Green, gold, and gorgeous!

Southern Railway 2-8-2 No. 4501 pulls a National Railway Historical Society convention train on Sept. 5, 1966 from Keysville, Va., to Richmond, Va. This was among the first excursions that led to the development of Southern Railway’s famous series of annual excursions that ran between 1966 and 1994. Today, the 1911 Baldwin is under restoration […]

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Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. Logan Subdivision

CO Logan Subdivision

Name: C&O Logan Subdivision Layout designer: Jeff Ashby Scale: N (1:160) Size: 9 x 15 feet Prototype: freelanced, inspired by the Chesapeake & Ohio Locale: West Virginia Era: early 1950s Style: walk-in with multilevel peninsula Mainline run: 99 feet Minimum radius: 10″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Originally appeared in the July 2011 issue of Model […]

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Cresting Saluda Grade

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Southern Railway FP7 6141 and an F3 roar uphill into the hamlet of Saluda, N.C., top of famous 4.7-percent Saluda Grade, with the Charleston, S.C.–Cincinnati Carolina Special in the early 1950s. Linn H. Westcott photo […]

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Naugatuck Valley RR 3.0

Naugatuck Valley RR 3.0

Name: Naugatuck Valley RR 3.0 Layout designer: David Popp Scale: N (1:160) Size: 16 x 17 feet Prototype: New York, New Haven & Hartford RR Locale: Naugatuck River Valley in Connecticut Era: fall 1948 Style: walkaround Mainline run: Waterbury/south 53 feet, Waterbury/north 13 feet Minimum radius: 15″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Click on the link […]

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Bona Vista RR

Bona Vista RR

Name: Bona Vista RR Layout designer: Gerry Leone Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 14′-6″ x 30′-0″ Prototype: freelance Locale: northern Wisconsin and Minnesota Era: 1953 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 200 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 (mainline), no. 5 (spurs) Maximum grade: 1 percent Originally appeared in the Great Model Railroads 2008. Click on […]

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Naugatuck Valley RR 2.0

Naugatuck Valley RR 2.0

Name: Naugatuck Valley RR 2.0Layout designer: David PoppScale: N (1:160)Size: 16 x 17 feetPrototype: New York, New Haven & Hartford RRLocale: Naugatuck River Valley in ConnecticutEra: fall 1948Style: walkaroundMainline run: Waterbury/south 53 feet, Waterbury/north 13 feetMinimum radius: 15″Minimum turnout: no. 5 Originally appeared in the Great Model Railroads 2008. Click on the link to download […]

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Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry.

Name: Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry. Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12′-7″ x 33′-0″ Prototype: Third District of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe’s Plains Division Locale: Texas Panhandle, Amarillo to Clovis, N.M. Era: September 1955 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 102 feet Minimum radius: 29″ Minimum turnout: no. 6, no. 4 in Amarillo Switching District […]

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Southern Ry.

Southern Ry

Name: Southern Ry. Layout designer: Bob Lawson Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 24 x 30 feet Prototype: Southern Ry. Locale: central and eastern Kentucky Era: 1945 through the early 1950s Style: walk-in with one duckunder Mainline run: 425 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 with some no. 6 Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Originally appeared […]

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Ida Valley Ry.

Ida Valley Ry

Name: Ida Valley Ry. Layout designer: Bob Allen Scale: Large scale narrow gauge (1:35) Size: 21 x 51 feet Prototype: New Zealand Rys. Locale: Otago Province, South Island, New Zealand Era: 1955 to 1965 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 240 feet Minimum radius: 72″ Minimum turnout: Peco medium radius Maximum grade: 1.1 percent Originally appeared in […]

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New Mexico Division

Atchison Topeka Santa Fe

Name: New Mexico Division Layout designer: Bob Foltz Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 45′-7″ x 47′-8″ Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. Locale: Northern New Mexico Era: 1951 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 350 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (main), 30″ (all others), 26″ (narrow gauge) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 1.5 percent (main), 3.2 percent […]

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Green Mountain Division of the Boston Maine

Track plan at a glance Name: Green Mountain Division of the Boston & Maine Layout designer: Don Janes Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12′-8″ x 20′-0″ plus 12′-0″ x 30′-0″ addition Prototype: Boston & Maine, Central Vermont, and Rutland Locale: Vermont Era: 1950 to 1958 Style: Around the walls Mainline run: 120 feet (original), 70 feet […]

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Rock Island Lines

Rock Island Lines

Track plan at a glance Name: Rock Island Lines Layout designer: Tony Bowen Scale: N (1:160) Size: 15 x 21 feet Prototype: Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Locale: western Illinois and eastern Iowa Era: 1955-1965 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 126 feet Minimum radius: 11″ Originally appeared in the How To Model Railroads of the 1950s […]

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