Track plan

It does look like one of the Lionel display layouts.  It would have been 8x8.  That's all I know about it.

Look up a D-148 display layout, that's as close as I find.  There's a display layout expert on this forum named Jagrick. He'll know the answer.

@Richard Cuozzo posted:

Look up a D-148 display layout, that's as close as I find.  There's a display layout expert on this forum named Jagrick. He'll know the answer.

Thank you Richard....

@Richard Cuozzo posted:

Look up a D-148 display layout, that's as close as I find.  There's a display layout expert on this forum named Jagrick. He'll know the answer.

@Jagrick

Googled Lionel D148 and this showed up ! from a few years ago.

https://ogrforum.com/...aler-display-replica

Also, FrankG posted it orignally as his layout.

Here is what he said on a 2015 post:

"I have built a replica of the D-165 from !956 and I thought I'd share some photos of my layout here. The layout was built using techniques and materials as close as possible to those originally used by Lionel. The grass is 919, the mountain is fish-glue hardened felt painted with casein theater paints mixed with fish glue etc. Even the exposed wiring is cloth covered just like the original. Unfortunately, the layout track plan and placement of the accessories are not correct to the production D-165 layouts produced. My layout was built by reference to the 1956 Dealer Display Catalog and, at the time I built it, I did not have access to the instructions or photos of a production display. This is a rare case of Lionel making the production layout very different from the catalog illustration. Lionel used a heavily modified D-148 from 1955 for the Display Catalog illustration of the D-165, and the actual layout produced varied from that considerably. Also, note that the D-165 used only accessories available in 1955. This was typical in that the layouts for a given catalog year were actually designed late in the fall of the previous year, and so were usually one year behind in using accessories. The 2254W Congo set and 2253W GG-1 set are modern Postwar Celebration Series stand-ins, but the 2257WS 665 freight set is my original train from December, 1956 bought by my Dad when I was only two months old - he started me early!

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Frank Gatazka D-165 Replica: Overall View of Display ReplicaD-165 Catalog: 1956 Lionel Dealer Display Catalog Page for D-165D165instructions: Actual D-165 Instruction Sheet showing Track PlanD165instructions - 2: Actual D-165 Instruction Sheet showing WiringFrank Gatazka D-165 Replica: Detail of Felt MountainOriginal D-165: Original Lionel D-165 at Richard Kughn's Madison Hardware

3/13/151:50 PM

Interesting...

I've checked my DVD with all of the files of the Lionel Dealer Display Layouts and the picture above doesn't appear to match any of them exactly. I'm not totally sure, but that appears to be some sort of hybrid build. It's definitely not the D-148 or the D-165, at least not according to the pics and build sheets I have.  Another clue: Look how this has two separate mountain areas. None of the Displays had these.

It appears to me that this is two separate displays (4x8s) combined together to produce the 8x8 configuration. And note that they are connected via the upper track (white color) which almost appears to be an "add-on."

Having said all that, it's definitely a Dealer Display type of layout in spirit right down to the familiar control panel used on these.

Appears to be a well made layout but does not have hallmarks of a Lionel made one.  Board itself is too thick (Lionel used 1/2" plywood and then later 3/8" fiberboard. Supports of elevated roadbed are simple boards where Lionel used stylized abutments and the elevated roadway would have had a piece of 1/4 fiberboard on the edges. Mountain construction is good from picture so good job there. Control panel is not laid out like originals either. Good effort but this is not an original Lionel dealer display from the photo.

Gandy

It looks like a Lionel display due to it size, the color of the shade of the green and grass but I agree with most others it is not one.

You can get an idea of what the layout is.  The elevated section is a double loop.  The bottom is not clear from the picture but is has two complete loops.  The bottom has 6 switches from seeing the controllers.  You get to design the bottom your self and make your own parts list.  The size can be approximated by counting the track sections.  Have fun designing the layout you want.

You might want to reduce the amount of mountains to allow more track to be visible and give room for more switching and accessories.  Most Lionel display layout had simple track plans and only had to hold the viewers attention for a short while.

Charlie