HO scale Great Midwestern RR

HOscaleGreatMidwesternRR

Name: Great Midwestern RR Layout owner: Pete Walton Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 36′-6″ x 63′-0″ Prototype: freelance Locale: generic Midwest, based on northwest Illinois Era: 1950s Style: around the walls Mainline Run: 600 feet Minimum Radius: 27″ (yard), 31″ (main) Minimum Turnout: no. 4 (yard), no. 8 (main) Maximum Grade: 2 percent Benchwork: open grid […]

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HO scale H&R Steel Co.

HOscaleHRSteelCo

Name: H&R Steel Co. Layout owner: Mike Rabbitt Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 18 x 33 feet Theme: integrated steel mill Locale: Midwest United States Era: steam-to-diesel transition era Style: walk-in Mainline run: 135 feet Minimum radius: 30” (main), 12″ (mill) Minimum turnout: no. 3 (in mill) Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: 46″ […]

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N scale Danforth, Hadley & Northern RR

NscaleDanforthHadleyandNorthern

Name: Danforth, Hadley & Northern RR Layout owner: Ken Chick Scale: N (1:160) Size: 38 x 52 feet Prototype: freelanced, based on Northern Pacific Locale: Central Montana Era: 1954 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 400 feet Minimum radius: 24″ (main), 20″ (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 5 (main), no. 4 (industrial spurs) Maximum grade: 1.5 percent (main), 2.25 […]

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N scale Pennsylvania RR

NscalePennsylvaniaRR

Name: Pennsylvania RR Layout owner: Chris Broughton Scale: N (1:160) Size: 18 x 27 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR Locale: Eastern U.S. Era: 1954 Style: modular walk-in Mainline run: 85 feet Minimum radius: 20″ Minimum turnout: no. 7 (yards and industries), no. 10 (crossovers) Maximum grade: none Benchwork: Free-moN modules Height: 50″ Roadbed: cork Track: Atlas […]

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HO scale Nitro Pass & Okanagan

HOscaleNitroPassandOkanagan1

Name: Nitro Pass & Okanagan Layout owner: Don Weixl Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12′-6″ x 15′-4″ Prototype: Freelanced Locale: southern British Columbia Period: 1955-1965 Style: double -deck walk-in Mainline run: 120 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 2 percent Benchwork: L-girder (lower level), open grid (upper) Height: 42″ to 62″ Roadbed: […]

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WM coal train in Blackwater Canyon

Western Maryland Railway coal train

Western Maryland 2-8-0s 840 and 816 swing around one curve and into another as they lead a coal train east through rugged Blackwater Canyon between Elkins and Thomas, W.Va., in May 1952. Three more 2-8-0s at mid-train, and two more on the rear, help the 78-car train upgrade. Ed Theisinger photo […]

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Swift refrigerator cars

Swift refrigerator cars

A mix of older wood reefers and new steel cars mingle on the cleanout and ready tracks at Swift’s Sioux City (Iowa) plant in 1954. A lone car in the old yellow scheme stands out among a sea of cars in the red 1950 paint scheme. George Berkstresser photo […]

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O scale Pennsylvania RR Nassau Division

OscalePennsylvaniaRRNassauDivision

Name: Pennsylvania RR Nassau Division Layout owner: John Sethian Scale: O (1:48) Size: 21 x 31 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR electrified lines Locale: New Jersey and Pennsylvania Era: 1955 to 1957 Style: walk-in with duckunder Mainline run: 110 feet Minimum radius: 57″ (visible), 44″ (hidden) Minimum turnout: no. 71⁄2 Maximum grade: 1.8 percent Benchwork: open-grid […]

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Z scale Cale, Bear Mountain & Harrisonville

ZscaleCaleBearMountainHarrisonville

Name: Cale, Bear Mountain & Harrisonville Layout owner: Vern Sargent Scale: Z (1:220) Size: 2′-0″ x 3′-2″ Prototype: Milwaukee Road and Monon Locale: southern Indiana Era: 1945 to 1955 Mainline run: 15 feet Minimum radius: 811⁄16″ Minimum turnout: no. 41⁄2 Maximum grade: 4 percent Benchwork: extruded-foam insulation board Height: varies Roadbed: cork on 1⁄4″ plywood […]

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Build this Retro 4 x 8 Railroad

Build this Retro 4 x 8 Railroad

Large layouts are cool, no doubt, but we thought that something smaller that combined postwar trains with modern materials also sounded like fun. We told Classic Toy Trains Editor Carl Swanson what we were thinking, and he challenged us to actually follow through. Uh-oh. This special 13-page magazine supplement contains step-by-step instructions for creating a 4 […]

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