Page 97 - 39. MRH13-05-May2013
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Lance Mindheim is the owner of The Shelf
Layouts Company
) , a
designer and builder of custom model rail-
roads. He has also published several books
about model railroad design and construc-
tion, which are available from his website.
completing vast swaths of real estate. Gradually replace
the Atlas track with Micro Engineering a few feet at a time.
Scratchbuild the needed structures and super-detail your roll-
ing stock.
Don't laugh, it's a way to have a total blast, a 'grown up' lay-
out, and at virtually no cost. These simple layouts serve the
broadest spectrum of modelers, from entry level to those with
decades of experience, looking for a highly-focused detail effort
that will provide ongoing operations while construction is tak-
ing place.
The long leg of the "L" is composed of two 18” wide by 80” long
hollow core door blanks for a total length of 160 inches. The short
leg is a single 18” by 80” door blank. You could use narrower doors
if you choose. Less common narrower widths can be custom
ordered from Lowe’s at nominal cost if you're willing to wait a few
weeks for delivery.
An incoming train would likely start by pulling the entire cut of
spotted cars first. That being the case, you need enough track
below the turnout to hold
the length of the cut plus
the length of your incoming
train.
2: From the air, it's easy to see how the various car
spots and sorting tracks line up alongside a commer-
cial bakery served by the Florida East Coast railroad
in Miami. (Aerial view facing due south.)
2
A One Turnout Layout - 3
MRH-May 2013
