Model Railroading > Small Layouts

I am starting to plan for my actual layout now. I did everything backwards; built the detailed engines and structures first, layout last. The layout will be based somewhere in the '70's-80's. I am looking for some sites that show nice "smaller" sized switching layouts in HO scale. I am looking for something narrow, possibly "L" shaped for some city or industrial switching. Any web sites that my help me would be a great help! Thanks in advance!

Eh, I might be running in the 90's now...I forgot I had all these:

Join the club of modelers with lots of equipment and no layout.

I live in a small 1000sq ft apartment with the wife and 2 boys. I completely occupy my half of a walk in closet with trains and related stuff like slides and memorabilia as well as a storage shelf unit on the end of the closet with my detail parts and paints. I also have a 7 foot long 'coat' closet which houses most of the finished cars and buildings along with all of my un-built kits along the shelf. My speaker stands are storage boxes filled with locomotives, and I have two more of those boxes underneath the end tables. I really need a house with a basement to store all of this stuff!

I am coming up on 400 cars built with Kadee's, metal wheels, detailed and weathered just sitting in boxes wrapped up in a thin foam wrap. Not to mention the 50 or 60 completely detailed locomotives I have completed. I also have about 12-15 structures in boxes all built and ready to go.

As for my layout, right now I am working on a 2'x4' module off the ESS (East Siding Switch) Matfield Green, KS with one of those nice #10 switches from Shinohara in code 83. I plan on using it for photos for magazine articles and the like.

Just think of it this way, you're gonna have an entire fleet built and ready to go when you finish off your tracklaying. I just have to find that ranch style home with a center entering staicase and a precast concrete deck for the garage floor.

da' freak

The Yahoo group "small-layout-design" has what you are looking for. The U.K. 1:87 modelling site has links to hundreds of small layouts, and in their list of suppliers of proto 87 suppliers you will find one (J&L? Worseley? I don't remember which company, but looking through them will tell you what is available that does not appear in U.S. model magazines so it is educational)there is a vast collection of images of narrow gauge and industrial model railroads in all scales and with every conceivable theme (exotica like RCAF fighter field in WW2;don't laugh they were linear), that are small in footprint.

Sites that may be what you are looking for :-
http://www.naisp.net/users/mfischer/m_train2.htm and also http://www.ModelTrainsInternational.co.uk , http://www.layoutdesigns.com, http://homepage.mac.com/carendt
Have fun!
Shortliner(Jack)

3 more for you
1. DrumyardDave's Drumyard CA ('cos he'd be too modest to suggest it!) is a transfer yard between 3 lines, and might be just what you need. You'll need to contact him through the list.

2. David Barrow's Cat Mountain South Plains District (MR about 3 years (ish) ago, spread over 4 issues.

3. Donovan Furin's GSW on Yahoo Groups > Track Plans and Sketches ("L" shape - similar space)

There are a couple more - but I can't find the URL's at the moment
Shortliner

Another one - and you don't have to go far to find it! - down to the bottom of the page, put a tick in author, and FJC in the search box.
Work your way down the listing - the two you are looking for are
02/10/01 19:44 update on layout, and
23/01/02 12:33 switching layout update
These should give you some ideas
Shortliner (Jack)

Thanks everyone for the links! It's exactly what I am looking for!shortliner wrote: