CSX East Rail

CSX East Rail layout

Name: East Rail Layout designer: Lance Mindheim Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 9′-3″ x 9′-9″ x 16″ Prototype: CSX Locale: Miami, Fla. Era: 2006 Style: shelf Mainline run: 19 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Originally appeared in the Great Model Railroads 2008. Click on the link to download a PDF of this track […]

Read More…

Logansport & Indiana Northern RR

Name: Logansport & Indiana Northern Layout designer: Tom Johnson Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 24 x 26 feet Prototype: freelance short line Locale: northern Indiana Era: present day Style: around-the-walls shelf Mainline run: 85 feet Minimum radius: 26″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Originally appeared in the Great Model Railroads 2008. Click on the link to download […]

Read More…

Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry.

Name: Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry. Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12′-7″ x 33′-0″ Prototype: Third District of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe’s Plains Division Locale: Texas Panhandle, Amarillo to Clovis, N.M. Era: September 1955 Style: linear walkaround Mainline run: 102 feet Minimum radius: 29″ Minimum turnout: no. 6, no. 4 in Amarillo Switching District […]

Read More…

Southern Ry.

Southern Ry

Name: Southern Ry. Layout designer: Bob Lawson Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 24 x 30 feet Prototype: Southern Ry. Locale: central and eastern Kentucky Era: 1945 through the early 1950s Style: walk-in with one duckunder Mainline run: 425 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 with some no. 6 Maximum grade: 1.5 percent Originally appeared […]

Read More…

Video: MTH HO scale bipolar electric

The MTH Electric Trains HO scale bipolar features pantographs that raise and lower, remote opening couplers, and sound effects. Equipped with the MTH Digital Command System (DCS), the locomotive runs on direct-current (DC), Digital Command Control (DCC), and DCS layouts. Watch us run the locomotive on the Model Railroader club layout. […]

Read More…

Video: MTH HO scale bipolar electric

The MTH Electric Trains HO scale bipolar features pantographs that raise and lower, remote opening couplers, and sound effects. Equipped with the MTH Digital Command System (DCS), the locomotive runs on direct-current (DC), Digital Command Control (DCC), and DCS layouts. Watch us run the locomotive on the Model Railroader club layout. […]

Read More…

Industries and tracks at Williams Bay

Industries and tracks at Williams Bay

Name: Bay Junction (Milwaukee, Racine & Troy) industries and tracks Layout designers: The MR staff Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 6′-8″ x 26′-0″ Theme: freelanced junction town Locale: southern Wisconsin Era: 1990s Style: walkaround Mainline run: 42 feet Minimum radius: 30″ (except as noted) Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3 percent Originally appeared in the […]

Read More…

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 […]

Read More…

Building Bay Junction 20

Kent Johnson next to layout backdrop

Model Railroader executive editor Andy Sperandeo finishes up the corn syrup transloading terminal in Williams Bay. He’s adding a Walthers HO scale chain link fence. Associate editor Cody Grivno is in the workshop detailing diesel locomotives for the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. You’ll also see associate editors Steve Otte and Kent Johnson working on other […]

Read More…

Building Bay Junction part 21

Andy Sperandeo next to layout

In this episode Model Railroader executive editor Andy Sperandeo discusses the prototypical arrangement of the signals in Bay Junction. He’ll also show you some of the trackside details that he added to some of the turnouts on our HO scale model train layout. Managing editor David Popp then gives an overview of a typical day […]

Read More…