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I enjoy planning small layouts.
Realisation is easier with large, room filling layouts, because the need of compression is lessened. That is the need to shorten selectively buildings and track lengths.
In contrast a small layout commands more of the imagination of the developer as too much compression easily looks toylike when built.
He has to know when when to banish a big bulky building as a flat to the background. Or when to omit it completely because it dominates the layout too much.
Here comes in handy the design with 3D-models on a computer. Since I became aware of Google‘s SketchUp I do my plans with that. It can show your models and layouts from any angle, even from the inside of a building :-) You can see at once if a building doesn‘t it right.
Changes are made easily - you can even print out the little models as cardboard cutouts (see Downloads) and place them on your layout later. It is astonishing what level of detail can be accomplished with a good textured paper model and a few small parts from the spare parts collection every modeller has. You can add rain drainages, balcony meshes or flower boxes along the windows.
Model railroading is fun, indeed.
Here you find the designs which I have build and broken down over the times, because they couldn't stand a move.
Among these is a very small H0-layout I'm very proud of - "My Son's H0-Layout".
It was built with snap tracks from Fleischmann and it was extremely compact - only 37"x43"!
Even on this small space it had an oval a turning loop and a rural terminal which was layed out on level 1 in the diagonal of the rectangle. With this a classical "Round-and-Round" operation or a "Out-and-Back" operation was possible.
I find the best side of the small z-models is their unbelievable fine detailing. It is always a pleasure to look at the small locomotives and cars with a looking glass and read the inscriptions on them. There you can read about home depots, inspection dates and far away cities on the train targets.
Who would't feel something like Fernweh !
Not too many of my designs have seen the harsh light of reality. Although I have brought on some of them. Because of some moves the layouts were constantly built up and destroyed again. It's a pity there are not many photos of them. And in some condos I've lived in for years simply wasn't any space for a decent layout.
I've experimented with small layouts which could be shoved under our bed. That wasn't a brilliant idea too. There's simply too much dust.
Any time I got the layout otu for playing I had to do house cleaning for at least an hour. That's not a motivation for playing too often.
A better method of accommodation you can find under "Tips and Tricks".
All images that didn't fit a category are brought up here.
