PRODUCTS

I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N

Room-size
model railroads
This track supported above Highway disappears
Mountain ridge high staging yard by shelf brackets behind hills 3 percent
enough to hide staging Five-track staging yard Curved
0

0 1.75"

5"

4.375" 2.125"

Bozeman Skyline Forest 3 percent up Bridge with

Mullan Tunnels Trestle road Montana R
Tunnel Link logo

Lombard siding
(10 feet long)

Scale: 1⁄2" = 1'-0"

12" grid
18" minimum radius
No. 8 turnouts
ssouri River
 ROOM-SIZED
MODEL RAILROADS

Big sky
Three distinct (small room)

track plan
Montana Rail Link
vignettes highlight this
N scale track plan
By Tom Danneman
Photos by the author

I
wanted out of my apartment! For
several years, I had collected N
scale locomotives and rolling stock
hoping that one day I could build
my Montana Rail Link empire. But
my apartment had absolutely no room
for even a tiny layout. There clearly was
only one thing to do – move! So I did.
Mind you, I still won’t be able to
build that dream mile-for-mile Mullan
Pass empire, but I will soon be able to
see all of my locomotives and rolling
stock running on my very own N scale
6'-6" x 12-'9" layout.

The space and the plan

I’ve always wanted my layout to be
in a comfortable setting. The space I
have is a small basement that was
largely finished when I moved in, but I
made a few improvements before start-
ing the layout. I installed new flooring
and trim and did some other work to
create a room that would be a nice and Helena. I also provided the dimen- on the layout, ready to roll. It also
space even without a model railroad. sions of the room (11'-0" x 14'-9"), along allows me to store different types of
The next step was to come up with a with the positions of the closets and trains staged to run, such as a grain
plan. I enlisted my brother Mike for doors and the clearance a person would train, a coal train, an intermodal train,
help. A few years ago, he designed and need to move around the layout. as well as MRL’s own manifest freight,
built an apartment-sized layout based Mike soon designed the L-shaped which is referred to as the LM and ML
on the Denver & Rio Grande Western, track plan you see on page 96. This lay- (Laurel to Missoula and Missoula to
and is now working on a much larger out will provide plenty of mainline run- Laurel). I can even throw in a local for
Rio Grande empire in his home. ning, a siding where trains can meet, a good measure.
I told Mike that I wanted my layout short industry track, and a staging yard.
to be scenery-driven and include Mul- The staging yard was an important Inspired by Big Sky country
lan Pass west of Helena, and Lombard feature to me since all that rolling stock Even though the plan was based on
Canyon, which is between Bozeman that was buried in boxes could be kept Lombard Canyon and Mullan Pass, I
 Montana Rail Link’s train ML (Missoula-Lau-
was able to sneak another location into Obviously, the MRL doesn’t use the rel) glides down the 2.2 percent grade of the
the mix. I decided to model the twin old tunnel, but I’m applying a little east slope of Mullan Pass and over Skyline
tunnel portals located on the west side “modeler’s license” here. That’s what Trestle. The trestle and its surroundings are
of the apex of Bozeman Pass. There makes model railroading fun! the centerpiece of this compact track plan.
really are two portals at West End. One The layout’s centerpiece is the por-
is the existing tunnel Montana Rail Link tion that resembles Mullan Pass and, in
uses today. The other is the original particular, Skyline Trestle (above) – one
1883 tunnel that Northern Pacific used of a pair of spectacular curved steel
until 1945, when a new 3,015-foot tun- trestles that grace the east slope of Mul-
nel was completed. Built at a cost of lan Pass.
$1.25 million, the new tunnel accom- Mullan Pass has a stiff 2.2 percent
modated the massive Z-5 class 2-8-8-4s grade, which crests at the continental
that were used on this line. divide, just outside the west portal.
 MONTANA RAIL LINK Mountain ridge high
This track supported above
staging yard by shelf brackets
Highway disappears
behind hills 3 percent up
Track disappears in cut enough to hide staging Five-track staging yard Curved turnout
0

0 1.75"
Curved
turnouts
5.375"
Trident
Cement
plant

4.375" 2.125"
Curved
0 turnouts

0 Bozeman Skyline Forest 3 percent up Bridge with

Mullan Tunnels Trestle road Montana Rail
Tunnel Link logos

Lombard siding
(10 feet long)

Scale: 1⁄2" = 1'-0"

12" grid
18" minimum radius
No. 8 turnouts
Missouri River
ILLUSTRATION BY RICK JOHNSON AND ROEN KELLY
Semaphores
Lombard Canyon

Modeling a big-train regional

I n 1990, when I first encountered the
Montana Rail Link, I immediately
knew that someday I would model this
230 miles of branches in Montana, and
it received trackage rights over the BN
from Sandpoint to Spokane, Wash.
operation. Camera in hand, I’ve Montana Rail Link maintains a fairly
returned to Montana every year since. profitable network of branch lines, but
And every year the railroad changes just its primary traffic is BNSF run-through
a little bit. New locomotives and freight trains. Burlington Northern Santa Fe
cars are purchased, mergers are con- maintains a guaranteed amount of ton-
summated, and even a deluxe private nage over the line as a condition of the
passenger train, the Montana Rockies original contract between the two rail-
Daylight, started running. roads. All this variety and traffic, along
Every time I go back, I like what I with the gorgeous Montana scenery that
see. In 1990, I photographed MRL the MRL traverses, make the railroad a
locomotives still painted Burlington modeler’s dream.
Northern green. In 1993, I was there to More than 10 years ago, I started
see BN’s “whiteface” GP50s on that collecting N scale locomotives and
road’s train 21. And in 1996, I loved rolling stock with my dream layout in
seeing those smart-looking new orange- mind. I was drawn to N scale by the
and-green Burlington Northern Santa Fe fantastic detail and exquisite running
Dash 9s on a grain train. qualities of the rolling stock, as well as
The Montana Rail Link was in its the ability to better emulate the
third year of operation when I made my scenery-to-trains size ratio – being able
initial visit, having started on October to more closely represent a Montana- Because the grade extends the length
31, 1987. On that day, BN leased more sized mountain intrigued me. of the tunnel, westbound trains work
than 580 miles of well-maintained for- I decided I would model anything I hard all the way through and tend to
mer Northern Pacific Ry. main line to could have seen from 1990 through belch tremendous amounts of choking
the fledgling regional. The trackage run- 2000. While the trains change on my black smoke. Almost all westbound
ning from Jones Junction, Mont., (just railroad, the setting does not. Anyone trains require helpers, and in the case of
east of Billings) to Sandpoint, Idaho, who’s ever been to Montana will agree heavy coal or grain trains, two helper
was leased – and not sold – because BN that the railroad is dwarfed by its sur- sets might be used. Helper crews are
(now BNSF) still has NP bonds out- roundings. They don’t call it Big Sky required to wear gas masks.
standing until the year 2047. Country for nothing. My goal is to cap- I will also model the east portal of
Though MRL doesn’t own its main ture some of the flavor of that impres- Mullan Tunnel, which had an unusual
line, it was able to purchase from BN sive scenery on my layout. – T. D. twin blower system that pushed exhaust
gases ahead of the train to the west and
 Semaphores (top left) are still in use
out of the tunnel. The blower system This gives me at least three distinct between Spring Gulch and Quinns, Mont. In
and its associated buildings were dor- vignettes of Montana railroading. While 1996, Burlington Northern train 125 (above)
mant for many years until MRL reacti- I could think of hundreds of scenes I’d rolls along the Missouri River in Lombard
vated one of the blowers for emergency love to model, three will do for now. Canyon. A freight (left) led by an MRL SD40-
use – if a train stalls inside the tunnel Since I’ve already completed bench- 2XR crests the summit of Bozeman Pass. The
and the crew has to evacuate, they can work and laid track, maybe I won’t have modern tunnel is used today; the original
start this blower using their radio. to travel 1,354 miles to see big Montana tunnel was abandoned in 1945.
The serpentine line through Lom- railroading action this summer. I can
bard Canyon is also represented. This just walk a few steps downstairs. 1  More on our Web site
dry, mountainous area along the Mis- From GP9s to SD40-2XRs, Tom Danneman
souri River is, for the most part, devoid An avid N scaler, Tom Danneman is details Montana Rail Link’s fascinating
of trees and will contrast nicely with the MODEL RAILROADER’s art director. He and varied motive power fleet. Read his
pine-covered slopes of Mullan Pass. lives in Pewaukee, Wis. report at www.modelrailroader.com
 ROOM-SIZED
MODEL RAILROADS

D. WALLACE JOHNSON

The Virginian in HO and N

Big-time railroading in where Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 Train
Masters and 2-8-8-2 and 2-10-10-2
The Virginian Ry. shuttled hoppers between
West Virginia’s coalfields and the ocean port
small-time space steam locomotives moved long strings
of hoppers to waiting tipples, is the
of Norfolk, Va. Roger Marsh shows how this
600-mile coal hauler can be modeled in a
inspiration. If your nerves can handle limited space in HO and N scales.
By Roger Marsh rigging catenary, you can shift the lay-
out farther east and take advantage of from the major manufacturers and can

P
lying its trade among the hills and Bachmann’s EL-C electric. be weathered for greater realism.
tipples of coal country with mas- As drawn, the plan requires a 10 x 11-
sive steam locomotives, growling foot room. At a minimum, the layout Operations
Fairbanks-Morse Train Masters, and can operate with a pair of Athearn Train A fiddle yard gives this layout con-
extensive electrification, the Virginian Masters, though an additional pair siderable operational flexibility, en-
Ry. did things on a grand scale. The would provide more flexibility. If you abling a cycle of loads and empties
drama of tonnage grinding through the prefer steam, the Proto 2000 2-8-8-2, through the mine. The yard has tracks
mountains is appealing, but how do you and an Athearn USRA 2-8-2, dressed up for staging a pair of hopper consists,
do justice to a sprawling prototype in a to look more like a Virginian MC-class one of empties and the other of loads,
limited space? A 2-6-6-6 followed by five Mikado, will fit the bill nicely. If you each with about 15 cars and a caboose.
hoppers and a caboose looks a little select the steam option, you will want The mine tracks connect to the fiddle
odd, believe me! to add some way to turn the engines in yard to allow interchange of loads and
Here are two plans, one in HO that the fiddle yard. The Virginian was never empties. The stub-end tracks are for
fills a small room and another in N scale a major passenger carrier, and for the storing general freight cars, which
that fits on a pair of hollow-core doors, purposes of the layout I’ve assumed that enables the “dispatcher” to vary the con-
that show how it’s possible to do some- passenger service has ceased. sists of local freights. This helps to avoid
thing interesting with this railroad – Rolling stock naturally includes a the funny feeling you have seen that
even if you don’t have a gymnasium to heavy dose of coal hoppers. Accurail’s boxcar before – quite recently in fact!
call your own. USRA 55-ton hopper and Athearn’s 34- Digital Command Control (DCC)
foot, two-bay, ribbed-side hopper both would be a distinct advantage for this
HO in a bedroom come decorated for the Virginian. These layout. With the amount of activity I’ve
I named this layout Cunningham’s cars can be used to build up rolling contemplated in the staging yard, DCC
Gap, partly because it sounds Appa- stock quickly and more-detailed mod- would simplify wiring and control.
lachian, and partly because it’s the els can be added later on. This layout is capable of supporting
name of a geographic feature near my Structure kits for the various build- four or five operators, particularly if
home. The west end of the Virginian, ings on the layout are readily available crews of engineer and conductor are
 Interchange for mine Depot Company Freight house
houses with loading ramp
Fuel depot Company store Stores and
commercial buildings
Church

Curved turnouts

Mining company tipple

CUNNINGHAM'S GAP IN HO
Layout size 10 x 11 feet
Scale: 1 ⁄2 " = 1'-0"
12" grid

Ridge hides staging

from the center of room

Three-way
Staging yard turnout
Farm
Liftout or
duckunder
section

Entry
ILLUSTRATIONS BY TERRI FIELD

0.9 percent up

Double-sided
backdrop
7⁄8"

CUNNINGHAM'S GAP IN N
Plan using two 36" x 80" interior hollow-core doors
Scale: 5⁄8" = 1'-0" 0.8 percent up
12" grid
Chesapeake & Ohio C&O Chemical plant
Freight staging tracks interchange
track Table joint
house Virginian
Road
overpass Backdrop staging tracks Depot Gas station

13⁄4"
0"

0"

7⁄ 8"
0.8 percent up
 THE VIRGINIAN RY. CO.

used. For a full operating session, a fid- the hilly terrain so characteristic of the The West Virginia coal district accounted for
dle yard operator/dispatcher is neces- Virginian’s west end. more than 86 percent of the Virginian’s
sary to keep things rolling. The plan was designed with Peco freight. This sprawling coal tipple dominates
The staging tracks are mostly hidden code 75 track in mind, but you can use the little mining town of Slab Fork, W. Va.
from the view of operators on the other brands as well. The minimum
inside, with the fiddle yard operator curve radius is 24", with wider curves idea for the chemical plant from an
occupying a position where all the stag- used wherever possible. The entry to the encyclopedia’s description of the indus-
ing tracks can be seen. If DCC is not room can either be a duckunder or a tries of West Virginia. There is more to
used, a yard control panel would be lift-out section. If the lift-out option is coal country than coal!
needed for the yard. For solo opera- selected, care must be taken to ensure Digital Command Control is the pre-
tions, it would be easy enough to take the staging yard tracks are not occupied ferred mode of control, particularly
the trains for a walk without being too before you heave away, otherwise very since the Atlas Train Masters come with
worried about losing sight of things. expensive noises could ensue! a decoder socket. The model is also
The main traffic on this layout is available with a decoder installed.
going to be coal – empties westbound N scale using two doors Stacked and carved extruded poly-
and loads eastbound. Not all of these This compact layout uses two inte- styrene foam board is used to give relief
are through trains, as there is the neces- rior hollow-core doors as its base. The from the rigid flatness of the doors.
sity to set out empties for the mine and layout depicts a West Virginia industrial After all, West Virginia doesn’t look
for the next eastbound coal extra to pick town, with a freight depot, chemical much like Indiana!
up the loads from the interchange. A plant, and an interchange between the The method of joining the doors
freight house and a fuel depot add local Virginian and Chesapeake & Ohio. holds no surprises; it involves gluing
switching interest. Atlas opened up the field somewhat two equal lengths of 1 x 2 lumber to the
This layout mixes locals with long for the N scale Virginian fan by produc- underside of the doors where they inter-
coal trains, but the Virginian also oper- ing the H-24-66 in the smaller scale. sect at the baseboard joint. Dowels and
ated lengthy drag freights. Through The Atlas RSD-4/5 is an ideal C&O loco- bolts provide the necessary alignment
freight trains can be accommodated by motive for this layout. As in HO, other of the baseboards.
adding another long track to the stag- rolling stock is available, though per- Both plans can be adapted to suit
ing yard. haps not with the same variety that is any of the Appalachian coal-hauling
possible in the larger scale. railroads. It’s even possible to build a
Construction considerations The N scale track plan is fairly self- layout that covers a range of eras or
I would build this layout 54" high. explanatory. A grade separation allows prototypes (through interchangeable
That way a modeling workbench with the Virginian to cross over the C&O. A structures), increasing the value per
shelves would fit comfortably under the coal preparation plant is suggested, square foot of the layout. 1
layout, and access to electrical systems rather than visually present. Long coal
would be easier, quite apart from the trains are accommodated in the staging Roger Marsh, a Presbyterian pastor,
visual benefits of a higher layout. yard, so you can still see the drags come lives in Australia with his wife and two
The use of open-frame benchwork is through town. Local industries and the children. In addition to model railroad-
an advantage since the ground level is C&O interchange in the modeled town ing, his other interests include ship mod-
constantly changing, in keeping with provide the switching interest. I got the eling, poetry, and kickboxing.
 ROOM-SIZED
MODEL RAILROADS

Naugatuck Valley in N
An apartment-sized New Haven layout with room to grow • By David Popp

A
s the last of the benchwork for my 11 x 30-foot HO scale
Soo Line layout was unceremoniously shoved to the FRAME ASSEMBLY
back of the storage unit, I figured it would be a while FRAME ASSEMBLY
before I built another one. A recent move had caused my 48"
wife and I to temporarily downsize to a small apartment 461⁄2"
while we built a new house. Sensing my loss, however, Ingrid
donated part of the living room for a small layout, and my
Two 1⁄4"-diameter
plans for an N scale apartment-sized railroad were born.
16" 141⁄2" dowels cut 13⁄4"long
for centering pegs
A prototype with modelers in mind 22"
Looking for something different from the Midwest, I
sought out the New York, New Haven & Hartford for inspi- 6"
ration. After some research, I focused on the New Haven’s 1⁄4" x 2 " carriage bolt
Naugatuck Line, following the Naugatuck River Valley in with 3⁄4" washer, lock 131⁄2" cut with
washer, and wing nut beveled ends
Connecticut. This area was once rich with mills and factories
and would provide some nice industries to switch. In addition,
a devastating hurricane in 1955 caused the New Haven to
rebuild most of the original double-track main line as a single-
EXTENSION CONSTRUCTION DIAGRAM
track one, making it ideal for a modeler with limited space. 12" x 40" .060" styrene
The region also included some picturesque scenery as the Staging backdrop sandwiched
New Haven wound its way north to Waterbury. Its dramatic, between foam and curv-
side ed to follow tracks
near-water-level route was surrounded by tree-covered rocky
hills between towns and included some nice bridges to model. 2" foam
insulation
And by the late 1950s, daily traffic on the line was ideal board
for a small layout. It included a north and south through 1⁄4" ply-
freight, a local serving the towns, and four passenger runs 1⁄4" hard- wood top
each way with Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs). board fascia
1⁄4"hard- 1x2 frame glued
Legs cut to board fascia and screwed together
The layout plan match table
1⁄4" x 2 " carriage bolt with 3⁄4"
Because of my space limitations, I knew my layout could height
washer, lock washer, and wing nut
only be a representation of the New Haven. With that in
Nail-in 3⁄4"
mind, the towns of Seymour and Naugatuck exhibit the fla- nylon furniture 1x2 legs with a 13" spacer and
vor of 1959 New Haven railroading in Connecticut but are glides triangular plywood cleats
not accurate reproductions.

CLAMP ATTACHMENT
MOVING FREIGHT ON THE NAUGATUCK LINE 1 ⁄4 " hardboard fascia
2" foam board

L ate in the New Haven’s history, the railroad would run a

single freight north to Waterbury, Conn., each day. The
train would have three locomotives, typically RS-3s. In
1⁄4" dowel with
tapered end
Waterbury, the crew would break up their train into three
locals, sending them off in different directions to switch
the main back to Naugatuck and the Torrington and For-
Hollow-core
restville branches. In the evening, the three locals would door 13⁄4" thick
return to Waterbury where the crew would reassemble
the train, and then take the whole thing back south to
1"x1 1⁄4" hole
Cedar Hill. cut in bottom
By using the staging tracks as a fiddle yard, you could 1" from edge of door
easily simulate this operation on this version of the Nau-
gatuck Line or adapt it for your own railroad. – D. P. Small Quick-Grip clamp (2)

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAY SMITH

 Track and roadbed D. 638 Springfield depot
Peco code 55 track
387 no. 8 curved right-hand turnout (2)
388 no. 8 curved left-hand turnout (3) Design Preservation Models
393 20-degree crossing (1) F. 506 Gripp’s Luggage (furniture factory) Six-lane
staging
1791 no. 4 right-hand turnout (2) G. 660 Woods Furniture (kitbashed to
1792 no. 4 left-hand turnout (6) fit backdrop and as a view block
12"-high styrene
1795 no. 6 right-hand turnout (2) to staging) G backdrop with
1796 no. 6 left-hand turnout (2) building flats
1797 no. 7 wye turnout (1) Micro Engineering Co. 6
5801 36" flextrack (25) H. 75153 40-foot ballasted-deck bridge
(3 – cut to fit curve) Staging, south
to Cedar Hill
Midwest Products
3019 cork roadbed (25) Model Power
I. 1572 Jackson Meat (kitbashed
Structure key into a textile mill) L

Atlas J. 1509 brewery (kitbashed into Staging, north

A. 2548 plate girder bridge lumber mill) M
to Waterbury
K. 1546 Holland Iron Works
Bar Mills L. 1547 U. S. Customs (kitbashed
B. 304 low boy trestle (coal dock) into warehouses to fit backdrop)
E. 912 Whistle Stop Junction depot 6
Walthers
American Model Builders M. 3246 Gold Flame coal dealer
C. 617 barn (used as fuel dealer shed) (modified to fit backdrop)
K
8 6

Scale: 1" = 1'-0" Minimum curve radius: 12" Highway

N scale (1:160) All turnouts No. 4 unless marked bridge 8 G
23.5 square feet Naugatuck
12" grid
Store
6

Shed
Tree-covered
A B scenic divider
C 8
wye with tunnel to
6 hide loop track

D
Church

I
Houses
F

J
E
H
8
6
8

Naugatuck Seymour
Shed Stores
River

I designed the layout in two pieces. The benchwork for the Fun for two
main part is a 32" hollow-core interior door covered with 2" I designed the layout with two operators in mind, and it
foam insulation board and has a completely independent would be a good candidate for an entry-level Digital Com-
loop for display running. For support, I set the layout on an mand Control (DCC) system with walkaround control.
inexpensive folding table. For an operating session, using a simple timetable, one
To gain a little more space and add some operating inter- operator would run the local and switch the industries at
est, I built a 16" x 48" removable extension. This piece allowed Seymour and Naugatuck. The other would handle the
me to include a six-track staging yard (three tracks for each through freights and the typical late-1950s New Haven RDC
end of the railroad) and a 6"-wide industrial park for the passenger trains making station stops at both towns.
town of Naugatuck. As you get more experienced, you could add waybills,
When in use, the extension clamps to the layout with two extra trains, and even a fast clock! Despite my Naugatuck
Quick-Grip clamps and is supported by a removable leg. To Valley’s small, apartment-living size, its possibilities for rail-
build the extension, see the series of construction diagrams. roading fun seem endless. 1
 ROOM-SIZED
MODEL RAILROADS

Short line with an

interurban heritage
The Valley City Street & Interurban Ry. as an HO switching layout
By Cyril Durrenberger combine no. 1 was purchased second- www.modelrailroader.com, including
hand in 1905 and used until 1915. two that could be modified to represent

S
hort lines are sometimes obscure, Combine no. 2 was purchased new in this station. For scratchbuilders, how-
but they can be excellent proto- 1915 and used until 1947. In 1947 a ever, there are plans in Soo Line Stan-
types for model railroaders. Often used electric “locomotive” (really a for- dards, Vol. 3, published by the SLH&TS.
most, if not all, of the short line’s facili- mer line-maintenance car) was pur- Freight cars are interchanged on the
ties and operations can be modeled if chased and served until 1953. Plans for station’s house track. There’s a grain
some “selective compression” is used. all three appear in the April ’81 issue of elevator and a coal and fuel-oil dealer.
The April 1981 issue of The Soo (maga- The Soo. When the Soo Line purchased The Soo main line proceeds through a
zine of the Soo Line Historical and the VCS&I, electric operations were ter- wooded cut into the staging track
Technical Society, www.sooline.org) minated and the overhead removed. behind a low backdrop. This should be
had a comprehensive article on the Val- just high enough to hide the
ley City Street & Interurban Ry. The track plan train, and the higher the lay-
(VCS&I) of Valley City, N. D. The line I’ve designed a track plan out’s base height the lower
NORTH DAKOTA
had several features that would make to capture the neatest this “train hider” can be.
VALLEY CITCITY
ITY
TY
for an interesting model railroad. features of the VCS&I The VCS&I leaves the
Valley City is in the valley of the in the years after pas- Soo station and crosses
Sheyenne River, and both the Min- senger service was under the NP “High Line”
neapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie discontinued. The Nor
No
orrttthh bridge. It passes a siding for
Valley City
Va So
(Soo Line) and Northern Pacific served layout would occupy oL the Soo’s stockyard and the
ine
the area. In 1891 the Soo Line laid track about 40 square feet Miller Fibre Co. A few
through the valley, but couldn’t locate exclusive of the aisle- blocks into town it reaches
She y e n n

its line to go through Valley City. The way and only 59 the NP interchange track.
Soo’s station was built 1.75 miles north square feet with it. The VCS&I serves Curtis
of town. The two staging Nort rth Olson Oil Co., Smith Lum-
e

Ri
The NP came directly through the tracks represent Val- v er ber and Coal Co., and a
city, but in 1908 built a bypass that ley City’s connections freight platform owned by
spanned the valley on a long, tall with the trunk-line V
Vii a
ad
d u c
ctt the Soo. The NP track ter-
e
viaduct. Local trains of the NP still railroads and allow NP High Lin minates here, and there’s a
came to Valley City to switch industries Soo and NP locals to spur to an NP gravel pit.
and to pick up or drop off passengers. appear at their The NP track goes to
VCS&IRy.

The VCS&I electric line was built in respective stations, that road’s station where
1905 to connect the Soo Line with Val- interchange cars with there’s a runaround track
ley City and the NP. It ran local passen- the short line, switch a and a spur to Russell-Miller
ger service on tracks in the city streets couple of industries each, Milling Co. The NP “Low
and out to the Soo depot, but by 1945 and disappear offstage. Line” out of town to the
passenger service was dropped. The line The Soo at North Val- north terminates at the edge
continued to haul freight until its pur- ley City is much like the VALLEY of the layout, while the line
chase by the Soo in 1953. In later years prototype but condensed CITY to the south passes behind
the VCS&I mainly handled cars being to fit. The station was a flats of commercial build-
interchanged between the Soo and the standard Soo Line ings to its own behind-the-
NP. It also switched industries in Valley second-class depot. backdrop staging track.
City and carried LCL (less-than-carload- There’s a list of
NP Valley
lot) freight from the Soo. structure kits that City branch h Traffic and equipment
The VCS&I had a total of three could be used on Soo traffic at North
pieces of motive power. Interurban this layout online at Valley City includes box-
cars for the grain elevator, hopper and VALLEY CITY STREET & INTERURBAN RY.
tank cars for the fuel dealer, and cars
Coal and
for the VCS&I. The VCS&I delivers Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie (Soo Line) fuel yard Grain elevator
stockcars to the cattle pens, tank cars
to the bulk oil plant, and boxcars to the
remaining industries, plus cars to be
interchanged with the NP. The NP
sends a few gondolas to the gravel pit,
boxcars to the milling company, and
cars for interchange to the Soo.
The VCS&I could be operated with
either a combine or the line-car “loco- Station North Valley City
motive.” Combine no. 2 could be mod- Scale: 3⁄4" = 1'-0" Sneakoff between
eled by using LaBelle Woodworking kit 12" grid tree-covered hills
H064 and adding baggage doors. The HO scale
5'-6" x 10'-9" NP High Line
line car would have to be scratchbuilt. 40 square feet (not including aisle) (mainline viaduct)
The diesel era would be easiest to Minimum curve radius 18"
model because suitable engines are No. 4 turnouts
Track with overhead wire Stockyard
available for the Soo and NP. If the
period is post 1953, a Soo diesel would Northern Sheyenne
Pacific River
be assigned to the former VCS&I.

Operations Russell-Miller
This layout might keep two opera- Milling Co.
Soo
tors busy if one ran the NP and Soo staging
trains and the other the VCS&I. But this
is a low-key, easy-going sort of railroad,
Miller Fibre Co.
well suited to solo operation.
Low
The NP local would run from staging backdrop
to Valley City. There it would switch the Sixth Avenue Backdrop
gravel pit, interchange track, and milling City limit with hills
plant, drop off LCL boxcars, and return and sky
to its staging track. The engine and
caboose could be “restaged” – exchanged Commercial
– between operating sessions. buildings
Then the VCS&I switches the local Gravel pit
industries and NP interchange track, First
and goes to the Soo station at North Avenue
Valley City. There it drops off cars and
Fifth Avenue
picks up cars for Valley City and returns
south, doing any switching required Station
along the way. Because of the electrics’ House
Roosevelt flats
limited hauling capacity, it may be nec- VALLEY Avenue
essary to make two trips each day. CITY
The capacity for cars on the layout
and in staging tracks is limited, but Front Street
nothing says all the cars have to be on NP
Fourth Avenue
the track at the same time. Cars can be Freight platform
rotated to and from storage when the
Curtis Olson
connecting trains are restaged, so a Oil Co.
Second
greater variety of rolling stock than you Avenue VCS&I shed
might expect could be seen passing
through this prairie metropolis. 1

Cyril Durrenberger is an air quality

official for the state of Texas. His own
HO layout models the “Rabbit,” the old
Houston East & West Texas RR, which
was a predecessor of the Texas & New
Orleans and Southern Pacific lines in Sneakoff through Smith NP staging
Houses on
East Texas. low backdrop Lumber Co. backdrop ILLUSTRATIONS BY RICK JOHNSON
 ROOM-SIZED
MODEL RAILROADS
Industries

A division
Railroad Avenue

City buildings
along backdrop
face away
from railroad

point yard
in N scale
A simple yard with staging tracks provides
plenty of railroad action for one or two operators
By Andy Sperandeo

W
hen I was still in my teens I hap- Influences he based on one of my hometown lines,
pened upon a couple of publica- The first of those influences I men- the Missouri Pacific. Steeped in steam
tions that still affect how I think tioned is a book called Frank Ellison on and crackling with the crisp language of
about model railroading. These influ- Model Railroading. One of our hobby’s timetable-and-train-order railroading,
ences show up in the track plan I drew great pioneers, Ellison established the Dellinger’s tales vividly demonstrated
for the first in this new series of articles idea that operation, re-creating the drama how people made the railroad work.
on layouts designed to be built in less and excitement of railroading in minia- It seemed to me then that the fun in
than 100 square feet. ture, was what a model railroad was model railroading would be to take the
To design it I asked myself what kind for. After many years in the hobby I can roles of Dellinger’s characters moving
of a layout I’d want if I had to live with appreciate that this is the key to long- freight and passengers. As a model rail-
that limitation. A railroad featuring term enjoyment and the answer to the road engineer, conductor, dispatcher,
yard operation was an easy choice for question of what to do with a layout or yardmaster I’ve always found that to
me, and a division point where trains after you’ve built it. be true and have never forgotten those
passing through change crews, engines, Ellison made the division point yard stories. Most events on the Ozark Lines
and cabooses seemed to offer the great- at Colbert on his O scale Delta Lines revolved around the yard and crew ter-
est play value, although you can say sound exciting, and while I never got to minal at Oldburg, so that’s the name of
“operating interest” if you have to be run it, I’ve had the chance to enjoy sim- this division point layout.
more serious about it. ilar situations on a number of layouts.
The basic shape of the layout is a I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of Practicality and imagination
loop or oval with the yard in a small city keeping up with the flow of a busy main Oldburg is actually just about 75
out front and staging tracks concealed line while sorting cars for through square feet, less if you don’t count the
at the back. The staging tracks are vital, freights, locals, and town switchers, and open access area. It would fit in a cor-
because the foreground yard is a place even a layout the size of this one can ner of a basement or garage. I chose N
somewhere in between really important deliver that kind of fun. scale to allow for a reasonably extensive
destinations. Trains have to appear to The other influence came from the yard that can handle trains of more
come from someplace else and go on stories of Harry Bedwell and E. S. than just a few cars.
to someplace different, and that’s what Dellinger in the old pulp Railroad mag- Setting the railroad in the steam era
staging allows. azines of the 1930s and ’40s. I’m too helps too, with shorter, less massive
Although meant to re-create proto- young to have found those on the news- cars and shorter but more frequent
typical railroad action, this is a free- stand, but I accepted some with curios- trains. A steam engine terminal is both
lance design not based on any real ity from older friends clearing their visually and operationally more com-
place. If you like this plan and want to shelves, then eagerly bought more on plex than its diesel counterpart, and N
build it for yourself, I hope you’ll feel auction at model railroad conventions. scale allows a fairly complete layout of
free to call it whatever you want. I’m Dellinger described the exploits of a roundhouse, turntable, and servicing
calling it the division point at Oldburg, group of railroad men on the fictional tracks in a remarkably compact area. I
on the Ozark Lines. Ozark Lines, which I always imagined imagine this railroad to be powered by
 Optional transfer Staging tracks
staging track
op
24" minimum
Access to staging Ozark Lines
Division point at Oldburg Drill
(With apologies to E. S. Dellinger) track
Backdrop just higher
than eye level N scale (1:160)
Alley Passenger station 6 x 12 feet with 2 x 3-foot extension
and division offices 15" minimum radius (visible tracks)
Express No. 6 turnouts
Platform
Elevated
walkway Scale: 3⁄4" = 1'-0"
12" grid RIP track
Backs of
city buildings Backs of
industrial
Hubbard Freight buildings
Street house
Diner

Optional
crossover Caboose
track Team track

Engine supply track

Car shop
Water
Bachmann Spectrum Consolidations column
and Kato Mikados, though I wouldn’t Sand
overlook the contrast and color of a 120-foot turntable Coal
streamlined diesel passenger train. (Walthers 933-32030) Ashes

Layout height Crew room and

The track plan doesn’t show any ele- roundhouse office
vations because it’s meant to be flat.
The overall height is important, though trains – “fiddle” them as British model
left up to the builder. I suggest making railroaders say – the operating session
it fairly high for four reasons: could continue for as long as you like.
• Trains in any scale look better With through staging tracks the Six-stall
roundhouse
close to eye level, but that’s especially engines that go east from Oldburg (Walthers
true of the smallest scales. come back from the west, so we’ll have 933-3202)
• To back Oldburg’s narrow scenes I to imagine a line that doesn’t have steep
ILLUSTRATION BY KELLIE JAEGER
show flat or partial buildings, which hills in one direction and river grades in
look best when you can’t see their trun- the other. Steam still gives us plenty of
cated (or complete lack of) roofs. excuse to relay engines so trains can
• A horizon at or near eye level keep moving. Meanwhile arriving loco- Track plan highlights
requires little actual backdrop painting motives have their fires and ashpans
to be effective – it can be mostly sky. cleaned; coal, water, and sand topped Name: Oldburg, division point yard
• Ducking under is necessary to up; and lubrication renewed. Then on the Ozark Lines
reach the staging access, but the higher they’re ready to replace the inbound Scale: N (1:160)
the layout the less you’ll have to duck. power on the next train through town. Size: 6 x 12 feet with extension
If a little more space is available at Prototype: free-lance
Oldburg in operation the left end of the plan, the industrial Period: steam era
Although it could be enjoyed by just switching district could be extended Layout style: table with access “pit”
one operator, I think Oldburg is big along a narrow shelf. Turnout minimum: no. 6
enough to allow for two. One person In no additional space we can invent Minimum radius: 15" (visible track)
could concentrate on classification yard a route map splitting both east and west Maximum grade: 0
switching, while the other could run of Oldburg to reach different major Options: optional crossover lets
trains in and out of staging, hostle cities or connecting railroads. That switcher on drill track work trains
engines for servicing, and switch the would set up more switching complexity on the main; optional stub staging
industries and freight house. If one or for the classification yard. Despite its track holds transfer run from
the other ducked back to the staging name, I think it would be a while before another railroad for interchange
yard from time to time to rearrange the operating this layout grew old. 1