Featured Layout - Summer 2010

Vince Lee's Erie RR - 28th Street Terminal, New York City  in the 1950s

Vince Lee has packed a lot of model railroading into his Erie RR 28^th Street Terminal layout which is built on a hollow core door and an extension board. This vest pocket yard is set in the early 1950s so both steam tank engines and early diesels are at home here. It consists of two multi tenant Freight Houses, a small yard that has a capacity of 80- 40 foot boxcars and, for good measure, a car float for all important interchange service. Shunting cars to the correct warehouse door will require both skill and careful planning.. Operations centre around the arrival and departure of the car float and things can get really hectic in a hurry. You can read all the background details about Vince’s excellent layout in the July Railroad Model Craftsman magazine.  Vince also displays his interest in photographing prototypical railroads on his web site http://www.east westrails.com/

You will find Erie Railroad 28^th Street Terminal on your WEB chooser under Layouts\Featured Layouts.

A little box electric engine shunts cars in these busy warehouse scenes.

Used with permission.

Featured Layout - Spring 2010

John Marlor's Canadian Pacific - Revelstoke Division in 1937

John Marlor chose to model the the Canadian Pacific Railway's Revelstoke Division - Mountain Subdivision from
Kamloops to Field, British Columbia in the year 1937, when steam had reached its zenith. More specifically, he chose to model the climbs west from Revelstoke up to and over the Eagle Pass in the Monashee Mountains, and the climb east from Revelstoke up the Illecillewaet River Valley to the Connaught Tunnel and Rogers Pass. In addition, he modelled the Arrowhead Branch Line south from Revelstoke to Arrowhead on Upper Arrow Lake.

Featured Layout - March 2010

This layout is a fairly accurate depiction of the trackage in and around Toledo Union Station in Toledo, Ohio in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The operation on this layout focuses mainly on passenger trains but there is one large industry along the Maumee River that gets a fair share of action - The Kuhlman Materials Corporation. This construction supply company with a large bulk materials facility generates traffic for both rail and water shippers. The principal railroads that ran through Toledo Ohio were the New York Central, Baltimore and Ohio, Nickel Plate and Wabash. All provided passenger service with the New York Central having the most daily trains

This layout was our Third Prize Winner in our recent Layout Design Contest.  Well Done Jim!

Featured Layout - February 2010

Peter's layout is a fantasy plan, based on a real train station on a minor local railway the ”Hjørring-Hørby Privatbane” , HHP, that was opened on November 8. 1913, and sadly closed again, due to competition from truck and bus traffic, in March 1953. The station itself forms the visible part of Peter's module and he has used hidden staging to simulate traffic that is "en route" to its destination.  The layout should lend itself well to anyone who enjoys scripting their operations.  Peter has shown some remarkable detail including the railway ties and people standing on the station platforms.  As well Peter has included a custom car set with his plan to better reflect the steam engines, passenger and freight cars that would have passed through his village. Included is a little 7 ton diesel affectionately known locally as the "broom closet".  The car collections should automatically download for you when you download this layout.  Or, you can download it separately from your Web Cartype chooser under Standard\2000 Saesing Station

.  Well Done Peter!

Featured Layout - January 2010

The CNW at Appleton Wisconsin  1950 -

This layout was adapted from The St. Clair South Western by John Armstrong in his 1963 book “Track Planning For Realistic Operation.” It represents a segment of the C&NW’s trackage from Milwaukee to Green Bay that runs from Appleton Junction northward through Appleton and Kaukauna. At Appleton Junction there is a connection to the line that runs southeast to the towns of Brillion and Manitowoc and northwest to New London. Both northbound and southbound trains departing Appleton enter tunnels through a hilly area just beyond Appleton Junction. The tracks under the hills are a staging area for Green Bay and Milwaukee.  The layout will keep operators busy handling car ferry traffic, passenger through traffic and the local "sand" job to the gravel pit.

This layout was our First Prize winner in recent our Layout Design Contest. Congratulations Jim!

A long time fan of mainline operations, Brad Smith developed his Bristol Ferry Terminal railroad to emphasize his newest passion - switching.  In its 18 inch by 96 inch frame, he has packed a typical, busy New England industrial area, a car ferry and an interchange point with a major railroad.  A grade separation and careful planning of roads and buildings gives his layout a very realistic feel.  Brad even has a small passenger operation cleverly built-in as well by hiding a Rail Diesel Car in the tunnel on the right side.  Brad sent us the photo below to show his completed module.

Brad's Bristol Ferry Terminal was featured in the November, 2009 issue of Model Railroader.  Well done Brad!

And below is our interpretation of Brad's layout using images from the Scenery Toolkit library. 

After downloading this layout from your Layout Chooser, be sure to activate the Station feature which will provide the names of all of the industries served on this railroad.  And just like Brad, you're ready for operations now!

Featured Layout - Nov 09