Name: Milwaukee & Northwestern Wisconsin Division Layout designer: Chuck Sable Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 13’-8” x 24’-0” Prototype: Chicago & North Western Madison and Lancaster Subdivisions Locale: Southern Wisconsin Era: 1955-1980 Style: Around the walls Mainline run: 100 feet Minimum radius: 24” (main), 22” (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (industries) Maximum grade: […]
Name: Aksarben Road/ATSF Wishbone Division Layout designer: John Armstrong Scale: O (1:48) Size: 26 x 32 feet Theme: freelanced short line and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe branch line Locale: Colorado and New Mexico Era: Sunday, May 27, 1951 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 202 feet Minimum radius: 42″ (Aksarben), 48″ (Santa Fe) Minimum turnout: no. […]
Name: Fernwood Lumber Co. RR Layout designer: Pete Birdsong Scale: On30 (1:48 proportion, 30″ narrow gauge) Size: 12 x 24 feet Theme: narrow gauge Southern logging Locale: Southern Mississippi Era: 1910 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 64 feet Minimum radius: 22″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in the January 2015 Model […]
Model Railroader readers first encountered a track plan designed by John Armstrong in 1952. John became popular, and dozens of his designs were published in magazines and books, earning him the title “dean of track planners.” He died in 2004. John’s style was fully “out of the box” for the time. You might wonder if […]
Name: Nickel Plate Road, St. Louis Division Layout designer: Tony Koester Scale: HO (1:87) Size: 24′-6″ x 60′-6″ Theme: high-speed flatlands railroading Locale: west-central Indiana, east-central Illinois Era: fall 1954 Style: multi-deck Mainline run: 500 feet Minimum radius: 42″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 (yard), no. 8 (main) Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Originally appeared in the […]
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 Period: 1953 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 200 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 1 percent Originally appeared in Great Model Railroads 2015. Click on the link to download […]
Name: Lehigh Valley RR, Wyoming Division Layout designer: Chuck Davis Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 19 feet Prototype: Lehigh Valley RR Locale: Northeast Pennsylvania Era: 1950s Style: walkaround Mainline run: 140 feet Minimum radius: 30″ main line, 24″ yard (less on some connecting roads) Minimum turnout: no. 6 main line, no. 5 yard Maximum […]
Name: Penn Creek Valley Layout designer: Sam Powell Scale: S (1:64) Size: 16 x 27 feet with a 10 x 10-foot extension Prototype: freelanced Locale: southwestern Pennsylvania Period: 1956 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 180 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Originally appeared in Great Model Railroads 2015. Click on […]
Name: Southern Pacific Tehachapi Subdivision Layout designer: Jerry Davis Scale: O (1:48) Size: 28 x 45 feet Prototype: Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Locale: Bakersfield to Mojave, Calif. Era: 1952-1954 Style: multiple-deck walk-in Mainline run: 450 feet Minimum radius: 72″ (main), 66″ (staging) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Originally […]
Name: Wheeling & Lake Erie Ry., Ohio River Division Layout designer: Jim Talbott Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 27 x 44 feet (in three rooms) Prototype: Wheeling & Lake Erie Ry. Locale: southeastern Ohio, West Virginia Period: 2007 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 115 feet Minimum radius: 30″ (main), 24″ (industrial) Minimum turnout: no. 6, no. 4 in […]
Name: Leadville & Red Cliff (LARC) Layout designer: Bill and Steve Brown Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 25 x 40 feet Prototype: Union Pacific (lower level), Rio Grande Southern and Denver & Rio Grande (upper) Locale: Central and Southern Colorado Era: Modern day (lower level), 1949 (upper) Style: walkaround Mainline run: 300 feet (standard gauge), 75 feet (narrow […]
Name: CSX Indianapolis Sub Layout designer: Robert W. Sprague Scale: N (1:160) Size: 9′-6″ x 13′-0″ Prototype: CSX Indianapolis Subdivision Locale: Indiana Era: present day (could be backdated to pre-2000) Style: walk-in Mainline run: 62 feet Minimum radius: 15″ (main), 12″ (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: none (main line), 2 to 3 percent […]
