Video: N scale Gauley & Shavers Fork

model railroad layout

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Bob Ferguson’s N scale Gauley & Shavers Fork features interchangeable scenes and a 1960s diesel-era setting. The 16′-4″ x 33′-6″ shelf layout is inspired by several central Appalachian railroads. Get an overview of the railroad in this short video. […]

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Track plan for a port that fits on shelf

PortofBrunswick

See a PDF version of this by clicking here. This might be the simplest track plan ever to appear in Model Railroader. It includes just three turnouts, almost all the track is dead straight, and it’ll fit in office cubicles, studio apartments, dorm rooms, and other spaces traditionally considered too small for a model railroad. […]

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Jack Varadi’s HO scale Greenville & Ohio

  Please enjoy this photo gallery of Jack Varadi’s HO scale Greenville & Ohio, firmly planted in Appalachia. Photographs of this 13.5 by 23-foot layout are by Bruce Gathman. A full article on this railroad appeared in the December 2019 issue of Model Railroader. […]

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HO scale Greenville & Ohio RR

HOscaleGreenvilleOhio1

Name: Greenville & Ohio RR Layout owner: Jack Varadi Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 131⁄2 x 23 feet Theme: freelanced short line Locale: Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina Era: 1940s to 1950s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 160 feet Minimum radius: 26″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3 percent Benchwork: L-girder Height: 48″ […]

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HO scale Western Sierra Lines

HOscaleWesternSierraLines1

Name: Western Sierra Lines Layout owner: Roseville Roundhouse Model RR Club Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 30 feet Prototypes: Southern Pacific, Union Pacific Locale: Central California Era: mixed Style: walk-in Mainline run: 200 feet Minimum radius: 30″ (main), 24″ (short line) Minimum turnouts: no. 6 (main), no. 4 (yards and industries) Maximum grade: 2 […]

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Truck’s Toy Trains: Episode 7 Colber Accessories

Metal toy train bridges.

In this episode, Colber railroad accessories are the focus of John Truckenbrod analysis. He’ll explore how these American-made products shared similarities with Lionel offerings of the same period. Plus, Taylor joins John to examine a 1920 Lionel Corporation artifact with an intriguing backstory! […]

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Truck’s Toy Trains: Episode 7 Colber Accessories

Metal toy train bridges.

In this episode, Colber railroad accessories are the focus of John Truckenbrod analysis. He’ll explore how these American-made products shared similarities with Lionel offerings of the same period. Plus, Taylor joins John to examine a 1920 Lionel Corporation artifact with an intriguing backstory! […]

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HO scale Cajon Pass

HOscaleCajonPass

Name: Cajon Pass Layout owner: Pat Smith Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 33′-2″ x 40′-7″ Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Union Pacific; and Southern Pacific Locale: Southern California Era: Early 1950s to early 1960s strong>Style: walkaround Mainline run: 475 feet Minimum Radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: 3 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: […]

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HO scale New York New Haven Hartford RR

HOscaleNewYorkNewHavenHartford

Name: New York, New Haven & Hartford RR Layout owner: Richard Abramson Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12′-6″ x 19′-6″ Prototype: New Haven electrified zone Locale: southwestern Connecticut Era: 1950s to 1960s Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: 65 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: 49″ Roadbed: Homasote […]

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Four compact track plans

QuanaAcmePacific

Present and former members of the Model Railroader staff designed these four model railroads. Each can fit a 150-square-foot space. That space could be a 10 x 15-foot spare room, an 8-foot-wide stall in an 18-foot-long garage, a 5-foot-wide space along a 30-foot basement wall, or anything in between. What resulted was a variety of […]

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