Foggy Bottom Railroad 7/8n2: Introduction & Layout Plan

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Introduction & Layout Plan

I've liked model trains for almost my whole life. I've never built a layout. It's time to do something about that!

Enter Foggy Bottom Railroad: Narrow gauge, On30 and On18, southwestern united states theme.

I wanted something versatile (thus the dual gauge), and something quirky and narrow gauge. FBRR will most likely end up being a mining type operation set on a dusty new mexico landscape.

My landscaping inspiration at the moment is Victor Smith's "town diorama" 1x3 micro layout.

It may not be the best layout plan, but here's what I'm going with!

(Click for full size)

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What is 7/8n2?

A way in which trains are classified is the width between the rails. It's known as the 'gauge'. In the United States, most trains people think of when they think of trains are Standard Gauge railroads. In standard gauge, the width between the rails is 4 ft 8.5 in.

Other gauges exist. In particular, anything skinnier than standard gauge is classified as "Narrow Gauge". Narrow gauge typically ranges from about 18" up to 36".

7/8n2 is a scale that is focused on 2 foot gauge; hence the "n2" part at the end. It stands for "narrow, 2 foot". 2 foot gauge railways (that is, 24 inches between the rails) were used throughout the world, but more notably in european countries and south africa. Narrow gauge trains were smaller in size. They hauled less cargo, but their advantage was they were cheaper to build and could negotiate tighter turns than standard gauge.

Most of the 2ft gauge railways there were in existence have gone, but some are still maintained. The most notable 2ft gauge in the US was found in Maine, and is the only 2ft gauge railway to haul general freight. Most other 2ft railways were typically focused on industrial use, for example, hauling peat or slate from a mine to a processing facility.

So if "n2" means narrow 2 foot, what's the 7/8? It means the scale is 7/8 of an inch represents 1 foot in real life. It's a ratio of 1:13.7. 7/8n2 is a fairly large scale. A 2 foot gauge boxcar that in real life was 10 feet long and 6 feet tall would be 8.75 inches long and 5.25 inches tall if modeled in real life.

If that was all too complex, think of it this way: 7/8n2 is a large scale to model small trains.