My layout has been ripped out to make room for a new one.

This time I am building a narrow layout, 16 inches deep, which will eventually have a second layout above it and a third layout below it.

For starters, I am building an Inglenook Sidings layout with the sidings being a railroad car ferry.

I decided to go with the Inglenook Sidings after I sat down and sketched the different industries in the small town I grew up in.

We had a Del Monte cannery which had two siding tracks serving it.

We also had a packing shed, Federal Fruit Distributors, for which I was the office manager.  Again, this little industry had two tracks serving it.

We would fill the outer refrigerator cars first and then the ones closest to the building.

I have great memories of watching the Southern Pacific diesel switching the packing shed every day.

The railroad was in my backyard.  Most kids grew up climbing trees but I climbed on box cars every day.

John Allen and Cliff Grandt put together a great little combine in On3 in the 1970s.

I did this version in 1986.

I like the big "droop" on the ends of the roof so I added some blocks of stripwood under the roof ends, contoured the top with sandpaper, and then contoured the underside by sanding with a sheet of sandpaper glued to a small plastic bottle.

Years ago I visited the Sierra Railroad yards and found one of the old Yosemite Short Line boxcars on display.  It was in sad shape but I was able to stick my camera through various holes and get some photos of the interior.

Here is one photo:

Here is a link to those photos:

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMrgy3N7ks4JlHkgSWrJifYqYpAGu8gJ1f19XoQ

More Bachmann 18' boxcars.

Bachmann On30 18' boxcars

I have enjoyed painting, decaling and weathering Bachmann's 18' box cars.

This one is decaled for Dave Meek's Thunder Mesa Mining Company.

While this is not a true reefer, it was painted yellow so the guys up at the mine would unload it first as it carries perishables.

I have always enjoyed the basic look of the Rio Grande Southern plow/flanger #02.  But I have never tried to build my own version.  Finally I started and quickly ended up with this new piece of rolling stock on my layout.

I did not want to model the RGS 02 exactly so I just worked on mine until it looked "good enough" for me.

"Good enough" was never in my vocabulary until recently.

In my early days I built every model as if it would be entered into a contest.  But I rarely entered anything so I was really building for just me.

As I got older my eyesight began to fail and my skills were falling off as well so I realized that "good enough" was the best I could shoot for.

So here is my little snow plow.

This the the track plan with a little color added.

The engine house was originally a single stall engine house but they added a lean-to on the side for the little diesel critter they purchased.

The short spur next to the engine house is to hold a caboose for servicing.

The backdrop for this layout is 10 inches high.

Basic color is a little bit of FolkArt True Blue
added to some Kilz 2 primer.

This is the track plan for
this small switching layout.

Width is 91 inches.

Depth is 16 inches.

I am beginning a new shelf layout that is 16 inches deep and 91 inches long.

This will be in On30.

The plan is a modification of an original track plan in MR by Robert Pethoud.

This little switching layout is on a shelf in our laundry room.

I wanted switching but also a place to put rolling stock as I build it.