Shelf Layouts for Model Railroads

Learn how to build a shelf layout by exploring the possibilities, practicalities, and challenges of linear layout design in a variety of layouts with construction details.

Iain Rice is a retired firefighter who earns his living  designing, custom building, lecturing, and writing about model railroads both in the U.S. and in Europe. His byline has appeared on 20 modeling book titles and more than 350 features for UK, U.S., and European magazines–including regular contributions to Model Railroader and Model Railroad Planning. He was recently appointed  a contributing editor to the Layout Design SIG’s authoritative Layout Design Journal. A small-layout man from inclination as much as as necessity, Iain currently has four compact fine scale model railroads of his own, all in shelf format: Two British-prototype in 4mm/1ft scale, a Dutch “lokaalspoor,” and a Maine Central branchline terminal in HO. All these models are exhibited regularly at UK and European train shows and meets.Formerly married with two daughters, most of Iain's family live on Wolfe Island, Ontario, where he spends as much time as he can. But his current home is an historic 200-year-old stone cottage in the far west of England–an on-going restoration project between his frequent travels and a home base for his younger daughter Bryony, an aid worker currently serving in Cambodia. Aside from railroads, Iain's other interests include hiking the wild hill-country on his doorstep, gardening, conservation work, and researching local history–on which he also writes.