Planning is going ahead and the next thing I thought to tackle would be LDEs (Layout Design Elements) and where could they be located on the layout, focusing on the 1st Deck at this time.

After reading about Mark Lestico’s Cascade Sub on LDSIG Wiki, I found an interesting and new (to me) tidbit in there about determining how many LDEs would fit along the main line.

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After months of contemplating what to build, and how, finally came up with a name for the railroad:

“Newbridge & Lockport RR”

The two names come from the streets close to the area where the layout is physically located.

This fictional (freelance) railroad features a main and a branch line. Newbridge is a site of the main classification yard, while Lockport a branchline town represented through a port/pier scene. There are other towns on the layout, namely Bramshott and Shorncliffe, although still need to come up with their background and industries within.

Switched back to H0 scale in March 2018. Started working on a new layout shape, finally deciding on it in September 2018. Following that was an intensive construction schedule to build the storage closet, open the new entryway into to layout space and close the room with a diagonal wall on the left.

It only took a year worth of time; 50+ different layout shapes, some of them having half a dozen revisions each; flip-flopping twice between H0 and N scale, and here it is, a shape that the layout is going to be built upon. You’d think it looks pretty simplistic compared to some of the other ones, and it is. After all, the beauty is in simplicity and this being the first big layout, it should be “simplish” to do.

Note: This is a living document. It will change as often as this railroad is tweaked and tuned.
Last modified on Jul 9, 2018 @ 9:38 pm

What does it actually mean?

Givens are features or limitations you must have, either forced on you by the size or shape of the room, economics, etc., or your own desires. For example, the size of the room is a given, it’s not going to change and you have to live with it.

Druthers are things you’d rather (“you druther”) have, so they are negotiable. You list everything you would like, and accept that you are not going to get it all.

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