Greater St. Louis Area
Model Railroad Layouts (C-J)
Tip: Click on photos to view larger,
high-resolution versions.
Harold Dill
Santa Fe – Western Division
This fine HO layout is based on Harold’s 40 years
as a fireman and engineer on the Santa Fe’s Western
Division between Newton and Dodge City, Kansas. The
layout concept is to have many trains, passenger and
freight, steam through with minimal operator input. It
is based on rail-fanning rather that prototype
operation. The 19’x41’ layout includes 165’ of
code 83 double tracked mainline with additional hidden
trackage. Set in the 1940-1960 era, steam and diesel
locomotives pull their loads through the beautifully
landscaped scenes.
Paul Fries
Red Board Hobbies -
Layout Photo Tour
Located in the front window of Red Board Hobbies,
this HO railroad features fall scenery with a small
town and modern motive power and rolling stock.
Herb Gilden
Hi-Sioux Southern Railroad
This 38’x12’ HO railroad features the prototype
Southern Railroad during the 1950-1970 period. It was
featured in the May 2000 issue of Model Railroader.
This steam and diesel layout has a dog bone mainline
depicting the Smoky Mountain areas of Tennessee and the
Carolinas. The Smoky Power Co. has been recreated along
with a very large yard. Coal and wood (for charcoal) are
the main commodities. The layout features a scratchbuilt
Union Station and power plant, seven bridges, a trestle,
heavy industrial manufacturing, extensive coal mining
areas, plus a working 3-color signal system. There is
also a scratchbuilt dam, outstanding backdrops, and a
lighted city by night.
 Ric Golding
 Kaskaskia Valley Railway
 This beautifully laid out and executed
G garden railroad has over 400’ feet of track with
more under construction. A point to point plan provides
operational variety for both steam and diesel
locomotives and uses various radio-control battery
powered equipment and sound systems (Locolink, RCS,
Aristo Train Engineer). Structures, water effects,
innovative garden railroad design concepts. Featured
cover layout in the May 2001 NMRA Bulletin. Photos
by Richard Schumacher. Garden Sign. Water effects. Watchdog.
Chuck Graham
Cumbres & Toltec
The Fourth Division is a 13’x13’ two-level layout
depicting standard and narrow gauge from Alamosa
(Colorado) westward to Chama (New Mexico) and beyond.
The upper level is a loop-to-loop narrow gauge featuring
Chama, Cumbres Pass and a freelanced Toltec Mining
District. Operation includes locomotive sound and
occasional doubleheaders up The Hill. Scenery on the
upper level is 75% complete with most of the structures,
many scratchbuilt, in place. The lower level is still
under construction, and will have a dual gauge yard at
Alamosa with connections to a standard gauge folded loop
and a 4½ turn narrow gauge helix to the upper level.
DCC and Soundtraxx in HO/HOn30.
Greg Gray
San Miguel Southern Railroad
 The On3, SMS RR is patterned
after the Rio Grande Southern and runs from Telluride to
Ridgeway, Colorado where it interchanges with both a
standard Colorado & Pacific) and On2 guage (the
Silver Ridge) railroad.
 Great running motive power
takes a back seat to the
 magnificent mountains and
painted backdrops which recreate the grandeur of
Colorado. Digitrax Radio Chief. This layout was featured
in the August 2000 issue of the NMRA Bulletin. Digital
images by Tom Troughton. High Iron. Switching. Railroad Crossing.
Gary Gross
Franklin Pacific Railroad
 The Franklin Pacific Railroad (FP) was organized in 1876 in the town
of Franklin, Missouri. The original owners intended to extend the railroad
from St. Louis, Missouri through Franklin and the Missouri Ozarks to the
Pacific Ocean. The railroad was never able to achieve its objective because
of financial, political and competitive circumstances that occurred over
the years.
Today, June 1955, the railroad is a shortline operation, connecting the
town of Franklin with the towns of Taylorville, Gravelton, and Knobel and
interchanging with the Missouri Pacific (MP), Kansas City Southern (KCS),
and the St. Louis San Francisco (SLSF) railroads in a common yard at Franklin.
The MP and SLSF have passenger and freight trains coming east from St. Louis
and west from Kansas City and Springfield respectively, and the KCS has two
freight trains that travel between Springfield and Kansas City, all stopping
daily at Franklin. Passenger and freight traffic travels daily on the Franklin
Pacific from Franklin to the towns of Knobel, Gravelton, and Taylorville and
to industries in East Franklin, dropping off passengers and switching freight.
Sixteen regularly schedules trains flow in and out of Franklin daily. Photos by
Richard Schumacher.
Kevin Hampton
CSX Cumberland Division
Enjoy a trip to the Allegheny Mountains of
Southwestern Pennsylvania and Northwestern Maryland as
you tour the Cumberland Division of the CSX from
Cumberland to Connellsville. The layout features the
world famous Sandpatch grade where multiple unit modern
horsepower heads up unit trains of coal, autoracks, and
intermodal double stacks. Amtrak appears twice a day and
tourist trains operated by the Somerset and Taylorsville
Railroad are also seen. This modern, around the walls,
HO layouts fills a 23’x43’ basement and uses
Digitrax DCC. Visible track is code 83 and code 70, some
hand laid. The over 200 foot mainline is supported by
staging for thirty-two trains in hidden yards.
John "Helix" Hardy
St. Jacques Northern / Great Northern
This freelance 30’x33’ railroad runs from Chicago
to Seattle. The main area modeled is on the Columbia
River in western Washington. Great Northern has running
rights on this 1947-1970 era layout featuring code 83
main lines and code 70 yard trackage, lots of mountains,
and some river traffic. Oh yes, you can find a few
custom designed helixes here as well.
Ken Hartley
Baltimore & Ohio
B&O of the 50s runs through a number of scenes
patterned after the prototype. Watch sixty different
twenty-car trains appear and disappear at different
locations east and west along the mainline. See them
leaving and arriving New York City, whizzing or creeping
between Baltimore and Washington, DC, going up or down
the eastern slope of the Allegheny Mountains in the
Potomac River valley, through the Alleghenies – and
all on four track operation. HO 32’x24’, with one
aisle enclosed by a B&O coach.
Jim & Sheila Heizer
Union Pacific – Helix Division
The "UP Helix Division" is a family project
started in 1997. It is located in Sheila’s garage
which is now the train room (the garage door was
replaced by a wall). The 12’x18’ layout has three
levels connected by a double track seven-turn helix
which includes 16 switches and two reversing ways and a
reversing loop. Control is by Digitrax, with Red
Caboose, Intermountain, IMX, Proto 2000 and OMI rolling
stock. The layout is set in the transition period for
steam and diesel operations.
 Gary Hoover
Missouri, Kansas & Quincy
 The MK&Q is a
contemporary layout occupying 1,200 square feet. The
railroad features highly detailed individual scenes from
the Midwest to the California Coast. It was the featured
layout in Great Model Railroads 1994 and has
appeared in numerous Model Railroader and Walther’s
catalog photos. You will see tree covered ridges and
mountains in summer as well as with winter snow.
 See the desert, red rock canyons, plus
an unbelievable ocean scene. Tunnel doors open and
close, warning lights flash, and semaphore signals
display track status. MK&Q and Santa Fe/BNSF
locomotives power most of the traffic, with CSX and Utah
Railway also common. Most recently featured in the
October 2000 issue of Model Railroader and Allen
Keller’s "Great Model Railroads 34" video. Photos
by Gary Hoover. Snowscene. Red Rock Canyon.
Trees in snow.
Rich Jennings
Megan’s Ferry Railroad
Megan’s Ferry is a fictional town in mid-Missouri
drawn from memories of the real towns of Fayette,
Glasgow, New Franklin, Booneville and Rocheport. It is
served by the family owned and operated shortline, Megan’s
Ferry Railroad, with interchange from the Missouri
Pacific and Missouri-Kansas-Texas. The layout is HO
scale on an "L" girder shelf 32 feet long and
up to 3 feet deep. The timeframe is October during the
late 1950’s. This is the 4th Megan’s
Ferry layout, with many of the buildings carried forward
with each improved version.
Bob & Prue Johnson
Pseudo SOO
The new Pseudo Soo Line (PSL) is the reincarnation of
the well known PSL in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Over 250
model railroaders visited the old PSL, and it hosted two
operation sessions, during the NorthStar99 NMRA National
Convention. The new PSL is in a 50’x22’ area using
an around the wall design with a long center peninsula.
The mainline is a closed loop with two single ended
staging yards that represent Sault Ste. Marie (the Soo)
and Minneapolis. The modeled portion of the railroad
runs from Rhinelander to Cameron, in north-central
Wisconsin. Branchlines reach Rice Lake and Ashland. The
layout is set in the mid-1950’s. Digitrax DCC. The
backdrop features over 50 feet done with stamp art by
Prue Johnson. Video Clinic: Introduction to the Pseudo-Soo.
Brad Joseph, MMR
Union Pacific - Layout
Photo Tour
 You’ll feel
like you're in Wyoming when you step into this model of
the UP over Sherman Hill from Cheyanne to Laramie. There
are also separate C&S and CB&Q routes to Denver.
This double deck HO layout features several scenes
modeled after specific spots on Sherman Hill. Eras are
mixed freely, so expect to see heavy steam moving iced
reefer blocks and wide cab Dash 8’s pulling low sulfur
western coal in action! A nine track staging yard with a
turntable, and the fully sceniced and operational town
of Greely, Colorado, are recent additions to this
nationally published layout. Photo by Brad Joseph.
Seven detailed photos
of Brad's layout.
Dee Joseph
Harriman-Hill Lines
This system features big time transition era
railroading. PFM sound equipped roster includes famous
power from the UP and GN. Look for many name trains like
the Empire Builder, City of Portland, Oriental Limited
and several smaller trains. Witness beautiful mountains
and many bridges as you follow the UP-GN’s joint line
between Denver and Glacier National Park. Finally, go
into the adjacent room to the working CTC board.
Featured in Model Railroader And the NMRA
Bulletin.
|
