Retirement O27 layout using SCARM...I'm feeling much better now!

Pat, congratulations on retirement!  Also, congratulations on acquiring your daughter's old room for a layout.  I had a similar situation when our daughter vacated a smaller room 8 years ago.  Your plan looks good.  What engines and rolling stock do you plan to operate?  Do you plan to have relatively flat scenery as I suppose you are used to on the Delmarva Peninsula.  (Please note the word 'suppose' since I have never been on the peninsula. 

Congrats for getting started.  Good to see a walkway all the way around.  3-foot reach to the middle of the widest part is still a long way to work without bumping into stuff.

Congrats on your retirement!

We are looking forward to seeing your progress!

Peter

@Mallard4468 posted:

Congrats for getting started.  Good to see a walkway all the way around.  3-foot reach to the middle of the widest part is still a long way to work without bumping into stuff.

Yes...I've measured that and one of the reasons I "indented" the track plan for the Centreville Line but not the bench work...yet. Thanks...I might play with that to narrow reach for what is maybe the only boner in the mix. Thankx!!

I've notched the interior access bench work as well as the far corner...longest "reach" is more like 2-2.5 feet vs 3 feet. That reach interior will be scenic area/woodland visual barrier anyway. At construction I may round the points and corners of this benchwork after I have a power saw in my hand

Those are good ideas, Pat!

Hi Pat. A fellow 027 guy here. I like the plan, you should stop by Switcher Saturday this weekend.

I will advise you to look for K-line 027 switches. The Lionel 51XX work well but the solenoids buzz like a bee hive.

Keep us posted as you build.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Hi Pat. A fellow 027 guy here. I like the plan, you should stop by Switcher Saturday this weekend.

I will advise you to look for K-line 027 switches. The Lionel 51XX work well but the solenoids buzz like a bee hive.

Bob

Hello Bob.

Absolutely on the K-Line O27 switches...Over the years I've nabbed '27 and '42 inch left and right K-Line turnouts from *bay and I must have 2-3 dozen of them squirreled away. No Lionel or any other brands. Regarding another question...my motive power will primarily be small cab end diesel switchers, mainly MTH releases of Maryland shortline schemes (visiting power), Conrail & PRR heritage lines that actually ran in the area, new MDDE Maryland and Delaware Railroad releases as well as the new 2025 take-over corporation Delmarva Central Railroad DCR. I've got a few Beep locos for fun...I've been squirreling-away locos as they appear over the years as well. Rolling stock will match the actual real-life industries: generic dimensional-data chemical tanks cars, grain hoppers and propane tanks; the primary industry of Delmarva is agriculture. The topography here on the coastal peninsula is flat with a few rolling hills, there is one tidal river headwater that the railroad crosses which I'll try to model, ag fields and oak/pine forest.

The left side of the layout is a large reversing loop that leads to a dead end siding on the right.  How do you reverse back again?

Bill

@ogaugenut posted:

The left side of the layout is a large reversing loop that leads to a dead end siding on the right.  How do you reverse back again?

Bill

Good catch.  Looks like a single-track lift-out section shouldn't be too difficult to add.

@PatKelly posted:

Hello Bob.

Absolutely on the K-Line O27 switches...Over the years I've nabbed '27 and '42 inch left and right K-Line turnouts from *bay and I must have 2-3 dozen of them squirreled away. No Lionel or any other brands. Regarding another question...my motive power will primarily be small cab end diesel switchers, mainly MTH releases of Maryland shortline schemes (visiting power), Conrail & PRR heritage lines that actually ran in the area, new MDDE Maryland and Delaware Railroad releases as well as the new 2025 take-over corporation Delmarva Central Railroad DCR. I've got a few Beep locos for fun...I've been squirreling-away locos as they appear over the years as well. Rolling stock will match the actual real-life industries: generic dimensional-data chemical tanks cars, grain hoppers and propane tanks; the primary industry of Delmarva is agriculture. The topography here on the coastal peninsula is flat with a few rolling hills, there is one tidal river headwater that the railroad crosses which I'll try to model, ag fields and oak/pine forest.

Sounds like a fun operators layout. I have a bunch of end-cabs, SW-1, NW-2, MP-15's etc, several BEEPS, and more.

The current Switcher Saturday owner is a fellow Maryland guy. He's got Canton and Ma and Pa equipment that he shows off frequently.

Bob

I thought of engines like Bob has right away.  I can see you have been planning and stocking up for a long time!  Your industries, rolling stock, landscape sound great!

Pat

Congratulations on retiring and getting to start your layout.

I am pleased you found my OGR topic on the building of my 027 50s style layout helpful and honored to be on a list with John Armstrong.

A couple of comments on your plan so far.  Many tracks are dead end spurs and operation will require lots of backing up.  You do have one Y for reversing.

I do not know what your think of looping track sections.  I think Mallard was suggesting the addition of a lift out track section at the bottom of the plan that will connect the dead end on the right spur and the loop on the left.  This will require one switch on the loop.  This lift out track section will allow looping on the the left loop which will add a continuous operation without constant engineer attention.

The addition of two more switches at the top of the left hand loop (between the top straight track and the right top side of the loop on the left) would give another Y and allow looping of the large left loop by itself leaving the top and right track section free for independent operation.

After seeing the list of train cars and engines you have and desire and the limited track space your track plan has, obtaining or building lots of train shelves will be in your future.

For consideration:  The space in the bottom inside the loop on the left would be a good spot for a small turntable about the size of my homemade TT on my layout.

Charlie

I think this is what Charlie's suggestions would look like, plus another switch at the bottom right after the lift-out section that would allow another long siding or even to connect at the top right with another switch if desired.

@PatKelly posted:

Finally!

After many years subscribing and chatting (and career work time-related layout less) on this Forum, I'm now retired and have FINALLY distilled the mental essence (it's been driving me crazy with want-basics in my head) of my retirement O27 model train layout down on paper.

Hi Pat,

From one O27 height track freak to another, I'm looking forward to following along with your build.

I have a lot of info on this track and options. PM me if interested and I'll send links to you.

I swore off buying (stocking up) on any more locomotives BUT I found this MP15AC on *bay yesterday...I purchased immediately. Carload Express of Pennsylvania as of January 30 2025 is the new corporate owner of the MDDE Maryland and Delaware Railroad. New corporate motive power is on order retiring the antique RS3m's, in Carload paint but maintaining the MDDE lettering. I still have a classic-paint MDDE RS1 pre ordered through Public Delivery. track.

Thanks for all the comments and constructive suggestions. I'll post again shortly with a few responses.

Pat, the Carload Express MP15 is a great find.  Yes, Carload Express has tracks here north of Pittsburgh.

@ogaugenut posted:

The left side of the layout is a large reversing loop that leads to a dead end siding on the right.  How do you reverse back again?

Bill

Hello Bill and Charlie.

Thanks for the observations.

My prototype-based design doesn't loop back on itself because it is not supposed to. Bear with me.

The design is supposed to operate as point-to-point-to point. Just like this portion of the short line railroad.

Trains are relatively short...a dozen cars or so is considered LONG. Single or double car trains are not out of the ordinary even being pulled long distances to their destinations or pickups.

The track layout is ~90% schematically based on the actual rural short line prototype that I have rail-fanned since moving to Delmarva in 2000. I am TRYING to replicate basic rail operations. Whether it succeeds or fails...who knows? In my teens 70's I had a rudimentary HO 4x8 double oval short-lived layout. The 80's N scale Club was module-based...another round and round. The Club President's N scale layout was screaming-fast round and round driving everyone crazy and wanted a similar pace for the Club.  My 90's code55 loop N scale failed. IMHO three strikes and you're out. Now in my 60's I wanted something more sedate, laid back, more... Rural short line, simple, something I can go nuts scenic, and some prototype ancient decrepit condition track  was just the Rx for slow 10mph travel and switching seemed just my speed (no pun intended).

Yes, there is a lot of stopping, reversing...switching.  Based on the prototype, that's what railroads do.  IF this design fails I have only myself to blame but have great suggestions for continuous run. Thanks!!

- Interchange runaround @ Townsend for swapping outgoing/incoming cars with Norfolk Southern Class 1 and it's short line intermediary Carload Express's subsidiary Delmarva Central.

- Massey Junction hub runaround sorting cars for the Centreville and Chestertown Lines. Disclosure: In reality there is an intermediary runaround between the interchange and Massey to sort cars into "Line" incoming cuts. I don't have room for that so...COMPROMISE. And remember, motive power and train speed is SLOW.

- The actual Chestertown line ends with a runaround where trains work the now-facing switches for the Chemical Plant. The chemical plant is the major shipper of the line so it's modeled. I don't have room for a Chestertown runaround so...WAIT for it.

- The actual Centreville line ends with a runaround to service return trip trailing switches. The Roberts Purdue Grain has it's own runaround siding. It is the major shipper so it's modeled... but no room for a runaround. WAIT for it.

SO......BOTH the Centreville and Chestertown Lines have end-of-line/intermediate prototype runarounds to service their respective industries. I solved this predicament by connecting the two lines with a shared yet hidden woodland/physical divider. BOTH lines operate point to point from the off layout runaround.

The runaround is NOT used as a reversing loop.

Truth be told this track arrangement is HUGELY and insanely compressed, selective and not representative of the prototype MDDE Northern Lines and the small serviced businesses I have omitted.  The bit I have attempted to model exhibit the feel, atmosphere and essence of Delmarva short line railroading.  IMHO success or failure of this layout will be in the scenic breaks, expanses and landscapes.

It sounds like an excellent plan, Pat!!