The PRR Chartiers Branch (July 21, 2008 - present)
This is my first S-scale layout, and as part of the scale change, I have also decided to model something different from the PRR mainline I had tried before in N-scale. Eventually I would like to model the entire PRR Chartiers Branch, but for now I will only do a very small portion of it. Click on the photo to learn more about this new layout. The room preparation work is complete (as seen in the photo on the left). I am building the modular benchwork for the layout.

Last updated on October 8, 2008.

Bear Creek & Eastern (February 2006 - July 15, 2008)
This project was a small point-to-point fictional layout to help polish my modeling skills while I'm "in between" serious layouts. About 1/3 of the layout was finished when the project was canceled. I learned how to construct a spline roadbed, how to deal with grades, how to build a turntable from scratch, and how to improve the looks of my trees. Lack of correct lighting is a real problem during layout construction, especially when handlaying code 40 rail.

Crystal Creek Module (January 2005 - January 2006)
This stand-alone diorama/module was an exercise in hand-laying code 40 rail and building turnouts in-place. The module only had about 30% of the track work in place when it was abandoned. I learned a lot about handlaying rail.

P & C Railroad Version 4 (February 2003 - January 2004)
My biggest ambition so far. I merged two bedrooms into one, remodeled them, and installed lighting and valences. I had finished one room's worth of storage cabinets upon which the layout would be built. The idea being that the area under the layout could be used for additional storage of hobby "stuff" and household goods. It had to be abandoned due to a major change in life. I learned that I really like the linear around-the-walls style of layout. The other lesson I learned was that sometimes life throws a monkey-wrench into your model railroading plans.

P & C Railroad Version 3 (December 2000 - January 2003)
This layout was the one in which I accomplished the most. It started off as a simple double mainline loop around the room. It grew to include a helix peninsula that led to a storage yard below the main level. The layout was making good progress with scenery and lots of working track, but it also had two duck-unders. Eventually this got to my back. While recovering from my back injury (a week on the couch), I thought about what I could do to eliminate the number of head injuries, back scrapes, shoulder bumps, and strained back problems - starting over! Ergonomics was the big lesson learned from this layout.

P & C Railroad Version 2 (April 2000 - December 2000)
This was my first big layout. It also was my first custom designed one. This layout was operational in under 9 months. I had quite a bit of the basic scenery in place. The layout had a number of big problems. I learned that a grade of 5.5% is a tad too much! The locomotives did OK, but the trains had to be so short that it wasn't much fun. The other lesson learned was that all track that is hidden and/or hard to reach will guarantee you problems! Murphy's Law.

P & C Railroad Version 1 (August 1999 - April 2000)
After a good 20 years out of the hobby of model railroading, in August 1999 I started this layout. It was a standard 4' by 8' layout built on top a movable table. The main purpose for this layout was just to see if I liked the hobby. I had a lot of fun building it. It was modeled after one of the designs in an Atlas book. I experimented with some of the traditional scenery techniques such as newspaper and plaster cloth over chicken wire, etc. Once I decided to get more serious with the hobby, I realized I wanted more than this table. I tried to integrate this layout into the next one, but it was just too big for the room I was in. I took some video tape of the layout in action, but I have not converted it into digital images yet, so there are no photos.

My First Layout
This was a small oval layout I had in my mid teens in Holland in the mid to late 1970's. It, too, was N-scale. It was a Fleischmann starter set with additional track, some kit structures, and a couple of attempts at scratchbuilding.