Most layouts are planned in a logical manner, with decisions about the location, era and modelling scale being made first and the trackplan being developed later. As these pages will explain the planning for this layout however started with a trackplan and some freight cars with other decision being made later.
Many years ago (around 1980) I operated an HO standard gauge switching layout at the Wakefield model railway exhibition. After the exhibition I decided to build a layout using that same track plan, and even got so far as to collect the required loco and 6 freight cars to operate it.
To cut a long story short the layout never got built. In the years between I worked in both N gauge(American) and 009(British). More recently I became interested in modelling New England 2 foot gauge lines in HOn30 and started planning a layout based on a line that was proposed but never built, the Skowhegan & Athens.
Whilst between 009 and HOn30 I had built some US outline stock based on N gauge 40' chassis. The stock had a correct "generic" narrow gauge look, but did not really look representative of rolling stock used in New England. I decided to design this layout around those models.
Initially I did not have a location for the layout. Due to the look of the early stock I decided that it should be 'somewhere other than New England' to separate it from my future planned layout. I eventually decided to set the layout in Texas and model the ficticious Luckenbach & Grape Creek.
So how did the planned location change? What actually happened was that much of the stock I was actually building was not that far removed from New England rolling stock. Having realised that fact I decided to letter all the stock for the S&A such that some could be later reused for that future layout when it was built.
By using Peco 009 points and minimum length sidings I found I could fit the main yard into 30", and by using a scenic block and either a manual fiddle track or a cassette type system for swapping trains, the whole fully operating layout would fit comfortably onto a 4' board. I had also planned the layout to have automatic uncoupling, initially I was going to use KD couplings and hinged permanet magnets, however I have now switched to using DG couplings and electromagnets - see the rolling stock page for details.
I decided that there were two clear benefits to setting the layout in the steam/diesel transition era. Firstly diesels are easier to build than steam locomotives - simply add a larger cab plus details to a commercial N gauge model - quick to initially get something running and then models of steam locomotives could be built later. Secondly setting the line later than many narrow gauge lines actually lasted would allow more variety of rolling stock - many lines never needed to add steel underframed stock into their wooden chassised fleets. Using the later time frame I could design such stock on the basis of if it look right then it was right.