Great Model Railroads 2007

Tips and ideas for your model railroad
SPECIAL ISSUE
ModelRailroads
2007
GREAT
®
DISPLAY UNTIL FEBRUARY 28, 2007
11 exciting layouts in
HO, N, and O scales
BIGG
ISSUEST
E VE E
R!
Making
a great
layout
even
better
Bruce Carpenter’s
redesigned HO scale
BNSF Chillicothe
Subdivision
Penn Central succeeds in N scale
Steam to Silverton in O scale
PLUS!
Spend a day on a 1950s way freight $8.95 • $10.50 Canada
75
An imaginative garage layout

Railroading down South 0 71896 46784 0
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18
30%#)!, )335%
2007
GREAT
ModelRailroads
>> COVER STORY
8 Big-time railroading just got bigger HO
Expansion, technology, and new friends make a BNSF layout even better
®
By Bruce Carpenter
18 Rolling along the Porcupine Mountain route HO

Visit the majestic North Woods on the Mineral Point & Northern
By Gregg Condon
28 Penn Central succeeds in N scale N

Thanks to a twist of history, traffic is booming on this 38 x 46-foot layout
By Michael Pennie
36 Steam to Silverton in O scale On3

Dramatic scenery and steam-era operations highlight this 24 x 50-foot layout
By Doug Tagsold
46 Modeling the Clinchfield from afar HO

A visit to the real thing proved to be an irresistable force for building this layout
By Paul J. Dolkos
56 A day on No. 20 HO
Working the eastbound way freight across the Maumee Route
By Bill Darnaby
46
66 Crossing the river on the Omaha Road HO
A layout that celebrates local history
By Bob Dabruzzi
76 Where coal is king HO

The ever-evolving West Island Model Railroad Club
By Rob Smith
84 The South has risen again HO

Reviving and expanding the Mississippi, Alabama & Gulf
By Cliff Powers
96 This model railroad goes on tour HO

Valley HOtrak enjoys sharing its modular layout
By the club members
104 Louie on the Prairie HO

This imaginative garage layout features the Minneapolis & St. Louis in South Dakota
By Jack Gutsch
116 Essay: Quiet spots, by Paul J. Dolkos
122 Viewpoint: The Zephyr passes, by Tommy Holt
>> ON THE COVER: Today’s BNSF in Illinois. Bruce Carpenter photo

28
96
2007
GREAT
ModelRailroads ®
>> Friends make our

railroads work_
One of the themes in this edition of Great Model Railroads is operation,
the game of running model trains as if they were really carrying freight and
passengers. It’s not only what you do with a model railroad once you’ve built it,
2!), ,9.8 but also a way of building friendships in the hobby. Bruce Carpenter’s cover
#/2$,%33 ).&2!2%$
#/--!.$ #/.42/, story beginning on page 8 is one of several here that demonstrates this.
UÊ iÜtÊ/iÞÝÊ*À}À>>LiÊ>ÃÌÊ VÊ On the subject of operation, I’m especially proud that we’re publishing Bill
UÊ ÀiVÌÊ >` i`ÊÌÊVÊVÌÀ
UÊ Ê*Õ}Ê>VÃÊÀÊL>VÊLÝiÃÊÌÊLÕÞ Darnaby’s “A day on No. 20,” which begins on page 56. Bill presents his HO scale
UÊi>`} ÌÊ ÌÀÊqÊÉ,]Ê>ÀÃ]ÊÃÌÀLi Maumee Route in terms of how it works instead of simply how it looks. His story
UÊ,Ì>ÀÞÊLÊÃ«ii`ÊVÌÀ
UÊÓxxÊV >iÃ is illustrated with photos shot from the perspective of an operator standing in
UÊiÌÕÊÜÌ ÊLÀ>}
UÊ Ê«À}À>}ÊÌÀ>V the layout’s aisles, and you’ll note the gradual shift from high-angle to near-eye-
UÊ,i«i>ÌiÀÃÊvÀÊ `ìÊÌÀ>V>}i level scenes that connotes the range of elevations on his multilevel system.
UÊ >ÃÞÊÌÊÕÃiÊqÊÃ«iÊn«>}iÊ>Õ>
/PERATES SIMULTANEOUSLY AND INDEPENDENTLY The other people referred to in Bill’s story are mostly there in a real operating
WITH MOST OTHER COMMAND CONTROL SYSTEMS
4HIS IS A TRUE COMMAND CONTROL SYSTEM
session – I know because I’m often one of them. In truth, we don’t really burn
REQUIRING A RECEIVER IN EACH LOCOMOTIVE flares in Bill’s basement, but everything else is just the way it happens. It takes a
2!), ,9.8
£Ê ÌÌÌ>Ê°ÊUÊ L>]Ê ÊäÇnÎÓ group of friends to give life to the Maumee’s operations.
än®Ê{È{ÈnÈ
ÜÜÜ°À>ÞÝ°VÊÊÊÊÊi>\ÊÀ>ÞÝJÀV°V
!.$ ./7 Editor Andy Sperandeo Editorial offices

Art Director Thomas G. Danneman Phone: 262-796-8776
&/2 4(!4 Managing Editor
Editorial Staff
Dick Christianson
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Fax: 262-796-1142
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Carl Swanson Web: www.modelrailroader.com
'2%!4 -/$%, David Popp
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Dana Kawala Advertising inquiries: 888-558-1544, extension 533
2!),2/!$ Editorial Asssociate
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COVER STORY
>>
Big time railroading
8 Great Model Railroads 2007

everything else proceeded as I had
intended, and I was pretty happy with
railroad or add on to the layout room.
Eventually I drafted a new track plan
2 BNSF no. 4799 west with stack
train SCHIKCK25 is just getting up
to track speed as it splits the
the results. I’ve always felt that if I could that would fit into the same space as my intermediate signals outside
visualize how a scene is going to look current layout, but would add roughly Corwith Yard. Engine no. 5621 is
when finished, then 90 percent of the 150 feet of main line and also increase one of the first BNSF units painted
battle was over. staging capacity. At the same time, I in the new wedge scheme.
However, I just couldn’t see a clear thought this would be a great opportu-
way to finish certain areas of the layout, nity to add working signals and Central-
particularly the ends. And that led me to ized Traffic Control (CTC), and to install Making connections
begin thinking about how I could fix Digital Command Control (DCC). I It’s funny how people you meet can
some of the mistakes I’d made when initially estimated that to modify the make all the difference in your decision-
designing the original track plan. existing layout and add DCC would take making process. Take Doug Tagsold (who
One of those planning flaws was my me about three months. However, when also has a story on page 36 in this issue)
placing Corwith staging yard just beyond it came to signals and CTC, I had no clue for instance. Doug is a well-published
the Nerska interlocking plant. It looked as to what I was getting into. and well-known modeler in the Michi-
great on paper, but I soon realized that When I unveiled the plans to my gan/Ohio area. In 2003 I met Doug by
building a major staging yard so near the operating crew, everyone was excited – as chance at a train show in Toledo, and we
busiest point on the railroad wasn’t going well as understandably concerned – instantly hit it off.
to work. Once the yard was complete, my about the proposed changes. The work Later that year Doug and I were both
vision of trains flowing into the layout would interrupt monthly operating at the National Model Railroad Associa-
from different interchange points had sessions, and one of the biggest questions tion regional convention in Grand
become reality, but also turned the area was what the revisions would do to traffic Rapids, Mich., where he introduced me
into a huge parking lot. While the traffic patterns for the multi-layout operating to Mike Burgett, a signal inspector for
jam was pretty cool at first, I knew I group I belong to. After doing some Canadian National Ry. I sat in on one of
needed to make some major changes. negotiating with the “interchanging Mike’s signaling clinics and found it
While I was at it, I also decided I railroads” (see “Ohio Interchange ” on extremely informative and motivating.
wanted a longer main line, but I didn’t page 16), nearly all those issues were Mike has his own sideline company
want to build a true multi-deck model resolved, and my plan got the green light. called Control Train Components
3 An Electro-Motive Division GP60M
leads train ZCHIKCK25 past Nerska
Tower. Two of the improvements
Bruce made to the layout included
a working signal system and Digital
Command Control.
4 Train SKCKBRC24, a hot intermodal

run from Kansas City, is destined
for the Belt Railway of Chicago. The
S designates this symbol as a
priority stack train. The next three
letters indicate the origin, and the
last three are the destination. The
numbers refer to the date when the
train originated.
(www.ctcparts.com). Mike had recently desire for a signal system. After the dust A plan for the expansion
purchased Rod Loder’s CTC company, settled from the convention, Mike visited My layout renovation plans called for
and he planned to expand that firm’s line my layout, and we spent an entire the majority of the mainline expansion
of CTC components and offer complete Saturday developing a game plan for to occur on the west end of the railroad.
CTC machines, design services, and signals and CTC system. I extended the single-track main from
occasional field engineering. This was See what I mean? Because I met Doug Stronghurst to Yost and then double-
the missing link for my Chilli Sub. who knew Mike, in one weekend a tracked the line from Yost to a new
Mike had heard about my layout from chance encounter turned into a collab- Kansas City staging yard. I also added a
friends in the area, and as we talked, I orative effort, pushing my Chilli Sub to small local yard at Galesburg, Ill., and
told him of my expansion plans and the next level. an interlocking plant to connect to the
modelrailroader.com 11
5 BNSF 9724 with train CEBMWFI27
has just arrived at Williamsfield
and is waiting for permission to
enter the Illinois Edison Power
Plant complex. The plant receives
two coal trains each day and is a
major customer on the west end of
the Chilli Sub. The boarded up
Santa Fe depot has seen better
days. Matt Sherman photo
6 Train ZKCKCHI24 (BNSF 4799 East)

meets MBRCWSY24 at McCook.
Both trains are traveling at the
track speed of 60 mph. This scene,
typical of modern railroading, is
duplicated numerous times at
locations all over Bruce’s layout
during an operating session.
Doug Tagsold helped me program Installing signals was Bruce Chubb’s C/MRI (Computer/
some simple speed tables, and now all Signals and CTC were always first and Model Railroad Interface). I wanted to
my locomotives run about a scale 50-60 foremost on my mind when I designed replicate the BNSF route signal system to
mph at full throttle. Any consist of the Chilli Sub. I wanted to see trains the letter, and the flexibility of C/MRI
locomotives, regardless of brand, oper- passing at track speed and eliminate made it the logical choice. The compo-
ates smoothly on the entire layout, most of the radio chatter. My new signal nents began to arrive in early 2004.
whether on flat track or on grades. The system has definitely accomplished that. I spent the next year installing input/
DCC system has enabled me to slow the Mike and I talked about various output cards, detection cards, signal
operations down to a realistic standard. signaling options, and my final choice driver boards, and miles of wire. All the
while Mike was busy offering advice and
programming the system. We got it up
order. Any mast height, any wire length
or paint scheme – you name it and Tomar
7 Demolition was in full swing at the
west end of the layout when this
photo was taken. The inset photo
and running at a rate of about one will make it. So, I placed the first order shows the arrangement of the new
control point per month. Along the way, for their new snow-shielded signals staging yards once this area of the
we figured out and programmed operat- custom built to my specifications. layout was completed.
ing parameters for route-, signal-, and To date, Mike estimates this is
time-locking, traffic routing, call-on, probably the most extensive and complex
fleeting, and more. C/MRI application in the country. I can Springs Yard used to clog the west end of
I had a replica of a Union Switch & honestly say that it’s been the single the layout. Now, one of the locals origi-
Signal machine partially built when I biggest improvement I’ve made to the nates in Galesburg, made up from cars
started the layout. All it needed was a Chilli since starting construction 8 years dropped off by passing trains destined
little finishing up. While Mike designed ago. Neither Mike nor I really knew what for the Chilli.
the track diagram for the panel, I made we were in for when we started this About 95 percent of my diesel fleet has
new model boards from sheet aluminum. project, but looking back now, it’s been a been upgraded with the latest versions of
I decorated the panels myself with win-win situation for both of us: My BNSF motive power and paint schemes.
custom model board decals I had made. Chilli Sub got a prototypical signal We’ve also been working on upgrading
I also bought all the remaining Rix system, and Mike now has some tem- the entire car fleet with Proto 2000
Products CTC levers I needed to finish plates for building complicated inter- wheelsets equipped with 10KΩ resistors
the panel and installed them per Mike’s locking plants on future CTC projects. for reliable train detection. With a little
plans. I didn’t go all out on a prototypical preventative maintenance and a few key
CTC machine, as someday the machine Keeping up with the times upgrades to equipment, it’s amazing how
will be replaced with a couple of linked The additional main line has allowed operations have improved.
computer monitors. crews to be with their trains longer and I’ve also installed fast clocks, and in
About the same time as the initial interact more with the operating scheme addition to keeping track of crew hours, I
C/MRI installation was taking place, of the layout. And, the changes I made will use them in conjunction with
Tomar Industries started offering mean that the “Nerska parking lot” situation cards for operators. The plan is
modern three-light signal heads with appears only once in a great while. to have decks of situation cards at the
single large snow shield hoods. I spoke Galesburg Yard has ironed out an staging yards, tower, and dispatcher’s
with Duane Henry at Tomar and found operating problem we’ve had from day office. Upon marking up on duty for a
that he would make custom signals to one. The two local turns from Willow train, crews will be required to draw
>>Following a car through the Ohio Interchange
Fig. 1 Picking up the raisins. On Mark Roselius’ Central

Valley Traction RR, an ex-Southern Pacific switcher picks up
BNSF19493, a reefer loaded with raisins for Chicago.
The operating group I belong to, the Ohio

Interchange, has seven participating model railroads. We
physically interchange hundreds of cars every month from one
railroad to the next, as part of a beyond-the-basement concept
to simulate prototype operation. We use a foolproof, color-
coded card system to track and forward all the cars to the other
model railroads in our interchange group.
Each layout owner models 1980 or later. Our group’s
layouts cover geographic locations from New York to California Fig. 2 Moving to the next layout. Once BNSF19493 has
and points in between, and we’ve arranged the layouts so that reached Mark’s staging yard, the car and its paperwork are
they connect either with each other or with prototype railroads carefully packed, along with dozens of others, for transfer
to form a coast-to-coast network. Conceivably, any car on any to the next Ohio Interchange railroad.
layout could end up on any other group member’s layout.
Take BNSF19493 for example. This 57-foot rebuilt mechani- Once in Kansas City, BNSF19493 is transferred to the BNSF for
cal reefer was ordered for loading on Mark Roselius’ Central the final leg of its journey by the Kansas City Terminal Ry.
Valley Traction RR, located on California’s Pacific coast. The car Our car with its load of raisins is packed up yet again for the
came from our interchange pool of roughly 5,000 freight cars. trip to my Chillicothe Subdivision. Figure 4 shows a Chicago-
BNSF19493 is to be loaded with raisins and then forwarded to bound BNSF train called out of Kansas City’s Argentine Yard
the Leaf Candy Co. in Chicago, located on the Belt Railway of with BNSF19493 in its consist. As the BNSF eastbound train
Chicago on my layout. approaches Nerska Tower, arrangements are made to set the
The car begins its trip by being staged on Mark’s layout and car off at the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Junction Yard. Later, a
then switched into Beckman’s Produce and loaded with raisins. local BRC crew takes the car to Hawthorn Yard where, as seen
Later, as seen in fig. 1, the loaded car is picked up by a local and in fig. 5, BNSF19493 is set out at Leaf Candy.
delivered to Mark’s eastbound staging yard. The entire process to get BNSF19493 delivered took 3
Next, as shown in fig. 2 , the car is carefully packed, along actual months, as typically a car moves across one layout per
with others, and transported to Garth Shifflett’s Union Pacific month. Depending on the complexity of the route, a car or unit
Marysville Subdivision. As seen in fig. 3, BNSF19493 is placed train can be in transit in our system for nearly a year before the
in a Union Pacific priority manifest train bound for Kansas City. owner sees it again. When all tags are pulled after being

a card and follow its instructions.
Sometimes a train will be able to leave its
terminal without incident, and other
times it won’t.
The dispatcher and tower operator
will be required to draw situation cards
every fast hour. Most of the time there
will be no situation to deal with. Other
times, however, a section of track may be
taken out of service for maintenance. The
card will have the cause of the situation
and the time allotted for its duration.
Fig. 3 Heading east. We next catch up with BNSF19493 in a hotshot eastbound Regardless of what the future may
freight on Garth Shifflett’s Union Pacific Marysville Subdivision. At Kansas City hold, I feel I’ve been fortunate. The Chilli
the car will be handed over to the BNSF and then boxed up for the next layout. Sub has helped keep our local inter-
change group together and has allowed a
lot of visitors to enjoy a big-time railroad.
Someday the layout will have fulfilled
all my wants and come to an end, as all
good things do eventually. I’ve been
thinking about the next railroad (I just
love Little Joe electrics) for when such a
day comes, but for now the Chilli is
thriving and will continue to be a source
of fun for years to come. GMR
>>Meet Bruce Carpenter_
Fig. 4 On to Chicago. It’s the Chillicothe Sub’s turn to handle the carload of raisins.
Here we see BNSF19493 just minutes prior to being set out at the Belt Railway of
Chicago’s Junction Yard. There it will be switched into a local for delivery.
Bruce is project engineer

for a large sub-supplier to the
appliance industry in Ohio. He’s an
avid track speeder owner and
operator and is on the board of
directors for North American Railcar
Operators Association (NARCOA).
Fig. 5 Final destination. The BRC spots BNSF19493 in front of the Leaf Candy Co. For the past 16 years, Bruce and his
for unloading. The raisins will soon be processed into candy, which will be wife Jackie have traveled extensively
shipped all over the country via the Ohio Interchange. all over the U.S. to various speeder
excursions, including Alaska.
delivered, a “home” color is revealed on the car card and the For more information about the
car automatically routes back to its owner. BNSF Chillicothe Subdivision, check
Our group isn’t a club; we’re close friends who’ve known out Bruce’s Web site at www.
each other for years and share common interests in model bnsfchillisub.com. Bruce would like to
railroading. The color-code system really is foolproof, and to dedicate this article to the memory of
date no cars have been lost! – B.C. his friend Rendal Schetter.
>>
Rolling along the
Porcupine
Mountain

Through the Porkies, not around
Visit the majestic North Woods on the them, that’s the motto of my Mineral Point
& Northern RR. It’s a short line that runs
HO scale Mineral Point & Northern through the Porcupine Mountains.
You might remember another Mineral
Point & Northern model railroad from the
By Gregg Condon • Photos by Andy Sperandeo late 1950s. That layout depicted the MP&N
circa 1910 and was built by former Model
Route
Railroader editor Paul Larson. His work was
most influential on my hobby life. Several
years ago, I found and purchased his
scratchbuilt MP&N 4-4-0.
That steamer now runs on an MP&N
that’s quite different from its old home road.
Where Paul Larson modeled the railroad in
its prototypical southwestern Wisconsin
setting, I took another approach.
I liked the railroad’s name and the
mining theme, but I wanted a different era
and locale. On my layout the MP&N sur-
vived into the 1950s and migrated up to the
Great North Woods.
From prototype to freelance

I’d originally designed and operated my
layout based on a real prototype, the
Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic. After a few
years, I wanted to try something different,
so I developed a freelanced railroad but
kept my existing setting.
My MP&N is a 60-mile short line that
replaces the western end of the DSS&A. On
my layout the two lines connect at Iron
Junction, so the MP&N hosts two daily
DSS&A time freights. From Iron Junction
two branch lines serve iron mines at the
fictional Michigan towns of Mineral Point
and Lake Gogebic.
At the other end of the layout, the MP&N
terminates at Ashland, Wis., where the Soo
Line takes over MP&N ore traffic. The
MP&N also interchanges freight with the
Northern Pacific RR and the Chicago, St.
Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha, a subsidiary of
the Chicago & North Western.
With their crimson paint schemes,
MP&N Alcos look reminiscent of Chicago
Great Western diesels. Porcupine Route
cabooses look like Green Bay & Western
1 Heading out of Champion, Mich., a

Mineral Point & Northern Decapod
hauls a local freight on Gregg
Condon’s HO railroad. The free-
lanced MP&N operates on the
western end of the prototype
Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic.
paint. My ground cover consists of many and shades, no passenger cars without Layout work occupied many evenings
different colors of ground foam and passenger figures, no locomotives and weekends, but for that first year I
natural materials. I’ve found that more without crew figures, no unpainted track, needed some extra-long blocks of time to
variety in color and texture means more- and not an inch of scenery without get the project rolling. My wife, Kathy,
realistic scenery. ground cover. Although I was anxious to and I own a business, and she generously
run trains, I wanted more than just a suggested that for a year I designate one
Strategy and standards plywood gameboard for operations. day a week as Model Railroad Day.
During construction of the layout, I Every Wednesday for a year, I spent 8
kept one strategy in mind: Build it well Happy Model Railroad Day to 16 hours working on the layout.
enough to be presentable now and add I wanted the finest model railroad I During that same year, I took three weeks
refinements to the finished layout later. could build, but I also wanted that model of vacation in the train room and accom-
For example, I’d install a building to railroad ready for operations as soon as plished 80 hours of work each week.
complete a scene, but leave adding its possible. To achieve these goals I used Seven years after beginning the
interior for a future project. See “Add my time as efficiently as possible. I didn’t project, Kathy and I hosted a golden
structure interiors later” on page 27. putter around doing work in short dribs spike ceremony. The railroad was ready
All my modeling work followed a set and drabs. I didn’t intend to make a for operations. That’s when my fun with
of standards: no unpainted plastic hobby out of building a model railroad the layout really began. It’s even better
surfaces, no windows without glazing and never see it completed. now since the advent of the MP&N.
3 At Champion, Mich., an MP&N
pulpwood train approaches a
junction with the Milwaukee Road.
In the foreground, only the ties are
left of an abandoned siding.
4 Between industries and a junkyard,

this passenger depot is in the
grittier part of Lake Gogebic. Ten-
Wheeler no. 26 eases a passenger
train up to the platform.
5 An MP&N Shay backs a string of
empty ore cars up to the iron mine
at Mineral Point. The mine is the
railroad’s largest customer.
Operations
In each of the nine colder months of
the year, I host an operating session on
the MP&N. I’ve been hooked on opera-
tions since reading “The Concept makes
the railroad go” in the February 1960
issue of Model Railroader. Operating
sessions bring a railroad to life so pro-
foundly that I rarely run trains alone.
6 An MP&N steamer moves in to

pick up a couple of loaded ore cars
at this mine just outside of Iron
River, Wis. Iron ore traffic is the
main business of the railroad.

>>Build a dispatcher’s office_
Gregg built his dispatcher’s office after finishing the layout. Details like an
antique telephone give this work station a railroady look. Both the tele-
graph and telephone connect to tower locations on the layout.
With the layout finished, one of my latest projects was replacing my

exposed block control panel with something more “railroady” – a separate
dispatcher’s office. I found a 30-square-inch space at the end of the main yard
on the west end of the layout.
I built the dispatcher’s office facing a wall outside the workshop. Using stud-
wall construction, I added two five-foot walls on each side of the space. When
seated the dispatcher has a private cubicle.
A postmaster’s desk from Sears serves as the place to fill out and sort
paperwork. The wooden desk with pigeon holes and wainscot-covered walls give
the space a vintage railroad look.
I installed the control panel above the desktop. The wall is open behind it, so I
can fix any wire or switches from the workshop on the other side.
To construct the panel I used .060"-thick styrene and Rix Centralized Traffic
Control (CTC) levers and lever plates.
I modified the CTC designations on the control panel to suit my train-order-
controlled operations. The top row of switches marked N and R for normal or
reverse on a CTC railroad, stand for throttles N and R on the MP&N. The bottom
row of switches marked L and R designating left and right for CTC control,
The MP&N is a “dark” or unsignaled represent local and remote on my railroad.
line operated by timetable and train Other equipment includes a brass wall lamp with a green globe, an antique
order. A dispatcher’s desk with a block telegraph key and sounder, and an extension bracket telephone. Communications
control panel and telephone faces away connect to two towers, one on each end of the layout.
from the layout. Crews follow switchlists The smooth function and finished look of the dispatcher’s office really adds to
and waybills that I write up. the drama and fun of an MP&N operating session. – G.C.
Paperwork information is as brief as
possible. For example, I include car
numbers only if there is more than one
car of a particular road name in a train. to S&T paper each day, while Holz daytime shift. Using a 4:1 fast clock, my
Car routing is arbitrary since I shuffle the Lumber receives one boxcar per week. operating sessions last two actual hours.
forms between sessions The eight-hour daytime shift has
To set up a session I loosely follow a An eight-hour day some convenient advantages. At the end
frequency table of shipments but also rely Although many operating model of a session, cars can remain visibly
on plain old common sense. For example, railroads use a 12- or 24-hour time frame, staged in yards with the assumption that
the MP&N sends several pulpwood cars MP&N operations portray an eight-hour they’ll be dealt with by an evening switch
7 Many industries surround the
lakefront yard at Ashland, including
a grain elevator, Carnation Milk
factory, and brewery. The large
Swift packing plant in the back-
ground hides the opening to the
staging yard behind the wall.
8 A retired combine serves as the

MP&N depot at Saxon. Set on the
Wisconsin/Michigan border, the
town is also a junction where the
MP&N crosses the C&NW.
“finished” model railroad. I’ve added

countless trees, vehicles, and figures. I
steadily replace good-enough structures
with my best scratchbuilt efforts. I’m
crew. The daytime setting means that I Some of my crews do ask if they have to always painting and adding rolling stock.
don’t have to have night lighting. run trains before Kathy can bring the pie. Freelancing a railroad in my 1952
My operating sessions begin at 7 p.m. North Woods setting lets me run my
and finish by 9 p.m. Afterwards we have Still going strong favorite icons of transition-era railroad-
an hour-long bull session, including Along with operating sessions I’ve had ing in some of my favorite real-world
dessert and sometimes a railroad video. plenty to keep me busy working on my places. It’s the best of both worlds. GMR
>>Meet Gregg Condon_ >>Add structure interiors later_
Gregg’s subscription to
Model Railroader began in December The barber shop and cafe line the main street of Birch Lake. Gregg details
1958 and he hasn’t missed an issue only one or two rooms per structure since it looks more realistic if some
since then. After 48 years in the rooms are dark. He also makes sure to detail some of the upper rooms.
hobby, he still finds model railroading
more fun than ever. Most of my structures didn’t have interiors when I installed them on
A retired college professor and the MP&N. This let me finish each structure and make the layout presentable a
author, his work includes the text- lot sooner. I did build them with open undersides, so I could easily add scratch-
book Gregg’s Shorthand. He lives in built, detailed interiors at my leisure.
Eau Claire, Wis., with his wife Kathy. I start an interior by painting and detailing the ceiling, floor, and walls as flats
She also has an interest in railroads as before assembling the room. It’s easier to glue down furniture without the walls
a collector of dining car china. in the way. Once assembled, I paint the outside of the interior walls black to keep
The farm scene behind Gregg is a interior lights from making the walls glow.
scratchbuilt model of Kathy’s child- I end up with a stand-alone model of a single room, consisting of a top,
hood home. bottom, and three sides. The structure fits over the interior and the finished room
is visible through the appropriate window.
Usually I choose one room to detail and light. I rarely build an interior for every
room in a building. In the real world it’s unusual for a building to have all rooms lit,
9 The Soo Line depot remains a

landmark in Ashland, Wis., as does
the Hotel Chequamegon, the large
and the dark rooms are a convenient place to hide wiring.
The layout features many multi-story structures, so I also build rooms on
extended bases. Detailed upper floors add more variety. – G.C.
white building in the background.
Along with bringing ore trains to
the Soo, the MP&N interchanges
freight with the Northern Pacific
RR at Ashland.
>>
Penn
1 Two Lehigh Valley Alco RS-11s bring

a freight past the towering Bethle-
hem Steel Mill on Mike Pennie’s N
scale Penn Central layout.
Central
succeeds in N scale
Thanks to a twist of history, traffic is booming
on this 38 x 46-foot layout
By Michael Pennie • Photos by Bernard Kempinski
I’ve had an interest in the Modeling a layout with big industries railroad giants Pennsylvania RR and New
Northeastern railroad scene during the would have been easier in HO scale York Central, filed for bankruptcy.
1970s for more than two decades. Several because more buildings are commer- However, according to my version of
railroads, including the Penn Central, cially available, but I enjoy the challenge history, business was booming on the PC,
Lehigh Valley (LV), and Central RR of of scratchbuilding my own structures. and the railroad was desperate for a way
New Jersey (CNJ), earned their keep Besides, in N scale it’s much easier to to bypass the clogged Northeast Corri-
serving the big industries of Pennsylva- convey the difference in size between a dor. The heavy traffic volume led the PC
nia and New Jersey. With a colorful array towering steel mill and the freight cars to merge with the LV, in which the PC was
of railroads to pick from and many large that serve it. Just take a look at the photo
industries to model, I knew re-creating on page 28.
the big-time operations of the Northeast
would be a fun project. And for nearly 10
years, I’ve enjoyed modeling this region
Alternate history
My layout is set on June 21, 1970, a dark
2 “Dip black” was the color of choice
for Penn Central locomotives. Alco
RS-2 no. 5229, an ex-New York
on my 38 x 46-foot N scale Penn Central day for the real Penn Central. That was Central unit, leads a local past one
Lehigh & Delaware Division layout. when PC, created by the merger of Eastern of the dozens of farmsteads in
western New Jersey.
already the majority owner. The merger
resulted in the formation of the Penn
Central Lehigh & Delaware Division. 3 Modeling in N scale gives Michael
the luxury of operating trains that
are almost prototypical in length.
The first attempt Here we see two Central RR of New
I started work on the original PC Jersey H-15-44s and a Baltimore &
Lehigh & Delaware Division in the late Ohio Geep on the point of a solid
1980s, when I first developed an interest train of coal near Jim Thorpe, Pa.
in modeling the Phillipsburg, Easton,
and Bethlehem, Pa., region of southeast
Pennsylvania. While researching the
area, I learned that many of the Conrail
predecessors I was interested in model-
ing interchanged or operated in this
portion of the state.
Additional research helped me settle
on 1970 as the year to model. Most
important, the PC was still in existence
at the start of that decade. It wasn’t until
April 1976 that PC (and several other
railroads) were reorganized to form
Conrail. Also, the CNJ was operating
trains in Pennsylvania. On March 31,
1972, that railroad ceased operations in
the Keystone State because the coal
traffic that supported it had dwindled.
Finally, the New York, New Haven &
Hartford’s freight and passenger opera-
tions were handled by PC (this actually
started in December 1968), which gave
me an excuse to have yet another rail-
road’s equipment on my layout.
Thanks to assistance from two
special-interest groups (see “A group
effort” on page 32), my layout was
starting to take shape. Unfortunately, I
found out a new road was being built in
my backyard and that I’d have to relocate.
Of course, this meant tearing down my
layout as well.
The new Penn Central

I spent nearly three years searching for
land and constructing a new house, but it
was well worth the wait. I used the time
between layouts to scratchbuild many of
the structures for the Bethlehem steel mill
complex. I was placing orders every week
or two with Plastruct to get the necessary
plastic sheets, strips, and shapes. Fortu-
nately, none of the parts was on back
order, so I was able to keep working on the
mill without delay.
In 1995, I moved into my new house
and spent the next 18 months finishing
the basement so it would accommodate
my model railroad. This was a grueling
task, but at least I knew I had plenty of
open space for my layout.
modelrailroader.com
4 The Penn Central had an eclectic
blend of motive power, as on this
train. Alco C-630 no. 6318 and
Electro-Motive Division GP40
no. 3171 team up to lead the
empty auto-rack consist over the
Delaware River.
>>A group effort_

In recent years special-interest groups, or SIGs, have industries. In a stroke of good luck, group member Phil Baggley
become an important resource for model railroaders. Whether modeled the same period, area, and steel mill I was modeling.
you’re interested in a certain industry or operating a layout, there We started corresponding, and he was able to explain what I had
are National Model Railroad Association (NMRA)-sponsored photographed at Bethlehem Steel.
groups out there for you to join. My association with three The Layout Design SIG has also been a valuable resource. For
groups, the Railroad Industries SIG, Operations SIG (OPSIG), and reasons unknown to me, LDSIG moderator Doug Gurin and
Layout Design SIG (LDSIG) has been extremely beneficial. Layout Design Journal (official publication of the LDSIG) editor
In the late 1980s I was gathering information on railroad Dave Clemens turned designing my original railroad into a group
operations in southeast Pennsylvania, and I also became project. My track plan was shared with LDSIG members and led
interested in the steel and cement industries. Back then, there to a series of articles in the magazine. Having the articles pub-
wasn’t much information available on either of these industries. lished allowed me to conceptualize the layout and work out the
Though I had plenty of photos of Bethlehem Steel, I had no kinks. Members of the OPSIG also gave me useful input on how
idea what I was looking at. to operate the layout. Unfortunately, the model railroad their input
The Industries SIG, started in the early 1990s by Stan Knotts, helped shape was torn down, but I implemented many of their
helped answer many of the questions I had on steel and other ideas on my current layout. – M.P.

Big-time operations
Since I was far from being an experi-
5 The Bethlehem Steel Mill is the
largest industry on the PC’s Lehigh
& Delaware Division and has
enced operator, I joined the National apparently become a gathering
Model Railroad Association’s Operations point for Alco diesel locomotives.
Special-Interest Group (OPSIG) to learn In the background, a Lehigh Valley
more about running a model railroad. RS-2 pulls a ladle car from the blast
Joining the group was one of the best furnace, while in the foreground a
things I’ve done – even though at times I pair of RSD-15s lead an empty coal
felt a bit overwhelmed with the number train on the main line.
of things I had to learn.
A few years after I joined the OPSIG,
co-ordinators Bill Jewett and Ted Turner addition, there is a two-track staging yard
started a callboard registry so layout (Saucon Yard) at the rear of the mill where
owners could notify group members mineral trains are stored. Non-mineral
about operating sessions. I hosted my first traffic is stored at nearby Florence Yard.
operating session in January 2004, but it Some operators have suggested that I
was really more of a shakedown run for model the internal plant traffic, but I’m
Whenever I needed a break from the layout. Since then I’ve hosted several more interested in having the mill as a
working on the basement, I’d head over sessions, and the layout has operated source of and destination for freight cars.
to the drawing board and work on my better each time. To add to the operational interest of
track plan. There were some key features A typical session lasts between 3 and 6 the layout, I included two helper districts
I wanted on my new layout, including hours, during which time up to 40 trains are (Steel City and Packerton Yard) with 2.5
plenty of open space between towns, operated. Approximately half of the trains percent grades. The steep grades not only
industries at or close to full size, and are through freights that run between mean helper units from Easton have to be
branchline operations. After several staging yards, while the other trains are added, but they also extend the runs of
revisions, I finally settled on the track locals that handle the industrial switching. mineral trains destined for the mill.
plan shown here. There are also three turns (one from I try to limit train lengths to 10 feet for
While drafting the plan, I spent a lot Phillipsburg and two from Packerton) that road freights and 7 feet for locals. Though I
of time trying to orient scenes so they’d originate and terminate on the layout. could run longer trains, I’d have to increase
match the prototype. This proved to be Naturally, the Bethlehem Steel Mill is the yard capacity, in turn shortening the
impossible in some instances, so I the job most operators want. In 1970, the main line. Even with plenty of space,
modeled scenes and structures from their mill was very busy, and I’ve tried to re- compromises still have to be made.
best-known viewpoints. Though the scenes create that feeling. A variety of traffic Thanks to the operating sessions, I
and buildings are in sequential order, east enters and exits the mill from both direc- also discovered that I didn’t have enough
and west are sometimes reversed. tions, including coal, ore, and steel coils. In equipment. I’ve been an active N scale
6 The auto-rack train we saw earlier
at Easton has made its way around
the layout and is entering the yard
at Phillipsburg, Pa. Once the units
cut off from the train, they’ll be
serviced and set on the ready track
for their next assignment.
modeler for more than 30 years, so an

equipment shortage was the last thing on
my mind. However, I underestimated the
number of locomotives and freight cars it
would take to support operations on a
layout of this size. I’m short about 250 to
300 freight cars and 15 to 20 locomotives.
My hope is that someone will manufacture
Pennsy ore cars in N scale, which would
fill a big hole in my equipment roster.
7 Two years have passed since the

merger that created Penn Central,
but this Fairbanks-Morse Train
Master still retains its original
Pennsylvania RR paint. Hundreds of
Pennsy and New York Central units
could still be found in their original
colors into the Conrail era.

8 As an ex-Pennsylvania RR class
N5C cabin car brings up the rear of
a mainline train, Penn Central Alco
>>Meet Michael Pennie_
RS-3 no. 5542 switches boxcars at

the Riegal Paper factory. Michael’s
layout is filled with big industries
that require frequent switching.
layouts, so I wasn’t alone. Once I’d

worked with DCC for a while, though, I
was able to get a better feel for it. I’m far
from being an expert on command
control, but I know enough to build Michael Pennie is a 57-year-old
Adding DCC consists and adjust speed tables. accountant who lives in Oak Ridge,
I knew I’d be operating several trains at My only regret with DCC was the N.C. He started modeling in N scale
once on my new layout, so I switched from number of hours I spent adding decoders in 1973 and has built six layouts
DC to Digital Command Control (DCC). to my old locomotives. At the time, I during that time. In addition to
Though I was satisfied with conventional didn’t think the locomotives I was modeling, Michael has also written
block control, the idea of wiring a conven- operating would be produced with articles for the Ntrak Newsletter and
tional cab system on a big layout seemed factory-installed decoders. Layout Design Journal. When not
daunting. However, I still had to divide the working on his layout, Michael enjoys
layout into isolated power districts so I could Much done, more to come spending time with his horses.
install Tony’s Train Exchange PowerShields. Since starting work on the PC Lehigh &
The PowerShields, which isolate short Delaware Division nine years ago, I’ve
circuits within each power district, react to managed to complete the track and wiring
shorts faster than command stations react. and still get 95 percent of the scenery provide much in terms of operation. My
While I enjoy the benefits of DCC, finished. I still have to add a sintering branch lines, which will be modeled on
there were growing pains along the way. plant in the steel mill and passenger peninsulas, will serve coal mines and
Early on, some of the decoders were stations at Easton and Lambertville. cement plants and have two or three
locking up, and the command station I’ve also completed benchwork for the trains per operating session.
would get locomotive addresses mixed branch lines. Though I had a branch on For now, though, I’ll keep working on
up. Several of my modeling friends were my first layout, I wasn’t happy with it the scenery and running trains through
experiencing similar difficulties on their because it was too small and didn’t Pennsylvania and New Jersey. GMR
My On3 version of the Denver &
Rio Grande Western’s Silverton Branch is
In addition to these mine runs, my
railroad also hosts a daily freight, and
2 High above the Animas River, train
no. 215 crawls along a narrow
ledge chiseled into the mountain-
set in the 1950s. On my 24 x 50-foot stock extras operate in the fall season as side. This part of the Silverton
layout, just as on the prototype, tourists the local ranchers ship their livestock to Branch was known as the High
have discovered this picturesque steam- market or winter pastures. An interesting Line. Here the layout’s scenery
powered narrow gauge line. But in my traffic mix and Colorado scenery is an extends all the way to the floor.
world, freight traffic is also on the rise. unbeatable combination.
One of the larger mines near Silverton
has just become a major shipper of Two layouts: twice the fun layout. My goal was to build a steam
limestone in narrow gauge D&RGW After modeling in HO scale for many railroad that would feature timetable-
gondolas to Salida, Colo., where the years [See “Railfanning Colorado’s Joint and-train-order operation. I also wanted
limestone is transloaded into standard- Line,” Great Model Railroads 2002. – Ed.], to try modeling in a larger scale.
gauge cars for the final movement to the I wanted to try something different when The choice of prototype was an easy
steel mills in Pueblo, Colo. space became available for a second one for me. Several family vacations to
3 Above right: The crew of the
Silverton freight, today led by K-28
no. 478, waits at the Silverton
depot for clearance to return to
Durango. The engine is fitted with
a plow in preparation for the snow
that will soon shut down the line.
4 Right: Train No. 215 climbs the

grade between Hermosa and
Rockwood. In the 1950s, freight
trains still operated, and increasing
numbers of tourists were buying
tickets for the narrow gauge.
5 Observation car no. 313, the Silver
Vista was built in the D&RGW
Burnham shops in Denver in 1947.
This brass On3 model was made by
Berlyn Locomotive Works.
6 The conductor and engineer have

received their orders and clearance
for engine 464 to run extra from
Durango to Silverton. Here we see
the train as it departs Durango.
7 Extra 463 East crosses the Animas
River just west of Durango, Colo.
Doug models the 1950s, when the
narrow gauge line hosted both
freight and passenger trains.
at Rockwood cannot see if there are down to the Animas River – just 3" above Models, and Walthers; however, I
opposing trains at Hermosa or Tacoma. the floor! I used commercial bottle-brush scratchbuilt the Durango and Silverton
The crew must rely on their orders and type pine trees but I handmade all of the depots using blueprints of the original
timetable to know if have authority to layout’s many aspen trees. buildings, which I obtained from the
proceed to the next town. I made the backdrops in the Durango Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden,
and Hermosa areas of the layout from Colo.. I also referred to photographs I’d
Scenery and structures poster-size enlargements of photographs taken of the surviving buildings.
I constructed the scenery using I’d taken of the real areas of Colorado. For
methods I had learned while building my the remainder of the backdrops, I used Locomotives and rolling stock
HO scale layout. I shaped the mountains commercially available prints from As on the prototype in the 1950s, class
using plaster gauze over window-screen Backdrop Warehouse. K-27 and K-28 2-8-2 Mikados are the
wire. For ground cover, I spread on The Durango coaling tower on my main motive power on my Silverton
products from Woodland Scenics and On3 layout is a San Juan Engineering kit. Branch. I also have a class C-16 2-8-0,
Scenic Express, along with real dirt and I used water tanks from Crystal River which I use as my Durango yard
rocks I’d brought back from Colorado. At Products. I added Tortoise switch switcher. Most of my locomotives are
first I used rubber rock molds to fashion machines inside the tanks at Durango brass models made by Berlyn Locomo-
the rockwork, but soon discovered that and Needleton to raise and lower the tive Works. The latest addition to my
carving the plaster rocks by hand was spout at the push of a button. roster was a die-cast metal K-27 from
much quicker and that the finished rocks While I was at it, I added sound units Mountain Models, a division of Precision
looked just as good. and speakers from Miller Models to give Scale. I’ve installed SoundTraxx sound
Making rocks quickly was important the sound of the spout lowering and and Lenz decoders in all my locomotives.
because this part of Colorado has so water flowing when a locomotive stops at I built all of the freight cars on the
many of them, and the High Line area of the tank. I also used many kits from layout from plastic kits by San Juan or
my layout features scenery all the way American Models, Design Preservation Grandt Line. I kitbashed the passenger
8 Extra 463 East pulls away from the
tank at Hermosa, Colo. The 463 and
sister 464 were the only K-27s to
survive the 1950s. The real locomo-
tives remain in service today.
>>D&RGW’s narrow gauge Silverton Branch_

The Denver & Rio Grande began construction in Silverton began to grow. By the mid-1950s, extra coaches
Denver in 1870. By 1882 the company operated trains on were added to the train, but customers were still often turned
1,000 miles of 3-foot-gauge track, which was cheaper to away as the trains were sold out. By the 1960s, the passen-
construct but complicated interchange with standard gauge ger train operated daily, often with more than one section.
carriers. Following the discovery of silver and gold in the San The D&RGW wasn’t interested in operating a tourist
Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, tracks were pushed railroad, and it filed to abandon the branch in 1962. In 1968,
west into that region, reaching Durango in 1881. Construction approval was finally granted for the Antonito-to-Durango main
of the 45-mile Silverton Branch was completed in 1882. line to be abandoned, but businesses in Durango and Silver-
Immediately following the driving of the final spike, shipping ton were able to convince the state that the branch was a
of ore from the numerous mines around Silverton began. viable operation and vital to the local economy. The D&RGW
Though there was little gold found in the area, miners were was required to continue operating the Silverton Branch. The
soon shipping silver by the ton. D&RGW sent several narrow gauge locomotives and most of
The 1880s and ‘90s were years of great prosperity for the its remaining narrow gauge passenger cars to Durango before
Silverton branch, but by the turn of the century, the U.S. the Antonito-Durango main line was removed.
government was no longer purchasing silver for currency, and The D&RGW continued to operate the Silverton Branch
revenues slowly declined. By the 1950s, traffic on the branch until 1981. Since that time, the line has operated as a privately
was down to a few trains a week. However, a new source of owned tourist railroad, and today the Durango & Silverton
revenue was beginning. The spectacular scenery of the San Narrow Gauge RR is easily the most famous tourist train in
Juan Mountains was becoming well known, and the demand North America, with annual passenger counts on the D&SNG
for tickets to ride the three-times-weekly mixed freight to exceeding 200,000 in some years. – D.T.
>>Meet Doug Tagsold_
Doug has been a model

railroader for most of his 49 years.
Originally a New York Central mod-
eler, his interest changed after a
family vacation to Colorado in 1989.
In addition to operating his On3
Silverton Branch layout, Doug also
continues to work on and operate his
HO scale Denver, Front Range &
Western layout, which has appeared
numerous times in Model Railroader
and GMR, and is in Vol. 33 of Allen
Keller’s Great Model Railroads video
series. Doug manages the family
funeral home business in Blissfield,
Mich., with his wife Diane and
children Steven and Jennifer. Doug
and his family enjoy traveling (mostly
to Colorado) and spending summers
at their cottage.
cars from Bachmann’s On21 ⁄2 plastic

coaches. I combined two of the short
three train crews. Communications are
handled by telephones located at the
9 The station order board is display-
ing red for Extra 464 West at
Rockwood, Colo. The train crew
Bachmann coaches to make one 48-foot Durango, Rockwood, and Silverton will pick up additional orders and
coach. As a finishing touch, I also add stations, and at the dispatcher’s and clearance to proceed from the
Kadee couplers and NorthWest Short operator’s desks. station agent at Rockwood.
Line wheelsets to all my rolling stock. When called for service, all train
crews go on duty in Durango. Once they
Built to run receive their orders and clearance forms, on the fast clock, which is about three to
As I said earlier, my major goal in they head for Silverton, performing any four actual hours.
building this layout was my desire to needed work along the way. Though the mainline run is only 175
have a railroad that was ideally suited for After completing their assignments in feet from Durango to Silverton, the slow
timetable-and-train-order operations. Silverton, each crew receives orders and speed of the narrow gauge locomotives,
The layout operates using either a 3:1 or clearance to return to Durango where mandatory water stops at Needleton
4:1 fast clock, depending on the capabili- they go off duty. There’s also a train-order tank, plus the fact that the trains must
ties of the operators. station located at Rockwood if additional return to Durango before the crew goes
The crew for an operating session orders are required. off duty, really make the distance seem
consists of a dispatcher who is positioned During a normal session, we’ll run much greater than it is.
outside of the layout room, an operator two scheduled passenger trains and Flagman figures are located at each
who copies the orders from the dispatch- three to five extra freights. We like to town for use by the train crews when
er and hangs them on clips at the sta- maintain the slow pace that typifies required by Rule 99. With sound in all of
tions, a Durango yardmaster who builds Colorado narrow gauge railroading, and the locomotives, the use of whistle
the trains and hostles the engines, and our sessions usually last about 12 hours signals is also encouraged.
I printed timetables on my computer,
as well as miniature versions of D&RGW’s
train order and clearance forms. I
included many of the standard “Rules of
Train Movements” on the back cover of
my timetables, copied from prototype
rule books, for quick reference.
To me, timetable-and-train-order
operation is like running trains and
playing chess at the same time. The train
crews must be aware of the time, sched-
uled trains, their orders, and the operat-
ing rules. It adds a whole new dimension
to the fun of model railroading.
My On3 Silverton Branch layout
continues to be an enjoyable adventure.
Working in the larger scale has been a
nice change, and the timetable-and-
train-order operation on a steam-era
10 Locomotive 453 eases a short
freight train to a halt to take on
water at the Needleton tank,
railroad really gives me the feeling of located high in the rugged moun-
going back in time and an appreciation of tains of southwest Colorado.
railroading as it was years ago. GMR
As he worked, Tom developed an Digging into the layout Tom elected to model scenes and
information base with a handful of books Rather than starting by drawing track places on the northernmost 47 miles of
and articles. Of course , in today’s wired plans, Tom instead began by developing the Clinchfield. This covers Elkhorn City
world, he also found a Clinchfield a benchwork configuration that would through Dante, Va. (pronounced “Dant”)
Internet chat group that has proved provide reasonable aisle widths and easy and on to Boody, Va., which is represent-
invaluable for material. access to all areas. This approach helped ed by hidden staging. This section of the
With research in hand, Tom started him identify where peninsulas and Clinchfield has three coal branches,
building a small Clinchfield layout. That turnback loops would work best and many mines, and a busy yard, providing
project soon gave way to a more ambi- quickly eliminated tight track con- a layout that’s a lot more than just track
tious venture when he and his wife straints. To achieve a long mainline run, winding through beautiful scenery.
moved into their current home in the Tom decided on a multi-level design. Tom explains that to make things fit
summer of 1998. In the new space, after Once the layout’s physical space was into his space, some of the scenes are
tearing out walls that had been a base- defined, Tom was ready to draw a mirror images of the prototype. Only the
ment bedroom and playroom, he had detailed track plan. For this he sought most knowledgeable and observant
roughly 1,000 square feet for a layout. the aid of Bob Helm, an authority on the Clinchfield devotee notices the changes.
Clinchfield RR and its operations. Bob However, whenever possible, Tom tried
wrote the book The Clinchfield Railroad to replicate the prototype’s arrangement
2 A southbound coal drag passes the

Union Baptist Church at Dante. On
the prototype, this is a favorite
in the Coalfields (TLC Publishing), and
Tom put Bob’s in-depth knowledge to
work. Bob laid out a detailed track plan
of track and structures.
A look at the three levels

railfan location, and Tom built the for the layout to fit Tom’s benchwork The uppermost level hangs 18" below
structure on his layout close to the diagram. And though Tom made some the ceiling joists and serves as the south-
tracks just like the real building changes during construction, the end staging yard. A visitor is generally
along the Clinchfield. finished layout reflects Bob’s plan. not aware of this level. Boody staging

3 A northbound coal drag enters
Dante Yard, passing the caboose
track and the engine terminal’s
steam-era turntable. Dante is the
major yard on the layout, and many
of the mine-run locals and turns
originate there.
4 This photo gives a good idea what

it’s like to run trains on Tom’s
layout. In this view down the aisle,
Dante Yard is in the upper left of
the photo, and Elkhorn City staging
is directly below it. You can also
just see a portion of the upper-level
Boody staging yard above Dante.
yard is connected to the middle deck Track height on the middle level is 53" Haysi RR branch, and terminates in
some 30" below by a five-turn helix. to 60" from the floor. This deck includes Elkhorn City staging below Dante Yard.
Crews can observe their train’s progress Dante Yard, the hub from which the mine While this level may be a bit low for some
on a split-screen television monitor. Tom locals are dispatched. Two branches, the operators, there's plenty of visual separa-
says this helps ease the mystery and Nora Spur and Fremont Branch, split tion between decks, which is effective in
anxiety of running a train in and out of from the main at this level. isolating individual scenes.
staging or up and down the hidden helix. On its way north, the main line next As is usually desirable on a multi-level
The cost of the four black-and-white enters a helix to reach the lower deck, set layout, Tom has located areas where
cameras and monitor was about $300, 30" off the floor. This deck runs beneath switching occurs on each deck so that
which Tom says, “was well worth it.” the length of the upper deck, hosts the Continued on page 52
>>Operations on the Elkhorn Extension_
On a given section of a prototype railroad, one or more times a day the
railroad’s dispatcher will prepare a train lineup – an informal operating plan. While
the events that actually happen on the railroad often play out different from the
lineup, it does provide a starting point for planning train movements.
Drafting a lineup can also be helpful for setting up a model railroad operating
session. Below is an example of how Tom Manning uses the lineup format on his
Clinchfield RR. Since Tom operates his layout without a timetable, his dispatcher
works with the suggested lineup to move trains over the railroad, writing in
departure times and specifics regarding pickups and setouts. Traffic patterns
change on the railroad from day to day – no two sessions are exactly alike. The
flow of traffic varies as Tom adjusts operations to suit the day’s needs.
A typical Clinchfield lineup
Second Moss Turn – Contact dispatcher for current location.

Tom’s crews keep an eye on trains
No. 15 – (North) Has empty hoppers and other cars for Dante. After setting out moving through the Boody staging
proceed to Elkhorn City. yard as well as in the helix by watching
this monitor. The staging surveillance
Rex Turn – On duty at Dante. Picks up and sets out cars for Cumberland system has four cameras, and in
Tipple, Roaring Forks, Rex No. 1, and Atomic Fuel. split-screen mode, four images are
displayed at once.
Chesapeake & Ohio Extra – On duty at Elkhorn City. Hoppers to be
weighed and billed at Dante. Return to Elkhorn City when ready.
Continued from page 49
First Moss Turn – On duty at Dante. Call the crew when consist is ready. they’re not directly above or below each
other, minimizing operator conflicts.
Elkhorn Turn – On duty at Dante. Mixed freight for Elkhorn City to be picked One exception to this was placing
up at later date. Terminates at EC. Elkhorn City below Dante. However,
because Elkhorn City is a staging yard
No. 92 – (South) Coal loads for Caney storage or Allen extension. and no classification or other work takes
place there, conflicts are few. Since the
Second Daylight Mine Run – On duty at Boody. Norfolk & Western Elkhorn City staging yard is visible, Tom
coal for Moss Prep Plant. Leave at Caney storage track. plans to scenic it.
No. 26 – (South) Picks up and sets out cars at Haysi Cement Plant. Operating like the Clinchfield
The prototype Clinchfield was leased
No. 97 – (North) Hotshot through freight, no work. in 1924 to the Atlantic Coast Line and
Louisville & Nashville, but it was still
Nora Turn – On duty at Dante. Call crew when ready. operated as an independent railroad.
By the 1970s, the period Tom models, the
No. 22 – (South) Through freight, no work. lessors’ SCL and Family Lines motive
power and cabooses started showing up
No. 293 – (North) Empties for Dante, proceeds through to Elkhorn City. on time freights hauling merchandise
north and south. It was also the period
Greenbrier Turn – On duty at Dante. Call crew when ready. when the Clinchfield was beginning to
paint its diesels black, replacing the
No. 193 – (North) Sets out cars at Dante, proceeds through to Elkhorn City. earlier gray-and-yellow scheme.
Tom’s operating sessions are three
No. 94 – (South) Through freight, no work. hours long. In addition to being a coal
hauler, the railroad was also a bridge
No. 95 – (North) Empties for Dante, proceeds through to Elkhorn city. line, so there’s a mix of merchandise
traffic for relief in the sea of black hop-
No. 14 – (South) Through freight, no work. pers. A typical session sees ten through
trains, some stopping at Dante to drop or
*Coal extras – can be called at Dante or Elkhorn City at any time. pick up blocks of cars. There's also an
assortment of mine runs and locals.
5 A Clinchfield steel caboose brings
up the rear of this northbound coal
train as it winds through the lush
tree canopy that covers much of
Appalachian country. The structure
in the distance is the Blue Diamond
tipple, located at the end of the
Nora Spur branch line.
6 Weighing coal loads is a constant

activity in coal country. Here at the
Dante scale, each car is rolled
downgrade and weighed individu-
ally. The building next to the scale
track serves as both the scale
house and the yard office.
You might think that a coal-hauling to a preparation plant where it could be shuffling of cars back and forth adds
railroad simply pulls cars from mine graded and washed and then reloaded interest to operating sessions.
tipples and hauls them off to market. On for movement to a power plant or tidewa- The layout is stocked with more than
the Clinchfield in the 1970s, it wasn’t ter port. That meant that coal loads 600 cars, and half of those are hoppers.
quite that simple. moved in both directions on the railroad. A common problem when putting
The coal loaded at many tipples or On Tom’s layout, such movements are to together a coal-hauling model railroad is
truck dumps was “raw,” just as it came and from the Moss No. 1 Preparation that many of the cars initially have
out of the mine. The raw coal was taken Plant on his Fremont Branch. Such duplicate road numbers – manufacturers
7 The crew of a mine run delivers
empties to the Open Fork tipple on
the Nora Spur. Coal mining plays a
big part on Tom’s layout, and he
enjoys the modeling challenges
presented by the fact that no
two tipples were built the
same way.
>>Researching the prototype_

Collecting specific information about a
particular railroad can give you great confidence when it
comes time to design your own prototype-based layout. And
even if you’re considering building a freelanced model
railroad, researching a prototype railroad that’s similar to the
one you want to freelance can help your design efforts.
One tool you can use to search for information is the
index of magazines at modelrailroader.com. If you find a
story of interest in a Kalmbach magazine, such as Model
Railroader, Great Model Railroads, or Trains, you can order it
directly from Kalmbach’s customer service department by
calling 1-800-533-6644. Back issues for most other model
railroad and prototype publications can be purchased from Clinchfield Southbound Extra 3010 holds in the siding for a
used book dealers like Railpub (www.railpub.com). meet at Dante, Va., on June 9, 1976. Scott Hartley photo
There’s also a wealth of books available on most major
railroads, and many short lines have had at least one book Railroad historical societies can also be a good source of
published about them. Since these books are specialized, information. The efforts of these groups range from modest to
however, they often have relatively small press runs. You prodigious, and many have Web sites and produce their own
can usually find used copies on the Internet at such sites as magazines and newsletters. Also, many private Web sites offer
www.abebooks.com or amazon.com. photos of locomotives, rolling stock, and railroad structures.
Another good source of railroad information is the The best thing you can do is visit the area you wish to model.
material the railroads published themselves. These printed Even if your chosen railroad has been merged or abandoned, first-
items include timetables, railroad rule books, charts, maps, hand experience gives you a better understanding of the region.
calendars, and so on. Many of these items are easy to find And sometimes you can meet interesting people, such as active
at reasonable prices at railroadiana shows or on Ebay. or retired railroaders and fellow researchers. – P.D.

8 A northbound coal extra exits
Sandy Ridge Tunnel and passes the
New Cumberland Mine at Trammel,
Keeping things running
The scenery on the middle level of the
>>Meet Tom Manning_
Va. The yellow panels painted on layout is generally complete. Before Tom
the sides on the hoppers indicate tackles the scenery on the lower deck, he
those cars are being used for wants to install CTC (Centralized Traffic
ballast service. Control) signaling. Until that’s done,
operators radio the dispatcher for permis-
sion to proceed or occupy blocks. Once
seldom issue more than a dozen numbers installed, the signals will be controlled by
on any given model. As an interim a replica CTC panel.
solution, Tom renumbered many of the The photos on the accompanying
cars using self-adhesive stickers so he pages show the railroad after six years of
could get operations up and running construction. That’s an impressive
quickly. Ultimately, he’ll have to either accomplishment considering the com-
decal the cars with new numbers or shift plexity of this multi-level railroad. Tom’s
cars by blocks, ignoring individual car quick to point out that he’s had help from
numbers entirely. He’s still deciding. some local model railroaders during his
One might think that if you’ve seen regular work sessions. He also says that
one coal tipple, you’ve seen them all. Not using flextrack and ready-to-use turnouts
true. Tipples vary in size and function, have contributed greatly to the layout’s
and through the years, technology and progress. With the benchwork in place,
coal-handling methods have changed. Tom was able to lay the track quickly and
Designs were also adapted to each site, so ran his first train over the main line just Tom is a professional
no two tipples are really alike, which is two years after starting construction. railroader with the BNSF. He and his
wonderful for the modeler. Tom built his Even though he lives in Kansas, Tom wife Shawn have three children and
tipples following the prototypes at his Manning has successfully captured the three grandchildren. He credits his
selected locations. When complete, the flavor and rail operations in coal country wife’s support in being able to make
layout will have a wide variety of tipple in southwestern Virginia. Research, hard the progress he has on the layout. He
examples, from small loaders straddling work, and a little help from his friends also thanks John Rus and Travis
the main line to the huge Moss No. 1 Prep have helped him build a noteworthy Bastien for helping on the layout.
Plant at the end of the Fremont Branch. Appalachian model railroad. GMR
>>
A day on
Working the eastbound way freight on the HO Maumee Route
5:30 a.m. We start our day at the East Yard engine terminal on Bill Darnaby’s HO We stop at the East Yard office to check
Maumee Route. Our engine, Mikado no. 521, is waiting for us under the coal dock. the train register and get our paperwork.
Welcome to LaFontaine, is filled with coal and water. The Maumee arrived except second-class freight No.
Ohio. It’s 5:30 a.m., September 1955, runs on Digitrax Digital Command 57, so we can’t leave until it shows up.
and we’re at the roundhouse of the Control, so we assign the engine to our We also receive our train orders with
Cleveland, Indianapolis, Cincinnati & St. throttle and check the headlight, backup the clearance Form A that’s required for
Louis RR, better known as the Maumee light, bell, and whistle functions. Then any train at its initial station and is our
Route. We’re called for train No. 20, the we head down the engine lead. authority to proceed on schedule. That’s
daily-except-Sunday eastbound local often all we’d need for a scheduled train.
freight on the First Subdivision of the Before we can leave However, the clearance says we also have
Youngstown Division, and we’ll end our The details of today’s work are all at train orders 4, 5, and 6, and one message.
day at Dacron, Ohio, 90 miles away. East Yard Office, and that’s our first stop. Order no. 4 is a Form 19 saying “No.
We’ll be governed by Timetable No. 3 First, we check the bulletin book for 20 has right over No. 57 East Yard to
and by train orders from the dispatcher. changes to daily operating procedures. Mifflin.” That makes 20 superior as far as
There’s no signal protection except at Next, we check the train register for the west switch of the Mifflin siding, so
interlockings. The timetable makes overdue superior trains. Number 20 is we won’t have to wait for 57 after all.
eastward trains superior to westward scheduled out of East Yard at 6:31 a.m., Form 31 order no. 5 says “No. 20 meet
trains of the same class. As an eastbound and the timetable shows five opposing No. 21 at Avoca.” Our train is scheduled
third-class train, No. 20 is superior only superior trains. One was due in more to meet 21, the west local, at Avoca, but
to westbound third-class and extra than 12 hours ago and is no longer a the dispatcher routinely sets a “hard
trains. We’ll have a long day. concern – any train more than 12 hours meet” by train order so No. 21, inferior by
Our engine, a J-2 class 2-8-2, is on the late loses its schedule authority. The direction, can proceed to Avoca if 20 is
outbound track under the coal dock and register shows that all the others have late. The dispatcher used Form 31
>>Hidden staging in a heavy industry
4 Opposite: A switcher eases a
sleeper onto the transfer table at
the north end of the Omaha Road
shops. The car is headed for one of
the stalls of the paint shop. The
two-story building on the right is
the upholstery shop.
cleaning up the inside, I divided the

warehouse into layout, business, and
living areas.
I asked my friend Douglas Hodgdon of
Douglas Designs to help me plan the
railroad. Our first attempt was a fairly
simple, generic model railroad. The track
plan soon evolved into as prototypical a
depiction of Hudson and the surround-
As Bob and I began planning
his layout we soon realized that we
6 A switcher works the yard in
front of the Andersen Window
factory in Bayport, Minn. The
ing area as we could fit into the allotted wanted to make it as accurate to the largest structure on the layout,
space. We had a lot of historical inspira- local area as possible. To do so, we the nine-foot-long plant proved a
tion all around us. needed to model both sides of the St. convenient place to locate a
Many of Hudson’s historic buildings Croix River, including Bayport, Minn. staging yard. The hidden tracks
still stand today, so I could get a lot of The largest industry in Bayport is the run through the top floor.
research done just by taking a short walk Andersen Window factory.
around town. I re-created three-and-a- Unfortunately, that side of the layout was also where we needed to put the
half blocks of downtown Hudson as it staging tracks. There simply wasn’t enough room for a huge industry and a
looked in the 1950s and ’60s. All of the hidden staging yard. And since the main line runs up a grade at both ends of the
buildings feature detailed interiors and layout, the staging tracks are 41 ⁄ 2" higher than the rest of the layout. Bob’s
lighting. My potato warehouse is on the solution was to take advantage of the Andersen Window factory’s size.
layout at its correct location next to the The finished building is nine feet long and wide enough to span all of the
grain elevator. staging tracks. Since the factory is a multi-story building, it’s tall enough to
Aside from the town, I’ve included conceal the elevated tracks.
other local landmarks, including Dick’s The staging tracks run through the upper floors. The lower floors and the
Bar, the Dibbo Hotel, and the “Hudson, freight dock have detailed interiors built underneath the track level. The flat roof is
Wis.” arch that spans U.S. Hwy. 12. Local removable for easy access to the staging tracks.
modeler, Bob Niedercorn scratchbuilt the Foliage and a retaining wall hide the
Hudson depot.
Over the bridge

rest of the staging tracks. When looking
at the layout no one would know that
there are trains running inside the top
7 The staging tracks are higher
than the rest of the layout, so
they actually occupy the top
The swing bridge spanning the St. floor of the factory – except maybe the floor of the building. A retaining
Croix River links Wisconsin with Minne- factory workers! – Douglas Hodgdon wall helps hide the tracks on the
sota. Doug scratchbuilt the bridge using east end of the factory.
Central Valley parts. The project took
hundreds of hours. The rip-rap leading
up to the bridge is made of actual C&NW
ballast that he hammered down to HO
scale. On a trip to the bridge, we noticed
an eagle’s nest on top of one of the line
poles, so we added it to the scene.
Across the St. Croix River on the
Minnesota side, I added an abandoned
5 Opposite: Chicago & North West-

ern no. 1601 pulls a local through
downtown Hudson. Bob modeled
his hometown as it appeared in the
1950s and ’60s The potato ware-
house is the yellow building in
front of the grain elevator.
the Northern States Power King Plant.
Both industries have their own switchers
to handle their heavy yard traffic. The
Andersen Window factory also serves to
hide a large part of my staging yard. See
“Hidden staging in a heavy industry” on
page 71.
A rich railroad history
8 Using modeler’s license, Bob added

a diesel engine terminal at the
south end of downtown Hudson.
stretch of Milwaukee Road track that
once crossed the Omaha Road. I modeled
Railroading was once the most
important industry in Hudson. At the
center of my layout is the Omaha Road
The railroad actually used this the unused line overgrown with weeds Car Shops. The shops are a complex of
location for helper locomotives and with the crossing removed. structures, each dedicated to specific
during the steam era. Farther down the line in Bayport, purposes like blacksmithing, woodwork-
Minn., two large industries dominate the ing, repairing wheels, and painting. I laid
layout: the Andersen Window factory and out all of the shop buildings according to
9 An Omaha Road F unit leads a local
across the Willow River. The
Northern States Power King Plant
is visible in the background.
>>Meet Bob Dabruzzi_
A lifelong resident of
Hudson, Wis., Bob Dabruzzi has
turned much of his home into a
repository of local railroad history. A
big fan of the Omaha Road and
Chicago & North Western RR, he’s
even landscaped the courtyard of his
home with C&NW “pink lady” ballast.
He’s also supplied information for
many books and publications about
the C&NW.
Along with model railroading and
collecting railroadiana, Bob has made
numerous railfanning trips across the
United States and Europe. He is a
concrete contractor and lives with his
significant other, Linda.
old plat maps. I also modeled the two become a mini-museum dedicated to the Wyoming, I collect dried sagebrush to
transfer tables that helped shift cars C&NW and the Omaha Road. use for my tree trunks.
between the shops. Aside from scenery and structures
In 1938 the shops built the Name- Always room for improvements I’ve made improvements to the operation
kagon rail motor car set. It ran from the With the help of a few friends, the of the layout. Originally, I used a Com-
Twin Cities through northern Wisconsin layout was 85 percent scenicked by 1999, puter/Model Railroad Interface (C/MRI)
and makes runs across my layout. just in time to be included in the layout system, as designed by Bruce Chubb, to
Even though the shops and the tours for the NMRA convention in St. control my trains. I’ve since converted
Omaha Road are long gone, many past Paul that year. Today the layout is almost the layout to Digital Command Control
and present railroad employees have completely scenicked, but we upgrade (DCC). Also, each switching location,
given me items of historical significance the layout as needed. We’ve kept busy including the depots, has local control
to display in the layout room. For exam- superdetailing rolling stock and upgrad- panels. With my friends I have regular,
ple, the St. Croix swing bridge crew gave ing structures. I’m even installing informal operating sessions.
me the original control panel when the another office building in the Andersen The railroad has been great fun to
Union Pacific upgraded the bridge with Window factory complex. build and operate, but it’s also given me a
new controls. With the layout and the I’m still adding some trees to the wonderful opportunity to preserve a
railroadiana, the potato warehouse has layout. When I go on railfanning trips to piece of my hometown’s history. GMR
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>>
Where coal
is king
The ever-evolving HO scale
West Island Model Railroad Club
By Rob Smith • Photos by Vincent Lee

Rather than cling to the past, the
West Island Model Railroad Club embraces
2 A westbound hopper train
pulled by an A&W 2-6-6-6 passes
an eastbound freight led by a pair
change as the best way to improve the of F7s at New Carrollton, Md. The
railroad and members’ enjoyment of it. Allegheny is a brass import
Our new layout, the 50 x 66-foot HO scale owned by club member Galon
Allegheny & Western, is an example of how Gouzoulakis, rebuilt and painted
you can teach an old club new tricks. by member Mark Guiffre. It has a
The layout’s modern, walkaround dual drive line and a pair of
design features Digital Command Control Soundtraxx sound decoders that
(DCC), radio communications, multiple allow separate control over each
staging yards, Centralized Traffic Control set of six driving wheels.
(CTC) signaling, and prototypical operat-
ing sessions. It’s a far cry from the club’s
first layout – a 1947 “spaghetti bowl” of ceiling, and back-breaking duckunders
track with fixed DC cabs. all contributed to a feeling that starting
The West Island club has weathered over was our best course of action.
four moves, built five layouts, hosted By keeping half the old layout intact
almost 100 open houses, and provided a through the beginning of the new
great deal of enjoyment for members layout’s construction, club members
through its nearly six decades of opera- could still run trains while waiting for
tion. Located in the basement of a Farm- operations to begin on the new layout.
ingdale, N.Y., shopping center, the club The first trains were running on the main
1 An Allegheny & Western RR RSD-4

shoves empty hoppers to the
Hendricks tipple while, on the main
has about 80 members. About half that
number is very active in attending
meetings, operating nights, and work
line of the new Allegheny & Western
within five months.
line below, an A&W westbound sessions. Rarely does a month go by where A mountain road
freight grinds upgrade. Coal trains, we’re not contemplating or implementing The new Allegheny & Western mea-
coal mines, and related industries another improvement to the layout. sures 50 x 66 feet and has more than nine
like steel making are at the heart of The current layout, begun in 1992, scale miles of double-tracked main line.
the West Valley Model Railroad replaced a 19-year-old layout that had the It’s a mountain railroad loosely based on
Club’s 50 x 66-foot HO layout. membership frustrated. Tight-radius the Baltimore & Ohio, both operationally
curves, bad track, deteriorating electrical and geographically, with elements of the
wiring, fixed cabs where engineers Chesapeake & Ohio. We model the era
watched their trains in a mirror on the Continued on page 80
3 An A&W RS-11 switches the
massive Ford Motor Co. plant locat-
ed on the harbor branch at Alexan-
dria, Va. Modeling large industries
is one of the advantages of having
a 3,300-square-foot layout.
including coal mines, a steel mill, and a

busy harbor. We also model several
interchange points with connecting
roads. The A&W’s traffic is largely coal,
but the steel and coke industries are
integral parts of the railroad’s livelihood.
The A&W features pusher (helper)
operations in both directions to shove
trains over our layout’s highest point,
Allegheny Summit. We also have live
loads that are filled and emptied during
operation sessions. The live loads add
4 A local freight headed by an A&W

AS-616 arrives in the town of Cedar
Grove, W.Va., to switch local
Continued from page 77
between 1950-65, which allows us to run
intensity to the pusher operations, as
inadvertently dumping a trainload of
coal or ore makes for quite a mess (and
industries. It’s passing a bait and first- and second-generation diesels guarantees much good-natured razzing
tackle shop, a reminder that sport while enjoying the final years of steam. of the hapless hogger).
fishing and tourism are important The heart of our railroad is the sprawl- There’s extensive staging to support
parts of the local economy. ing Gent Yard, located at the west end of our regular operating sessions, as well as
the modeled portion of the route. From the 50-foot-long Gent freight classifica-
Gent, the A&W heads eastward through tion yard, a sizable car-repair shop
West Virginia and Virginia, and on into facility, and a major city passenger depot
Maryland to end outside of Baltimore. with extensive support services includ-
There are several branches along the ing Railway Express Agency, Post Office,
line that serve a wide range of industries, baggage, and commissary functions. The
passenger terminal has its own coach
yard and engine servicing area. We have
and unit trains, with much traffic
produced by coal mining and the related
5 Eastland Steel switcher no. 419
shoves a live coal load onto the
working rotary dumper. Actual
an additional staging yard (reached by a industries of coke and steel-making. We loading and unloading of coal,
removable bridge) where members can then added passenger and local freight coke, and iron ore adds a lot of
store their privately owned equipment. service to the mix. interest to the monthly A&W
The steel mill also has its own yard operating sessions.
and engine terminal, as does the Garcia Construction details
Terminal Ry. The mine branch, reaching We used several techniques and
Elkins, W.Va., has an extensive network of materials to construct the benchwork, The benchwork is primarily box-girder
track serving five coal loadouts. but one decision in particular has really construction with spline subroadbed. For
Club members have worked just as paid off: We built a central wall of 2x4s to our landforms, plaster over screen and
hard on creating impressive industries support the dividing scenic backdrops, paper towels have given way to carved
and scenic features, including a 10-foot- then cantilevered the layout outward and shaped extruded-foam insulation
long, 3-foot-high concrete viaduct, an from that central point. This structure is board. Older scenes are regularly reha-
operating carnival, two working rotary incredibly strong and solid, with no bilitated or replaced, which gives us a
dumpers, a 30-foot-long steel mill annoying legs by the aisles. chance to try new techniques and
complex, a giant lift bridge, and even a
small-town trolley line.
Learning from our past mistakes, we >>Sharing the fun of the hobby_
laid mainline curves that are broad
enough to handle virtually any equip- As the club began to feel comfortable with the experience and
ment, and we made sure to include plenty results of our operating sessions, we decided to inaugurate an Invitational Ops
of industrial sidings to complement the Session to extend the enjoyment of the railroad to out-of-town friends. The first
developing operational scheme. To invitational, in May 2003, saw the A&W play host to 30 operators, coming from
ensure that no aspect of the railroad as far away as Illinois. The invitational featured three sessions of three hours
lacked for attention, we formed commit- each. A revamped schedule of two sessions was completed in June 2004 and
tees to oversee equipment inspection, was likewise well-attended and much enjoyed.
signaling, and electrical installations. We The club holds a public open house each year running over the course of three
also established the position of superin- or four adjacent weekends. We often entertain as many as 1,500 spectators
tendent to provide necessary day-to-day during the annual open house weekends. Because so many changes are made to
decision-making. the layout from year-to-year, repeat guests frequently tell us that they get a kick
The operational pattern that emerged out of discovering the new scenes added since their last visit. – R.S.
focused primarily on through freights
6 Eastland Steel at Front Royal, Va.,
is the largest on-line customer of
the A&W. Here Eastland Steel
switcher no. 417 spots cars at
Eastland’s building 24.
One recent project was the installa-

tion of NCE Switch-It accessory decoders
to activate our Tortoise turnout motors –
eliminating once and for all the control
panels that proved so inconvenient and
maintenance intensive.
The next challenge facing the club is
the completion of a CTC signal system,
designed by a member who once worked
as a Long Island RR signal engineer.
Decoders by the dozens

The 115 locomotives in the A&W fleet
represent the steam-to-diesel transition
years of the 1950s to the mid-1960s.
Most of the locomotives were con-
verted to DCC by two members, Nick
Guiffre and Rich Valente, but they
materials. Structures range from well- gradually passed their techniques along,
known kits and kitbashed variations to and now most members do their own
completely scratchbuilt complexes. DCC conversions.
Most of the online industries are Many locomotives have been fitted
named after members – both past and with sound decoders, and the members
present. Our deceased members are are adopting sound for their own engines
honored in the naming of bridges and at a rapid pace.
large complexes. Diesels painted in a number of A&W
We originally used DC cabs for our schemes form the bulk of the roster, but
new layout, with panels that used push more steam locomotives are starting to
buttons and relays to assign blocks. appear thanks to the proliferation of
However, the panels proved difficult to finely detailed and smooth-running
install and even harder to maintain. models hitting the market.
Despite a great deal of work on our DC
block wiring, helper operations remained Flexible operations
extremely difficult to implement, so the In 2000, the club decided to develop
club began researching the options formal operation procedures and begin
available to us with DCC. monthly operating sessions. There are
The discussions lasted for several about 25 regularly operating members
months, as members debated the and some 10 to 15 part-timers who make
feasibility of retaining DC operation up the crews each month.
along with the DCC (due mostly to the Through trains from staging yards
costs involved in converting locomo- representing the unmodeled sections of
Member Jim Schweitzer (at left) briefs tives), but when the vote was held the the A&W’s system flow both east to
guest dispatcher Dave Metal on train result was unanimous to convert. The Baltimore and west to the Ohio Valley.
traffic on the main line during the club’s process took four months but the fine- Twelve to fourteen through trains might
2005 Operational Invitational day. tuning is ongoing, as new products offer traverse the layout in a single three-hour
more convenience and reliability. operating session. In addition, unit trains
Today West Island is believed to be of coal, coke, and ore are likely to be
the largest club using North Coast scheduled, along with one or more trains
Engineering’s DCC system. We have to and from each branch, five or six
eight power boosters, 19 power districts, through passenger trains, a pair of
and more than 110 decoder-equipped, commuter trains, and a few local freights
club-owned locomotives. to round out the traffic.
All-in-all, as many as 32 trains may
ply the A&W’s rails in one session. The
also double-ended, so “orbiters” (as we
call the through trains) don’t have to be
7 The largest coal mine at Elkins,
W.Va., is the Ogden Mine. An A&W
0-8-0 shoves a cut of hoppers
operating scheme is flexible, with restaged between sessions. under the tipple, while a mine
suspension of operation of any of those The A&W’s staging areas include six worker loads a supply truck.
branches or facilities possible (except “beyond-the-layout” destinations, and a
Gent) in case of a low turnout. pool of more than 500 freight cars is kept
The operations’ plan also specifies a in use by the orbiters. This fleet ensures our signal system, work is under way to
trainmaster to oversee the train move- sufficient traffic to satisfy even the most complete the cityscape surrounding
ments and organize the personnel, a voracious group of road crews. Allegheny Union Station and to rehabili-
dispatcher to run the railroad, an engine Anyone can bid for any job on the tate the valley beneath the Julius Kupce-
hostler in Gent, and helper crews sta- railroad, except for the positions of wicz Memorial Viaduct. We’ve enlarged
tioned on both sides of the mountain. trainmaster, dispatcher, and Gent Gent Yard and added arrival and depar-
Trains are identified by a two-letter yardmaster. Since the performance of ture tracks, and a hump yard.
and single-digit code, such as “AY-1.” The these functions has such an impact on In the meantime, the superintendent
letters correspond to the names of the the flow of a session, newcomers must manages the Herculean task of mainte-
train’s origination point and eventual serve an apprenticeship with a qualified nance that keeps our 3,300-square-foot
destination. The numbers are sequential member before “soloing.” railroad running smoothly. The scenery
through the session and odd or even Originally, our communications were committee moves around the layout,
according to direction of travel. by a wired phone system, but it proved refreshing stale areas and adding new
There are 47 industrial destinations inconvenient, inflexible, and darned scenes to complement layout changes.
and 244 spots for freight cars on the hard to hear when more than a couple of There’s much work to be done, but we
layout’s sidings. Routing is handled with people were using it. The club therefore always have time to welcome visitors. If
a car-card-and-waybill system with cards switched to radio communications using you’d like to stop by, visit our Web site
having a rotating set of four destinations. consumer Family Radio Service (FRS)- [www.fortunecity.com/marina/custom-
Currently, only one of the four destina- band handheld radios. house/381/] for times, and directions. GMR
tions is on the layout itself, keeping cars
on the move in through trains and taking Never say “finished” Rob Smith is a member of the West
full advantage of our sizable fleet of There’s no end of projects looming on Island Model Railroad Club. He works in
freight cars (currently numbering over the horizon for the West Island Model video production and lives on Long
1,500). The double-decked staging yard is Railroad Club. In addition to installing Island, N.Y., with his wife and daughter.
2 The engineer sounds the whistle as
Mikado no. 1513 passes through
Edna, Miss., on its way to Hatties-
footprint of 14 x 32 feet. This was a
generous space, but I felt it was still too
The interior of the building was
unfinished with exposed studs, rafters,
burg with a local freight. Wood was small for my dream layout. Even so, I and a plywood floor. With the help of my
a common building material in the began to sketch possible track plans, but good friend Greg Collins, we installed a
Old South, so it’s used for most of kept hitting a brick wall. The problem lauan ceiling, insulation, drywall, and
the layout’s commercial structures. was my desire to include the terminus of carpeting. Family member Bob Perry did
The locomotive is an imported New Orleans. Doing justice to the “Big all of the electrical work, including the
brass model that Cliff painted and Easy” wouldn’t leave space for my other installation of a combination air condi-
lettered for the MA&G. goals of a rural mainline run and staging tioner and heater and 14 strategically
for at least 25 trains. placed fluorescent light fixtures. Within
Finally, I began toying with some three months I was ready for benchwork.
I dreaded the thought of tearing out multiple-deck ideas and found a triple-
the layout, particularly when there was deck track plan that would achieve my Developing the route
no space for a new one. I also considered goals. I have a staging deck that’s 30" The MA&G is a Class 1 railroad from
how much time and money would be lost from the floor with a wye and tracks to Chattanooga, Tenn., to Houston, Tex.,
in the process. Because our house sits on hold as many as 30 staged trains. The with branches to Mobile, Ala., and New
a two-acre lot, I began to consider out- second deck at a 40" elevation represents Orleans, La. I developed the MA&G’s
door options. If I could build a layout that my mainline run through rural southern route to compete with the Illinois Central
could be transported intact, I could Mississippi, and an upper deck at a 57" and the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio using maps
essentially eliminate future demolition elevation holds New Orleans. The plan published in Kalmbach’s reprint of the
losses. Then it dawned on me that a semi- left space for my combined desk and Rand McNally 1948 Railroad Atlas of the
portable building might be the answer. workbench, a double-track helix, and a United States [out of print].
small entertainment center. Originally, the MA&G was to share
A portable solution With my local dealer’s help, I speci- trackage with the Louisville & Nashville
As I began my homework, I soon fied what I wanted, including shingle and into New Orleans. However, I’ve collected
discovered that the largest building that siding colors to match our house. In April more motive power from the Southern
could be delivered in one piece had a 2001, my building arrived on a flatbed. and GM&O than from the L&N, so I went
3 Engine 9127, a GP9 in the MA&G’s
latest paint scheme, handles the
switching work assigned to today’s
eastbound local train no. 32. For
realism, this freelanced paint job
closely follows those of the Illinois
Central and Kansas City Southern.
back to the maps and adjusted the MA&G

main line slightly (a definite advantage to
freelancing!). Now the MA&G meets the
Southern and GM&O at Slidell, La., to
share the Southern’s track across the east
end of Lake Pontchartrain into New
Orleans. In exchange, these two railroads
have running rights over the MA&G
between Slidell and Mobile, Ala.
To see how this route works, let’s
follow a train bound for New Orleans
from Hattiesburg, Miss. It leaves the
staging deck and climbs the helix to
appear at the fictional town of Wharton,
Miss. This town boasts a courthouse
square typical of many small Mississippi
towns. Local industries include the E.
Dabler Feed Mill (named for a model
railroading friend), Mississippi Rice,
Wharton Farm Center, and Pine Belt
Meat Packers. Leaving Wharton, the
ce
train crosses the Wolf River and State
lle
CHATTANOOGA
en
TENN.
vi
Route 53.
or
ts
AM Hun
Fl
After traveling through the piney
lu le lo
Chattanooga Division Henagar
woods of southern Mississippi, the Hines New Orleans Division pe
d
Tu
oo
GH
RM s
Houston Division
BI bu
nw
Lumber Co. comes into view as the train Altoona
IN
l
Corkvi
m
ee
crosses a low pile trestle spanning the log Anniston

Gr
a
St
pond. Hines still uses Shays to bring in

Macon Tuscaloosa
log buggies filled with longleaf yellow
iu on
o
De Kalb La Grange
sk
sc bs
pine. Farther west, in the blink of an eye, Monroe

h
Ko t Gi
ig
MERIDIAN Selma
le
the train passes through Kiln, Miss.,

r
Winnsboro
Ra
Po
where the Baptist church is one of the ALABAMA

M I S S I S S I P P I Waynesboro
only signs of civilization. TEXAS Jena Hattiesburg
lle
ALEXANDRIA
vi
Garletts’ Farm, named for my good

ile
ar
De Ridder
ob
pl
friend Frank Garletts, is set against miles Oberlin Baton

Po
Rouge
of rolling countryside with a cow pasture Edna Kiln Wharton
Kountze
and acres of soybean fields. The Jourdon Lafayette
Slidell
River is crossed on a long truss bridge. HOUSTON LOUISIANA
NEW ORLEANS
Again we’re surrounded by thick pine
forests until we emerge at Edna, Miss.
Edna has several Fine Scale Minia- Illustration by Rick Johnson
tures industries and the R.L. Graves pulp

mill, which is named for my best friend. Continuing development six-stall roundhouse, and a machine
This impressive complex sits on the The top deck will represent three shop. Each of these structures will be
banks of the Pearl River near a double- different parts of New Orleans. The built from Walthers kits.
track swing bridge. As the train leaves longest section along the rear wall will be The famous piers, wharves, and
Edna, it crosses the doorway and returns occupied by the MA&G’s People’s Avenue elevators along the crescent of the
to the helix to eventually complete the freight yard. It will include an engine Mississippi River will line the opposite
trip to New Orleans. For the moment, the terminal to service steam and diesel wall, separated from the rest of the scene
bottom two decks have been finished. locomotives with a 130-foot turntable, by a backdrop behind the New Orleans
>>Designing a multi-deck layout_
This overall shot of the triple-decked MA&G shows This double-track helix is the key to moving trains in and
how compactly everything is stacked into the rail- out of staging so they appear at the right places on the
road room. Most of the staging is tucked underneath layout. The inside loop connects only the top and bottom
on the bottom deck where it’s handy but out of sight. levels, while the outside track can be used to move trains
The supports for the future top deck are visible along between any of the layout’s three levels. Three removable
the top edges of the middle level’s backdrops bridges (right) cross the doorway for continuous running.
In designing my layout, I needed a way for trains proceeding to the next deck. Everything on the bottom deck
to travel in both directions between the lower staging and involves off-stage activity, so there’s no scenery on this level.
the future top deck terminus of New Orleans, using the helix On the second deck, I made an early decision to add
to bypass the middle deck. The main challenge involved the scenery and to detail it to completion before beginning any
foreign-road passenger trains, which travel directly to NOUPT construction on the third deck. My thinking was that access
without running through the second level. would be much easier without having the top deck in the
My solution was to use a double-track helix. The outer way. The only drawback is the potential for damage during
track includes connections so trains can reach all three construction of the top deck, but a few extra precautions
decks. Conversely, trains can only enter the inside track from should minimize the risk.
staging and exit directly on the upper level, bypassing the Most of the layout is supported by L-girder benchwork,
second level completely. but the top deck will be supported by 24" metal shelf
Four additional long staging tracks will be concealed brackets suspended on 12" sections of steel mounting track.
behind the riverfront wharves on the upper deck to repre- While it’s more costly than lumber, this shelf-bracket con-
sent other yards for Southern and GM&O through freights. struction should go quickly with a minimum of mess. It also
I’ve built the layout from the ground up by starting with offers plenty of support for a thin deck. If I were to start over,
the staging deck and finishing it to completion before I’d build the entire layout using these components.– C.P.
Technologies for my sawmill, farm, and determine the time windows when the similar list to assemble and block cars for
cattle pens. Even though I resisted DCC freight traffic can be run as second- and the various road trains.
for years, it has added more enjoyment to third-class trains. Instead of using a fast clock, I’ve
my layout than I could ever imagine! All Southern and GM&O freight trains divided a 24-hour day into four six-hour
will operate as through trains, stopping shifts or “tricks.” Each operating session
Train operations only to drop off cuts of cars at the Peo- will represent one trick in sequential
My operating plans for the MA&G are ple’s Avenue Yard in New Orleans. After- order. With an average of 15 trains
based on the sequence timetable ap- wards, they’ll continue into hidden moving during each trick, a crew of six
proach John Pryke explained in the staging to simulate the cross-town runs should have plenty to do. I envision
October 2002 MR. Because half of the to their respective yards. having a train dispatcher, yardmaster,
trains on my layout will be passenger For car forwarding, I’ll be using the NOUPT stationmaster, and a minimum
consists, I created the NOUPT “time- RailOp software program (see the Web of three mainline engineers.
table” first. I started by entering all of the site at www.railop.com). This program So far, I haven’t had an operating
prototype arrival and departure times for simplifies car routing compared to the session as the top deck has yet to be built.
these first-class trains on a spreadsheet. manual car card and waybill system I However, I can operate trains on both
Then I filled the remaining time slots used previously. At the beginning of a finished decks or from staging to switch
with my MA&G and GM&O passenger session each operator will now receive a the middle deck’s towns. A runaround
trains. With all of the first-class trains computer generated switchlist. The yard- move at Wharton puts the locomotive in
listed in this timetable, I was then able to master in New Orleans will also receive a the lead for the return to the staging yard.
5 An aging Shay passes the Hines
Lumber Co. planing shed with a
string of log buggies headed for
the woods. In the meantime,
workers are stacking the next
carload of longleaf yellow pine
that’s ready for shipping. A saw-
mill sound unit adds atmosphere
to this interesting scene.
Southern Mississippi scenery

My scenery and structures on the
second deck all contribute to a realistic
impression of rural Mississippi. I use
commercial photographic backdrops
which I print myself through Adobe
Photoshop. This allows me to use some
artistic tricks to repeat patterns, make
mirror images, and alter background
structures. Any seams are easily camou-
flaged with foreground trees, structures,
or pole lines. To me, this photographic
backdrop is far more effective than
anything I could paint.
Heavily forested areas separate my
scenes, and I made them using Scenic
Express materials. Sagebrush tree arma-
tures covered with stretched poly fiber
and ground foam foliage are combined
with Silflor “prairie tufts” for weeds to
create this effective backwoods look.
man kits. Structures have always been
my favorite part of the hobby, and laser
kits have certainly increased that enjoy-
6 Indoor plumbing is still a dream
for the residents along this winding
dirt road out of East Edna, Miss.
The majority of the second deck’s ment. I’ve also completed four of the com- Small details like the busy figures,
structures are built from laser-cut crafts- plex Fine Scale Miniatures industry kits. rural mailboxes, and pickup truck
add life to this typical scene.
7 After slowing for reverse curves in
Wharton, Miss., Pacific no. 1707 is
picking up speed again so MA&G’s
train no. 1, the Dixie General, will
arrive on time at the New Orleans
Union Passenger Terminal. The
light 4-6-2 follows a United States
Railroad Administration prototype
that was popular in the south.
Creating an MA&G image

The MA&G locomotives and rolling
stock are painted and lettered with
decals I make myself. Originally, I had
these printed on decal paper at Kinko’s.
But a few years ago I purchased an Alps
printer on eBay, along with countless
white ink cartridges. Even though it was
quite expensive, it makes the most
incredible decals I’ve ever seen. Once I
was able to print in white, I began using
the MA&G herald on all steam tenders
and freight cars.
The newer Geeps and road switchers
sport large MA&G initials on the long
8 A pair of GP9s rumbles across

the Pearl River swing bridge.
Weathering and small details
like the protective pilings and
navigation lights add realism.

>>Cliff Powers_
An HO train set received as a

Christmas gift gave Cliff his start in
model railroading 33 years ago.
Within a few months, as a 10-year-
old, he’d built his first 4 x 8-foot
layout. He’s built seven layouts since
then, four of them as an adult. He
also spent several years in N scale,
including two of those layouts.
Cliff and his wife, Jennifer, have
been married for 14 years and have
three children: Brianne (7), Caleb (4),
and Cole (2). The boys are crazy
about “choo choos” and love Thomas
the Tank Engine. Their room has
matching Thomas beds and a G scale
train running near the ceiling.
Cliff is a kindergarten teacher and
enjoys sharing his love of trains with
his students, including field trips
aboard Amtrak’s City of New Orleans.
He also enjoys playing the piano.
More information about the layout
can be found on his MA&G Website
at magnoliaroute.com
hoods reminiscent of the GM&O. The rest

of the paint scheme is the same basic
deck; the urban scene and brick build-
ings of New Orleans will be a nice change
8 A westbound through freight, led
by a matched A-B-B-A F3 consist,
roars past Garlett’s farm outside of
black used by the Illinois Central and of pace from the rural setting and Kiln, Miss. Careful use of perspec-
Kansas City Southern during this period. wooden structures. tive in the background scene plus
All of my Electro-Motive Division E and F Of course, being able to actually a traditional wood barn and farm
units have a two-tone gray and yellow operate the layout is a huge motivator home suggest a rural countryside
scheme highlighted with red striping. and will continue to drive me to the that continues for many miles.
workbench. Each day my dream layout
The not-so-impossible dream evolves before my very eyes. I encourage
The Mississippi, Alabama & Gulf just those with space limitations to consider a passed away this year. He helped me
continues to improve with age. It’s taken portable building. It may be the answer build the benchwork for my layouts
nearly five years to complete the second to your dreams too! growing up, and he regularly took me to
deck, and that’s only part of the overall visit the local hobby shop on weekends.
railroad, but it’s been an enjoyable and Dedication I can’t thank him enough for giving me
rewarding experience. I’m looking Finally, I’m dedicating this article in my first train set and getting me started
forward to beginning the third and final memory of my dad, Charles Powers, who on my lifetime hobby. GMR
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Start building your dream layout!
The experts at Model Railroader show you how! Essentials of bridges for
your layout
Every issue of Model Railroader is packed with the SD45-2 in HO teste
d
expert advice you need to turn your dream layout October 2006 • modelra
ilroader.com
into a reality. In every monthly issue you’ll get:

• How-to projects for wiring, building benchwork, Wide open spaces
constructing scenery, and much more in a small room
Modeling the prairie, Rockies,
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2 Bob Collett’s Huntington & Hart-
ford RS-1 delivers a load of raw
hides to the tannery on his module.
Highly detailed local industries are
popular on many of the modules.
Valley HO Trak enjoys sharing the hobby

By the club members • Photos by Lou Sassi
Thanksgiving weekend 1987 marked the beginning of our HO modular

model railroad club. That’s when three of our original members brought HO modules Bob Collett (standard 24" x 48" module)
to a train show in Derby, Conn., sponsored by St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the Illustrations by Rick Johnson
Valley Ntrak group. After a full day of switching on the three modules, we had 15
people interested in forming an HO modular club.
We called ourselves Valley HO Trak, and our first major show was in March 1988.
By July 1988, our membership had grown to 25 and our mailing list to 43 people. Since
3 Right. A New Haven 4-8-2 is being
serviced on Jean Moulder’s engine
terminal module. The locomotive is
an IHC model that Rolly Osmun
superdetailed and painted.
Jean Moulder (extended 30" x 48" module)
then, we’ve become a close-knit group

having a lot of enjoyment.
Eleven of the original members
remain active in the club, and our
membership includes all ages from teens
to senior citizens. All of our members
live in south central Connecticut, and
everyone must have an operating
module, participate in at least half of our
shows, and attend at least half of our
monthly meetings. Our primary purpose
has been to provide fun and interesting
activity for the members as we promote
HO modular railroading.
Getting started
We’ve fielded a lot of questions about
the group and our layout, so we’ll explain
our successful format.
4 Left. This rustic engine-servicing

area shows some of the detail
Patrick Goedert incorporated into
his Birmingham Junction module.
Patrick Goedert (extended 30" x 48" module)
>>The layout at a glance_
Name: Valley HO Trak

Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 20 x 40 feet (typical)
Prototype: freelanced
Locales: central Connecticut and
some freelanced
Era: post World War II
Style: modular
Mainline run: 120 feet
Minimum radius: 40"
Minimum turnout: no. 5
Maximum grade: main line is level
Benchwork: grid frame with
½" plywood tops
Height: 40"
Roadbed: cork
Track: code 100
Scenery: foam insulation board
and ground foam
Backdrop: 1 ⁄ 8" hardboard
Control: DC section control with
Aristo-Craft radio throttles
Bob Norton (standard 24" x 48" module)

All drawings 1⁄2" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Scenic effects
Our modules include various indus-
tries, rural towns, open country, and a
couple of mountains with tunnels. We try
to keep the scenery as light as possible, so
Dow’s blue foam insulation board is our
preferred scenery base. We’ve found that
our structures travel best and remain in
It takes about 90 minutes to set up the
railroad, so members try to arrive on-site
6 A Lackawanna Pocono-type 4-8-4
bursts out of Dalton Tunnel as it
heads an eastbound manifest
the best condition if they’re well secured at least two hours before the show opens. freight on Bob Norton’s module.
on the modules. After closing, we can dismantle the
layout and leave within 30 minutes.
Show operations We use Aristo-Craft’s radio-controlled Our main yard has eight tracks,
One of the most important club DC throttles to allow operators to follow including the two main lines, and it’s
responsibilities belongs to the layout their trains around the layout. These built on two six-foot modules. An extra
coordinator, Rolly Osmun, whose role is walkaround controls make it easier and four-foot center module is available to
to organize the placement of specific faster to restore operation after a train lengthen the yard if show space permits.
modules at any given show. Each layout separation or derailment. The layout’s wiring and block control
follows our standard loop format but has Members sign up for operating times is deliberately simple to reduce potential
a different module arrangement based that are staggered to provide continuous problems and keep the trains running.
on who’ll be participating in any given coverage. At the larger shows, we also We always have an audience during
show. Once the participants are known, rotate corner duty to help with crowd shows, so continuous action holds our
Rolly uses his knowledge of our modules control, answer questions, and provide a viewers’ interest. When problems stop
to arrange them for the best effect. touch of security outside the layout. the action, visitors soon wander away.
>>Modular standards_
The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) has adopted
standards and recommended practices for building modular layouts in scales
from Z to O. They’re based on the original modular system developed by Ntrak
and adopted by the Valley HO Trak club.
Modules are small, standard-size, portable model railroad sections designed Jim Desabia (standard 24" x 48" module)
for interchangeability so they may be assembled into a large operating layout.
They have standard ends, so modules can be assembled in any order. Most are
built and owned by individuals who choose their module’s scenery theme. Some Each main line has its own throttle,
clubs use standard scenery methods and materials so their members’ modules and each side of the yard is wired
will blend together in a layout. through a rotary selector switch so only
Sectional layouts are often built using modular construction techniques. one track is energized at a time. Some
However, the individual layout sections fit together in a specific order for scenic individual modules have isolated opera-
or track continuity, so the sections aren’t interchangeable. tions in the local track, industrial switch-
Careful attention to standards is a necessity for successful modular modeling. ing locations, small yards, and engine
The NMRA’s modular layout standards and recommended practices are available terminals with turntables. However, the
as PDF files at www.nmra.com/standards. – Jim Hediger main lines always remain under the
control of the individual throttles.
8 Realistically long trains often
require several diesel units for a
road trip. This Providence &
Worcester power consist leads a
manifest past the stone quarry on
Rolly Osmun’s corner module.
>>Club members_
7 Jim Desabia modeled this interest-

ing wooden overpass from a nearby
prototype. The New Haven 4-8-2
passing underneath is a brass
Rolly Osmun
model painted by Tony Medeiros. (standard 48" x 48"
corner module
Valley HO Trak club members.
Essentially, we’re in show business, Front row: Richard Abbate, Rolly
and the public wants to see trains participate in eight to ten shows per year, Osmun, Jim Desabia, Bob Norton,
running. We try to keep trains operating mostly in support of fund-raising efforts Bob Collett; second row: Patrick
continuously on both main lines, while for local service organizations. We Goedert, John Elwood, Herb Ed-
the third track is reserved for way freights receive more show invitations than we wards, Howie Horenbein; back row:
or individual operations. Running trains accept; this way we keep our show Steve Daddio, Phil Fossaluzza, and
on the layout is not only fun for us, but it calendar comfortable and prevent Jean Moulder. Not present: Bob
keeps our many visitors happy. anyone from getting burned out. Cochran, Jeff Dean, Glenn Edwards,
Though it takes a lot of effort, building Brian Hutchinson, Steve Jasinski,
Sharing the fun modules and showing the layout is great Chuck McMath, Duke O’Connell,
Our visitors’ smiles, especially from fun. Yet the most important benefit is the John Osmun, Mark Osmun, Craig
the little ones, and compliments from the many close friendships that our members Trostel, John Viets, and Jeff Zeleny.
adults make our efforts worthwhile. We have developed over the years. GMR
>>
Louie on
the prairie
This imaginative HO scale garage layout features
the Minneapolis & St. Louis in South Dakota
By Jack Gutsch • Photos by Andy Sperandeo
1 Two Minneapolis & St. Louis

(M&StL) F7As thunder across the
South Dakota prairie with train
no. 315. Jack Gutsch models the
fictional M&StL Thirteenth Subdi-
vision between Aberdeen and
Watertown, S.D.
When we think of granger (grain hauling) railroads, names like the

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and Soo Line come to mind. One railroad often
overlooked is the Minneapolis & St. Louis (M&StL), but the 1,300-plus-mile com-
pany earned its keep serving the farm towns of South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and
Illinois. I used this railroad as the basis for my 16 x 22-foot HO scale layout.
My model railroad depicts the M&StL’s fictional Thirteenth Subdivision between
Watertown and Aberdeen, S.D., in September 1957. With numerous rail-served
elevators, mills, and farm-related industries, M&StL’s colorful locomotive fleet is
kept busy assembling grain trains for movement to Minneapolis, Minn., and
105
2 Having just spotted three refrigera-
tor cars at John Tyler Canning,
M&StL Alco RS-1 no. 211 rumbles
Keithsburg, Ill., two cities on the eastern
end of the “Louie” along the Mississippi
River. The only way I could support
agreement would have tapped the vast
agricultural lands of the United States
and the coal and oil fields of Saskatch-
past the Watertown Depot to harvest-time granger railroading in a ewan, resulting in significant traffic for
continue its switching chores. In limited amount of space was to build a all railroads involved. However, the
the foreground, mechanics from double-deck layout. agreement never came to fruition.
Johnson Motors inspect a tractor But according to my version of history,
that’s arrived just in time for the History with a twist the five railroads did enter an operating
harvest season. My layout is based on actual M&StL agreement, and the M&StL’s Thirteenth
history with some modeler’s license Subdivision was seeing the benefits of it.
thrown in. In the mid-1880s, the M&StL At least 10 trains per day pass through
tried to enter into an agreement with the the South Dakota communities I model,
Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern; including a unit phosphate train from
Canadian Pacific; Rock Island; and Soo Canada and a rock train that provides
Line to link Des Moines, Iowa, with raw materials for the Army Corps of
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. This Engineers’ Oahe Dam project.
hooked on the fascia near each station.
The clip represents a red train order
3 The M&StL’s biggest customer in
Watertown is Dakota Mills, manu-
facturers of flour and corn syrup.
signal and holds the forms for all trains Here, RS-1 no. 202 switches a cut of
expected at that station. When the train boxcars at the mill. The 202 dis-
arrives, it must stop so the crew can plays one of nine different paint
receive its Form 31. The dispatcher also schemes used on M&StL RS-1s.
keeps a copy of the form to coordinate
train movements.
We route freight cars using car cards Canadian Pacific. The eastbound train
and color-coded waybills. Each color has comes on stage at the west end of the
a specific meaning and helps the opera- Aberdeen Yard, exercising trackage
tor route cars. To prevent the consign- rights over the Milwaukee Road’s
ment of too few or too many cars to an (MILW) Mitchell Line to get back onto
industry, we maintain a master waybill M&StL rails.
directory. The directory is updated each Aberdeen is one of two major towns on
time a waybill is adjusted or a car is the Thirteenth Sub. A crew is based here
added or removed from the layout. to serve the local industries and handle
In advance of each session, we also fill the abundant MILW interchange traffic.
out an operating session log to keep track Heading east from Aberdeen, we cross
of the cars destined for each industry and the Chicago & North Western at grade
staging yards. The log helps ensure that before ascending Crandall Hill’s four
there is ample car movement to the percent grade. Since we have heavy
Relaxed operations industries and enough work for the crew. tonnage, we’ve added another Alco RS-1
It takes a seven-man crew to run the Though this may seem like a lot of to help the train climb the steep grade.
layout during an operating session. paperwork, it’s time well spent. The Because M&StL RS-1s don’t have m.u.
Before the session begins, we tour the information in these two records results connections, a second crew is required to
layout, discuss the various jobs available, in minimal manipulation of car cards operate the helper engine.
and talk about layout features and between sessions. All we have to do is After working upgrade and reaching
operations. After each crew member has turn the waybills. the summit, we descend Crandall Hill
picked a job, the three- to four-hour before climbing back upgrade (via the
session begins. Rolling through South Dakota helix) to reach Summit. After stopping for
Operations are laid back on the Thir- To get a better feel for the rural South a red orderboard and picking up our
teenth Subdivision. Though we adhere to a Dakota communities along the M&StL’s paperwork, we cut off the helper locomo-
train sequence, we don’t use a fast clock or Thirteenth Subdivision, let’s take a tour tive so it can return to Aberdeen.
timetable. Instead, we use an abbreviated of the line. Once back under way, our train pounds
Form 31 train order for road trains. Our train, no. 78, originated off the the MILW diamond east of Bradley and
The forms, used to communicate train modeled portion of the railroad in Wey- continues east across the prairie. We then
movement, are attached to a red clip burn, Saskatchewan, Canada on the rumble over the through-truss bridge that
5 A westbound manifest freight with
two F7As on the point rolls into
Watertown, S.D. Though the
M&StL serves most of the indus-
tries in the town, the Chicago &
North Western handles switching
duties at the stockyard.
6 Watertown is at the eastern end of

the Thirteenth Subdivision and has
many rail-served industries to keep
operators busy. After finishing its
switching duties in the downtown
area, this RS-1 has rolled west to
switch the gravel plant.
Great Model Railroads 2007

>>Single turn helix_
When I designed the M&StL Thirteenth Subdivision, I knew I

wanted a multi-level layout. To bring my plan to fruition, though, I needed to
include a helix.
I designed my single-track helix to work in conjunction with the four-percent
grade of Crandall Hill. Trains running east from Aberdeen climb the hill, reach the
summit, and then begin moving downgrade until they enter the curve for the
helix. The trains then work their way back upgrade and emerge on the upper level
near the Del Monte plant (see photo above).
Except for a short distance, the helix is visible from the aisle. It has a detailed
backdrop, is illuminated with the same lights used throughout the layout, and is
fully scenicked. From railhead to railhead, the height of the helix is 51 ⁄ 2", and the
opening in the fascia is only 3".
The L-girder benchwork on this portion of the layout has F-shaped risers to
doors from Great Lakes Coal [P.O. Box support the helix. I laid the roadbed and track on the horizontal surfaces and
692, Menomonie, WI 54751; www attached the backdrop on the vertical spaces in between.
.greatlakescoal.com. – Ed.]. Whenever I Judging from visitor responses, this is one of the most intriguing parts of the
need boxcars for other service, I simply layout. When a train is running within the framed opening, operators rarely notice
turn the cars around between sessions so that the layout deck is only inches above. Oftentimes, other operators will stop
only the closed door is visible to operators. their work to watch trains ascend and descend the helix. – J.G.
I have about 180 cars on the layout at
a given time, which is approximately 80
percent of the total yard and industry
track capacity. The number of cars, in M&StL in 1957. I also add correctly smooth-operating rolling stock and
conjunction with the master waybill gauged metal wheelsets, mount Kadee virtually derailment-free operations.
directory, provides realistically varied couplers at the proper height, and
traffic patterns. weight my cars to the National Model South Dakota architecture
Even though I have a large number of Railroad Association’s recommended Modeling South Dakota towns may
freight cars on my model railroad, I practice. Though time-consuming, seem like an easy task – flat landscape,
make sure they are appropriate for the these few extra steps have yielded elevator, and a few structures. However, I
7 The tiny hamlet of Bradley,
S.D., is buzzing with rail activity
today. As westbound train no. 79
waits in the siding, left, the last
few cars of train no. 76 roll past the
depot on the main.
Continued improvements
Even though the Thirteenth Subdivi-
sion is largely complete, I’m continually
improving the layout. For example, I’ve
upgraded structures as I find more
prototype information. Recently, I’ve been
researching Bradley, S.D. Unable to find
any suitable prototype information
through historical organizations or
online, I drove seven hours from my home
in Menomonie, Wis., to visit the small
northeastern South Dakota community.
I was surprised to find several key
structures were still standing, so I took
photos and measurements of the potato
warehouse, implement dealership, and
elevator. Since the layout was photo-
graphed, I’ve scratchbuilt these struc-
tures and added them to the layout.
Though I want my layout to be as
prototypical as possible within the
confines of my operating goals, I’m not
competitive about it. Instead, I see the
hobby as a way to meet fellow model
railroaders and develop my modeling
skills. I try to reflect my low-pressure
try to make the communities on my layout approach to the hobby in my layout
look as prototypical as possible, so I’m construction and operation methods
always on the lookout for photographs, as well. GMR
blueprints, and historical data.
The majority of the structures on my
model railroad are scratchbuilt, most >>Meet Jack Gutsch
notably the Aberdeen and Watertown
Depots and Dakota Milling. Though
selectively compressed, they capture the
spirit of the prototype.
I’ve modeled other buildings as low-
relief structures. When viewed from
normal angles, the rest of the structure
can be seen painted on the backdrop. I’ve
found this an effective way to disguise
the abrupt end of a building against the
hardboard backdrop.
Jack Gutsch lives in Menomo-
nie, Wis., with his wife, Cara, and
8 With the grade crossing protected,

RS-1 no. 227 rumbles over Main
Street in Watertown. The 227 is
children Amanda, Matt, and John. He
became interested in railroading as a
child, spending countless hours watch-
painted Schroeder red and white, ing trains pass through Altoona, Wis.,
named for former M&StL president on the Chicago & North Western.
Albert Schroeder.
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31, 2006
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You Need Classic Toy Trains! Quiet spots
Fascinated by toy trains of the present
and past? We are too. Classic Toy Trains By Paul J. Dolkos
magazine is the source of information
for Lionel, MTH, Atlas O, American Flyer,
and other toy trains manufactured from If you go somewhere to watch
today back to 1900. In the pages of prototype railroading, the busier it is, the
Classic Toy Trains magazine you’ll find better. Places where the action is heavy
information about: are often dubbed “hot spots.” I guess that
applies to model railroading as well.
• Building, operating, and enhancing I have a town on my layout where three
toy train layouts
or four trains seem to inevitably meet
• Track plans, wiring instructions, and during an operating session, and every-
repair and maintenance tips
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• Profiles of collectible postwar and congestion will play out.
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With this in mind, today’s popular
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But even erecting a view block in a
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isolated aisle. It was separated from
mainline track and scenes in the main
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Sometimes it’s possible to be in an open
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First Place Hobbies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Full Throttle Trains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Garden Railways magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Manufacturers
hobbyretailer.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Loy’s Toys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
aren’t the only folks with
Model Railroader Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Model Railroader magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 New Models!
Model Trains By Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Modelrailroader.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
N. American N Scale Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . .94
NCE Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Click it. Find it. Now.
R & S Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Rail Dreams, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Rail-Lynx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Scal Models Arts & Tech, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Now featuring
Scale University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 a more exciting
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Signature Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Signs Galore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
category navigation.
Tahoe Model Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Trains magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
What-Detail! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
WM K. Walthers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 List your hobby shop online.
Woodland Scenics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Call 1-888-558-1544
Xcalibur Hobbies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 ext. 303 for details
Xuron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 The Hobby Shop Finder Brought to you by Kalmbach Publishing Co.
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Viewpoint_ By Tommy Holt
The Zephyr passes
Tommy Holt photo
The California Zephyr, Western Pacific train No. 18, in March 1970, the CZ was jointly operated by the Western
eastbound from Oakland for Salt Lake City, Denver, and Pacific, Denver & Rio Grande Western, and Chicago, Burlington
Chicago, leaves Stockton, Calif., right on time at 12:40 p.m. in & Quincy. Although Amtrak runs a California Zephyr today,
September 1966. The joyful reunions and tearful good-byes on that train lacks domes and bypasses the magnificent Feather
the platform and in the station parking lot represent a bygone River Canyon.
era of long-distance passenger travel that many of us would like I’ve re-created the Zephyr’s passage on my HO scale version
to recapture. of the WP’s First Subdivision, set in 1966. My Stockton depot
The timetable calls for No. 18 to meet its westbound coun- was scratchbuilt as a full-scale, uncompressed replica of the
terpart, No. 17, at a siding just a few minutes out of Stockton. prototype by my friend Mike Barrett. He spent several days
That means this scene will be repeated in less than an hour measuring the actual structure to ensure the model’s accuracy,
with a train in the other direction. and a great deal more time assembling and finishing the depot.
The California Zephyr was the first North American passen- This station sets a high benchmark for structures on my
ger train to be launched as a domed streamliner. Her schedule layout, and I’ve honored Mike and his excellent work by making
between the Bay Area and the Windy City was designed so that this the very first finished scene on my WP First Sub. [For more
the most spectacular scenery would be visible in daylight on Tommy’s railroad, see Model Railroad Planning 2007, on sale
hours. For a brief 21 years, from March 1949 until the final run in February. – Ed.] GMR
Start building your great model railroad!
“The story of this gifted artist’s newest railroad is enjoyable, inspirational, and useful.”
—Terry Thompson, Editor, Model Railroader
Also available:
Mountain to Desert
Building the HO scale Daneville & Donner River
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Model Railroader magazine author
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Weathering freight cars • Painting backdrops suggested track plan. By Jim Kelly.
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with extra features on detailing locomotives and weath- color photos; 25 illus.; softcover.
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Tips and ideas for your model railroad

An imaginative garage layout

The Super Empire Builder has everything

The Super Chief is designed for the modeler

Digitrax has one of the largest selections of DCC equipment

www.digitrax.com 770 441 7992

18 Rolling along the Porcupine Mountain route HO

28 Penn Central succeeds in N scale N

36 Steam to Silverton in O scale On3

46 Modeling the Clinchﬁeld from afar HO

76 Where coal is king HO

84 The South has risen again HO

96 This model railroad goes on tour HO

104 Louie on the Prairie HO

116 Essay: Quiet spots, by Paul J. Dolkos

122 Viewpoint: The Zephyr passes, by Tommy Holt

>> ON THE COVER: Today’s BNSF in Illinois. Bruce Carpenter photo

>> Friends make our

!.$ ./7 Editor Andy Sperandeo Editorial ofﬁces

Fast, Fun & Affordable

933-3752 Two-Story Office with

933-3752 Two-Story Office

NEW 3-In-1 Building Set #2

933-3752 Two-Story Factory

8 Great Model Railroads 2007

4 Train SKCKBRC24, a hot intermodal

6 Train ZKCKCHI24 (BNSF 4799 East)

Fig. 1 Picking up the raisins. On Mark Roselius’ Central

The operating group I belong to, the Ohio

16 Great Model Railroads 2007

>>Meet Bruce Carpenter_

Bruce is project engineer

18 Great Model Railroads 2007

From prototype to freelance

1 Heading out of Champion, Mich., a

4 Between industries and a junkyard,

6 An MP&N steamer moves in to

24 Great Model Railroads 2007

With the layout ﬁnished, one of my latest projects was replacing my

8 A retired combine serves as the

“finished” model railroad. I’ve added

9 The Soo Line depot remains a

1 Two Lehigh Valley Alco RS-11s bring

The new Penn Central

>>A group effort_

32 Great Model Railroads 2007

modeler for more than 30 years, so an

7 Two years have passed since the

34 Great Model Railroads 2007

RS-3 no. 5542 switches boxcars at

layouts, so I wasn’t alone. Once I’d

4 Right: Train No. 215 climbs the

6 The conductor and engineer have

>>D&RGW’s narrow gauge Silverton Branch_

Doug has been a model

cars from Bachmann’s On21 ⁄2 plastic

2 A southbound coal drag passes the

A look at the three levels

48 Great Model Railroads 2007