I've had a number of little half-completed switching layouts over the years. American trains, British, in N scale through OO/HO and even some floor running in G. Well, the layout table (1960s British Rail OO scale) took a mighty blow and I find myself in a situation where I could start from a clean sheet. I'm having trouble deciding where to go. Here are my thoughts and personal experiences. Track plan Inglenook Sidings, a shunting puzzle (can you tell I've been in the British train world a while?) that has proven to be my favorite for short rounds of play. Space Up to 92" straight if I set up in the loft, up to 140" straight if I move the bookcases in the office and set up in there. I prefer a shallow shelf layout of 12"-18" in depth to make it easier for me to reach in, and I like keeping the majority of the layout within easy reach so I'm not sliding around in the chair to get from end to end. So while I've got up to 140" if I move furniture, I'm happier if I can keep it around 70"-80" for easier reaching. Previous attempts HO scale NYC, Bachmann EZ track. N scale Amtrak, Conrail, NYC on Kato track on a hollow core door. N scale GWR on Kato track on a hollow core door. HO scale Conrail, Bachmann and then reworked with Kato track on a homebuilt table. OO scale GWR, Kato track, same table. OO scale BR/WR, Kato track, on foam/plywood "plank" that was 18" deep and 50" in length. What I've learned N scale English locomotives (Graham Farish) sucks. It's only good for high speed loop running and is easily broken. OO scale English is hit or miss. English tech is behind American for some reason. Lots of gear noise, no flywheels for most, hit or miss reliability. Currency exchange and international shipping add to the cost, and good luck returning something that has a problem. I've owned a T9 4-4-0, and S15 4-6-0, a 64xx 0-6-0, a Class 03 0-6-0 diesel, and a Class 08 0-6-0 diesel. The T9 did okay, the S15 was huge and heavy and had no problems except for sheer size making it difficult to design a layout around (and who does shunting with a mainline freight locomotive back in those days?), the 64xx runs like garbage, the Class 03 ran like garbage and cost more than I paid for it to return for a partial refund, and the Class 08 will run slowly but groan and grumble loud as hell. Kato and Fox Valley make really good N scale locomotives, but N scale loco weight means track has to be super clean to prevent issues. With a dog, and popcorn ceilings, dust and debris build up quick. Atlas makes really good HO scale locomotives. My best operating locomotive is an HO scale B23-7, and the only other that ran better was an HH600 that I stupidly sold years ago. Athearn looks super nice but is substantially lighter than Atlas and not nearly as good a runner. Bachmann track is good for experimenting with layout design but doesn't last long term, with the plastic connecting tabs breaking and rail connectors widening. Kato track is good for making a layout without getting into flex track. I don't have the soldering skill, the ballasting skill, the wiring skill, to build something nice without multiple expensive failed efforts first. DC is fine for a small shunting layout. DCC is required for club running, but I'm not interested in getting into a club right now. Plus, wiring for DCC comes across as more complex than the simple DC clip it on and go. What's important to me Smooth low speed operation for shunting. No hitching, no stalling over switches, no lurching into movement. I don't care if full throttle translates to slightly faster than a snail as long as it can creep along without stalling. Inglenook 5-3-3 layout for maximum number of variations. Hands-on shunting. Assembling a freight train via Inglenook method, or rotating stock. Magnetic uncoupling was meh, Rix Pik on N scale worked great, English hook and loop couplers are actually nice when you have the right tool for it. Simple scenery. What do I like End cab switchers, like Alco HH600, F-M H10-44/H12-44, EMD SWx line, early curvy GE units and winged radiators. GWR pannier tank engines, and Class 08 diesel on the UK side. Class 03 was super nice looking but ran like hot garbage. Conrail, since that was the operational railroad in the time and place I was growing up. NYC, since we lived in NYC territory and near the Water Level Route. GWR, it's colorful. Same with the early BR diesels. Not a fan of plain black locomotives and dull brown freight cars. Locomotive thoughts Steam is more finicky to operate in all scales. I think the combined friction of connecting rods and valve gear are a large part of the issue for me. Of course I've only owned Bachmann Spectrum, Hornby, and Bachmann Branchline in HO/OO, and Graham Farish in N. Diesel tends to operate better than steam. Smaller diameter wheels seem better at low speed running without stalling and less rotating fiddly bits. B-B diesels operate better than 0-6-0 diesels when it comes to bridging switches and not stalling out. American locomotives, particularly those built by Atlas, seem to be better than UK locomotives built by Hornby or Bachmann Branchline. They're heavier and quieter and can creep slower. They have flywheels! Most of my English locomotives just had a brass worm as their attempt at a rotating mass. Layout ideas My previous layout was set in the early 1960s in Wales. It was a minimal stop, just a shelter and wooden platform for passengers (waiting for the nonexistent passenger service) and a wooden platform with ramp worked like a team track to supply the off-scene village. My first layout was based around the idea of a town supplied by rail, with a rickety bridge off-scene limiting the size of locomotive that could be used. I had bashed together a Bachmann Consolidation with a long haul tender as the idea was there were no support facilities on-scene, so the loco would have to hold enough water to get there and back. My big American layout was a reduced 3-2-2 Inglenook Sidings track plan in order to accommodate the 50' freight cars, #6 switches, and B23-7 in the space available. It served a brewery, with reefers hauling out the fresh product, boxcars bringing in bottling and canning materials, and grain hoppers for, well, grain. I had a loading dock, brewery building, and a grain silo jammed into the space available. If I went with a New York Central route using an HH600 (if I can find one) or an Alco S-2/S-4, I'd use 40' freight cars to bring the length down so things might fit. But good luck finding an Atlas HH600 lettered for NYC! With Conrail I'd probably drop the B23-7 and replace it with an EMD SW7 if the Broadway Limited Imports version is any good to reduce the length of track needed. Nothing against the B23-7, it's my favorite GE locomotive, but I find end cab switchers to have much more character. Or I could take my chances on another OO scale Class 08 diesel, or try On30. I'm just not sure. Going back to British OO would mean dealing with a cranky diesel locomotive that grumbles/groans when moving. My GWR 64xx 0-6-0 pannier engine stalls all the time on the track regardless of cleanliness. It's a pain in the ass and I've never had luck getting something from across the pond that works to the expectations set by my Atlas B23-7. I've looked at the Bachmann On30 Whitcomb center cab diesel, which looks nice and chunky/heavy for good operation, but I can't think up a situation in the American northeast that would merit the narrow gauge diesel without resorting to logging. I don't want to build a logging road.
It's the paralysis of choice here. I've been parsing it over for hours, on and off. I think I'll be staying with HO or OO as most of my existing track can be salvaged, but whether it's an Atlas MP15DC, a Broadway Limited SW7, or a Hornby Class 08 doing the work I don't know.
Build several small layouts. One for each area of interest. An inglenoook for british OO, a time saver for USA HO, etc. Maybe take a piece of wood and just put an oval on it with no scenery and just run some trains.
