I hope to cut wood by the Autumnal Equinox, or by Samhain at the absolute latest; it’s time to get a railroad going.  (HO Scale)  As yet, I'm looking for thoughts and ideas on small layouts.

The available funds are limited, but a decent amount of material is on hand.  The available real estate is 6’ x 2’, the era is the late 1920’s…the place: Northern Maine.  There’s room for a small staging area at one end, snaking between the computer and the monitor.

Clearly, all that’s possible is a switching layout of some sort.

Givens:  2 x 6, with staging on the left side.  It may be possible to replace the staging with more layout in the future, turning the corner in the bedroom.

Layout height will be low; it needs to be on top of existing furniture, and easily movable in the future.  It will need to be relatively easy to break it down into a 4 x 2 and a 2 x 2 section for a future move,  It would be nice if it was EASY to break down and take to a show.

Switching

Possibility to purchase a piece or two of special works, from a crossing to a curved turnout or wye.  Expenses to be kept to a minimum.

Resources on hand

Track:  Walther’s code 83 flextrack and Walthers # 4 DCC ready turnouts both left and right.  (Purchase of a LIMITED amount of special trackwork is possible—crossings or curved turnouts)

1920’s compatible motive power, all DCC:

2-6-0 B&M steamer with sound

B&M Oil-Electric boxcab

0-6-0 tank engine switcher

Bachmann 3 truck Shay, DCC sound

Class A Climax (Kitbashed Roundhouse Industries shell with 44 tonner chassis.)

Interurban painted in B&M colors in need of decoder (eventually)

Era appropriate rolling stock:

6 Tichy Ore Cars

Multiple Accurail box cars (About  8 or so era-appropriate ones, mostly New England railroads.)

MOW equipment (Crane, boom tender, old coach, flat car, 2 boxcars labeled for MOW)

~ 4 assorted flats (Plus some Pennsylvania RR heavy duty flat kits, soon to be gunflats)

Tichy low sided gondola

8 Roundhouse short passenger cars, assorted, painted for B&M

Tank car

B&O Hopper

Several long Roundhouse wooden coaches

Non running or not easily convertible to DCC

0-4-0 switcher

Mantua General (Sentimental value!)

24-6-2 Pacifics (Run, but 1970’s models, could be difficult to make run on DCC, and would need relabeling for B&M)1 was my grandfathers, and has huge sentimental value.

1 0-8-0 Switcher, same condition as Pacifics

Anachronistic units

Fairbanks Moorse DCC sound switcher

4!  Bachmann Santa Fe 44 tonners (Kitbash fodder…)

MBTA and B&M DC BUDD RDC’s (DC units)

Buildinds on hand

Walther’s Railroad Shop

Woodland Scenics Modulars—1 5 section flat made up with loading doors, plus box of assorted parts

A couple of small downtown style shops

Brick and clapboard sheets for scratch-building

Structures can be added later, of course.

At one corner of the layout will be a boxing gym, suitable for a run down area.

So far, that’s what I have for resources…what does this suggest to people for both displaying rolling stock and for one person op sessions?

I’ve contemplated the following:

Small industrial area

Major railroad rebuilding facility, perhaps with other industries at the edge of the railroad property…central building, of course, to be the Walther’s railroad shop.  That has the additional advantage of being able to have a couple of feet of HOn30 running from behind something into one bay of the shop, allowing display of my limited amount of HOn30 equipment.

Boatyard on one side of the tracks, with a small town’s team track and fuel distributor on the other side.

Some track might have overhead line—the “End of the wire” where traction takes over freight and passenger from steam.  (I plan to build the Atlantic Shore Lines #100 at some point, with or without a place to run her.)

That’s all that I’ve thought through so far…much more thinking to do before spending.  Any ideas will be much appreciated.