Copyright 2002 T. Sheil & A. Sheil All Rights Reserved
The layouts illustrated here are variants on a single theme: portside operations. They differ from most O gauge layouts in that they are intended for use with the smallest O Gauge locomotives along with O27 cars. My inspiration was the Hoboken Shore railroad, a now-defunct little port railway that served the piers and connected with three mainline railroads. These were the New York Central and Erie via yards, and the Lackawanna via car barges. Most memorable was how the line snaked downhill to River Street and portside, past the bluff on which were Elysian Field and Stevens Institute of Technology. The layout is in no way a real model of Hoboken, but an expansion of that one small memory.
For O gauge portside operations, O-31 and O-27 track are perfect. They reflect the tight curves of a waterfront. These curves would thwart anything larger and an S2 switcher, yet were easily handled by small fleets of 0-4-0 tank engines, 44-tonners and industrial locomotives. The B&O Docksider was designed for a similar operation on the Baltimore waterfront. Today's O gaugers would use the MTH Docksider, Lionel / Williams 44-tonner, Lionel #51 type small locomotive, Marx S3 and 70-tonner, K-Line S2 and other tiny haulers. For those who want mainline operations, I have taken time to show how a small portside operation can be appended to a mainline type. (My examples use O-42 pikes for mainline haulers.)
Remember, no layout is written in stone. Adapt, alter and use as you see fit. It is your railroad, so enjoy!
1) O and O27 Portside Railways
2) Double Portside Layouts for O Gauge
4) O27 Portside Railway with O-42 Extensions
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