When a doughnut is the only viable option . . .

[@michaeldeckert6023]

Another Merry Christmas to you and Zeus! While I have fought a battle of cancer for the last few years, I look forward to your builds and design. The best to you in 2025.

[@MarkCalvert]

Really enjoyed this one, the small ones are often more challanging and you did a great job here.

[@mikeabdullah2025]

That is an impressive amount squeezed in there, without being too cramped. Very nice!

[@mpeterll]

Thanks.

[@PeterTillman3]

Nice one Peter 👍 Merry Christmas to you and all your subscribers

[@peterthornton8520]

It amazes me how much you can actually integrate even into a space which on the looks of it is A: either to small for the intended requirement or B: better suited to an early age era such as Steam or Industrial times. Well done Peter. Cheers

[@mpeterll]

Most of my layout designs fall into the category of being too small to accommodate the layout the client wants. This even holds true with the larger ones. some time ago, I did a design for a 3000sf basement that was still too small to include everything the client wanted.

[@allmycircuits8850]

Santa arrives and shouts: H0 H0 H0! That's his favourite gauge!

[@R9000]

Thanks for the video! It's really great to see what's possible in spaces like this, and very helpful for inspiration.

[@railwayjade]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Peter and Zeus!

[@filip78channel15]

Good job and the track layout very mature and professional, indeed!

[@abuuba653]

Well done

[@PietHoffenaar]

Best wishes everyone. 🎄🎄🎄

[@conrailfan6277]

That was a tough one Peter, when my Wife and I bought the House we're in now I have a 15x10 basement space, too small for my HO equipment, after seeing what's possible in N Scale I'm going with that scale for a Conrail layout even though I have to build a locomotive roster and collect freight cars it is the best way to run trains!! Merry Christmas Peter!!!

[@mpeterll]

This room is slightly smaller than yours. Yes, N-scale would offer a lot more options.

[@Smee124]

Merry Christmas to you and Zeus Peter

[@Conn653]

Love it ♥ Gives me some ideas for my N-Scale layout ♥ Merry Christmas 🎄🎅 🙂

[@sparky107107]

have a wonderful holiday season my friend. maybe I will see you on my christmas day live stream,

[@Madhuntr]

i wish you all the best and happy holidays guys

[@stpaulisland]

Excellent layout!! Over the course of time, you should publish all your layout designs in a book (pdf versions) and make some extra $$

[@mpeterll]

One day I might.

[@kirknitz3794]

Merry Christmas

[@CrazyBob1357]

Merry Christmas Pete and Happy New Year to you. ❤

[@bcsferromodelismo3822]

🇧🇷👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🚂 Excelente Mr. Peter, essa opção foi a única que consegui aqui em meu layout, tipo donalt. Muito obrigado por compartilhar suas ideias!

[@leehanna4929]

Merry Christmas Peter!

[@ajkleipass]

In terms of framing, I would just do window-like framing at track level, thus allowing for future repositioning of spurs, as well as options for expansion into the workshop in the future. Overall, this is a brilliant use of a very confined space for a passenger road. In the future, it would be fascinating to revisit the trackplans you've shared with us and show photos or videos of how it looks once built and running. Have a merry Christmas!

[@mpeterll]

So far, I've only had two layout design customers share videos of the partially-complete railroads. Most of the designs I do are for very complex railroads that with take decades to build.

[@ajkleipass]

@mpeterll - I suspect the Sydney project is one such layout - or would be if your client hadn't hired you to build it.

[@musicman8942]

Amazing what can be done in a small space. If the squares are 12 inches square it looks like about 10 feet x 14 feet. Hopefully the ceiling isn't too low or it will get claustrophobic in a hurry. One tip for whomever builds this - that swing gate construction had better be sturdy with substantial hinges. I've seen club layouts do this type of thing so it's not for the faint of heart.

[@mpeterll]

I've found that ordinary butt-hinges as used for hanging room doors are a good option. The essential part is a diagonal brace down to floor level with another hinge down there. One more important point is that the benchwork on both sides of the gate must be firmly anchored to the room walls, as must the bottom of the hinge post.

[@HotRodRodney25]

merry Christmas peter

[@audigex]

A pocket door is awful on a woodwork shop, they get clogged with sawdust

[@vk3jda]

I had the same problem whit a door on my layout so I used an electric motor to raise the section up over the door way with a rail down each side of the door as a guide. So when not in use the section was above the door way.

[@FougarouBe]

Argh ! I am sorry for you Peter, but KZbin has automatically translated your title and description in French, which is sometimes giving really crappy results (in this case, I could guess it but in French we don't use at all this "donut" word for such a shape) ! If you want to avoid your videos to be translated in some crapy way to other languages, you can find how to change change your settings in the video "KZbin please STOP Auto Translating Video Titles" by Brodie Robertson. I did not find yet how to change on the viewer's side. Another great design, by the way. Cheers. :)

[@musicman8942]

American here and a long time model railroader and I have never heard the word donut to describe this type of layout. It's just a basic around-the-walls with a liftout to get in and out.

[@mpeterll]

It's a descriptive term that has been used in several layout planning books and Model Railroader articles. I'm simply following suit.

[@musicman8942]

@@mpeterll I've read plenty of those plan books and MR articles and have never seen it used to describe a layout like this.

[@marvinidler2289]

@@mpeterll I don't care about "donut", although I have never heard or read it before (I read some American model railroad publication). It describes the footprint of the layout, so why not name it that way? But as a German, I agree with FougarouBe, the auto-translation of titles into my language leads to stupid results. If you can prevent this in your settings, please do so (I can't in my settings as viewer).

[@mpeterll]

@@marvinidler2289 I don't know how to turn translations off.

[@brat96th]

I have a similar shape and opted for a folded 8 twin track. Folded 8 is where the pair of tracks go around once, then over/under a bridge and then round again. I have a slide out removable section as the two level twin tracks was too awkward to lift out or hinge. I can't add a picture of it unfortunately in these comments.

[@patricksparks6631]

Love your work, I learned alot from your designs, and craftsmanship. Would a Sliding Barn Door work on the entry door vs a pocket door? Mount on shop side, slide left. Just a thought.

[@mpeterll]

No, the primary objective is to keep the sawdust out and a barn-door has no seal.

[@mrrobscleaningservice6059]

I like this plan I live in a home with small rooms

[@martin.brandt]

The bi-level passenger station looks a lot like Ludwishafen in Germany. You'll probably find more prototypes around the world!

[@dietergugel7355]

Hi Peter, I just stumbled upon this great video. A lot of good thinking went into this track. I love it. May I ask, which software you use for your projects? Best regards from Germany Diegu

[@The_New_IKB]

Very nice Peter, I think that the overall design would adapt well to a British prototype. What do you think?

[@mpeterll]

Absolutely. In fact I was thinking of that as I drew it. One would need to reduce the number of industries, and it would of course be far more interesting if backdated to the steam era (before all commuter services were taken over by DMUs.

[@Alberto-n7r]

Any chance we will see any Z scale layout design on the channel? I would love to see how much more rail can be fit compared to N scale.

[@mpeterll]

Unlikely.

[@michaelsmulik]

Great video! Lucky me, that YT suggested your channel. Is there a dog snoring in the room with you?

[@mpeterll]

Yes, that would be my Zeus. He follows me everywhere and usually sleeps on the couch beside me while I'm working at my desk. If you were to watch all my layout construction videos, you would see him frequently.

[@terrarox]

How to get to the industry area when circling counter clock wise? is the most right track somehow connecting to the harbor?

[@mpeterll]

All trains (except the long-distance passenger) start and end their runs in the lower staging area. Upon arrival at the upper level, they can make 0 or more complete circuits (possibly over more than one operating session) before calling at the terminus. After reversal, they make the return journey, again making 0 or more counter-clockwise laps over 1 or more operating sessions before returning to lower staging.

[@alannewman85]

That's just amazing actually, to be able to plan it that well and precisely. I want help with design - whats the first step?

[@HerbaceousM8]

the first is measure the room.

[@mpeterll]

Contact me through my website superiormodelrailroads.com . Tell me what scale you work in, the approximate size of your room, and a little about what you hope to include in the railroad.

[@michaelbujaki2462]

I would have done a point to point layout with a passing siding at each end. That way, I could decouple and move the GG1 to the other end of the train at each station.

[@mpeterll]

This plan IS a point-to-point, but with the addition of a continuous circuit. It's not feasible to run round a 10'-long train in a room only 14' long

[@BalaclavaReviews]

Can someone tell me which software this is please? Thanks

[@Here_is_Waldo]

It might be SCARM (Simple Computer Aided Railway Modeller).

[@mpeterll]

@@Here_is_Waldo No, it's 3rd-plan-it.

[@A.J-TrainS]

Cool, maybe I'll use it for myself :) I have 2.5 meters by 2.5 meters of space to do something like that and what's best, I don't want to have these modules max 50 cm wide from the wall, do you have something for these options :P

[@mpeterll]

All my layout designs are custom.

[@allanmartinez1190]

Merry Christmas, Peter I hope you and Zeus (By the way I had a male 15yr old cat who passed away in September and his name was Zeus. This is the 1st Christmas without him.) I looked at your entire library of videos, and I noticed that you don't have any layout building projects in O-Gauge 3 rail designs or layouts. Have any of your past customers ever asked you to design and build a Lionel 3-rail layout only using the Lionel Fastrack System? No other manufacturers, just Fastrack? Thank you for your time Sincerely Allan

[@mpeterll]

Although I've done a hand-full of 3-rail designs, I've yet to build one.

[@TrashMan2008]

This is awesome just like all your other designs. But can I ask how much would something like this COST? So does the customer gets all the supplies and you go build it? I mean you put things in places that the average eye just wouldn’t be able to see. Are you still creating those turnouts?

[@mpeterll]

My custom layout designs start at $1050. Professional layout construction is very expensive because of the huge number of hours involved.

[@TrashMan2008]

@ yes, I’m very sure and not to mention the travel expenses. Your good at what you do and I think you for sharing that talent with us. Peace be with you, Arthur