Your memory is correct. I eyeballed one against a baseplate to estimate the dimensions. I found that they fell between 2 and 3 studs in diameter, so I settled on 2.5 as a happy medium.

4561 was one of my first train sets as well. A couple of months after buying two copies of the “My Own Train” deluxe set (my first LEGO trains) that had been marked down at a store due to being opened returns, I […]

For the long answer:

I had actually considered building the Milwaukee Beer Line at one point to show others how LEGO trains could be used for operations. I like the idea of building the benchwork in sections. I’m going to keep that […]

Stephen’s locomotive was actually recommended to me as a possible locomotive to use for this project. It’s a great design!

Also, print editions of RAILBRICKS are still available at MagCloud (http://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/4160) for a fee. Most of the money is for printing cost, and a small amount goes back to RAILBRICKS’ […]

Yes! This is a beautiful layout, and an excellent example of using techniques to move from “brick built train” to “model railroad”. There are a lot of great things to study on this display.

I have noticed that occasionally, especially if I’m using rolling stock with trucks that don’t swivel well. When I design layouts for public shows, I generally try to add a straight before each switch as well.