Greater St. Louis Area
Model Railroad Layouts (P-S)
Tip: Click on
photos to view larger, high-resolution versions.
Mike Peters
Wyoming RailLink
2000s modern railroading on the BNSF Casper
subdivision is modeled as if it was sold to a new
railroad, the Wyoming RailLink. This "L"
shaped 33’x54’ HO railroad is designed for
operations using a dispatcher with a working CTC panel
and signals. Walkaround CVP RailCommand throttles control
the 24 to 30 trains that run in a typical operating
session (card cards, waybills, switch lists, and 5-channel radios). The line is single track with passing sidings,
and includes BNSF and UP run-through trains.
Brian Post
Sierra Nevada and Indian River Railway
 This
railroad was formed by several men already in the
railroad industry. They purchased abandoned and low
usage lines from several companies, towns and mergers
providing excellent service equal to that offered by
BNSF, UP and NS. The SN&IRR services grain elevators,
the lumber industry, chemical plants, and provides
warehousing and cold storage. Some years ago an
agreement was reached with Amtrak for passenger service
in the valley. The consortium also supports all forms of
tourist and excursion trains as well.
The layout covers an area approximately 40'x25' in
the timeframe 1980 through June 2000. All track is code
83 Micro Engineering with the main line using concrete
tie flex track and the branchline with wooden ties. All
hidden track is Atlas code 100 and the turnouts on the
mainline are thrown using a Digitrax throttle while the
branchline uses hand throws made by Caboose Industries.
Operations use Digitrax DCC, with over half of the
engines featuring sound. The layout was designed from 4
to 10 operators using a switch list. All mainline trains
must use two or more locomotives while the branchline
runs with one locomotive and a maximum of six cars and a
caboose. Photo by Richard Schumacher.
Quincy Society of Model
Engineers (QSME)
Chesapeake & Lake Erie
 The theme of the CL&E is
a 1958-era single-track bridge route in North Central
Pennsylvania featuring a mixture of diesel and steam
traffic. Seven scale miles of hand laid track, heavy
freight traffic, the large yard at Keating, narrow-gauge
coke operations, and more await the visitor in the 16’x70’
train room. The layout, and the Quincy Society of Model
Engineers, were featured as the cover story in the April
1989 issue of Model Railroader. The QSME has
approximately 40 members who have regular operating
sessions on this completely sceniced railroad, using a
combination of DCC and radio-analog control with
computer generated switch lists. Photo by Richard Schumacher.
Dave Reed
Southern Pacific – Donner Pass
SP Sacramento Division fills an "L" shaped
room 11’x13’x17’. The layout, when complete, will
have three levels with east and west bound staging and
continuous running. The layout models Donner Pass
1979-1988. See helpers work their way through Colfax to
Norden/Tunnel #41 (the big hole). The route covers
Colfax, Long Ravine, Cape Horn, Gold Run, Emigrant Gap,
Yuba Pass, Butte Canon bridge/Shed #10, Soda Springs,
and Norden (and tunnels 41, 33, 34, 35, & 36 along
the way).
Curt Regensberger
The Streator Connection
The Streator Connection models the connecting point
of the Santa Fe and Conrail railroads at Streator,
Illinois. This 30’x32’ HO scale layout has 32"
minimum radius curves, a maximum 1.3% grade, and is a
loop-to-loop design with two independent mainlines. The
layout features a large freight yard, an engine
terminal, a 3-track intermodal facility, a steel mill,
and passenger facilities.
Don Reineri
Chesterfield & Eldon
The late 50’s are represented on this fine 31’x25’
Lionel layout featuring multiple trains operating on
interconnected main lines. The layout is designed in
five sections and displays a large collection of Lionel
equipment and accessories including a turntable, logging
and coal operations, an airport, towns and various
industries. Scenery includes a freight yard, kitbashed
and scratchbuilt buildings and structures, in addition
to the automated Lionel accessories. Trains are operated
by Command Control and include sound.
Dave Roeder
Webster Groves & Fenton
  This HO scale industrial
bridge line, set in St. Louis County, Missouri of the
1980s, receives traffic from the Burlington Northern.
See highly detailed scenes at the many industries served
by the railroad – a cement plant, two grain elevators,
a power plant, salvage yard, lumber yard, an oil loading
dock, and another ten industrial sites.
 The layout is 99% complete
with abundant details in every scene. There are more
than 400 vehicles on the roads and in the parking lots.
The five track lower staging yard is over 40 feet long,
and connects to a 117 foot single track mainline with a
10 track main yard. Fans of the modern era will enjoy
the many pieces of weathered rolling stock and detailed
flat car loads, some of which were featured in the
November 1999 issue of the NMRA Bulletin. Photos
by Richard Schumacher. Yards.
Industrial area. Street Repair.
St. Charles Model
Railroad Club
The 60’x80’ layout depicts a line running from
St. Louis to KC during the 1940-50s. Two extensive
yards produce lots of traffic. Main features to look for
include the extremely large over and under figure eight
configuration and the steam engine facility. This
railroad was on display at the Gateway 2001 National
Train Show.
St. Louis Lionel Club
This railroad is an O scale, 3-rail layout roughly 12
ft wide by 30 ft long (on the lower main level) with a
connecting throat center section about 3 ft by 20 ft.
There is also a new upper level about 10 ft square. The
two levels utilize Lionel sectional track, with assorted
Lionel switches on the main level. Power is supplied by
three Lionel ZW transformers which may be used for
conventionally powered engines or for Trainmaster
command equipped engines by using Lionel's Handheld
Controls.
The main lower level is configured with a double
track main line that loops the entire lower level
tables. Train may be run simultaneously on each track.
There are sidings off the main lines that run the length
of the layout and may be used as passing or storage
tracks. The center throat section is linked to the main
lines and provides several staging tracks. At one end of
the center section there is a small separate circle with
a self-reversing trolley. There is an assortment of
industrial and commercial buildings as well as some
residential structures on the lower level. Work
continues on scenery.
Cliff Saxton
Cochran Valley Scenic Railway
The centerpiece "White Sulphur Springs
Division" is a 20’x18’ American Flyer S-gauge
layout filled with memories from the 1950s & 1960s
(including a three-screen drive-in theater) and
featuring original AF accessories and buildings, as well
as lots of rolling stock. Four trains operate along a
double-track mainline which, at one point, parallels a
Plasticville main street and a residential area served
by a working trolleybus line, then a mountain loop and
on through an agricultural valley. Other divisions
(companion layouts) feature smaller N-scale and
two-level Lionel operations. A Schucco Disneyland
monorail encircles the fully animated 30-ride
"Laura Highlands" HO-scale amusement park,
with its Z-gauge kiddie train.
Lawrence Sayre
St. Louis & Rolla RR / Sunshine Railroad
A visit to this layout will afford the visitor a
chance to see TT scale in action! Not just TT, but also
TTn31/2 on this "F" shaped layout. The narrow
gauge Sunshine RR is a steam and diesel operation that
accesses a transportation museum and a time treatment
plant with its dual gauge load track. This line also
passes in from of a 15’ mountain (a scale 312’ high
and 1,800’ long!). The SSRR consists of 165’ of
trackage including a yard with dual gauge track
conversion operation. The SL&RR is a standard gauge
line with passenger terminal and freight yard in 65’
of track. The layout includes a zoned sound system - the
factory hums, a house is under construction, birds chirp
on the mountainside, and more.
John Schindler
St. Louis Junction Railroad
 The
 St. Louis Junction Railroad focuses on late
1990's era local and
industrial switching, including Granite City Steel, in
the metropolitan St. Louis area.
Interchange and through traffic between the major
railroads rounds out the operations. Seven different
railroads are represented: BNSF, UP, NS CR, CSX, TRRA
(Terminal Railroad Association) and the St. Louis
Junction RR (local switching railroad). Digitrax DCC;
DTC operation with 5-channel radios, car cards, waybills and
switch lists. Photos by Richard Schumacher.
Ron Schlueter
San Jose Southern
The SJS is based on the Denver & Rio Grande
Western standard gauge line from Miniturn, Colorado, to
Tennessee Pass set in the 1950s. Heavy manifest
freights, passenger service, a local, helper locomotives
with 3% grades, and the Rocky Mountains provide the
setting. Twenty-two miles of railroad torture.
Walkaround design with lower staging level, the layout
features 140’ of seamless aluminum backdrop of
prototype scenes painted by Greg Gray. Digitraxx DCC, HO
13’x44’, 145’ mainline, code 83, 70 and 50 rail.
|
