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 […]

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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 […]

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The Denver & Rio Grande Western Chili Line

Name: The Chili Line Layout designer: Steve Amitrano Scale: Sn3 (1:64, 3-foot gauge) Size: 9′-6″ x 11′-6″ Prototype: Denver & Rio Grande Western Locale: Chama and Santa Fe, N.M. Era: mid-1930s to 1950s Style: doughnut Mainline run: 43 feet Minimum radius: 34″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Originally appeared in the Great Model Railroads 2008. Click […]

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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. […]

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Ida Valley Ry.

Ida Valley Ry

Name: Ida Valley Ry. Layout designer: Bob Allen Scale: Large scale narrow gauge (1:35) Size: 21 x 51 feet Prototype: New Zealand Rys. Locale: Otago Province, South Island, New Zealand Era: 1955 to 1965 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 240 feet Minimum radius: 72″ Minimum turnout: Peco medium radius Maximum grade: 1.1 percent Originally appeared in […]

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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 […]

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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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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 […]

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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 […]

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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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