It's Train Time

With autumn approaching, it's time to start on my much anticipated HO scale model railroad expansion. 1000 sq ft of table just isn't enough.

For those of you who don't know, I model an imaginary line between Berlin and Prague in the 1950s centered around the region of Silesia.. The topography is similar to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. My model world assumes that there was no iron curtain and communism fell along with Naziism after WWII.

My model railroad is home to almost 100 locomotives and hundreds of freight and passenger cars. The parts which are complete are highly detailed, Most buildings have detailed interiors which I built myself (try laying 1:87 scale wood flooring plank by plank it's rewarding).

I particularly enjoy steam locomotives, still common in Europe in the 1950s. My newer locomotives are fully equipped with smoke and sound. The sound of a steam locomotive chugging along can be quite relaxing....

Comment by Bob on September 30, 2008 at 6:24pm: Added a couple of photos of one of the towns on the model railroad. The passenger train is being pulled by a German Class 01 steamer, while the freight train is being pulled by a German Class 50 steamer. The passenger station was built from a detailed kit (something like 400 seperate pieces. The platforms are scratchbuilt, and the station has a detailed interior (also scratchbuilt).....

Comment by Taylor on October 7, 2008 at 5:10pm: thats some really cool trains u have my dad and myself normaly put some stuff together in the winter from ho scale trains from when he was a kid in the 60s and 70s

Comment by Nick Vicious on October 30, 2008 at 3:16pm: That's awesome! But where do you find room for a thousand square foot table?

Comment by Bob on February 1, 2009 at 12:35am: Progress.
I now have over 250 feet of double track main on the layout rebuild in operation. This time, I'm doing it right. New room lighting, vastly improved electrical (probably half a mile of wiring already, all color-coded), lots of attention to operational detail. Been spending lots of time in the basement..... :). Planning the next two phases, which will add, among other things, a large stone arch viaduct.

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