Harvey Simon’s HO F Line traction layout is set in modern-day San Francisco, re-creating the route between the Castro District and Fisherman’s Wharf. The modified walk-in model railroad features open-grid benchwork, 6-1/4” minimum radius curves, and a mainline run of 40 feet.
In this layout tour video, you’ll get an opportunity to see San Francisco MUNI trolley car No. 1818 in action. The Peter Witt car, subject of a May 2024 article in Model Railroader, features a sound decoder and lights.
Then enjoy seeing trolley car No. 1818 as it navigates its way around Harvey Simon’s HO F Line traction layout, last featured in Great Model Railroads 2022. You’ll see familiar sites from the layout visit story, including the Castro Theatre, Grooves record store, Bank of the West, and a building construction site. The car also passes the E-Trade building, which Harvey wrote about for the August 2024 issue.
The trolley car then heads to Fisherman’s Wharf. Get a close-up look at Supreme Crab, a Cajun seafood restaurant, complete with a detailed, illuminated interior. Other signature items include the large Fisherman’s Wharf sign and Chowder Hut Fresh Grill.
Want to see more of Harvey’s modeling? Check out his six-part series on the Boston MTA in the October 1999 through March 2000 issues of MR. The 7 x 12-foot HO scale model railroad, set in 1959, was a composite of the Riverside line and Brookline branch. The multi-part series included articles on paving and scenery, laying girder rail and flextrack, building a Boston streetcar, stringing the overhead, scratchbuilding structures.
In the September 2001 issue, Harvey switched gears and built an N scale model railroad in a coffee table. The Delaware & Hudson-themed layout, which measured 2 x 4 feet, was constructed inside a custom-built table and featured short-wheelbase locomotives and rolling stock. Despite the layout’s small footprint, he was able to include a downtown scene, drive-in restaurant, and five bridges.
