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Layouts - O Articles

"Milwaukee Union Terminal Railroad" & "Milwaukee Electric Lines" O Scale Layout Part 1

The Allis Station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin houses the Model Railroad Club of Milwaukee's layout. Includes many photos of the layout, as well as a track plan of the entire layout (really two layouts).

"Milwaukee Union Terminal Railroad" & "Milwaukee Electric Lines" O Scale Layout Part 2

This installment covers the expansion that took place when the layout was revamped. There are lots of photos included. A short sidebar on Del-Aire brand switch machine controls. There are also track drawings of sections of the layout.

25 Years And Counting

The author visits Bob and Elizabeth Jakl's celebration party of the 25th anniversary of their layout. Includes many construction photos from 1990.

A Christmas Tradition to Share

What started as a simple annual display of Department 56 buildings has evolved into a three-level Christmas layout display. The article includes lots of photos and a track plan for each of the levels.

A Pictorial of the Rockford O Scalers

A photo essay of the club's layout. The layout has many mini scenes, which are highlighted in the photos. Includes a track plan.

Alberta Prairie Resource Railway

A visit of Bill Yancey's layout. Includes several photos of the layout.

Attalee Taylor's Small Portion of the PRR

The layout measures 20' x 12.5'. It is an around-the-room. The article covers compromises the owner has made to fit a large mainline layout into a small space. Includes many photos and a track plan.

Bay Ridge Harbour Railroad

This Australian author models a U.S. railroad in a 25 by 25 foot addition to the house. Includes photos of flat backdrop industries, a scratchbuilt car float bridge, track plan of the number "9"-shaped layout. Article also includes "lessons learned".

Bill Leider And His Union Pacific Layout

A large around-the-walls shelf layout featuring the owner's talented backdrop paintings.

Black Fork Railway

The author describes changing his existing HO-scale layout and morphing it into an O-scale one.

Blue Ridge Midland Railroad

The author describes how he met Art Selby and visits his layout. This John Armstrong-designed layout fits in a 36' x 25' space. Includes many photos of the layout.

Bob Walker's Dream Layout

The author writes the scratchbuilding column, but this article describes his large On3 layout. It models the Rio Grande Southern in 1942. About half of the layout is scenicked and looks beautiful.

Cleveland Flats

The author describes his 2-rail O-scale switching layout that fits in a 11'6" x 19" shelf space, modeling the Flats Industrial Railroad in the Flats District of Cleveland, OH.

Colorado Southern in On30

A layout set in 1924 New York fits in a 22' x 26' garage. Includes model photos, a rough track plan.

Denver Society of Model Railroaders

The "Colorado Midland" layout is kept in the basement of the Denver Union Station. It's been there since 1936. The article fully describes the 75' x 90' layout that is open to visitors. It includes many photos and a track plan. (The Society was evicted in 2013, so it, and the layout, no longer exist.)

Eric Bronsky Photos

This article is a collection of photos taken by Eric Bronsky of Ed Halstead's Chicago and Utopia Electric Railway. He has a YouTube channel under the name of "Electropickle Productions", which includes videos of Ed's layout.

Excellence in O Scale

One of the members of the Twin City Model Railroad Museum describes their layout. Photography done by Bob Werre. Includes a track plan of this 45' x 57' layout. The layout uses two-rail hand-laid track.

Freelancing in O Scale

The author describes his Ausemy and Eastern Railway, a short-line carrier based in the town of Ausemy, located somewhere in the upper Midwest. Includes photos of the layout, the unique "floating shelf" look, and a track plan diagram.

Glory Days on the Rio Grande Southern

After a brief history of the RGS, the author describes his 60+ years in the hobby and how the construction of the layout emerged by combining the skills of two people. Includes many layout photos, and a track diagram of the RGS' area.

Having It All Colorado Style

This article describes Richard Miller's O-scale standard and narrow gauge Denver & Rio Grand Western. Includes a track plan.

Layout at the Ice House

The "Ice House" is not quite a club, but a group of people who enjoy the 2-rail layout set up at a former ice house and feed store in Cleveland. The layout and building is owned by one man who invites people to come over and help maintain and run the layout. Includes lots of photos.

Lee Hart's PRR Birdsboro Division Eastern Ridge & Chestnut Branch

A visit to Lee (and his brother Larry) Hart's 24'x36' 2-rail O-scale layout. The article includes many layout photos. No track plan.

Lex Parker's On3 D&RGW

This Canadian layout measures 18 by 25 feet and is built around the walls, except for the peninsula yards; a true point-to-point design. The author models 1937.

Linfield Northern & Southern RR: Northfield Yard

The author describes how he built his 2' by 6' switching layout to take to shows for only about $275. Includes photos of the layout (including an overhead one that shows the track plan). The idea is that larger layouts aren't necessarily better; it's all in what you enjoy.

Louis Ullian's Logging Empire

This layout is set in 1925 in the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, and fits in a 21 by 25-foot room. Track plan and several photos of the layout accompany the article, with a sidebar on how to make O-scale trees.

Mike Culham's Great Central Railway

This is an L-shaped 32-foot long layout that measures only 30 inches wide. It offers lots of switching.

My On3 Rio Grande Southern Sophir District

Fantastic scenic shots accompany this article about the author's 54 by 25 foot layout. Only a portion of the layout has been completed.

O Scale South

A visit of 5 layouts that were open during the O Scale South hosted by the Southern O Scalers in Atlanta, Georgia.

OGR Digital Library Plus Extra Pages

Many additional photos of layouts covered in this issue.

Remembering the Reading with Lionel

Although 3-rail track is used, the layout looks finished and realistically designed. Three loops of track cover this 6' by 16' layout for continuous action.

Robert Poole's Southern Pacific Coast Line

Bob's layout models the SP in 1956. It is built in a five-car garage, with the layout measuring 30' x 50'.

Scene Around the Layout

Just a single photo with caption of Jim Harper's The SP Palos Verde Division.

The "Gerrysburg Five"

Link to a YouTube video where the author visited 5 layouts in the Gettysburg area.

The Blue Smoke RR

Moving to more realistic track gave the author the desire to continue to build a large Lionel layout.

The Brian Scace Experience

Daniel and Amy Dawdy visit with the layout's owner, covering how he came up with his layout design. Includes many photos of his layout.

The Chicago & Utopia Railway

The author was there for the last run of Ed Halstead's layout (they are moving to a smaller home). In addition to many photos of the layout, the article covers Ed's youth, and how he got to eventually building this traction-based layout.

The Great Northern Pacific Railroad

The author describes his 16' by 32' layout, its equipment, and some of the facilities on the railroad. Includes a track plan.

The Intricacy of Textures

Presented as a photo essay, various topics related to scenery texture are covered by taking a closer look at some of the author's small layout. The layout also includes an On18 line. A complete track plan is provided as well.

The Ironbound Railroad

This shelf layout goes around three walls of the author's two-car garage. The article describes how he got into O-scale, and how he constructed this, his second O-scale layout. Trains are run using on-board radio-controlled, battery-powered engines. Although the layout is used for operations, the many detailed scenes is really the author's joy in the hobby. Includes many close-up photos and a track plan.

The Jemez & Rio Grande

This 12'x16' layout is more of an exhibition layout, although it is operated from time to time. The article includes a track plan and many photos.

The Maumee Basin Lines

This article covers the P:48 layout of Mona and Warner Clark. Includes many photos.

The Southern

This large 32' by 24' basement layout continued to grow over the years. It includes two yards and quite a bit of mainline. The scenery is stunning. The layout is freelanced but based on the Chesapeake Bay area in Maryland or Virginia.

The Tuscarora & Keuhn Creek

This layout models the T&KC circa 1939 in a 6 by 10 space. In addition to layout design, the author also discusses his construction method, his structure design philosophy, and how he applied the scenery, all to create a lot of vertical height to the small layout.

The Virginian, N&W, and Seaboard Railroad

The background story of Claud Abernathy and his layout. Includes many photos.

The West Tennessee Central

Louis Ertz's 26' by 53' O-scale layout. It is a walk-in layout with generous curves, beautiful structures, and nicely painted backdrops. The whole room is finished with carpet and wood skirting to the floor.

The Willoughby Valley R.R. Adventure

This 027 layout includes lots of details and mini scenes. Part of the purpose for the layout is as a setting for children's stories for videos.

Trap & Garnet Ridge Railroad

The author describes how Mike Hurlburt got into model railroading, getting started in modular N-scale modeling, and then switching to O-scale. Includes photos of the layout, as well as a track plan. Operations is important to Mike. An interesting solution to a lift-up bridge is shown.

Visiting Steve Strebel's Rio Grande & Pacific

This 33 by 19 feet, double-level layout models a narrow gauge line from Colorado to California. It is 5 years old and almost everything on the layout is scratchbuilt. Includes trackplan and many photos of this beautiful layout.

Warner Clark's Maumee Basin Lines

Modeled after the Nickel Plate's Clover Leaf District, this two-level layout measures 26.5' by 19' in an L-shape. A hinged-gate provides access to the interior of the layout. All track is handlaid code 138 and 125 and controlled via DCC. Includes track plan and close-up photos of excellent scenery.