Thanks everyone who has posted so far in the Trackplan Database Thread!

There has been a great response to this thread and there are many interesting plans posted.

Lets use this thread for discussion relating to the trackplans.

Please still post your trackplans in this other thread:  mrhmag.com/track-plan-database

After many weeks doodling designs on a pad I am no closer to solving some issues with my half built layout.  So I was hoping the brains trust here mind be kind enough to offer some suggestions.

A number of years ago I started the process of designing and building my layout. The design, a simple folded dogbone, with a couple of small stations and the ability to extend later.  The space was a single car garage.

Hi,

I'm redesigning my track plan to make it more in par with my newbie status, and one of the things most difficult to me, due to space limitations, is staging...

so how 'bad' or good' is having staging visible on the layout? I'm thinking that with 3 long track will be enough for me..recomendations please

So I've decided to do a shelf layout of the Pacific Fruit Express style. I got an icing shed and will be picking up a produce storage distributor. I have a couple of questions regarding the colors of the Pacific Fruit Express cars. I'm intending to use the orange ones, but I've noticed that they have either brown (or black) or red ends on the cars. What's the difference? Years they changed the colors? I'm going for the late 70's on the layout possibly a steam loco as well into the 60's.