Name: Leadville & Red Cliff RR
Layout owner: Bill Brown
Scale: HO and HOn3 (1:87.1)
Size: 25 x 40 feet
Prototype: Union Pacific, BNSF Ry. (lower level); Denver & Rio Grande Western, Rio Grande Southern, and Silverton RR narrow gauge lines (upper level)
Locale: central Colorado
Era: present day (lower level), 1949 (D&RGW and RGS), 1910 (Silverton RR)
Style: multilevel walkaround
Mainline run: 200 feet (standard gauge), 190 feet (narrow gauge)
Minimum radius: 32″(standard gauge), 18″ (narrow gauge)
Minimum turnout: no. 6 (standard gauge main), no. 4 (narrow gauge main)
Maximum grade: none (lower level), 4 percent (upper level)
Benchwork: L-girder
Height: 40″ to 69″
Roadbed: Homabed and cork
Track: code 83 flextrack (lower level), codes 40, 55, and 70 (upper level)
Scenery: plaster shell over cardboard lattice and extruded-foam insulation board
Backdrop: photo murals mounted on tempered hardboard
Control: Digitrax Digital Command Control system
This track plan originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of Model Railroader. Click on the linkto download a PDF copy of this track plan.
Robert Carlson,
Denver is above the standard gauge staging section. Its not drawn on the Narrow Gauge plan, but its on the opposite side of the divider from Durango.
Thank you for your hard work and wonderful railroad! I currently live in Buena Vista,Colorado in the area that is modeled. We are halfway between Leadville and Salida along the Arkansas River. The Town of Buena Vista Historical Society, which is located in the historic courthouse building, has a neat HO and HOn3 railroad display on the upper floor. It depicts the three railroads that once ran through the area to serve the Leadville mining district: Colorado Midland, Colorado Southern (Denver South Park and Pacific), and the Denver and Rio Grande Railway. Most of the buildings were made by scratch and some of the original model railroaders are around to tell you the history. Our “Midland trail” system on Midland Hill has hiking and mountain biking trails that utilize the former Colorado Midland railway roadbed. Check out our wonderful community of Buena Vista and its railroad history!
I’m a little lost with this plan. Does Denver appear over or under the narrow gauge upper deck? Or, is it accessed from what may be called “behind” the layout?