HO scale Fairmont, Morgantown & Pittsburgh (“The Sheepskin”)

Name: Fairmont, Morgantown & Pittsburgh (“The Sheepskin”) Layout designer: Steve Williams Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 18′-0″ x 23′-6″ Prototype: Baltimore & Ohio secondary main line Locale: Fayette County, Pa. Era: June 1952 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 62 feet Minimum radius: 32″ (main), 27″ (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (branch and yard) Maximum […]

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O scale Grosser’s Nostalgia Trip

Grossers Nostalgia Trip

Name: Grosser’s Nostalgia Trip Layout designer: Ray Grosser Scale: O scale (1:48) Size: 22 x 38 feet Prototype: Soo Line Locale: western Minnesota Era: 1956 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 250 feet Minimum radius: 50″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 1 percent Originally appeared Great Model Railroads 2012. Click on the link to download the […]

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OO scale London, Midland & Scottish Ry.

London Midland Scottish Ry

Name: London, Midland & Scottish Ry. (LMS) Layout designer: Greg Simpson Scale: OO (1:76 proportion on 1:87.1 HO gauge track) Size: 15 x 20 feet Prototype: (LMS) Locale: England, West Midlands Era: 1900s to 1960s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 100 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (sidings) Maximum grade: 1 […]

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HO scale Rocky Mountain Line

Rocky Mountain Line

Name: Rocky Mountain LineLayout designer: Don MeekerScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 53′-9″ x 69′-6″Prototype: FreelancedLocale: ColoradoEra: 1950sStyle: Multi-level walkaroundMainline run: 679 feet (1,179 feet including branch lines)Minimum radius: 36″Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (branches and yards)Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared Great Model Railroads 2012. Click on the link to download the PDF of this […]

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HO scale Santa Fe “Patch” industrial district

Santa Fe - Patch - industrial district

Name: The Patch Layout designer: Keith Jordan Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 8′-1″ x 8′-10″ Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Locale: Los Angeles Era: early to mid-1950s Style: shelf Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: Atlas code 83 Custom-Line no. 4 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared Great Model Railroads 2012. Click on the link to download […]

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West Side Lumber Co. in On3

West Side Lumber Co

Name: West Side Lumber Co. Layout designer: Ken Larson Scale: O (1:48), three-foot gauge Size: 35 x 38 feet Prototype: West Side Lumber Co., Tuolumne, Calif. Locale: Sierra Nevada foothills, Stanislaus National Forest Era: July 4, 1950 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 180 feet Minimum radius: 28″ (main), 26″ (wyes) Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum […]

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Running long hood forward

TRN-AT1011_01

Southern Railway SD45 No. 3121 leads long hood forward on a unit coal train at Oreton, Va., in 1984. Such design enhanced bidirectional capability. Ron Flanary Q When did railroads such as the Norfolk & Western stop running their road engines “long hood first?” How effective was this practice for crew safety? Did it have […]

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HO scale Brandywine Valley RR

Brandywine Valley RR_A

Name: Brandywine Valley RR Layout designer:  Dil Huey Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 26 x 42 feet Prototype: Octoraro RR Locale: Southeastern Pennsylvania and parts of Delaware and Maryland Era: transition era to 1980s Style: multilevel walk-in Mainline run: 365 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: Peco large radius Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in […]

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HO scale Canada Central Ry.

Name: Canada Central Ry. Layout group: Montreal Railroad Modelers Association Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 37 x 123 feet Prototype: freelance Locale: Quebec and Ontario, some western landscapes Era: 1959 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 1,200 feet Minimum radius: 42″ (main), 36″ (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2.2 percent Originally appeared in the October 2011 […]

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LLG Specialty Coke Co.

LLG Specialty Coke Co

Name: LLG Specialty Coke Co. Layout designer: Gary Gealy Scale: O (1:48) Size: 6′-0″ x 10′-6″ Theme: by-product coke plant Locale: western Pennsylvania Era: early 1960s Style: shelf with peninsula Minimum radius: 27″ Minimum turnout: no. 3 Maximum grade: none Originally appeared in the September 2011 issue of Model Railroader. Click on the link to […]

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North Montana Line

Milwaukee Road North Montana Line

Name: North Montana Line Layout designer: Dan Lewis Scale: N (1:160) Size: 18 x 24 feet Prototype: Milwaukee Road Locale: central Montana Era: 1953-54 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 115 feet Minimum radius: 121⁄2″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (industrial spurs) Maximum grade: 2.2 percent Originally appeared in the September 2011 issue of Model […]

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Railroad timeline, 1950-1989

How to choose a time frame

1950: Dieselization – Ten Class 1 railroads had already dieselized before this year, including the Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay; Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville (Monon); Columbus & Greenville; Detroit & Mackinac; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Lehigh & New England; New York, Ontario & Western; New York, Susquehanna & Western; and Texas-Mexican. […]

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