Louisville & Nashville adopted Alcos by the 1950s on lines in eastern Kentucky. The railroad first painted RS3s, FA2s, and FB2s in black, cream, and orange, but later opted for simpler schemes. R.D. Sharpless, Louisville & Nashville Historical Society collection Q My family moved from Texas to southeastern Kentucky in the mid-1950s, and I remember […]
Era: 1946 - 1970
HO scale Central Maine RR
Name: Central Maine RR Layout owner: Paul Boehlert Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 39 x 80 inches Locale: inspired by Portland, Maine Era: late 1960s Style: island Mainline run: 15 feet Minimum radius: 15″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: none This track plan originally appeared in the September 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link […]
How to repair and maintain Lionel postwar locomotives
“I once found a 60-year-old train in the loft of a farmer’s barn, where it had spent more cold northern winters and hot summers than anyone could remember. A family of mice had even made a nest in the box and left behind over a pound of petrified ‘evidence.’ “I thought the engine was […]
HO scale Hoosac Valley RR
Name: Hoosac Valley RR Layout owner: Dick Elwell Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 32 x 62 feet Prototype: freelanced, inspired by New York Central and Boston & Albany Locale: Northeast Era: 1940s to 1960s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 365 feet Minimum radius: 42″ (main line) Minimum turnout: no. 6 (one no. 4 turnout) Maximum grade: 1.5 […]
Z scale Gulf, Illinois & Rocky Mountains RR
Click the image to download a copy of the track plan. Name: Gulf, Illinois & Rocky Mountains RR Layout owner: John-Baptiste Merillot Scale: Z (1:220) Size: 7 x 15 feet Prototype: none; includes locomotives from Union Pacific, CSX, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, among others Locale: Northwestern United States Era: late 1960s to present Style: walk-in, […]
HO scale Grand Street & Three Rivers RR
Name: Grand Street & Three Rivers RR Layout owner: Rod Stewart Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 23′-0″ x 124′-4″ Prototype: New York Central and Pennsylvania RR Locale: Pennsylvania Era: mid-1940s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 900 feet Minimum radius: 40″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3.5 percent Benchwork: box grid Height: 391⁄2″ Roadbed: Homasote Track: code […]
N scale Union Pacific Oregon Middle Division
Name: Oregon Middle Division Layout owner: Gary Randall Scale: N (1:160) Size: 15 x 17 feet Prototype: freelance, based on Union Pacific Locale: Pacific Northwest Era: none specified Style: walk-in Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 16″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 3 percent Benchwork: L-girder with spline subroadbed Layout Height: 39″ to 42″ […]
Pacing the Empire Builder
Pacing GN’s Empire Builder westward through the Cascades and the City of Everett in Western Washington State, circa Spring of 1950 on Lee Marsh’s HO scale layout. […]
Willow Creek Railroad – Operations: Local freights
This video is part of a planned series that highlights operations on the Willow Creek Railroad, an HO-scale 400-square-foot layout set in the early 1950s. This video describes and demonstrates the operations of Local Freight trains on the layout as we follow the work of the River Job Turn. Video by Rod Vance. […]
Pacing the Empire Builder
Pacing GN’s Empire Builder westward through the Cascades and the City of Everett in Western Washington State, circa Spring of 1950 on Lee Marsh’s HO scale layout. […]
Willow Creek Railroad – Operations: Local freights
This video is part of a planned series that highlights operations on the Willow Creek Railroad, an HO-scale 400-square-foot layout set in the early 1950s. This video describes and demonstrates the operations of Local Freight trains on the layout as we follow the work of the River Job Turn. Video by Rod Vance. […]
Lionel’s Disappearing Train Layout
This free PDF exposes the secret behind one of Lionel’s greatest layouts; The Lionel disappearing train tunnel adds a wow factor to any classic toy train layout. Explore the detailed illustrations for assembling Lionel’s D-27 disappearing train layout in this free download. […]