Benefits of an HO Layout with Linear Design
David BarrowDescription
The nonlinear model railroad layout has largely become the preferred choice for modelers in recent decades, as it allows for more involved scenes and tends to better keep the viewer’s attention. However, there are still many loud proponents of the linear design who tout its unique benefits and, oftentimes, realism.
One of these supporters of the linear HO layout is David Barrow, who uses this style of modeling in his spectacular HO layout of Cat Mountain & Santa Fe Railway. Modeled after the arid landscape of West Texas, David’s linear HO layout is a great testament to the staying power of linear designs. In this segment, host Allen Keller visits the master modeler’s studio to learn a bit about what it takes to create a great linear HO layout.
Navigating the pros and cons of a linear HO layout
To demonstrate the positives and dissuade you from the potential drawbacks of a linear HO layout, David walks you through some of the thought process he went over when mapping out and constructing his HO layout of the Cat Mountain & Santa Fe. He begins by discussing the issue he has with nonlinear layouts, and explains why he chooses to opt for a linear HO layout instead. Naturally, a linear layout made the most sense for this particular model, as David was modeling a wide open prototype that travels through the expanses of dry Texas.
Later in the lesson, Allen asks what David does to address any depth limitations that arise when modeling a linear HO layout. You may have encountered the issue with your own HO layout in that a linear scene tends to offer little in the way of depth, and therefore might hinder realism. But David has an expert method for dealing with this concern, and says that lack of depth is actually a positive for most of his scenes. Consider taking advantage of David’s masterful tips and techniques when you work on your next model railroad, and see if you don’t prefer creating a linear HO layout!
The operating scheme is easy to understand when you look at a track plan, because it's linear and the train never goes through the same scene twice, which as everybody says, is a sincere track plan. There are no spaghetti bowls or double-backs. What are your thoughts on those two bugaboos? Well, I don't like 'em. No, I know. I've gotten to where I don't like any kind of a model railroad, for myself to associate with closely all the time, that's not a shelf type, linear railroad. That's why I like what the modular people do, because that's what they have. So, our way of designing any kind of a track plan is simply to take a linear shelf design and bend it around, in some efficient way, into the space you have, and that's all there is to it. Well, you're one of the hobby's leading proponents of linear design, I think, as the planners that are involved in this and have pushed it, along with other folks, throughout the years. Obviously, it makes a lot of sense for a lot of people. One of the things that some people might say, well, the scenes aren't deep enough if you have the shelf too narrow. How do you overcome that limitation? Do you make the shelves deeper, or what do you do, David? Well, you could make 'em deeper up to a point. I wouldn't want one that was any deeper than two feet. 30 inches would be an absolute maximum that I could reach, because I put my layout up quite high, at chest height. Two feet is plenty wide when you have a switch at the back that doesn't work, or something that you have to reach. A car derails during operation, that kind of thing. So, I just put up with those limitations.
The video is all close up shots for the most part and gives no indication of the overall size. Disappointing to say the least.