When the opportunity to build a new layout comes along, it can be a mixed blessing. No doubt about it, there is a lot of fun and excitement in building that layout and getting the trains running. Depending on your goals, however, it isn't just the building of the layout that needs to be accomplished; it is the planning of the layout. This can be a vitally important and sometimes time consuming step in creating your layout if you want to have the end result be something that will keep you from starting over again. I have spent some time recently planning for my next layout, and I wanted to share with you one aspect that I really focused on: operations. Maybe it can help you in planning your next layout, or making changes to your current layout.

Our family has the good fortune to soon be moving into a new house that features a large, dry basement with high ceilings and few obstructions (of course that doesn't show up on the developer's sales literature anywhere, but if they were a model railroader, it would!). This has forced me into that planning stage, making sure that a layout I build will meet my many goals.

Knowing up front what you want to do with your layout will help you come up with a reasonable plan and keep you focused on where you would like the layout to be heading. There are many uses of a layout to help you enjoy model railroading, ranging from just running trains, to showcasing your scratchbuilding talents to expressing your artistic side through scenery. And many of us want to do a little of each.

Planning for Operations

One major factor that I have been considering for this new layout is operations. Having participated in some local operating sessions has really convinced me that this is something I want my layout to support. I knew that when I had the chance, I wanted to build a layout that could host an operating session and really make use of the models and structures I have built (or eventually will build).

Most of us have a favorite prototype, so that usually helps make certain decisions. Even if you freelance, studying the prototype you enjoy will lead to ideas about operations that you can incorporate into your fictional railroad. My favorite railroad is the Maine Central and the Mountain Division through New Hampshire has always been a modeling dream of mine. But in studying this particular line in detail, not from a scenic point of view, but from an operational point of view, I found that the line did not offer enough operating potential. For my time period (1980), only 2 through trains and 2 locals a day serving one on-line industry is certainly not enough to keep a group of operators busy. What to do?

I started looking at other areas of the Maine Central. Certainly there is plenty of potential in the railroad’s operations in Maine. But I like New Hampshire and Vermont. Looking at the Maine Central’s western end in St. Johnsbury, VT started to show some real possibilities.

Focus On An Operational Hot Spot

St. Johnsbury ("St. J") features a yard and serves as an interchange point, always good things on a model railroad. The Maine Central Mountain Division terminates here and interchanges with the Canadian Pacific and the Lamoille Valley. The Lamoille Valley terminates in St. J as well, with it being its eastern end. The CP runs through (with occasional B&M pool train power), interchanging with the B&M to the south and running north to Montreal. This looked interesting, so I started researching everything I could on the operations through St. J. Here is what I came up with:

•MEC RY-2 - Rigby to St. Johnsbury, daily

•MEC YR-1 - St. Johnsbury to Rigby, daily

•MEC YT-1 - St. Johnsbury to Beechers Falls, M-W-F

•MEC TY-2 - Beecher Falls to St. Johnsbury, T-Th-Sa

•MEC YT-X - St. Johnsbury to Beechers Falls, Extra as needed

•MEC YQ-1 - St. Johnsbury to Whitfield, daily

•MEC QY-2 - Whitefield to St. Johnsbury, daily return of YQ-1

•MEC "Pickle", occasional special movement of a moisture separator on flatcar

•MEC Ballast extras, cars from LVRC and B&M

•LVRC MJ-2 - Morrisville to St. Johnsbury, daily

•LVRC JM-1 - St. Johnsbury to Morrisville, daily return of MJ-2

•LVRC Passenger trains - Tourist trains operating daily

•CP/B&M Pool Train SJ-1 - East Deerfield, MA to St. Johnsbury, then to Newport, daily

•CP/B&M Pool Train SJ-3 - Newport to East Deerfield, MA, daily

•CP Local RS-1 - Newport to Wells River (passing through St. Johnsbury), daily

•CP Local RS-2 - Wells River to Newport, daily return of RS-1

Not bad! This would keep some operators busy. And I can come up with some other trains if I find a need for them. For example, Amtrak could easily need to divert their Montrealer through St. J if there was a problem somewhere along the Central Vermont.

Doing the Research

To do this research, I made use of something we all have a bit of, magazine back issues. I knew that various issues had data that I was interested in. By using the Magazine Index at Model Railroader, I was able to find the particular articles for my research. Of particular use were prototype articles in Trains and Railfan. If there was an issue that I didn’t have in my collection, I tried to get a copy. I first checked with other NMRA members in my area (this is what is great about belonging to your local Division) to see if anyone could make me a photocopy. For issues I wanted to have actual copies of, I ordered them at Railpub (other back issues dealers will work as well).

Other information came from looking at many of the prototype books I have on New England railroads. Looking closely at the pictures and the captions, as well as the text, can help you figure out how the railroad operates.

One other good source of information was the on-line mailing lists I subscribe to on Yahoo Groups. These e-mail lists provide a way for individuals with the same interests to share information, ask questions and get answers. I belong to the Maine Central List and others, so I was able to get answers to specific questions. Some list members also sent me copies of useful information I didn’t have access to, such track diagrams and articles from obscure publications.

The point to this research is that, by identifying a key operational spot along my favorite railroad, I found the starting point for planning my layout. I then researched as much as I could to find out the operating potential of this area. My advice would be to try to do the same for your layout.

Expanding Beyond The Hot Spot

So, St. Johnsbury will be at the center of my layout and of my operations. I could simply model this yard and have trains leave and enter staging representing the four directions from the yard, CP to the north, MEC to the east, CP/B&M to the south and LVRC to the west. But I have more room and I also have some other things I want to do with this layout, including on-line industries served by local freights, interesting structures and New England scenery in the Fall.

I never considered modeling the Lamoille Valley or the Canadian Pacific before I looked closely at St. J. Focusing on this gave me the push to do this and I’m glad I did. In the Lamoille Valley I found interesting operations of through trains and local switching through nice Vermont scenery.

Add to this a railroad covered bridge, a quarry served by rail, a good deal of bridge traffic and first generation Alco power, and I had to include part of this line on my layout. The CP operated its trains with B&M pool power and MLW Alco units. Did I want blue and red locomotives pulling trains through gorgeous Fall scenery? Absolutely! Not much of a decision there!

Where does this leave the Maine Central? I’ll include part of the Mountain Division as well, but not all of it. I’m looking more toward the sections that offer operational potential. The paper mill at Gilman, Vermont makes sense. And the diamond at Whitefield with the B&M interchange is not only an interesting operation, but also a scenic highlight. I want to be able to operate the Mountain Division trains past these scenes, but also support the locals that ran to Whitefield and also up to Beecher Falls.

Concept to Reality

So, after identifying the heart of my layout (St. Johnsbury), I came up with elements to add to the yard that supports its operations and also meets my other goals of interesting scenery, on-line industries and structures.

The next step was to try to put onto paper all of these elements of my chosen prototypes. The yard itself was pretty straightforward, although some compression was needed. I used paper and pencil for this, and then put that into a computer layout planning program (Empire Express for Macintosh, although any design program for your computer should work fine). It is not necessary to use a computer of course, but I found it easy to make subtle changes and print out copies to work on with a pencil and eraser.

I then identified key locations on the lines radiating out of St. J. On the LVRC, this included Fisher covered RR Bridge, the gravel quarry at Hardwick, the station and facilities at Morrisville and an interchange with the Central Vermont at Sheldon Junction. Other industries can be fit in as the plan is developed. I looked over my list of on-line shippers and found a feed and fertilizer company, a drywall manufacturer and a talc plant that would each provide significant car loadings.

The Maine Central list includes the paper mill and Whitefield. Possibilities (if space is found!) include part of the Beecher Falls branch and Crawford Notch. For the CP, the line to the south of St. J will be represented by staging. To the north, feed dealers and grain storage will be modeled before the line enters staging representing Newport. I took all of these locations and drew up basic track arrangements for them and any key structures.

At this point, I am trying to fit all of these pieces together into a layout that fits my available space. I’ve had the most success with identifying the location for St. J and the Lamoille Valley. For the CP and MEC, I have space but haven’t determined the best way to put them together yet. Because I don’t want to be overwhelmed with building all of the benchwork first, then laying all of the track, then wiring, etc., I am planning on building the layout in sections. So I am going to keep playing around with ideas while I build the first section, St. J and the Lamoille Valley.

Too much planning, of course, can be a barrier to actually starting the layout. Depending on your goals and personality, years could go by before a stick of benchwork is installed. But if you really want to get the layout going, you'll have to decide when enough planning is over and when the building should commence. Taking a phased approach can help here, so you can start on one section and get it operational with scenery before finalizing the plan for other sections.

Plan and Build!

To summarize, here are some things I learned while planning my next layout:

•Look at your favorite prototype for key operational hot spots

•Make use of your back issues and books for research

•Use contacts in your Division and the NER to ask questions and get help

•Subscribe to a mailing list that covers your prototype, such as Yahoo Groups

•Include interchanging railroads on your layout to create additional operations

•Make a list of the locations you want to model and sketch out the basic track arrangements

•Fit these locations together to form a basic layout plan to fit your space available

•Pencil and paper work great, and design software can help too

•Consider building the layout in phases to get going while still planning other sections

Now I know that all the planning won't prevent mistakes or future changes that are necessary. But with some up front planning, at least I should have some idea what I am building before cutting wood and laying track. A general concept, worked around into a plan on paper, visualized in the space available and "mentally" tested to see how operations could occur seems like a reasonable goal before starting the building process.

We'll see how things go. I've been planning for a few months now, and I'm itching to get started and see those trains running. I wonder if my wife would mind if I started construction sometime soon after settlement, like that evening? No, that probably would be a layout building mistake that no one wants to commit!

Web page written and maintained by Mike McNamara

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