The Norfolk & Western Railway transported much of the coal mined in southwestern Virginia and West Virginia. Many loads went north to Lake Erie, others to “tidewater” at N&W’s big terminal in Norfolk, Va., opened in 1885. Here it was loaded in vessels for shipment to ports up the East Coast or for overseas export. […]
SP’s Los Angeles General Shops UCLA Dept. of Geography, Air Photo Archives Southern Pacific facilities dominate three views of Los Angeles. Much in this 1934 scene is gone, or greatly changed. SP’s Los Angeles General Shops, the most complete railroad maintenance facility the city has ever seen, was replaced by an intermodal yard in the […]
This 1940’s afternoon photo looks northeast from over the Cape Fear River across the north end of downtown Wilmington, N.C. (the ocean is 6 miles to the east). Atlantic Coast Line’s history in the port city dates to 1840, when the Wilmington & Raleigh opened a 161-mile line northwest to Weldon. After the Civil War […]
The Louisville & Nashville Railroad began by linking its namesake cities, and eventually grew to reach New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, and Atlanta. But Kentucky’s largest city was L&N’s home, heart, and headquarters, and the Bluegrass State’s top natural resource — coal — sustained the carrier that came to call itself “the Old Reliable.” In […]
Bachmann HO scale 0-6-0T steam switcher This diminutive steam switcher features a lot of separately applied detail parts for an HO scale locomotive that’s the same size as many N scale engines. Part of Bachmann Trains’ Spectrum line, this well-detailed HO scale saddle-tank steam switcher uses the same tooling as the first release several years […]
Athearn HO scale Southern Pacific MT-4 steam locomotive Fans of Southern Pacific steam locomotives have had a few GS-class 4-8-4s to choose from as ready-to run HO models in recent years, but the Athearn MT-4 marks the first time that an SP 4-8-2 has been available as a ready-to-run plastic model. This Athearn Genesis series […]
MTH HO scale Southern Pacific class 79-C-2 44-seat chair car A Southern Pacific class 79-C-2 44-seat chair car marks the first HO passenger car from MTH Electric Trains. The prototype for the model was built by Pullman-Standard in 1941 for service on the Coast Daylight. The length and width of the model match a prototype […]
Sievers Benchwork I was looking for benchwork that was easy to assemble. Siever’s Benchwork is a regular advertiser in Model Railroader, so I figured it had to be a good product. When I received the benchwork, it looked nice, it was sturdy, and it could possibly be transportable (modular capability). It’s nice that the benchwork […]
Name: Glenwood & Sierra RR. Layout designer: Sy Diamond Scale: N (1:160) Size: 7′-6″ x 13′-0″ feet Theme: freelanced Locale: various locations across North America Era: 1950s (steam to diesel transition) Style: around the walls with aisle Mainline run: 75 feet Minimum radius: 17″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Click on the […]
Name: Milwaukee Road, Morton Branch Layout designer: Eric Williams Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 9 x 11 feet Prototype: Milwaukee Road Locale: Morton, Wash. Era: 1945 to 1950 Style: Around-the-walls Mainline run: 34 feet Minimum radius: 32″ (visible), 24″ (staging) Minimum turnout: Peco medium radius Maximum grade: 4 percent Click on the link to download the […]
Name: Shadowton Ridge NorthernLayout designer: Matt HewittScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 30 x 45 feetTheme: freelanced subsidiary of the Norfolk & Western Ry.Locale: West VirginiaEra: 1956Style: multilevel walkaroundMainline run: 325 feetMinimum radius: 32″Minimum turnout: no. 6Maximum grade: 1.6 percent (in helix) Click on the link to download the PDF of this track plan. […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Pelle Søeborg is a frequent contributor to Model Railroader magazine. Pelle talked with Model Railroader Editor Neil Besougloff about his Daneville & Donner River layout and his new modern-era Union Pacific HO model railroad in this interview from August 26, 2010. You’ll also […]
