Very large layouts

[RhB_HJ]

There are quite a few around - commercial display layouts and club layouts. One of the large clubs - I know quite a few of the members - is the Waterloo Region Model Railway Club in Ontario. Planned for six levels(6!) it represents just a smallish part of the MidNorth in Ontario; around Sudbury as the hub. With a very good balance between scenery and railway.

I checked out the regulation dimensions of competition conform riding halls ... 20 x 40 meter or 20 x 60 meters. Just for kicks I'll use the smaller dimensions for a bit of HO fun and IIm entertainment. Of course based on the railway scene in my native Switzerland - that spells very high traffic density.    Why a riding hall? Completely free area with no support columns.  

[Jeff]

Yes, that Waterloo bunch has a nice little layout going. I'd like to see their projected track plan. I wonder what they're using for design software?

[RhB_HJ]

Jeff,

I don't know what they're using for planning, probably some kind of CAD software. 

[Jeff]

Likely so. They have to have something. Too bad they don't seem to want to publish a track plan, though. And with 6 levels they'd best have that riding hall!

[Janbouli]

Likely so. They have to have something. Too bad they don't seem to want to publish a track plan, though. And with 6 levels they'd best have that riding hall!

I'm lost here Jeff, they have 6 trackplans on their homepage, what do you mean they don't want to publish one?

[Jeff]

Oh? I guess I just didn't find them. I.e. they don't have them well placed on the site if they don't have any obvious links. I'll got look again...

Ah! Finally found them. Sure, why put them under 'Layout Details'? I suppose that under Layout Map isn't bad, but why stick them at the bottom of the page where you have to scroll to see them at all?

Ah, well... It'll be an interesting layout, if they ever get it done! There's still a lot of raw lumber for a project that's been going on 7 years or more.

Yes, it's partially due to this HUGE 14" display, but partially some rather poor page design work. Why not put links on BOTH pages? It's not like they're getting charged on a per-link basis.

[RhB_HJ]

Come on Jeff! On the page I linked, in the LH lower corner six links that will each open a PDF. Must be that small display you use at the moment which does it.

[Jeff]

p.s. there are SEVEN links -- Layers 0 - 6!

[RhB_HJ]

Yeah well, I always start counting at one in conventional stuff. 0 or 1 is for the other stuff.

[Jeff]

So do I, usually. Just keeping things accurate...

[RhB_HJ]

Yeah, yeah ... BTW the building is a 40x50ft Quonset hut. Not a novel idea in that area since "Aberfoyle Junction" (just a few miles down the road) built a 38x83 ft layout in O scale in one of those. Open to the public in Spring and Fall. More fun if you get invited to an operating session.

[Jeff]

Aw, HJ Notice that it's not 7 layouts, of course, but 7 levels of one layout. They've been working on it since back in the 90's, which is mind-boggling.

[RhB_HJ]

Yes Jeff, that's what I wrote in the post at the start

"Planned for six levels(6!) it represents just a smallish part of the MidNorth in Ontario; around Sudbury as the hub."

As I said I don't count "Level zero". 
I think it qualifies as one of those mushroom layouts .