The little layouts need to be featured

Allan Miller posted:

bigkid posted:

One thought I had would be maybe the  magazine could showcase layouts in progress, maybe check in from time to time to show how the layout goes from "eh" to "wow!".

That is already being done, and has been done in the past. In the current issue of the magazine is a "Second Section" update on Brian Mount's layout build, along with the first of what will be a series of articles about the construction of a small portable layout that can be displayed at public events, and the first of what will be an occasionally updated feature about a FasTrack modular group known as the Mod Squad. We will continue to provide updates of that group's activities over the coming months and beyond.

In addition, from time to time we publish a feature known as "Return Trip Ticket," which is an updated look at layouts that have been featured in the magazine in the past. All that is required is an expression of interest in "updating" things by the layout owner.

Subscribers to the magazine likely already know about this continuing initiative. I know this to be true because I regularly receive correspondence from readers who like the "earlier" and "later" comparisons.

You learn something every day, been a subscriber a long as I have been on the forum and I guess I never looked at it with the focus of small layouts, just looked at the layouts and said "Wow". As I wrote in my original post, no criticism at all, no complaints about the magazine to be sure!

Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

Details don't require a large space'.. to be effective'. O Gauge trains are made to run.  That's where the large layouts come in.  Lots of trackage and plenty of running.  That makes the big ones interesting.  However, there are very nice really large layouts, that lack in details, compared to their smaller cousins that are loaded with excellent fine details and scenes.

I point to Melgars, and SIdehacks, Trumptrins, and many others members on this forum'..

My own 5' X 13'  a nice loop and a figure 8 in the center'.. lots of details... The ubiquitous night shot'... 031 & 036 radius ..

 

Ted, I always love the night photos + videos that you take of your layout such as this one: https://ogrforum.com/...85#94628826215953385

Plus side is that it makes the layout look and feel even larger than the 5x13 footprint.

Allan Miller posted:

...We do look for layouts--any size layout--that has something unique, distinctive, or different to offer our readers, ...

Every layout is unique, distinctive, or different, unless you are building a copy of another layout.  The trick is the readers part.  Allan is not the one writing for the magazine.  If what he gets is not quality reading, or can become with minimal editing, he can't do anything with it, same with the included photos.  I do not get the magazine myself because it does not appeal to me.  I have no interest in reading about large, detailed, realistic layouts.  Nor do I care for Lionel display toyish layouts.  Doesn't mean they are bad layouts, they just aren't my cut of tea.  If there was a magazine that just covered small (4x8) to bedroom (12x12 max) sized layouts only that weren't all realistically detailed I'd love reading it.  This is why I love the forums, because I can read about and see examples of these smaller layouts as people post as they build them.

So if you want to see something in the magazine, write it and submit it.  Otherwise enjoy seeing it on the forums.

Bigger is not always better!

Well, I know I have seen smaller layouts in OGR, but I am fine reading about anything toy train related. 
 I swear the OP asked us to brag about our layouts, so here is mine. It is 7’ x 12’, so I guess that makes it a big small layout. The upper level has a loop of 0-27, and a loop of HO track for my Bachmann 0n30 set, or one of my few remaining HO trains. When I figure out a new track plan, I will try my hand at more scenery.

Well I am including a picture of my "Leonardtown and Savannah" (L&S) which is named after 2 of the many places we have lived, but mostly so that I could claim that the nickname is the "long and skinny".  It is 34 inches wide and 17 ft long.  I had to fit it in an aisle way between my display shelves and leave room to the side for my daughter in law's work out gear.  The outer loop is Lionel O- gauge at 31" with one shortened piece of straight modified such that it accommodates the O-27 loop on the inside.  The underlying tables are very high quality wooden tables, that my dad acquired when his company went from wooden drafting tables to metal for fire protection in the 50's (they accommodated my boy hood Lionel and then HO layouts for decades - mostly just up at Christmas).  Anyway its enough for me to "watch them go round!"

Don McErlean

Amfleet25124 posted:

Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

Details don't require a large space'.. to be effective'. O Gauge trains are made to run.  That's where the large layouts come in.  Lots of trackage and plenty of running.  That makes the big ones interesting.  However, there are very nice really large layouts, that lack in details, compared to their smaller cousins that are loaded with excellent fine details and scenes.

I point to Melgars, and SIdehacks, Trumptrins, and many others members on this forum'..

My own 5' X 13'  a nice loop and a figure 8 in the center'.. lots of details... The ubiquitous night shot'... 031 & 036 radius ..

 

Ted, I always love the night photos + videos that you take of your layout such as this one: https://ogrforum.com/...85#94628826215953385

Plus side is that it makes the layout look and feel even larger than the 5x13 footprint.

 THANK YOU KINDLY kEVIN... I appreciate that very much'... Take a look at that thread you put in your post'... page two'...

Last year at this time I was working with Allan Miller to have him publish an article on my 8 ft by 8 ft steel mill layout.  The article, titled Hot Metal In Steel City, was in the June/July 2019 edition of OGR magazine.  Allan was very helpful and encouraging throughout the process. I was hoping that my article would encourage other O gauge modelers who are limited to a small layout to start or complete layouts they were working on and submit them to Allan to show just how much can be done in O gauge in a small space.  From the above comments from other Forum members, sounds like a number of members have platforms in the making that will hopefully show up in a future OGR magazine article.  I've enclosed some photos I submitted with my article to show what I was able to put into an 8 ft x 8 ft space.

Doug Chiado

One of the reasons why I like the small Lionel dealer displays. 4x8’s , 5x9’s but not much larger. They had to cram a lot of activity into a small place.

steve

DRC posted:

Last year at this time I was working with Allan Miller to have him publish an article on my 8 ft by 8 ft steel mill layout.  The article, titled Hot Metal In Steel City, was in the June/July 2019 edition of OGR magazine.  Allan was very helpful and encouraging throughout the process. I was hoping that my article would encourage other O gauge modelers who are limited to a small layout to start or complete layouts they were working on and submit them to Allan to show just how much can be done in O gauge in a small space.  From the above comments from other Forum members, sounds like a number of members have platforms in the making that will hopefully show up in a future OGR magazine article.  I've enclosed some photos I submitted with my article to show what I was able to put into an 8 ft x 8 ft space.

Doug Chiado

Thank you very much for your supportive comments, Doug. It was a pleasure working with you in developing your feature, which was very well received by our readers. I also hope it will inspire others to demonstrate what can be accomplished in a modest amount of space, even in O gauge. The current virus crisis in our nation and around the world is the perfect opportunity for our fellow hobbyists to spend as much time as possible at home, and to devote a good amount of that time to working on the layout and supporting our advertisers by helping to keep their businesses active and prospering. Please, folks, do support the OGR advertisers who, in turn, support our efforts to give you the best magazine possible. Believe me when I say that your support is much needed and greatly appreciated.