by Jim Vail – spiral track can resolve design dilemmas.
2009		The Lessons of the Virginian & Ohio by Tony Koester with Steve King – in layout planning, there is “Before McCellend” and “After McCellend”. Building a Modern Shelf Switching Layout by Lance Mindheim – modeling CSX’s Downtown Spur in Miami. Making Narrow Scenes More Realistic by Paul J. Dolkos – learn the advantages of taking a minimalist approach to shelf scenery. Starting Over With a Clean Sheet of Paper by David Stewart – the O scale Appalachian & Ohio, version 2.0.
2010		Designing The Baltimore Harbor District by Paul J. Dolkos – choices leading to a new HO layout.
2011		Distinctive Themes For Distinctive Layouts by Paul J. Dolkos. 4×8 With Wings by Iain Rice – an “advanced tabletop HOP scale layout set in Maine.
2012		Versatile Room-Size Layout by Iain Rice – two upper-Midwest railroads cross in a typical town. Climbing 2,500 Feet In A Double Mushroom by Mark Dance – the challenges of a large multi-deck N scale railway system. Expanding a Layout’s Potential by Mike Confalone – modeling big-time railroading in Maine. How to Avoid the Detailing Trap by Lance Mindheim – planning ahead to make more progress.
2013		Enhancing a Helix by Mike Burgett – creating a “sanity check” at the halfway point. 10 Ways to Wye by Dan Bourque – practical solutions to a common track-planning problem. 2 Shadowbox Plans for On2½ by Iain Rice – or just about any modeling scale and gauge.
2014		Southern Pacific’s Siskiyou Line in N Scale by Larry Over. Simple Plan, Plenty of Action! by Lance Mindheim. Big Train, Small Layout by Erik Block and Evan Daes. Choosing the Right Place at the Right Time by James McNab. Space-saving Wye-less Wyes by Jason Klocke. Not-so-dumb Dummy Tracks by Paul J. Dolkos.
2015		Texas-Sized N Scale Railroad by Greg Johnson – modeling Southern Pacific’s Texas & New Orleans in East Texas.
2016
2017		A Slice Of Wyoming In The U.K. by Peter Kirmond. Scenery on the Edge by Paul J. Dolkos. Wyes As Layout Design Elements by Mark Dance – prototype scenes are easier to fin in N scale.
2018		Fitting an Industry to the Space by Neil Schofield.
2019		Modeling a Sence of Place by Ken Karlewicz. The Lehigh Valley in N Scale by Ron Papiercavich. The Case for Cameos by Iain Rice.
2020		Enhancing Diesel Shop Operations by Mark Dance.
2021		–
2022		CP Rail in Vermont by Neil Schofield. From Large to N by Brian Rudko. Demolition to Discovery by James McNab. The ‘Accidental’ Mushroom Layout by Mark Dance.
2023
2024	() 24/04/24

Year

Collection

Articles

1995

1996

Yard Operations on the Allegheny Midland by Tony Koester – and notes on the evolving design of Sunrise Yard.
The Virginian & Ohio’s Muddlety Creek Branch by W. Allen McClelland – if you don’t have room to model the main line, model a branch – and part of the high iron to boot!
Expanding the N scale Rio Grande by Mike Danneman – for Train Magazine’s art director, this “challenge” was a chance to design a substantially larger model railroad.

1997

The Shasta Route in N Scale by Don Mitchell – our bedroom-size trackplan series continues with a plan depicting the modern Southern Pacific.
A Primer On Helix Design by Doug Gurin – how to deal with a complex but useful design element of multideck layout planning.

1998

Making Tracks Disappear Gracefully by Paul J. Dolkos – how to disguise the transitions between the onstage and offstage parts of your model railroad.
A More Prototypical Yard at El Portal by Jack Burgess – moving the workshop out of the railroad room provided space for modeling every track and turnout.

1999

The Virginia Teardrop by Iain Rice – a creative single-scene plan reflects layout-design ideas becoming popular in Europe.

2000

Fitting the Layout into the Room by Marty McGuirk and Iain Rice – the site dedicated the design of the HO scale Southern New England.
New Hampshire Branchline Terminal by Randy Brown – Peterbro is a classic New England town with features seemingly arranged for modeling.
The Peterboro Project by Iain Rice – applying the lessons of modeling in the U. K. to an American prototype.

2001

A Case For A Good Dose Of Sky by Iain Rice – a pair of praise track plans.

2002

4 x 8 Feet On The Water by Iain Rice – East and West coast railroads in waterfront settings.
Making An Inch a Mile by Paul J. Dolkos – extending the scene to and beyond the backdrop.

2003

Short Lines in HO and N by Iain Rice – California and Florida railroads inspired two small track plans.

2004

Fine-tuning a Track Plan for Operation by Carlie Comstock and Don Mitchell – two heads are often better than one when it comes to layout planning.

2005

Blueprint for a Model Railroad by Paul Dolkos – John King’s method for capturing the essence of a Baltimore & Ohio branch in HO one town at a time.
Finishing Off the Layout Room by Paul Dolkos – removable bead-board skirting and carpeting did the trick.
A Sense of Place by Jack Burgess – names and labels help crews and visitors quickly identify locations.

2006

Modeling Tennesse Pass by Bernard Kempinski – this N scale layout features a famous Colorado rail route.
Expandable Track Plans by Iain Rice – design them in discrete sections that can grow into a larger layout.
Switching Santa Fe’s Elevator “A” by Chuck Hitchcock – a railroad employee provided key information (Advantages Of Switch Lists).

2007

Layout Height: Shoulder High or Bird’s-eye? by Tony Koester – there’s no one-size-fits-all when planning your layout.
Shelf Layout Design Tips by Iain Rice – and N scale plan for the Burlington Route.
Fifth-season New England Short Line by Mike Confalone – it pays to listen to one’s inner entrepreneur.

2008

Taking An Industrial Branch On The Road by John H. Wright.
How Train Length Affects Layout Design by Tony Koester – a balance between performance, cost, and appearance.
What a Helix Can Do For You by Jim Vail – spiral track can resolve design dilemmas.

2009

The Lessons of the Virginian & Ohio by Tony Koester with Steve King – in layout planning, there is “Before McCellend” and “After McCellend”.
Building a Modern Shelf Switching Layout by Lance Mindheim – modeling CSX’s Downtown Spur in Miami.
Making Narrow Scenes More Realistic by Paul J. Dolkos – learn the advantages of taking a minimalist approach to shelf scenery.
Starting Over With a Clean Sheet of Paper by David Stewart – the O scale Appalachian & Ohio, version 2.0.

2010

Designing The Baltimore Harbor District by Paul J. Dolkos – choices leading to a new HO layout.

2011

Distinctive Themes For Distinctive Layouts by Paul J. Dolkos.
4×8 With Wings by Iain Rice – an “advanced tabletop HOP scale layout set in Maine.

2012

Versatile Room-Size Layout by Iain Rice – two upper-Midwest railroads cross in a typical town.
Climbing 2,500 Feet In A Double Mushroom by Mark Dance – the challenges of a large multi-deck N scale railway system.
Expanding a Layout’s Potential by Mike Confalone – modeling big-time railroading in Maine.
How to Avoid the Detailing Trap by Lance Mindheim – planning ahead to make more progress.

2013

Enhancing a Helix by Mike Burgett – creating a “sanity check” at the halfway point.
10 Ways to Wye by Dan Bourque – practical solutions to a common track-planning problem.
2 Shadowbox Plans for On2½ by Iain Rice – or just about any modeling scale and gauge.

2014

Southern Pacific’s Siskiyou Line in N Scale by Larry Over.
Simple Plan, Plenty of Action! by Lance Mindheim.
Big Train, Small Layout by Erik Block and Evan Daes.
Choosing the Right Place at the Right Time by James McNab.
Space-saving Wye-less Wyes by Jason Klocke.
Not-so-dumb Dummy Tracks by Paul J. Dolkos.

2015

Texas-Sized N Scale Railroad by Greg Johnson – modeling Southern Pacific’s Texas & New Orleans in East Texas.

2016

2017

A Slice Of Wyoming In The U.K. by Peter Kirmond.
Scenery on the Edge by Paul J. Dolkos.
Wyes As Layout Design Elements by Mark Dance – prototype scenes are easier to fin in N scale.

2018

Fitting an Industry to the Space by Neil Schofield.

2019

Modeling a Sence of Place by Ken Karlewicz.
The Lehigh Valley in N Scale by Ron Papiercavich.
The Case for Cameos by Iain Rice.

2020

Enhancing Diesel Shop Operations by Mark Dance.

2021

–

2022

CP Rail in Vermont by Neil Schofield.
From Large to N by Brian Rudko.
Demolition to Discovery by James McNab.
The ‘Accidental’ Mushroom Layout by Mark Dance.

2023

2024

(

) 24/04/24