Layout Design Process 4 - Railroad Modeling

So you want to build a layout. The piece of paper is blank and where do you go from here? What do you want to build? Layout design is the process that creates the product which we call a model railroad. It is a logical and thoughtful route to get you from paper to operation.

The Railroad Modeling Phase

The Layout Design Special Interest Group (LDSIG) advanced the layout design process can be broken down into three primary functional areas:

• Concept. Concept identifies the: Who,  What,  Where, When and Why aspects of the layout development process. It is broken down into two main element: 1) your prototype railroad interests that you wish to model and 2) your specific modeling interests. At the end of the concept phase you should have a 5 second ‘overview' of your layout and a larger ' theme ‘ document to refer to in the track planning process.

• Structure. Structure identifies the parameters within which the layout must be designed. It is broken down into two main elements: 3) layout planning to build the railroad, and 4) resources available . At the ed of the structure phase you should have identified the scale and size of your layout and a series of 'given and druthers' you wish to achieve in the track planning process. 

• Layout Details. Layout details identifies the specifics xxx. It is broken down into two main elements: 5) track planning and 6) construction.

Utilizing the  LDSIG discussions in their Layout Design News (LDN), and the various track planning and design books I had purchased over the years I created a format for capturing my particular 'Givens and Druthers'.  I have published a flow chart of that process in the Layout Design Reference Pages section.

Utilizing that flow chart, I began to research prototype railroading and identified specific items of interest in each of the functional areas identified in the process chart.

My research encompassed a multitude of sources:

• Model Railroad magazines to include:  Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, Mainline Modeler, Prototype Modeler, et al.
• Multiple books on prototype modeling. 
• Railroad Historical Society web sites and publications to include: The Great Northern Railroad HS, The Northern Pacific Railway HS, the Milwaukee Railroad HS, the Union Pacific Railroad HS, et al.
• Layout design blogs such as  Lance Mindheim's  Model Railroad Design blog  and the LDSIG's  Layout Design Primer. Both web sites offer a wealth of information on layout design and track planning.

The next blog will discuss Dave Clemens' problem solving process of defining and redefining the objective at hand, in this case moving from a broad idea to fine tuning the process (in this case layout design) to those final elements that can be reasonably represented on the layout.