As some of you might remember, I started a thread on a layout I called the Carolwood Valley and Retlaw Pacific Railroad. Well I have reincarnated those plans as the North Shore and Pacific Railroad with some major changes. This new layout, as suggested by the name is basically based on Disneyland but with a Hawaiian/Pacific Rim twist to it. The layout is still ON30 and is now modular divided into the following areas(sort of like lands): Lahiana, the Enchanted Forest, Rainbow Ridge, Paradise Pier, Cascade Peak, Fantasia Gardens, the Resort Area, and Carolwood Yards. Some main recongnizeable Disney attractions on the layout (modified to fit the Hawaiian theme) include: Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, it's a small world (the facade mainly), the Disneyland Monorails, Soarin' over California, elements from Nature's Wonderland, and of course the Disneyland Railroad. Below is the link to the railroad's webpage as well as a concept sketch of the whole plan. This is planned as a project that will take several years(I am ordering my Bachmann Forney that will become the Fred Gurley sometime in the next few weeks) so hopefully I will get it done as it is a lot more developed than the CVRP.

http://nsprr.blogspot.com

Wow!!!! This is an AWESOME concept!!! A pan-Asian/Pacific Rim Disney layout makes perfect sense in On30!!! Hawaiian sugar cane plantation steam locomotives have real character, and a large scale like On30 naturally lends itself to reliably-running small steam!!!

Now do like a good imagineer, and give us some concept art to help us visualize your exotic Pacific destinations!!! Hey, any chance that the Polynesian resort will be a whistle stop? Maybe Aulani? YOU'VE GOTTA have an erupting volcano!!! If you're interested in populating your layout, I've seen mini figures at the park gift shops and there might be a Lilo and Stitch appropriately-sized for O-scale. Something similar might even be found on Ebay. Man, I can already taste the Dole Whip!!! Hang loose, bro!!!

Thanks a lot ckodani for the feedback. As for concept sketch, yes I have plenty, just not uploaded quite yet except for my unfinished track plan. I have plans in mind for some agricultural industry (pineapples, sugarcane, Kona coffee etc.). Unfortunately I won't have a volcano or Lilo and Stitch. I will have a mountain that has several waterfalls (based off the long gone Cascade Peak from Nature's Wonderland). I really want this to be a Disney Theme park kind of a layout, so no Disney characters. As for the resort, there will be one that is a hybrid between the Polynesian Hotel at WDW and Disney's Grand Californian at the DLR. Locomotives will be based as for Hawaiian prototypes on some from the Oahu Railway and Land Company, Kahului Railway, and Lahiana Kaanapali and Pacifc. I will try to get some concept sketchs up for everyone soon.

So its been awhile since I have touched the plans for my railroad (thanks to something called school) and I have been pretty muched been occupied with traveling this summer, including trips to Hawai'i and Disneyland. Anyway I posted a small update on my blog [url]nsprr.blogspot.com[/url] and I hope to have something to show soon, seeing all the wonderful work by other modelers here on Burnsland has inspired me to get back to work.

Well, its been a while but I finally have a long overdue layout update: [url]nsprr.blogspot.com[/url]. I continue to be inspired by the amazing work of all the Burnslanders here and it provides a lot of motivation to continue working on my own project.

Mahalo for the update dude! Starting with a module is a great idea--it will give you ACHIEVABLE goals, and that's so important for maintaining motivation. I think that just about every model railroader has a story of a too-big railroad that never got finished. I'm a big fan of starting small, like with a microlayout (or a module), because it allows you to progress through all the steps a making a layout without getting bored on one repetitive thing. The "benchwork" for a micro can be done in one evening, and the trackwork can be done the next. For people like me with little time, little money, and developing modeling skills, a micro is the way to be in the hobby!

Believe it or not, I've actually been waiting for your update for a while, because I just love your Pacific Rim layout concept! Please give us some concept drawings or even some pics on layout construction soon!

Hang loose, CK

Thanks, it will get there someday. I'm planning to use the Woodland scenics stuff so I hope it goes a little faster since that's the only way that I've actually tried.