If it’s December, it must be time to put on a crackling fire, pour a hot chocolate, and explore some snowy model railroad scenes compiled from the pages of Model Railroader. If you’d like to see last year’s gallery of snowy model railroad scenes, follow this link.
A few inches of snow won’t slow this Denver & Rio Grande Western piggyback train’s passage through Winter Park, Colo., milepost 56.9, within sight of Moffat Tunnel’s west portal. The Southern Pacific units trailing GP40-2 No. 312 reflect the recently completed merger of the D&RGW and SP. Doug Tagsold shot the scene on his HO scale layout.
Ice skaters enjoy the December day on Pond du Marsonne as a New York Central freight rolls into Ethanville. The scene is part of Bill Nelson’s HO scale “Winter Wonderland” layout, featured in our February 2009 issue. The pond is named after Bill’s wife, Marsonne. Dave Rickaby photo
A pair of steamers double-team a manifest freight upgrade on a chilly day in the Colorado Rockies on Doug Tagsold’s HO scale Colorado & Southern layout. Doug Tagsold showed how he modeled this scene in about a week in our February 2021 issue.
A dusting of snow on the ground, figures dressed in heavy clothing, and smoke from the chimney is enough to convey how chilly this scene on Gary Hoover’s HO scale Norfolk & Western is supposed to be. Gary tells how he transformed the autumn scene into winter in our December 2020 issue.
A Great Northern boxcab electric under wire pulls a freight out of Cascade Tunnel and starts the downgrade run east toward Leavenworth, Wash. Jim Rohrbach photographed the scene on an HO scale diorama he built inspired by railroad artist Jim Jordan’s painting “Westbound Electrics.” The construction, which took nearly four years, was detailed in the January 2023 MR.
Pagosa Lumber Co.’s afternoon local, with Shay no. 4 on the point, has arrived in Leadville, where it will tie up for the holidays. While the crew members are talking about their holiday plans, the engineer can’t help but notice the road’s newest locomotive, Heisler no. 8, on the adjacent track. Matt Kosic photographed the scene on Bob Kosic’s 1:20.3 garden railway. The snow effects are by Mother Nature.
