Micro Layout On18

After a couple months of simmering on it, I'm back at it again -- designing another micro layout, this time apartment sized and using lessons I learned from the previous layout.  Inspiration came from two places:

1. I recently drove cross country with my wife, and the scenes of Union Pacific pulling long consists through northern california, nevada, and utah have given me some good ideas for scenery.
   
2. I found an already existing track design that fit the space size I had allotted.  It was designed by "russn20" and uploaded to the On18 Yahoo Group.  I've pretty much based the entire design off of his/her original plan.

Overhead Layout

Concept Sketch

PLAN STATS

• Size:  36" x 20"
• Scale:  O-scale
• Gauge:  9mm
• Electrical:  All 1 circuit
• Control:  DC, Varpulse
• Track:  Peco HOn30 "Narrow Gauge" Turnouts + Flextrack
• Benchwork:  Homemade foamcore and matteboard ply
• Scenery Base:  Plaster over "pink foam"
• Location:  Somewhere in eastern Utah or western Colorado
• Era:  Mid-1900's

As you can see the track plan offers a basic loop with a passing siding on the "main line", along with three industry areas:

• Boulder Lode Mine (central)
• Gold Hill City (upper middle)
• [Un-named] dock area (lower left)

Servicing the industry areas will be the Boulder Lode Mining RR (BLM RR) carrying a fleet of ore cars, boxcars, flatcars, and perhaps a water tank or two.  BLMRR will start only owning a single engine: an 18" gauge diesel center cab.  The majority of the company's rolling stock will be in ore cars.  I had originally planned to use Railway Recollections' products, however the not-yet-available center cab may pose a 

problem.

Center Cab Diesel

Ore Cars