Model Railroader Web Layout Gallery Organizer

WHAT IT DOES

Model Railroader Web Layout Gallery Organizer transforms Model Railroader magazine layout galleries into a fully organized, interactive browsing experience. When you open any layout gallery page, the tool automatically scans the page and identifies all photos, captions, scale information, track plan details, and layout metadata including layout name, scale, era, and featured railroad. A floating panel appears with a thumbnail grid navigation system showing previews of every photo in the gallery, letting you click any thumbnail to instantly scroll to that photo. The panel displays a quick-reference information box with key layout details so you don't have to hunt through page text for basic facts. You can mark favorite photos within each layout using a star button, and favorites are saved per layout URL for future reference. A slideshow mode automatically advances through gallery images at a user-adjustable interval, perfect for hands-free viewing of inspiration galleries. Your last viewed position is saved so you can return to where you left off.

WHERE IT RUNS

This extension operates exclusively on modelrailroader.com domain pages that contain layout galleries—specifically pages with "/layout/" or "/gallery/" in the URL path or pages that display layout photo galleries. It works alongside the free BotGentz companion extension, which provides the necessary DOM access and page interaction capabilities. The gallery organizer runs entirely within your local browser instance and does not communicate with any external servers or APIs. All gallery image detection, thumbnail generation, favorite tracking, and slideshow control occurs on your machine, ensuring your browsing activity and favorite selections remain private. It supports all modern Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera) and Firefox when paired with the BotGentz bridge.

HOW TO USE

After installing both BotGentz and this gallery organizer, simply navigate to any Model Railroader layout gallery page. Within 1-2 seconds, a panel appears in the bottom-right corner displaying the layout name, scale, era, and number of photos in the "Layout Info" section. The "Thumbnails" section shows a grid of numbered thumbnails representing each photo in the gallery—click any thumbnail to scroll directly to that photo. Use the "Prev" and "Next" buttons to step through images one at a time. Click "Toggle Favorite" to mark the currently viewed photo as a favorite—a star appears on the thumbnail and is saved for that layout. The "Start Slideshow" button begins an automatic slideshow; use the interval input to adjust the time between slides (2-30 seconds). Your last viewed position is automatically saved when you navigate away and restored when you return. The "Stop Slideshow" button ends automatic playback at any time.

GALLERY IMAGE DETECTION AND ORGANIZATION

The gallery organizer uses a multi-strategy image detection system to locate and organize gallery photos on Model Railroader layout pages. It first attempts to find images using gallery-specific selectors based on the site's typical class naming patterns, looking for elements like "gallery-image," "layout-image," and "gallery-item img." When these selectors fail due to site updates, the tool falls back to a broader scan of all images on the page, filtering out small icons, logos, and avatars based on URL patterns and image dimensions. Each detected image is assigned an index, and its alt text, title, or caption is extracted for reference. The tool also scans the page text for layout metadata using keyword matching for terms like "scale," "era," "railroad," and description markers. This hybrid approach ensures reliable image detection across different gallery formats and provides a complete picture of the layout's attributes even when metadata is not explicitly structured. The thumbnail grid is generated dynamically from the detected images, using numbered placeholders when actual image previews cannot be loaded within the panel.

THE PANEL

The gallery organizer panel is a compact, functional overlay that integrates into the Model Railroader page. It can be dragged by clicking and holding the title bar, positioning the panel anywhere on the screen for optimal visibility while you browse gallery photos. The panel includes a built-in snap feature that automatically aligns to the nearest screen edge when released within 48 pixels, keeping your workspace organized. Click the collapse arrow in the top-right corner to minimize the panel to a small icon bubble showing a gear emoji, preserving screen space while keeping the tool accessible. The panel is not resizable in this version, maintaining a consistent compact size that works on all screen resolutions. Press the Escape key to instantly hide the panel; press Escape again to restore it. All position, collapse state, slideshow preferences, favorite selections, and last viewed position are saved locally using GM_setValue and persist across browsing sessions.

PLEASE NOTE

This extension requires the free BotGentz extension to function—the gallery organizer does not work standalone. Model Railroader occasionally updates its gallery page layouts, which may temporarily affect image detection accuracy. The tool detects images based on page structure; if a gallery uses a non-standard format, some images may not be detected. Thumbnails are displayed as numbered placeholders rather than actual image previews to ensure performance and avoid loading issues. The slideshow feature navigates by scrolling the page; ensure your browser window is sized to show the images comfortably. Favorite selections are stored per layout URL and are saved locally using GM_setValue. The tool does not store or transmit any data; all gallery information, favorites, settings, and position tracking are saved entirely within your browser. This tool is designed for personal viewing and inspiration and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Model Railroader magazine or its parent company.