48 Top Notch Track Plans: From Model Railroader Magazine (Model Railroad Handbook, No 39) (Paperback)

~ Bob Hayden (Author) "HOW do you take first step toward designing a railroad that will make the best use of your layout area?..." (more)
Key Phrases: scenic divider, fiddle yard, interchange board, Cedar Lake, Iowa Central, Mount Gilead (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

These outstanding track plans are designed to work in any amount of space or scale preference, including HO (HOn21/2 and HOn3), O, S, N, and Z scale. Includes photographs, diagrams and materials listed for plans ranging from small modules to room-size layouts from MODEL RAILROADER Magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Kalmbach Publishing Company (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890241902
• ISBN-13: 978-0890241905
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #435,164 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Track plans for model railroaders with some experience., December 22, 1998

By A Customer

Each of the 48 layouts is presented (typically 2-4 pages each) with a concept description (why build this layout this way and/or how it is operated), a scale track plan, and a perspective drawing of the layout (or a featured scene from the layout). These are not track plans for sectional track, they do not have step-by-step assembly instructions (Kalmbach Publishing has other very good "track plan" books which take that approach), and the plans do not come with a "parts list" to build them. Almost all of the plans are for modelers with some prior layout construction experience and are intended to give you inspiration for your layout design, or as an intermediate-complexity track plan to build as your layout. For those modelers interested in track design, it presents a wide variety of different layout design approaches by dozens of other modelers.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good starting point, February 21, 2000

By	Todd Shryock (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Book has a lot of 4x8 plans in it, along with a handful of shelf types and large layouts. The plans are not the step-by-step method. If you want to be walked through every step, then don't get this book. However, if you have some experience, most of the plans have track section joints marked so you can figure out what it is you need. I used the book to get ideas for my medium-sized layout, taking things from all sizes of layouts. This book is probably more geared for the intermediate modeler.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for inspiration, January 24, 2001

By	Shorebird (USA) - See all my reviews

As the other reviewers so aptly point out, this book provides more layout-inspiration than actual step-by-step instruction, and is not an "all-in-one" book. However, I found it invaluable as a source of ideas. The "Buzzards Cove" coastline scene was exactly what I was seeking for my small (3X5), novice N-scale layout. None of the other books I'd consulted offered anything like it. It's a simple enough matter to apply the suggested scenery to one of the more detailed, step-by-step books showing an identical track plan. In fact, one of the problems I've had with basic track-plan books is that they just show parts and wiring, and do not incorporate grade-changes or scenery. This book fills the inspiration-void.