Need ideas for a small PRR layout

Well, creating a PRR theme is going to be hard to do with anything other than motive power, passenger cars and cabin cars (cabooses to non-PRR fans).  My suggestion would be an oval with two passing sidings on the inside of the oval.  Put two passenger stations (one at each siding) and let your GG1 train run from station to station clockwise.  Run your 671 Turbine and freight train counterclockwise to meet the passenger station at each siding.  Add one more switch off one siding to place your freight house and let your freight train work that siding while the passenger train sits on the other siding.

Maybe make the station and freight house part of "the city," and make the other station a suburban / small town area.  Could be Columbus, OH and Xenia, OH respectively.  This allows you to use O42 curves to make your equipment look nicer and run easier.

Just some thoughts of mine.

Chuck

Your motive power makes it much tougher.    The GG1s ran in the NE Corridor and out to Harrisburg.     The turbine ran way out west between Chicago and crestline or there abouts most of the time.    At least the photos I see of the turbine it is out there.

My choice would be to model a branch line such as the Elmira Branch or the south end of the Monongehela branch that are single track with passing sidings.    The Mon was double track at one time.   There is also a Southwest Branch (which I model) which ran from Greensburg to Uniontown with a big yard at Youngwood.    There were lots of branches off of this serving various coal mines and some small towns.   

On a 4x8 it is hard to do even double track, so go with the single track.    Another idea is to run a stub end passenger station off the loop on one side at a diagonal across the layout from one end to the other.      Perhaps two tracks.      then have the passing siding on the other side of the loop to hold the turbine with a freight and a stub siding or 2.    Put a kill switch for both the passing track and the PSG station.    You can park the GG1 in the passenger station and turn it off and then turn on the freight and run it.    Park the freight in the passing siding and tutn off and then turn the GG! on run it..

Yep, PRR cabeese.  Get some 2757/2457 cabeese, 2458/2758 automobile boxcars and maybe some 2454/3454/6454 boxcars.  All that stuff had prr on it.  You could get some recent Lionel madison or baby madison cars in PRR.  Really lots of options . Probably the easiest thing to do is pick up lots of PRR rolling stock.

Yes, you can't have enough cabin cars! 

Maybe an assortment of billboards for your time period would be good, too.

Tom 

Good luck with your layout, I've saved ("pinned") lots of good small layouts and pictures to this Pinterest board, which might give you some ideas if you are interested.

Link:   https://www.pinterest.com/rich...model-train-layouts/   <<< no need to sign in I think

I am thinking of making a shelf above my work bench that will tie into the 4x8 layout and doing my underground "grand central" platform look there, with Dept 56 and similar xmas buildings above.  I can back the G in with a passenger consist there.  For now it will be the 3 tinplate cars I got with it.  Funds for other passenger stock wont be available till show season starts up this fall.  I will watch for PRR rolling stock then.  I have 3 SP type cabooses, 2 deluxe versions with stack, lights and tool boxes, and one of the basic ones in red that came with my dad's set. But no PRR cabin cars, need to pick up a couple.  Strange seeing the Turbine with a SP type caboose, but that is what the factory put in the set.  Did I read somewhere that someone offers a high quality waterslide decal set for the Lionel GG1?   I can decal pretty darn good, might be cheaper than a total restore from L&L.  The paint is still really nice and I like to preserve the original Lionel paint when I can.  Also need to find more of the rubber roadbed I am using.     Mike the Aspie

Went thru my postwar stuff when we got home tonight.  Besides the GG1, I have the PRR short gon that came with my dad's set and a short red Baby Ruth PRR box car.  The 3 tinplate shorty tuscan passenger cars suit my small layout without overpowering it like some larger cars would.  I got two of the 2442 pullmans and the 2443 observation.  With just simple oiling the GG1 and the cars run flawlessly, even the frog box horn works.  The insulators are missing on the raised pan, I have a full set of replacement ones somewhere, just need to find them.  All the lights work and the set's RW transformer works better than my other RW I got with the Turbine set.  Pictured below, the 2332 makes a station stop on its evening run.  What I need now are some PRR position light signals, those will really set the scene.  I cannot stand MTH, but might have to get thier signals.  I dont think Lionel ever did the true PRR style position light signals, even in recent times.  I know MTH did, even a big signal bridge with them on it.  I also plan to put catenary up eventually.  I have done it in HO scale before that was functional.  Not completely to scale, but functional.  I have a couple articles saved on building home brew but passable USA mainline catenary without breaking the bank on commercialy made stuff.  While not the multi track PRR main, a GG1 under the wire and position light signals will help place us somewhere on the Pennsy.     Mike the Aspie