Two new Atlantic Coast Line EMD E7s pose with a train of lightweight stainless-steel passenger cars shortly after delivery in 1945. The ACL would eventually acquire 20 E7s. Photo by Atlantic Coast Line […]
Era: 1920 - 1945
On30 Marshfield & Old Colony
The layout at a glance Name: Marshfield & Old Colony Layout owner: Michael Tylick Scale: On30 (1:48 proportion on 30″ gauge track) Size: 8 x 16 feet Prototype: freelanced Locale: Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island Era: 1920s and 1930s Mainline run: 25 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: handlaid, approximately no. 4 Maximum grade: 2 […]
New York Central 1938 20th Century Limited photos and drawings
Model Railroader magazine remains the leading source of information for our great hobby. You can get access to all of the more than 1,000 issues of Model Railroader from January 1934 to the present day by signing up for the exclusive online archive. Check out this classic story from the April 1988 issue. […]
Ice harvesting at Crystal Lake Ill on the Chicago North Western
The Cold hard tracks Crystal Lake was once used for harvesting ice. Blocks of ice were cut from the lake in winter, then stored in warehouses along the shore. The ice was shipped in refrigerator cars to Chicago via the “Ice Track,” a 2-mile branch that ran from the C&NW main line through the west […]
Remembering Denver & Rio Grande Western freight trains
All this month — December 2019 — Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and images of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of images from the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include Rio Grande diesel- and steam-powered freight trains through time. You might […]
HO scale Placerville Branch
Name: The Placerville Branch Layout owner: Tom Ebert Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 11 x 27 feet Prototype: Southern Pacific Locale: Northern California foothills Era: 1930s Style: double-deck continuous-climb walkaround Mainline run: 110 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Benchwork: L-girder and open-grid Height: 34″ (lower staging) to 62″ Roadbed: cork […]
On30 scale Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes
This track plan originally appeared in Great Model Railroads 2020. Click on the link below to download a PDF copy of this track plan. Name: Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Layout owner: Lou Sassi Scale: On30 (1:48, 30″ track gauge) Size: 7 x 16 feet Prototype: Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Locale: north-central Maine Era: […]
Video: On30 Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Contributing editor Lou Sassi models north-central Maine in the 1930s on his 7 x 16-foot On30 Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes model train layout. Featured in Great Model Railroads 2020, the layout features superdetailed scenes and equipment. […]
Video: On30 Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Contributing editor Lou Sassi models north-central Maine in the 1930s on his 7 x 16-foot On30 Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes model train layout. Featured in Great Model Railroads 2020, the layout features superdetailed scenes and equipment. […]
Man power
In the 1910s, automobiles were shipped as “knock-downs,” with the bodies removed from the chassis and then loaded in boxcars. This is Ford’s Highland Park, Mich., plant in 1915. Ford Motor Co. photo […]
Fn3 scale Rio Grande Southern, Western Division
Click on the image to download a PDF copy of this track plan. Name: Rio Grande Southern, Western Division Layout owner: Roy Allan Scale: Fn3 (1:20.3, 36″ gauge) Size: 26′-6″ x 36′-3″ Prototype: Rio Grande Southern Locale: southwestern Colorado Era: 1937 to 1942 Style: island Mainline run: 200 feet Minimum radius: 60″ (main), 51″ (sidings) […]
Semi-streamlined
St. Louis-San Francisco semi-streamlined 4-8-2 No. 1503 works at Kirkwood, Mo., in 1942. The railroad, best known simply as the Frisco, had 30 such locomotives built by Baldwin from 1923 to 1926. William Barham photo, Don Wirth collection […]
