Winston-Salem Southbound Series: Preparation for Operation

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Now that work on the trackwork, scenery, structures, details, motive power and rolling stock is nearly complete on our Winston-Salem Southbound HO scale project layout, it’s time to try running it like a real railroad. But before a single axle turns, MRVP’s David […]

Read More…

HO scale Chicago & North Western Ry.

HOscaleChicagoNorthWesternRy

Name: Chicago & North Western Ry. Layout owner: Don Drum Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 27 x 43 feet Prototype: C&NW Lakeshore Division, Ashland District (Eland, Wis., to Ashland, Wis.) Locale: northern Wisconsin Era: summer 1956 to 1960 Style: walk-in Benchwork: L-girder and open grid Height: 49″ to 55″ Roadbed: 1⁄2″ plywood, 1⁄2″ Homasote, and 1⁄4″ […]

Read More…

HO scale New York Central, Mattoon and East St. Louis, Ill.

HOscaleNewYorkCentralMattoonandEastStLouisIll

Name: New York Central Layout owner: Mike Havens Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 18 x 25 feet Prototype: NYC Locale: Illinois and Indiana Era: 1950 to mid-1960s Style: walk-in double-deck Mainline run: 360 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 1.25 percent Benchwork: L-girder Height: 45″ Roadbed: Homasote on 3⁄4″ plywood, some cork […]

Read More…

Vertical crossing signals

TRNAT0814_02

A less common crossing signal warned motorists of oncoming trains by blinking “stop.” Kevin King Q As a child in the 1950s and 1960s, I saw a number of railroad grade crossings on the Wabash that were protected by a row of vertical lights on the signal mast in addition to the standard red alternating […]

Read More…

HO scale Waynesburg & Washington RR

HOscaleWaynesburgWashington

Name: Waynesburg & Washington Layout owner: Rick Crumrine Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 18 x 28 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR Locale: southwest Pennsylvania Era: 1956 Mainline run: 89 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no 6 (no. 4 in some yards) Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Benchwork: L-girder and extruded-foam insulation board Height: 39″ to 47″ Roadbed: […]

Read More…

HO scale Atlantic Coast Line in St. Petersburg, Fla.

HOscaleAtlanticCoastLineStPetersburg

Name: ACL in St. Petersburg Layout designer: Christian Javier Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 21 feet Prototype: Atlantic Coast Line Locale: St. Petersburg, Fla. Era: 1953 Style: Around-the-walls Mainline run: 66 feet Minimum radius: 26″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: flat This track plan originally appeared in the July 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the […]

Read More…

HO scale Hoosier Line

HOscaleTheHoosierLine

Name: The Hoosier Line Layout designer: Jack Simpson Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 24 x 40 feet Prototype: Monon RR Locale: Indiana Era: 1950s Style: walkaround Mainline run: 124 feet Minimum radius: 32″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 1⁄2 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: 43″ Roadbed: cork Track: Atlas code 83 Scenery: extruded-foam insulation board […]

Read More…

CN 2-8-0 in the rain

20160414

In a 1957 view from a crossing watchman’s tower at Burlington, Ont., elderly Canadian National 2-8-0 2647 passes in heavy rain with a Hamilton–Toronto local freight. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

Read More…

HO scale Port of Brunswick Railroad

HOscalePortofBrunswickRR

Name: Port of Brunswick RR Layout owner: Paul Boehlert Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 15″ x 80″ Prototype: freelanced Locale: Brunswick, Ga. Era: mid-1950s Style: shelf switching Mainline Run: none Minimum Radius: 24″ Minimum Turnouts: no. 6 Maximum Grade: none This track plan originally appeared in the May 2016 Model Railroader. Click on the link to […]

Read More…

N scale Georgia Great Southern

NscaleGeorgiaGreatSouthern

Name: Georgia Great Southern Layout owner: Joe Gelmini Scale: N (1:160) Size: 18 x 60 feet Prototype: Southern Ry. Locale: Atlanta, Ga. to Mobile, Ala. Era: mid 1950s to 1970 Mainline run: 400 feet Minimum radius: 20″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (yards and sidings) Maximum grade: 2 percent Benchwork: open grid, L […]

Read More…