Remembering Civil War rails

TRN-A0311_04

In addition to everything else the American Civil War might have been, it was also the first reliably documented major conflict. A combination of well-kept “Official Records” and preserved photographs give us a unique view into the first modern, industrialized, documented war. These images are only a sample of the rich documentary resources available from […]

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Monson RR

Monson RR

Name: Monson RR Layout designer: Steven Otte Scale: HOn2 (1:87.1, 2-foot gauge) Size: 4 x 8 feet Prototype: Monson RR Locale: Maine Era: 1916-1919 Style: tabletop Mainline run: 19 feet Minimum radius: 15″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 stub Maximum grade: none Click on the link to download the PDF of this track plan. […]

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Goldfield & Hangtown RR

MRR-A0111_A plan

Name: Goldfield & Hangtown RR Layout designer: Allan Wallace Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 20 x 25 feet Theme: mining and logging Locale: Sierra Nevada Era: 1890-1915 Style: walk-in Mainline run: 250 feet Minimum radius: 30″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 11⁄2 percent Originally appeared in the January 2011 issue of Model Railroader. Click on […]

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Gallery: Thom Radice’s HO scale Western & Atlantic

Thom Radice's HO scale Western & Atlantic

Featured in the October 2020 Model Railroader, Thom Radice’s HO scale Western & Atlantic model train layout is set during the American Civil War and a line that ran between Atlanta, Ga., and Chattanooga, Tenn. […]

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Lost Island Bluffs Ry.

Name: Lost Island Bluffs Ry. Layout designer: Robert P. Foster Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 9 x 11 feet Prototype: freelanced, inspired by the Philadelphia & Long Branch RR and the Island Heights Branch of the Pennsylvania RR Locale: Barnegat Bay shorelinein central New Jersey Era: 1884 to 1934 Style: walkaround Mainline run: 50 feet Minimum […]

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Development of the railroad tank car

The first tank car. This replica of a Densmore-type tank car is on display at the ACF Industries plant in Milton, Pa.

The invention of the tank car coincided with the discovery of oil in northwestern Pennsylvania in the 1860s. Oilmen quickly discovered that hauling oil to market in horse-drawn wagons or floating barrels down local streams wasn’t going to do the job as oil production ramped up. The oil industry needed to find a way to […]

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Fiddletown & Great Divide RR

Name: Fiddletown & Great Divide RR Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 13′-2″ x 23′-10″ Theme: turn-of-the 20th century short line Locale: California high desert Era: 1900 Style: walkaround Mainline run: narrow gauge, 53 feet; standard gauge, 28 feet Minimum radius: narrow gauge 18″, standard gauge 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 4 percent Originally appeared […]

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Denver & Rio Grande Western and Rio Grande Southern

Name: Denver & Rio Grande Western and Rio Grande Southern Scale: On3 (1:48 proportion, three-foot gauge) Size: 34 x 60 feet Prototype: D&RGW and RGS Locale: Southern Colo. and northern New Mexico Era: First half of 1900s Style: Walk in with duckunders Mainline run: 300 feet Minimum radius: 72″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 See a […]

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Montreal Harbour Ry.

Track plan at a glance Name: Montreal Harbour Ry. Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 9 x 11 feet Prototype: Port of Montreal Era: 1912-1914 Mainline run: 34 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnouts: Peco small Originally appeared in the June 2008 issue of Model Railroader. See a PDF version of this track plan by clicking here. […]

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Mojave & Death Valley RR

Track plan at a glance Name: Mojave & Death Valley RR Scale: On2 1/2 (1:48) Size: 10 x 12 feet Prototype: Death Valley RR Era: 1915 Mainline run: 44 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnouts: Peco medium Maximum grade: none Originally appeared in the May 2008 issue of Model Railroader. See a PDF version of […]

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Coal Belt

Track plan at a glance Name: Coal Belt Scale: HO (1:87) Size: 8 x 20 feet Prototype: free-lanced, based on anthracite region railroads Era: 1910-1920 Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: 92 feet Minimum radius: 24″ with easements Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2.5 percent Originally appeared in the 2002 issue of Great Model Railroads. Also […]

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Winged Foot & Western

Track plan at a glance Name: Winged Foot & Western Scale: On3 (1:48) Size: 10 x 28 feet Theme: free-lance logging and mining railroad Period: turn-of-the-century Style: point-to-loop Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 4 percent Originally appeared in the 2000 issue of Great Model Railroads. Click here to download a PDF of this track […]

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