[ontario mainline]

looking for some ideals for this layout. it's 4x8 with a 1x6 swing yard.
my bench is 6x12. so i some space to play with.I know that you guy's are,
always coming up with,some great ideals. so how about some, for this layout.

Ron

 

[Reckers]

You'll probably hate this idea, but...

It all comes down to whether you're a scratch-builder or a buy-it-and-stick-it builder, and I mean no criticism in that description. Anyway, there seems to be a knee-jerk tendency to build industrial layouts for HO, probably because there is so much available to buy off the shelf and it's size, admittedly, works well for that.

My suggestion is totally different...have your layout centered around a resort-city. You have the room for a racetrack, horse paddock and barns, hotels, casino, a lake, and a small town to service the customers---banks, gift and souvenir shops, spas....swimming pool at the hotel with people on chaise lounges around the pool, expansive lawns with statuary, neatly-manicured trees and bushes...perhaps even a celebrity cemetery, a la' Forest Lawn. I like different, and I just can't get excited over another factory-town layout. (No offense to those who have one, but too many people followed in your footsteps and now everyone in HO has a factory town!).

Thus spoke Reckers.

 

[dozer]

You'll probably hate this idea, but...

It all comes down to whether you're a scratch-builder or a buy-it-and-stick-it builder, and I mean no criticism in that description. Anyway, there seems to be a knee-jerk tendency to build industrial layouts for HO, probably because there is so much available to buy off the shelf and it's size, admittedly, works well for that.

My suggestion is totally different...have your layout centered around a resort-city. You have the room for a racetrack, horse paddock and barns, hotels, casino, a lake, and a small town to service the customers---banks, gift and souvenir shops, spas....swimming pool at the hotel with people on chaise lounges around the pool, expansive lawns with statuary, neatly-manicured trees and bushes...perhaps even a celebrity cemetery, a la' Forest Lawn. I like different, and I just can't get excited over another factory-town layout. (No offense to those who have one, but too many people followed in your footsteps and now everyone in HO has a factory town!).

Thus spoke Reckers.

I love this suggestion. Makes me happy that I have a split layout, one side industrial, the other suburban. I never thought about it until Reckers pointed it out though.

 

[Reckers]

Having my approval makes you a class act, Dozer.

 

[tankist]

in US railroading is mostly a freight business, hence this is what modeled. as such it calls for industrial setting. theme is up to modeler to decide.
as for track plan, it seems ok. separated staging eliminates reverse loop. what is your operations idea?

 

[Reckers]

Between Anton and I, you see the range: he's a technical perfectionist, and I'm more of a dreamer. The nice thing is the hobby has room for both of us!

 

[ontario mainline]

in US railroading is mostly a freight business, hence this is what modeled. as such it calls for industrial setting. theme is up to modeler to decide.
as for track plan, it seems ok. separated staging eliminates reverse loop. what is your operations idea?

I have no operations ideas. as far as industrial setting, I am not for alot of buildings, all over the place. I do have two buildings that Iam going to use. they will be,the offices of the my railroad [ Ontario Lines ] . I would like to do more landscapeing on the the layout.

Reckers,nice idea, something different. so you got me thinking. were I live there are alot of fruit farms in the area. I could put a fruit farm in there. maybe take out two of the inside spurs.

 

[dozer]

I have no operations ideas. as far as industrial setting, I am not for alot of buildings, all over the place. I do have two buildings that Iam going to use. they will be,the offices of the my railroad [ Ontario Lines ] . I would like to do more landscapeing on the the layout.

Reckers,nice idea, something different. so you got me thinking. were I live there are alot of fruit farms in the area. I could put a fruit farm in there. maybe take out two of the inside spurs.

yup, he got me thinking also. We have a ton of milk and beef catle farms where the BNSF and UP mainlines run through. I just ordered 80 prepainted black and white cattle and 100 brown prepainted cattle. I now know what to do with the empty space on my layout. My wife loves the idea too, so I'm stoked! I just need to figure out how to make a whole boat load of fencing.

 

[Reckers]

Those sound like great layout ideas! I love the image of trains rolling through the countryside; I'll be glad when I can quit cutting and sanding pink foamboard and start painting on mine.

 

[Evan]

You'll probably hate this idea, but...

It all comes down to whether you're a scratch-builder or a buy-it-and-stick-it builder, and I mean no criticism in that description. Anyway, there seems to be a knee-jerk tendency to build industrial layouts for HO, probably because there is so much available to buy off the shelf and it's size, admittedly, works well for that.

My suggestion is totally different...have your layout centered around a resort-city. You have the room for a racetrack, horse paddock and barns, hotels, casino, a lake, and a small town to service the customers---banks, gift and souvenir shops, spas....swimming pool at the hotel with people on chaise lounges around the pool, expansive lawns with statuary, neatly-manicured trees and bushes...perhaps even a celebrity cemetery, a la' Forest Lawn. I like different, and I just can't get excited over another factory-town layout. (No offense to those who have one, but too many people followed in your footsteps and now everyone in HO has a factory town!).

Thus spoke Reckers.

I agree. It really depends... Will you buy sets to build it or are you gonna do it from scratch. Personally I love the layout, except you should tweak some of the things. But still... It depends. Will you build it from Scratch or Sets?