2024 North Central Region - Spring Modelers Meet

SOUTH

1 – Larry & Dalene Hickman’s River Falls & Eastern Railway 3PM-5PM

This is a MUST SEE layout! This layout is scheduled to be dismantled in 2026, so see it while you can.

• Scenery: 100% Completed
• Scale: HO
• Published: April, 2016, Model Railroader
• Prototype: Baltimore & Ohio, Kanawha Central (NYC) and Western Maryland
• ERA: Mid to late 1950s, West Virginia

Larry’s layout is a 28’x38’ double stacked HO scale railroad with (1800) feet of track including (37) staging tracks. The layout is dispatched by the Manual Block System, using block phones for crews and radios for yardmasters. The interlocking signals are always set for a stop (red) indication. This requires the crews to contact the dispatcher for further instructions when encountering these signals. The layout is operated in two (shifts) tricks: the A or B session.

At times, four different railroads can be seen on the layout: the B&O, WM, RF&E, and the Kanawha Central, an NYC subsidiary. There are five major yards on the layout, each having different functions. RF&E Homecrest Yard is classed as an industrial yard, with crews switching industries between Homecrest, North Homecrest, and Weston, WV. RF&E Robertstown Yard is classed as an intermediate yard, as it handles inbound and outbound cars from various trains, as well as locals and transfers from the B&O and WM. Valley View Yard is an independent operation, having their own switch engine handling mostly coal, with some general freight as needed for the workers and their families.

Visit Larry’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@ssnk79) for videos of operations and action on the River Falls & Eastern Railway

2 – Dave McMullian’s The MaineLines 3PM-6PM

• Scenery: 20% Completed
• Scale: HO
• Prototype: Boston & Maine, Maine Central, and Bangor & Aroostook
• ERA: Early 1950s, Maine

Dave’s Railroad “The MaineLines’ fills a room 30’ by 20’. It is controlled by a North Coast Engineering DCC system with Tsunami sound in some engines. His rolling stock and motive power are meticulously detailed and historically accurate. His structures have great detail. The layout includes a large waterfront scene which includes piers and warehouses with railroad sidings. Dave has also included a scratch built 400’ ocean going cargo ship. The waterfront includes several detail scenes including potatoes being loaded onto the freighter from box cars.

Make sure to check out Dave’s very detailed scenes below street level!

EAST

3 – Mike Bruss’s Union Santa Fe and Southern 3PM-6PM

• Scenery: 100% Completed
• Scale: HO
• Prototype: Proto-freelance UP, SF, and SP
• ERA: 1960-1980

The layout is on 2 levels and in three rooms of his basement. He has lots of great scenery and buildings. It is set up for operations and is DCC controlled. Mike has about 800 cars, 400 of which are on the layout at any given time with about 35 locomotives. An unusual feature is the fully sceniced top level of the helix.

Built for operations, Mike’s railroad is a point to point freelance railroad running from Chicago to Portland. The USF&S is owned by the UP,SF, and SP and operates out of Omaha. The 3 railroads feed cars to the USF&S for delivery to Lincoln to the east and Julesburg and Sidney to the west.

Operations consist of four to five locals out of Omaha Yard to service these cities. 10 eastbound road trains out of Chicago and 10 westbound trains out of Portland. There are 7 locals out of Portland and 2 out of Chicago. During a session there are also 2 passenger trains to run 1 east and 1 west out of Denver and back. The layout operates with Digitrax and uses a Car-Card and switch list system. The layout is dispatcher controlled. All operators wear headsets. The layout supports 9 operators with three yard masters and six road crews. During a 4 hour session up to 30 trains can run.

While visiting, make sure to check out his collection of about 100 Railroad Lanterns.

4 – Jim Treadaway’s Stinky Creek Railroad 3PM-6PM

• Scenery: 99% Completed
• Scale: HO
• Prototype: Freelance mountain steam railroad
• ERA: 1930s

The Stinky Creek R.R. fills a room 13’ by 42’. The railroad is a point to point short-line located in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State It has a yard at each end and services 31 industries along the way. It uses Shays, Climaxes, and Heislers for motive power. With a 6% grade the geared locomotives need helper engines to get up the mountain. The main source of revenue is gold ore and logging. The scenery is exceptional with lots of rock castings, pine trees, scratch built structures, trestles and bridges Operations are held once a month using Digitrax DCC, and car cards.

The layout was 100% finished until a new expansion was started in 2023. This new extension is intended to add new life into an already very beautifully sceniced layout.

CENTRAL

5 – Steve Kapela’s Norfolk & Whey Railroad 3PM-6PM

• Scenery: 10% completed, 95% track laid
• Scale: HO
• Prototype: Freelance Appalachia
• ERA: late steam / transition

This is a new layout just started in 2021 with the room becoming available in 2016. The golden spike was driven and the first train ran in October 2022. The major electrical work is nearly complete and troubleshooting the track and turnouts is actively underway. The scenery and land-contours are being finalized with the scenery maybe 10% done. Steve is actively seeking thoughts and ideas as the project moves forward. Coal, lumber and passenger service are planned for the layout.

6 – Gerry Sahagian’s Great Northern Kalispell Division 3PM-6PM

• Scenery: 85% Completed
• Scale: HO
• Prototype: Great Northern Railroad in Montana
• ERA: 1950’s

The Great Northern Kalispell Division is a linear layout set between the years 1950-1958 depicting 200 miles from Harve to Whitefish, Montana. This represents the crossing of the Rocky Mountains at Marias Pass. There are seven major river crossings with ten bridges and eight towns. Major industries served are coal, timber, wheat, and livestock. The 2,100 square feet layout has eight scale miles of mainline that is 100% complete with 85% of scenery complete. The Layout is designed for both operations and continuous running, and operated with EZ DCC wireless controllers.

WEST

8 – Jim Wolsiffer’s AI Railroad 3PM-6PM

This location is weather permitting!!

Jim has two separate railroads.

HO Basement Layout

• Scenery: Not Completed
• Scale: HO
• Prototype: It’s my layout and I run what I like
• ERA: Any

The first layout is a Work-in-progress, HO scale layout that takes up most of his 54’ X 24’ basement. The bench work and 260 feet of mainline double track are complete, with additional sidings and peninsulas yet to be completed. Jim runs his freelanced roster with modern, transition era, and steam locomotives and cars controlled by Prodigy DCC. The layout is designed for continuous running of long trains, typically 30-40 cars. Jim has a very unique collection of limited edition locomotives.

Outdoor 7.5″ Gauge Railway

• Scenery: 100% Completed (it’s outside you know)
• Scale: 7.5″ Gauge
• Prototype: It’s my layout and I run what I like
• ERA: Any

The second “layout” is the AI Railroad named for the crossroads ghost town that he lives near. This outdoor railroad is 1:6 scale on 7.5” track gauge, that he hosts the Northwest Ohio Live Steamers Club. The 2,500 feet (3,500 including yard) of track runs around and through his property of almost eleven acres. The yard has an operating water tower for the live steam locomotives and a ramp for loading and unloading of the locomotives and rolling stock onto trucks and trailers for transport. Club members run diesel, battery/electric, and steam locomotives on the railroad. The AI Railroad operations will be weather dependent. Make sure to check out his hand built SD60 with Loksound sound (yes a Loksound decoder in a large scale locomotive).

NORTH

9 – Blissfield Model RR Club’s Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
10AM-5PM

• Scenery: 100% Completed
• Scale: HO
• Prototype: C&O and Clinchfield Railroads
• ERA: 1955-1965

The Blissfield Model Railroad Club operates a multi-level, HO scale layout loosely based on the Chesapeake & Ohio and Clinchfield Railroads. The time is set during the transition era from 1955-1965. The C&O line runs from Cincinnati, OH to Charleston, WV with a branch to Elkhorn City, KY and from Limeville Jct, KY to Toledo, OH. The Clinchfield line runs from Elkhorn City, KY to Johnson City, TN. Many towns and industries are served along the 54 scale miles of mainline with a large coal-fired steel mill complex being a centerpiece. The layout is designed for continuous running during an open house, and the mainline turnouts and signals are controlled by CTC during operating sessions. The club is located in a handicap accessible building with wide aisles.

10 – Doug Tagsold’s Colorado & Southern RR Clear Creek Division 3PM-7PM

• Scenery: 60% Completed
• Scale: 1:72 36″ narrow gauge
• Prototype: Colorado and Southern Narrow Gauge Lines
• ERA: 1920’s

Doug models the Colorado and Southern narrow gauge mainline from Denver west to the mountain mining towns of Idaho Springs, Silver Plume, Black Hawk and Central City. The scenes are set as the line appeared in the 1920’s. Doug models the line in 1:72 scale (between HO and S scale), using small HO standard gauge locos and rolling stock as narrow gauge in 1:72 scale. The layout fills a 1300+ square foot basement with double deck benchwork, and a 650 ft. mainline. The Rocky Mountain scenery includes the cityt of Denver, Clear Creek Canyon and higher elevations with snow. Doug uses Easy DCC wireless throttles, and operates the layout with Time Tables and Train Orders.

Doug recently expanded his layout under a new addition of his home adding additional main line run and operating interest. If you have not seen it recently, this layout is a must visit!