New Mexico Division

Atchison Topeka Santa Fe

Name: New Mexico Division Layout designer: Bob Foltz Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 45′-7″ x 47′-8″ Prototype: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. Locale: Northern New Mexico Era: 1951 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 350 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (main), 30″ (all others), 26″ (narrow gauge) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 1.5 percent (main), 3.2 percent […]

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Green Mountain Division of the Boston Maine

Track plan at a glance Name: Green Mountain Division of the Boston & Maine Layout designer: Don Janes Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12′-8″ x 20′-0″ plus 12′-0″ x 30′-0″ addition Prototype: Boston & Maine, Central Vermont, and Rutland Locale: Vermont Era: 1950 to 1958 Style: Around the walls Mainline run: 120 feet (original), 70 feet […]

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Rock Island Lines

Rock Island Lines

Track plan at a glance Name: Rock Island Lines Layout designer: Tony Bowen Scale: N (1:160) Size: 15 x 21 feet Prototype: Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Locale: western Illinois and eastern Iowa Era: 1955-1965 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 126 feet Minimum radius: 11″ Originally appeared in the How To Model Railroads of the 1950s […]

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Lionel’s postwar freight-car numbers

Freight-car-numbering

The Lionel Corp. used a four-digit number to identify its postwar rolling stock. In some cases cars also carried a one, two, or three-digit suffix. Though many times cars with the same number exhibit slight differences, or variations, Lionel usually assigned a new number if a car received major changes. While Lionel’s numbering appears haphazard, […]

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Lionel 2353 Santa Fe diesels were a Greatest Find

Lionel 2353 Santa Fe diesels on a Southwestern layout

Lionel 2353 Santa Fe diesels and two streamlined passenger cars purchased through a Dutch website caused Daniel Biessels gave up HO scale modeling for O gauge and  focus on postwar and modern-era models. Then he built a layout set in the Rocky Mountains that he calls the Glenwood Springs & Colorado RR. The arid scenery […]

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Santa Alicia, Harrytown & Pacific RR

Name: Santa Alicia, Harrytown & Pacific RR Layout designer: Mike Blumensaadt Scale: N (1:160) Size: 7′-3″ x 36′-4″ Prototype: Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific Locale: western United States Era: 1950s Style: along-the-wall Mainline run: 75 feet Minimum radius: 19″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in the May 2011 […]

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Red Rock Green River

Red Rock Green River

Name: Red Rock Green River Layout designer: Bill Iwan Scale: On21⁄2 (1:48, 30″ gauge) Size: 10 x 20 feet Theme: Freelanced Denver & Rio Grande Western and Rio Grande Southern Locale: New Mexico and Colorado Era: 1940s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 80 feet Minimum radius: 28″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 0.95 percent Originally […]

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Soo Line

Soo-Line

Track plan at a glance Name: Soo Line Scale: HO (1:87) Size: 14 x 34 feet Theme: Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie (Soo Line) granger railroad Era: 1954 Style: portable oval Minimum radius: 48″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 yards, no. 8 main line Maximum grade: 1 percent Originally appeared in the April 1998 […]

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Ashland & Southern

Ashland & Southern

N ame: Ashland & Southern Layout designer: Terry Thompson, publisher Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 4 x 8 feet Prototype: freelance Locale: north-central Ohio Era: 1950s to present day Mainline run: 14 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: Atlas 18″ radius Snap Switch Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Click on the link to download the PDF of […]

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Engine terminal and car shops

MRR-D0311_B

Name: Engine terminal and car shops Layout designer: Kent Johnson, associate editor Scale: O (1:48) Size: 4 x 8 feet Prototype: freelanced Locale: urban Era: 1950s Mainline run: none Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: none Click on the link to download the PDF of this track plan. […]

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Iron Ridge & Mayville Ry.

MRR-D0311_C

Name: Iron Ridge & Mayville Ry. Layout designer: Neil Besougloff, editor Scale: N (1:160) Size: 4 x 8 feet Prototype: Milwaukee Road Locale: rural Wisconsin Era: 1950s Branchline run: 14 feet Minimum radius: 111⁄4″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 Maximum grade: none Click on the link to download the PDF of this track plan. […]

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Boston & Maine’s New Hampshire Division

Boston Maines New Hampshire Division

Name: Boston & Maine’s New Hampshire Division Layout designer: Paul J. Dolkos Scale: HO (1:87) Size: 16 x 29 feet (in two rooms) Prototype: B&M (also Barre & Chelsea, Canadian Pacific, and St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County) Locale: northern New Hampshire east of the Connecticut River Valley Period: November 1952 Layout style: walkaround point-to-point Minimum […]

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