Realistic Railway Modelling: Layout Design

Iain Rice is one of Britain's best-known model railway authors with 18 books to his credit, his most recent being Railway Modelling: The Realistic Way, published by Haynes. He is a regular contributor to British and American model railway magazines, and lives in Devon.

Design philosophy: more than just drawing a track plan; the holistic approach to layout planning; considering all the aspects - practical, visual and operational. Sites: minimum space requirements; suitable/unsuitable locations; integrated and shelf-based layouts; cameos; portable and storable layouts. Practical parameters: choice of scale; location of mechanical/electrical services; baseboard framing; striking a balance between visible layout and fiddleyards. Design techniques: working to scale; mocking up and trialling layout designs; computer-aided layout design; managing a project. Visual design: rules of composition; viewpoints, viewblocks, backgrounds and 'framing'; layout height, backdrops, horizon lines, perspective; maintaining balanced proportions. Designing for operation: balanced capacities of tracks between on- and off-stage; good ratios within the trackwork (running lines, loop lengths, headshunts and clearing points, siding capacities); potential for interesting/challenging shunting moves.