Planning the Lost Observatory Loop

After many iterations of Kato Unitram track fiddling, the LOL III

Planning seems like a rather highfalutin word for developing my thoughts for a little layout inspired by Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm trolley line. Calling it a layout doesn't seem right either. It's more of a little diorama with a trolley loop. And come to think of it, I'm misusing the word diorama. Classify it as you will, I'm naming it the Lost Observatory Loop.

I was going to write some lengthy post on all the ideas and iterations that went into planning this layout, but as I thought about it I realized there were only a couple of points which I think might be generally applicable, so I'll focus on those.

For developing ideas I find it useful to use a sketchbook. I particularly like the 5.5" x 8.5" spiral bound format. I find larger sizes a bit intimidating - all that blank space on a page demands to be filled even if the idea I want to play with is just a small one. I like using a soft 4B or 6B pencil because I feel they allow for a wide range of marks, although I'll use anything on hand if necessary. I rarely use an eraser; I just draw over any mistakes. Also, to help overcome 'getting started' anxiety, I'll open the book at some random blank page and start to work. I don't like the feel of rigidly starting at page one and marching through the book page-by-page to the end - there's something grim about that, and the book doesn't have so many pages that I won't be able to find my work again when I return to it. Also, the quasi-random organization helps me think.

6 of the 20 or so pages devoted to working out ideas for the LOL III

For me planning is trying to find a composition that somehow balances the features I want the layout to incorporate. In this case the main features are: things I like about the CEF, especially around the trolley line; a loop for the trolley (or trollies) to run on; lots of scope for trying modelling techniques I haven't tried before (like making stone walls for buildings and deciduous trees); uses mainly materials I have on hand; shouldn't take more than a year to build; be relatively small, light, and transportable; and most importantly: be fun to build! So far I've been working on a design for a little over a year.

The Tyco trolley is a little too wide.

One aspect I kept going back and forth on was track: standard or narrow gauge? I had settled on HO-scale. I finally decided on HO-9 making use of Kato's N-gauge Unitram track.

When I first saw Unitram track several years ago I was entranced. I bought up a lot thinking I would build an N-scale homage to Toronto's streetcars called Tor-N-to. Time has gone on, and I realize Tor-N-to is never going to happen, although I still love that Unitram track, especially the switches.

Last year's test of the HO-9 Hong Kong tram running along Unitram track in an HO scale street scene convinced me some sort of HO-9 streetcar layout was itching to be built - I just wasn't sure what it would be. 

Although, here's the problem with using Unitram track this way: 2 HO-scale trams can't pass each other because the tracks are too close together. I figured if I incorporated an internal passing track this problem would be minimized. Well, ok, I could make thinner trollies, but that isn't going to happen - I'll need to go to a 1/24 scale hot rod customizing school first to practice my body modification skills :-)

So, in the end there was lots of back-and-forth between trying various Unitram configurations and sketchbook ideas until I settled on a track plan. Frankly, for all the time I spent thinking about this layout, the plan is a dead simple one I've played with many times before, so I don't know what all the planning fuss was about. Anyway, I can now see the basics of the thing, and have settled some questions, so I guess that's what planning is about.