For this fifth time around, the challenge is to design a layout that can fit onto a bookcase. The area to be modeled is the China Basin area in San Francisco. The area included the Southern Pacific passenger terminal, the mission bay yard and roundhouse, the Santa Fe Ferry Slip, the Santa Fe yard, the SP-ATSF interchange tracks, a Western Pacific ferry slip and yard, the banana docks, freight sheds, steamship docks and warehouses along with street running to local businesses.
Challengers may choose any scale combination and may base their design on any of three prototype railroads. Design concept/purpose is open: ops-focused, model railfanning or display, layouts intended for a club, etc., etc..
It's easy to participate: simply develop a to-scale track plan (hand-drawn or computer rendered) of the set-up layout along with a page or two of supporting information. The track plans don't need to be "ready-to-build" or of magazine-article quality, just reasonably clear and to-scale. These submissions are due January 15th. The organizers will pull submissions together into a computer presentation for discussion with the group. Each challenger will have five to ten minutes to present his or her design to the meeting on Saturday, the 26th, then a panel of modelers will discuss the various approaches. The good news is that there is no winning or losing ... the bad news is you will not receive any lovely parting gifts for participating.
You can read the details of this year's challenge by downloading the detailed instructions.
If you are interested in participating in the challenge, please let Bruce Morden know by return email as soon as possible.
Your submissions for the Design Challenge are due no later than Jan 15, 2008. Absolutely no exceptions to this deadline will be accepted, and therefore no walk-ins on the day of the meeting. Our goal is four or five participants.
So sharpen your pencils or fire up the CAD and let's have some fun!