Greater St. Louis Area
Model Railroad Layouts (K-O)
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high-resolution versions.
John C. Kalin
San Juan Southern
  The SJS is an Sn3 23’x50’ layout
modeled after the Colorado narrow gauge. Operation on
the SJS is point to point over 225 feet of mainline
track with a varying height between 44" to
73". The layout portrays the RGS from Ridgeway to
Rico during the late 1930s to early 1940s.
 Trains start at Ridgeway/Rico (which is a
double ended staging yard) and proceed to
 Vance Junction, Ophir, the High Line and
Lizard Head. At Vance Junction, the 150’ long
Telluride Branch runs to Telluride and Pandora. Scenery
is approximately 50% complete. Easy DCC and SoundTraxx.
Photos by Tom Troughton. Scenic
Vista. Big Bridge. Engine close-up. At the mine.
Herb Koenig
Cordite and Flatriver
  The C&F is a fictitious
narrow gauge railroad located in Colorado during the 30’s.
This HO/HOn3 Colorado layout occupies an 18’x22’
room. Breathtaking scenery, with the layout extending
from knee level to the ceiling, and a
 seven foot curved trestle,
greets the visitor while hand laid ties and rail make
this step back to railroading’s glory days complete.
See the scratchbuilt model of the Devil’s Gate Bridge
of George Town Loop fame. Backdrop painted by Greg Gray.
Digitrax DCC. Photos by Tom Troughton. Over the trestle.Curved trestle. Mill.
Hank Kraichely
Burlington Route -
Layout Photo Tour
 This
layout depicts the St. Louis to Hannibal portion of the
CB&Q Railroad’s North Bound main known as the K Line in
1963. The Francis branch running from Old Monroe to
Francis is also modeled.
 The
layout runs through rural areas and has six towns, two
cement plants, along with paper, chemical and power
plants. There are also two interchanges on the Francis
branch, at Wellsville with the Wabash and at Francis
with the GM&O. The following commodities are either
being shipped into and out of most towns; grain,
gasoline, LPG, coal, cattle, farm equipment and consumer
goods. There is a factory in Louisiana, Wells Lamont,
which receives hides and produces leather gloves. Team
tracks are prevalent as are small stations along the
main and branch lines. Hank's previous HO layout was
featured on the cover of the June 2001 issue of the NMRA Bulletin. Photos by Chris
Oestreich.
Kenneth Kroschwtz
K-10 Model Trains
 Ken has a huge HO layout
construction, which fills a 60x81 foot room. The
layout is designed for operation with two 255-foot loops
powered by conventional DC block control.
 In addition, Ken also has
two upper level Digitrax DCC loops which combine into a
single main line. These loops cover 550 feet in a twice
around the layout movement. The layout features three
very large yards and a switching branchline.
Approximately 95% of the track has been installed while
scenery is in an early stage. The layout room has an
elevated viewing area and is completely handicapped
accessible. The K-10 Hobby Shop (618-288-9720) is
located in the same building. Photos by Richard
Schumacher. See
http://www.k-10smodeltrains.com/layout_tour.htm.
Kirkwood Railroad Association
This large 30’x40’ HO club layout has two large
freight and passenger yards along with a scratchbuilt
St. Louis station and engine facility. Long steam
and diesel powered trains run on this 1950-1970 era
railroad.
 Richard and Venita Lake
El Dorado & El Reno Railroad / CRI&P
This golden era layout is a free-lanced shortline
railroad with heavy Rock Island influence, running
northwest from Lillie, Louisiana, to El Reno, Oklahoma,
with the modeled portion ending at Howe, Oklahoma.
 It
also serves as a bridge route for the CRI&P Railroad
through El Dorado, Arkansas, to Howe, Oklahoma. The
major industries served include a paper mill, lumber
mill, coal mine, chemical industry, and oil refinery.
The El & El operates
on a single track mainline with
both passenger and freight service. Four Rock Island
trains run in each session adding additional freight and
passenger trains. Interchanges are with the Cotton Belt
and the Rock Island at Camden, Arkansas, and with the
KCS at Mena, Arkansas. Multiple staging tracks at both ends of the
line allow realistic 1950’s era operation with both
steam and diesel power. North Coast Engineering DCC
(radio) and
many Soundtraxx equipped locomotives. Photo by Richard Schumacher.
René LaVoise
Sedalia & Warsaw Railway
This layout is based on a Missouri Pacific branch
line in western Missouri extending 43 miles from the
connection with the Missouri Pacific at Sedalia to the
Osage River at Warsaw. There are four intermediate
stations - from north to south they are Mora, Cole Camp,
Tahoma and Lincoln. Interchange is with the Missouri
Pacific and the Missouri, Kansas & Texas at Sedalia.
On-line industry include stock pens, bulk oil and coal
dealers, saw mill, stone works, clay loading, grain
elevators, feed and seed dealers and team tracks. The
S&W Freight House, grocer warehouse and city power plant
are located adjacent to Graham yard at Sedalia.
John Leahy
This freelance 12’x20’ HO railroad runs
throughout the Midwest in the late 1950s to mid 1960s.
You’ll see steam and diesels running through a double
helix from the lower staging to the main level.
Burlington, Frisco, UP and IC trains operate on this
layout. Digitrax DCC. Benchwork 100%, electrical 75%,
scenery 30%.
Bob Lenz
Colorado & Western
Be treated by this HO/HOn3 layout set in Colorado.
The standard gauge Colorado and Western interchanges
with the narrow gauge Aspen Junction in a dual gauge
yard. The narrow gauge mining line climbs from 48"
to 74" through a series of switchbacks as it serves
the mining district around Basalt and Aspen. The layout
occupies a 20’x40’ room with bridges, trestles, lots
of rockwork, and scenery to the ceiling. Night operation
is simulated with black light which displays the fully
lit town to its fullest. Take in the tons of detail and
the many trestles.
Genevieve & James Liston
This "L" shaped layout is constructed of
two 4’x8’ boards and features over 70 feet of
trackage. It is a multi-era Lionel layout with numerous
working accessories. Department 56 ceramic building and
trees covers the portion of the layout not already
covered by track. Half of the layout is a quaint village
with City Hall, Mayor’s mansion, library, churches,
homes and a town square with streetlights. The other
half has an industrial setting with yard lights, smoking
chimneys, telephone poles, crossing gates, station,
diner and coaling station. Be prepared for a walk down
memory lane when you visit this fine Lionel layout.
Litchfield Train Group
Layout Photo Tour
The Litchfield layout depicts the ever-gentle rolling
countryside of Illinois from Centralia to Chicago. The main
room is set in the 50s and 60s era when steam engines were
becoming extinct and the "new" diesel locomotives were
gaining in popularity. The smaller room is "Chicago."
Chicago is set in the 70s and not only provides additional
destinations with modern industries, you can also find a mix
of old and new railroads, buildings and equipment throughout
the area. In the rail yards, you'll see railcars to service
the old meatpacking plants, warehouses, factories, gravel
and milling operations, as well as high-tech inter-modal,
auto loading, chemical companies, and barge facilities.
Operators can store hundreds of cars and stage 14 trains
each 16 feet long.
Dave Lyon
The Downe & Audt Line
The freelance HO layout is set in the 1950-1960 era
and represents a small branchline that struggles to
service the local timber trade (mostly defunct) and an
abandoned bat guano mining operation. A small farm trade
and passenger service to nearby Downe Town completes the
revenue picture for this small line. With trackage
winding through the mountainous plains area of somewhere
in mid-America, the D&AL features steam and early
diesel motive power acquired somewhat late in life from
various better known lines. Digitrax DCC.
New Switzerland Club
This mixed era, freelance, NTRAK modular 17’x28’
layout features walkaround radio control, staging yards
running into the center of the layout, and a mountain
branchline. The 24 members are especially proud of their
coal mine, grain elevators and cities on this N version
of the Boulder, Denver & Northwestern, which was
called the "Switzerland" line. This railroad
is anticipated to be on display at the National Train
Show.
Ray Magoffin
The 11’x22’ HO railroad is a modified version of
the Atlas "Pan Handle" over and under design
with additional track and siding. The four track
classification yard and small locomotive service
facility is connected to the mainline with two wyes.
Three cabs operate steam and diesel motive power of
different railroad, past and present.
Boeing (McDonnell
Douglas) Model Railroad Club
These two modular layouts are housed in trailers
owned by the group and set up for charitable
organizations and train shows. This railroad is
anticipated to be on display at the National Train Show.
Metro East Model Railroad
Club
Litchfield & Madison
This 18’x27’ layout of the Litchfield &
Madison is built in a fire station in Glen Carbon, IL.
The 900 total feet of trackage depicts scenes from
historic Glen Carbon between 1920 and 1945 and features
its three main railroads: Illinois Central, Nickel
Plate, and Litchfield & Madison. The layout includes
Peter’s Station grain elevator, the brick works, three
coal mines, IC and NKP stations, and many other local
landmarks and industries. 91 Tortise powered turnouts
and six cabs.
   Randolph Meyer
Canyon & Rocky Mountain Railroad
A 54’x26’ Sn3 John Armstrong custom designed
layout using coved background corners and ceiling set in
the high mountains of Colorado. The scenery extends from
near the floor to the ceiling, with extensive scenic
backdrop paintings by Greg Gray. The backdrop and
scenery
 are designed to highlight
the extensive collection of highly detailed PBL narrow
gauge (Soundtraxx equipped) engines.
 The line climbs from a
52" dual gauge yard at Salida to a 67"
switchback mining area in the Red Mountains. Two
branchlines provide additional lumber and mining traffic
for the mainline narrow gauge D&RGW. Control is with
Digitrax DCC.
 Randy
is famous for his plaster scenery clinics (where he
covers the room in plastic first). This layout is on the
cover of the February 2001 NMRA Bulletin. First
two photos by Gary Hoover. Trestle.
Bridge. On the mainline
photo by Tom Troughton. Photo by Richard
Schumacher of Randy
and his helper preparing for a MCoR clinic. Six
additional photos by Richard Schumacher.
 Midwest Valley
Modelers
This layout depicts individual scenes in Illinois and
Missouri you would find along "Route 66"
during the fifties. A unique aspect of this
transportable 35’x9.5’ layout is the uniformly
flowing scenery between "modules" providing
tight integration of the scenes. The layout features a
"sunlight" quality directional lighting
system, handlaid code 70 track, scale wheelsets, and
prototype-sized turnouts including number 20 crossovers.
The scenery features a number of novel techniques and
materials to create extremely realistic and photogenic
effects. Ten modelers, including nationally known Ken
Patterson and Mike Buddy, have combined their talents to
make this a truly captivating layout. Most recently
featured in Great Model Railroads 2001. Photo
by Ken Patterson.
Ralph Miller
Midwest & Northern Rail System
The MW&N leases engines and rolling stock,
operates yards, and does repair work on railroad
equipment. It operates throughout Illinois, Wisconsin
and Minnesota. The main operating theme is the mining of
iron ore - from pit to steel mill. The layout is in a 15’x20’
room and built on two levels. The "L" shaped
upper deck features a large yard and adjacent big city.
The lower "G" shaped deck supports mining and
other industries. A hidden inner railroad climbs the
wall, connecting the two levels. A five track hidden
staging yard is located beneath the lower deck. The
railroad has 540 feet of track and 63 turnouts. It uses
Digitrax DCC. "It’s a work in progress where the
visitor can expect to see some partially completed
scenery and rolling stock and some raw benchwork."
Glenn Mueller
Mississippi Valley Traction Co.
This O scale interurban layout consists of a 9’x18’
section of "city" and 12’x15’ section of
"suburban" landscape. All power is delivered
through the overhead trolley which Glenn swears works
flawlessly when only he is observing. The roster
contains five passenger interurbans (including a Pacific
Electric 1300 series combine and an Indiana RR
lightweight), a North Shore locomotive, Pacific Electric
and Indiana RR freight motors and a motorized Corgi St.
Louis PCC streetcar. An Illinois Terminal Alton center
door car has been recently added. Most of the buildings
in the "city" are scratchbuilt copies of
actual 19th century buildings in St. Louis.
Drawings were scaled from photos and the models built of
5/16" cast hydrocal walls.
Pat Mullins
Connecticut Yankee RR
This 1960s northeastern HO railroad, in a 16’x22’
room with hidden staging in an adjoining room, has over
200 feet of track and conventional two-cab control. See
mountains, wood and steel trestles, and a kitbashed
bridge.
Bob O’Neill
Pennsy & NYC
Big steam rules this beautiful PRR & NYC
interchange point O scale 16’x32’ railroad in a
dedicated room above a two-car garage. A large yard with
city scene is the setting for the 22 engines (some with
PFM sound) and over 200 freight cars which operate on
this layout. Bob also has a very large tinplate
collection that will also be on display.
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