Senior Editor Kent Johnson used the walls of his basement to create impressive Canadian mountain scenery in a tight space. Learn how to recreate his rocky canyon walls in the March 2013 issue, and see trains traversing the rugged landscape he created in this video. […]
Era: 2000 - Present
N scale Maryland Midland RR

Name: Maryland Midland RR Layout designer: Bob Sprague Scale: N (1:160.1) Size: 11′-2″ x 18′-6″ Prototype: Maryland Midland RR Locale: Maryland Era: 1980s to present Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: 136 feet (104 visible) Minimum radius: 15″ (main), 12″ (branch) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in the February 2013 Model Railroader. […]
Winter Hill on the Milwaukee Racine Troy

Name: Winter Hill branch Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 2′-10″ x 12′-7″ Prototype: freelance Locale: southeastern Wisconsin Era: modern Style: walkaround Mainline run: N/A Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 2.75 percent Originally appeared in the January 2013 Model Railroader. There are also two additional track plans that show how you could build […]
Norfolk Southern’s business cars
Q What happened to the permanently coupled two business cars, the “Virginia” and the “Carolina,” that the Southern Railway provided for its president and chairman?— Bob Sewell, Marysville, Wash. A The Virginia (NS 1) and the Carolina (NS 2) have been paired since they were built in 1928. Pullman originally constructed them for Southern Railway. […]
CSX Transportation Chicago Division, Plymouth Subdivision in HO scale

Name: CSX Plymouth Subdivision Layout designer: Chip Cole Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 30 x 60 feet Locale: southeast Michigan Era: 2009 to present Style: linear, around the walls Mainline run: 188 feet Mininimum radius: 30″ (18″ in Livonia Industrial Park) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Originally appeared in the Great Model Railroads […]
A railroad’s railroad – BNSF’s O gauge layout
BNSF Ry. is using O gauge trains to share its story with the public. […]
A railroad’s railroad – BNSF’s O gauge layout
BNSF Ry. is using O gauge trains to share its story with the public. […]
The N scale Oakville sub

Name: The Oakville Sub Layout designer: Jim Reising Scale: N (1:160) Size: 26′-6″ x 52′-0″ Prototype: Union Pacific and BNSF Ry. Locale: Ex-Southern Pacific line between Bakersfield and Tehachapi, Calif. Style: walk-in, partial multilevel Era: present day Mainline run: 222 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 7 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in […]
Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line

Name: Norfolk & PortsmouthBelt Line Layout designer: Bob Sprague Scale: N (1:160) Size: 11′-3″ x 13′-10″ with 30″ x 14′-81⁄2″ shelf Prototype: NPBL Locale: southeastern Virginia (Hampton Roads) Era: present day Style: shelf with peninsula Branchline run: 30 feet plus 15 feet Minimum radius: 18″ (9″ on some industrial tracks) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum […]
Denver, Front Range & Western

Name: Denver, Front Range & WesternLayout designer: Doug TagsoldScale: HO (1: 87.1)Size: 25 x 40 feetPrototype: Union PacificLocale: Denver west into the Rocky MountainsStyle: double-deck linear walkaroundEra: 2005Mainline run: 450 feetMinimum radius: 30″Minimum turnout: no. 6Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of Model Railroader. Click on the link to download […]
Big Island Rail

Name: Big Island Rail Corp. Layout designer: Joesph Kreiss Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 10 x 11 feet Prototype: Hawaii Consolidated Ry. Locale: Hawaii Era: present day Style: walk-in Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 1 percent Originally appeared in the January 2012 issue of Model Railroader. Click on the link to download […]
Large scale Miami Rail Service Co

Name: Miami Rail Service Co. Layout designer: Bob Springs Scale: 1:29 Size: 20 x 36 feet, plus outdoor staging Prototype: CSX industrial spurs Locale: Miami Era: present day Style: around-the-walls shelf Mainline run: 200 feet (loop) Minimum radius: 66 inches Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (one spur) Grade: none Originally appeared Great Model […]