A new design concept

I hope everyone had a nice Holiday season...one of the gifts I received was a book by Ian Rice called "Small, Smart, and Practical Track Plans." Many of his unique ideas about planning for small spaces really struck home with me. Track plans aside, the concepts and execution behind his designs really sparked my imagination.

One of his design axioms really hit home; namely, plan to have the layout in a place where it will be easily accessed and used. I think one of the reasons I have had such a dry spell working on my current 2x4 layout is the fact that I need to go out to the garage, clear a space and prop the layout up on a table to even start working on it.

So, I've decided to take a crack at designing a micro-layout version of the Marmion Valley that will sit atop an IKEA "expedit" bookcase in my office.

The Expedit (on its side) gives me 16" of depth and about 58 3/4" of length to work with. I wanted a continuous run, a passing track, and the opportunity to have a bit of light switching. 

The long tangent track in the back of the layout will be hidden by a low ridge/treeline. You'll note that visible track is intentionally sweeping/curved to help lead the eye into the scenes; a trick that will help the layout appear larger than it really is.

The 7" radius is tight, but not unheard of in the world of micro-layouts. More importantly, it's well within the operating range of my little 0-4-0, as evidenced by this YouTube video of the same set navigating Tomix 103mm (4"!!!) curves:

I'm considering abandoning handlaid track in favor of Peco's bulletproof HOn30 line. The code 80 rail profile is a drawback, but I could live with it. I'd still handlay my own #5 turnouts. 

The little depot I scratchbuilt will have a home on this layout, as will a number of other "railroady" structures like a small water tower, coal bunker, freight house, etc. 

I'm still tossing around ideas for the industry that will occupy the middle spur. I'm leaning towards a stock pen at this point.

Most likely, this will be constructed in two 29" modules to allow for easy tuck-away storage and transport if needed. Ideally, I will stain the fascia to match my bookcase for a very clean, tidy presentation; DC control could be built into the fascia as well. It would be fun to exhibit this layout at shows; while that was originally a plan in my mind for the 2x4 layout, it still isn't as eminently portable as a set of small modules would be. 

I'm excited about this idea; I wouldn't be abandoning the 2x4 layout altogether, but I think this little micro will be an attainable goal in the interim.