If I built a layout it would be greatly influenced by:

• Norm Charbonneau's layout.
• A lot of ideas I see in Dennis Brennan's and Jim Policastro's articles and book, etc.
• My experience, good and bad, with six previous layouts in my life.
• Number one rule: What would be fun to try? (I can always remove and rebuild)

I am still experimenting with O-31 track arrangements for a small layout that will be influenced chiefly by the great Lionel display layouts of the fifties.

 

Pete

My lack of money and lack of a LARGE room!

For the mood I'm now, I would probably go with the classic Lionel display layouts of the fifties or Kevin Coyle's postwar inspired layout that has been posted here of late. Somthing about the magic of those layouts - the simple scenery invokes what postwar is all about, or what I feel it's about in mind.

 

 I would also say Frank53. On my last layout, the one that was featured in OGR last year, Frank's was kind of what gave me the idea - traditonal trains in scale setting.  

 

I love whenmembers  post photos - on everyone's pics, there is always something I take away & say - oh that's cool, or that gives me an idea

 

By almost everyone here.......I will not list as if I do I will leave someone out. My goal is a Scale high rail look so those that follow that influence me the most.....but so do the most simple 'toy' layout builders.......they are DOING something with trains....how wrong can that be??

Inspired by your own imagination influenced by what you like or dislike.

 

TEX

Steve

My own experiences in life.  Said another way, I wouldn't model a particular railroad or location.  Instead I'd include things that pay homage to my past, both people and places.  It would be unique to me and all elements would have meaning.

I am influenced by allot of HO and O model railroad greats: 
John Allen
John Armstrong
Eric Broman
Malcolm Furlow
Dick Elwell
George Sellios

And the crew at the Neb&w Resselaer model railroad.

I'm in the process of building my 4th now. There are so many ideas I will be using that I have learned from members in the past two +years on this forum I can't list all of them. I actually have a document folder that I copy and paste posts and pictures to from OGR posts for reference. One for sure will be my best effort to copy Patrick's use of foam board. And of course my own toy like imagination when necessary.

I've always enjoyed what Jim Policastro posts.  He does excellent work and appears to have a good time doing it.

 

There's many more (too many to list) whose posts I always read and learn something in the process.

As stated by others here I am prone to the Lionel Display Layouts of the 1950's. I am playing with the idea of building the 1957 Showroom layout. -Steve

 

Add me to this list. Have been researching the Dealer Display Layouts for a couple of weeks now and will decide soon which one I’m going with. I have another, more-or-less permanent layout and space is limited so this new one will likely be a one of the Dealer Display 5x9s.

 

Love the vintage look!   

I'll second that!

 

Jerry

Well, it isn't if I built my layout, because I have and still am at it.  It is influenced by:

memories and experiences.  The "how to's" are from this forum and David Frary's book.

.....

Dennis

I am a student of John Allen and George Sellios and pour over dozens of photos and slides to get the rightness in things.

Frank Ellison, George Sellios just to name two

Bill

If I built a layout it would be greatly influenced by: available cash.

Norm's is the nicest, most realistic 3 rail layout I've ever seen, but nature and real-life settings influence me much more than any modeler ever will.

Build a layout.  Then build a second.  After 2 you will discover what you desire. 

Seek, and you shall find.  For only yourself can tell you what you want.

Influences abound, but it is the expression of your own soul that will bring you happiness.  Find peace within yourself, and your creative energies and the pool of all your past experiences will bring you to the promised land.

William1 - aka - grasshopper for a day 

 

Herb Lindsay - his layout was one of the first I was aware of that combined 3-rail trains and highly realistic scenery.

 

Brad Nelson - he worked postwar accessories into realistic scenery in S gauge in a way that just looked "right" even though many of the accessories were made of shiny stamped metal!

 

Both these were written up in CTT way back in 1990.

In addition, Joe Lesser, the aforementioned Frank53 and, especially John Armstrong influence my layout desires.

... by any of Phil Klopp's layouts.  I've followed his layouts since 1973 and find that they have the best balance of toy vs. scale vs. hi-rail that appeals to me.  His most recent around-the-room  layout cements it up.

For me the layout that had the most  lasting emotional and visual impact was Roadside America, in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania. 

 

When I work on my own layout on whatever scene or vignette of the moment, I have at least a passing thought of that layout I first saw about 60 years ago...and several times thereafter.

 

You know how some experiences in life just seem to have an especially deep burn of the cranial floppy glop?  That's the one for me re this hobby.

 

Of course, many more celebrated in the pages of OGR, CTT, et al, have had their inspirational value, too.  Every layout I've ever seen has had some nugget of value to me in working on my own.  But Laurence T. Gieringer's creation in the late 1930's is, well, the genesis of my layout inspiration.

 

No question, John Allen. Don

I think everyone can be inspired in some way by any layout they come across. My dream layout (and hopeful future layout) would be inspired by all that I've learned from countless O gauge magazines/layout visits, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the "New Haven Line" section of the Northeast Corridor.


Someday.....

Re: Brad Nelson' S scale modeling...

 

Any pictures of his efforts?  I would be very interested in seeing some of his work. 

 

Thanks for considering.

 

 

Realism ain't my bag but this is a very good answer.

 

Pete

I have been inspired by many of the ideas on Carl Arendt's Micro-Layouts website, which have potential to be adapted to different modeling scales. I especially like ideas to create interest in limited spaces.

 

http://www.carendt.com/scrapbook/linkindex/index.html

The inspiration for my railroad was based my own personal railroading experiences.

 

Bob 

Was this Herb Lindsay a NJ coach & gym teacher in the 70s & 80s?  If so, I didn't know he was into trains.

I kinda view myself as one of the "DOEs" (Disciples of Eillison). I like throwing a little humor into industry names while trying to follow some existing prototype from my encounters -- i.e., capture the essence of something real. Space considerations keep me from building out some industrial elements I'd really like -- no place to store the modules as they'd be pretty big in O scale, so for now they exist in RR-Track files. Maybe after I relocate.

3rd!...and I heard a rumor that there may be government funding for that!

Yeah, that layout is nice, but I love the twin boxcabs better!

There many great layout on the Forum and just to name a few that I enjoy:

 

Pete Vollmer's

HotWater's
Rich Battista

 

Have done great work on their layouts.

dkdkrd,

 

Of all the layouts seen and mentioned on this forum,  yours is the first mention of Roadside America that I recall.  I've been there two or three times and it is just wonderful.  To think one man started to build that little world back in the 30s with the results he got is unbelievable.

I would look to Bob Bartisek and Neal Schorr.  Both of these guys have tremendous layouts and really know facts about the PRR.  Bob's layout features the Horseshoe Curve

and Neal's features the PRR Middle Division--his name here on the forum.  

 

Norm Rish 

Rick Bivins,

   Actually although I have looked at the Lionel 50's & 60's layouts, I try hard not to

copy them.  I try to engineer with my own original ideas using both old and new

technology and blending them together in a child like wonderland.

PCRR/Dave

Norm Charbonneau - Amazing realism and attention to detail.

 

 

Patrick H. - Massive, looks like the trains are really going somewhere, I hope to see it in person some day. 

 

Eric Brooman's Utah Belt

David Barrow's Cat Mountain & Santa Fe

 

both are HO layouts

Norm Charbonneau, who else even comes close?