| At their most basic level, model railroad layouts are | | | | railroadbusiness to his heart's content and, when it is |
| simple circles and ovals thatwould fit onto a 4x6 sheet | | | | completed, makes his express rushout of the other |
| of plywood. | | | | end of the tunnel as if it had been traveling hundreds |
| These simple track layouts are easy to set up and | | | | of miles allthe time. |
| relatively inexpensive, but theyaren't really very realistic. | | | | A small layout, however, cannot adopt even this illusion |
| After all, with the exception of kids' rides at | | | | because a small railway hasno room for two genuine |
| theamusement park, how many trains have you ever | | | | terminals. |
| seen that just go around in circles? | | | | The Out-and-Home Layout |
| The Point-to-Point Layout | | | | The out-and-home layout solves part of this problem - |
| Real railroads go from one place to another place. | | | | it has only one terminal. |
| They may have sidings, branchlines, and other | | | | This is really a point-to-point system doubled back on |
| subsidiary systems, but the main line starts at one | | | | itself. |
| point, travels toanother point, and stops. | | | | You have a terminal. You send the train out and it |
| Trains are turned around at terminals by means of | | | | travels through farmland andforest, through villages |
| extensive yards, wyes, loops, andturntables, but the | | | | and mountains, and finally arrives at a terminal. It |
| main line, whether double-track or single-track, goes | | | | justhappens to be the same terminal it started from, |
| from pointto point. There are switches and yards at | | | | but you can easily pretend that itisn't. |
| one end, and a turnaround of some sort atthe other. | | | | This system gives you a little more mileage between |
| Despite the point-to-point model railroad's resemblance | | | | terminals than the point-to-point system, but in most |
| to real railroad lines, itis'nt very successful on a model | | | | model railroads the train arrives back home before |
| railroad. | | | | youhave been able to do much, unless you use the |
| True, in some very large model systems the | | | | tunnel or other method of hiding thetrain that is |
| point-to-point plan has been used, butin most cases the | | | | supposed to be traveling. |
| model railroad cannot possibly approximate the | | | | While more adaptable to model railroads than |
| distance traveledby a real railroad. | | | | point-to-point, it still presents manyproblems except on |
| If you had the entire Madison Square Garden for your | | | | very large layouts. |
| layout, you still wouldn't beable to duplicate, in scale | | | | Both point-to-point and out-and-home layouts can be |
| mileage, a reasonable point-to-point railroad. In | | | | combined with continuouspikes, in large layouts, to offer |
| normalmodel railroads, the train hardly leaves one | | | | variety and realism--and this is precisely theprocedure |
| terminal before it has arrived at the endof the line. | | | | used by experienced model railroaders with plenty of |
| No time is allowed for switching operations at the | | | | space. |
| terminals for freight trains toperform their normal | | | | For the vast majority, however, the continuous layout |
| functions, while the express is speeding from terminal | | | | is not only best but alsoessential for interesting and |
| toterminal. | | | | varied train movements. With a clever use of |
| In a good-sized layout, scenery can handle part of this | | | | buildingsand scenery it can also create the many little |
| problem. The express canrush into a tunnel, where the | | | | deceptions that bring a realistic flavorto the operation |
| operator stops it. He then carries on other | | | | of your railroad. |