The Beer Line

The January 2009 issue of Model Railroader has an article on building the Milwaukee Road Beer Line as a sectional layout. This got me thinking, for several reasons. First, I like the idea of a sectional layout that can be taken apart for easier storage or transportation. Second, the paint scheme of late 1940's - early 1950's locomotives is very attractive (to me at least). Third, while my railroading interests lie primarily in California's deserts and Central Valley, I've always wanted to model an urban scene. Finally, I love to drink beer, so the theme of this railroad is just about perfect for me. The only problem is the finished layout is 4 x 12, not 4 x 8.
But wait... maybe it could be reduced by 4' in length. This is worth looking into, but another alternative would be to use the track plan that MR published in More Railroads You Can Model, which is a 4 x 8 layout. The book is out of print, but should be easy to find on Amazon resellers or EBay. Whichever route you decide, the Beer Line would make an excellent subject for a 4 x 8 layout.
Just to add a sweetness, Walthers recently did a run of H10-44 switchers in Milwaukee Road's paint scheme. Walthers is sold out of them, but they're still easy to find at resellers. I got one in standard DC and it's gorgeous. They're also available with DCC and sound. I think DCC is unnecesary on a small layout running just 1 or 2 engines, though.

Cheers,
Ken