# The Southern Railway in 5'x9'



## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

So I've officially starting work on my layout. It's not much to look at, just some roadbed on some foam board at the moment. But its a start. The theme is coal with a little mixed freight and also a passenger train orbiting the layout for extra action and visual interest. Naturally the setting is somewhere in the hills of the Appalachia, the time period is fall circa 1960 and in this scenario steam is still very much alive and well. I'll be using Atlas code 100 flex for the main and code 83 flex for the sidings and yard. Turnouts will be Peco code 83 as well. Track plan will very closely follow an out and back design from Byron Henderson of layoutvision.com and will incorporate a reverse loop. I only have a few pictures for now, but there's more pics and details to come.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

EXCELLENT! "Getting there is half the fun"! WELCOME to the world of "WHAT was I THINKING"? LOL! You WILL hit a wall and we WILL be here for ya! Getting a pre made "plan" to match reality is going to present some unforeseen difficulty. Hard to know just how it will raise it's head but TRUST that it will! Going from paper plan to actual wood, foam and rail does not always translate as one would think it should.

It's an ambitious project and a very interesting one to boot, keep us "posted"! LOL!


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

Hopefully not too ambitious, this is my first layout.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Some really nice switching operations in you layout,
Matt. And I'm envious, you have a crossing. I tried
and tried but couldn't find a way to work one in mine.

Don


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

/6 matt said:


> Hopefully not too ambitious, this is my first layout.


GO for it! It looks like a good running plan, plenty of opportunity to hone all aspects of your soon to be skill set.


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

DonR said:


> Some really nice switching operations in you layout,
> Matt. And I'm envious, you have a crossing. I tried
> and tried but couldn't find a way to work one in mine.
> 
> Don


Thanks!. The more I looked at this plan the more I fell in love with it. Its got killer switching opportunities that are well though out, continues run for two trains, a reverse loop and great scenery all on a table size I already had.

If you haven't checked out Byron's site, I highly recommend it. His designs are top notch.


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## Bwells (Mar 30, 2014)

One question. With the single reverse loop, I see no way to change back except by backing. Is that the plan? I'll look again though and see if I'm missing it.


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

You are correct. But one of the things I really love about this plan is that since the coal mine is off of the reverse loop, you can service the coal mine and then back your train through the reverse loop as your last switching maneuver. This in my opinion is a lot smoother than randomly stopping a train to back it through the loop.

Of course too, one can argue that the best way to run the layout woupd be to exit the yard, switch all the industries facing that direction, then reverse the train and service the others before returning to the yard. That would completely eliminate the need to back through the loop. 

Either way the flexibility is there.


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## /6 matt (Jul 7, 2015)

So unfortunately haven't made as much progress as I would like, at the current time I have my bus wires run as well as most of the outer loop laid and I have two complete loops of roadbed laid down. For now I'm waiting on money to buy more turnouts. I need to pull up the turnout I already laid and solder on the jumper wires to the points that I forgot to take care of. :laugh:


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

I love that Southern green. I have a couple of Southern steamers that show up from time to time on my layout -- mostly because I get tired of looking at black steamers pulling black coal cars.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

I wish you well, Full steam ahead! I'd trade the reverse loop for a passing siding any day of the week and twice on Sunday though. I look forward to seeing your progress.:thumbsup:


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