MQR Design – Simplified

Since I wrote the post “MQR Design by Vignettes” back in 2019, I’ve given a lot of thought of the time investment needed to make these designs a success. And I’ve come to the realization that the complexity of construction would mean a year or two of building before I was able to run trains.

So I’ve decided to pivot to a more simple design that I can complete rather quickly while still working full time.

The concept of the layout construction comes from the Family Garden Trains website: Building a Raised Platform Garden Railroad. The final design is based around using Piko R3 radius curves (6′ in diameter), requiring an 8’x13′ raised platform:

Marchlyn Quarry Railway Layout Design 5

It is a simple loop with one passing siding which would allow one train to run while another train is being prepped. This allows me to run a couple of trains or to host some small steam-ups in the future.

I’ve ordered the track I need and will lay it out to test-fit things before designing the final details of the deck.