Author: Golden1014

I'm an American, living in Germany.
Layout Visits2 Comments

No. 207: Steve Goaring’s Illinois Terminal RR Layout

Golden1014

A week before Christmas 2024 I dragged my buddy Lonnie Bathurst out to Swanea, Illinois to visit a fellow prototype modeler, Steve Goaring. Steve is a lifetime model railroader and models the Illinois Terminal System (ITS) O’Fallon District in HO scale in his basement. Steve graciously invited us into his home, introduced us to his family, and then took us to the basement to see “The Museum” as he called it. Below, here’s the view of Steve’s layout and workbench as you enter the layout room. The small swinging portion of the layout at the left allows unobstructed access to … Continue reading No. 207: Steve Goaring’s Illinois Terminal RR Layout

Hermitage Road Layouts, Layout Next, O Scale & Proto 483 Comments

No. 206: Back to Germany

Golden1014

My wife and I are leaving the US at the end of January for another three-to-five year job at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. At 61 this will probably be my last full-time assignment working for the Air Force. After this tour we plan to come back to the US and settle down for a while. That’s the plan anyway… Leaving is bittersweet. I’ll miss family and friends, and we’ll be a long way from our three terrific kids who are all in college in the Mountain West. I’ll miss my modeler friends and all the fun RPM events, my footballer … Continue reading No. 206: Back to Germany

RPM and Modeling Events1 Comment

No. 204: 2024 Chicagoland RPM

Golden1014

The most recent Naperville Railroad Prototype Modelers Conference, now known as Chicagoland RPM, was held on October 10-12, 2024, at the Northern Illinois University Conference Center in Naperville, Illinois. Chicagoland is one of the premier railroad prototype modeler events in the country, providing attendees with clinics, presentations, layout tours, vendors, historical societies, and more. The best about RPM events is the gathering of friends from around the country for fellowship and collaboration on railroad modeling. More about this year’s event can be found at https://www.rpmconference.com/. A good RPM meet starts with a good party. A dozen of us from the … Continue reading No. 204: 2024 Chicagoland RPM

O Scale & Proto 484 Comments

No. 203: Freight Cars for The High Line

Golden1014

At Chicagoland RPM in October, our friend Tony Koester revealed his latest project, an O scale Tribute Layout on the Wabash “High Line” branch from Bluffs, Illinois to Keokuk, Iowa, which he’s building in his four-season porch. The real railroad gained notoriety in the 1950s for its locomotives. Because of a spindly bridge across the Illinois River the ‘Bash used a small fleet of lightweight 2-6-0s exclusively on the line. The little engines got a lot of press as the steam era ended. The right-of-way was interesting too; it was a friendly little railroad, running through Illinois cornfield country on … Continue reading No. 203: Freight Cars for The High Line

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling, Layout Visits6 Comments

No. 202: Scenery Work at the Litchfield Train Group…and Stalled Projects

Golden1014

I got sick of work last week so I took Friday off and went up to Litchfield, Illinois to visit my buddy Lonnie Bathurst. Lonnie has a large HO scale layout in the back half of his office building and we spent the whole afternoon cleaning track and upgrading scenery. Above. This is the Litchfield Train Group layout that was featured in RMC a few years ago. The layout needs some scenery work before their big annual open house during Christmas. Lonnie and I applied static grass and 40 to 50 feet of layout. We applied static grass to the … Continue reading No. 202: Scenery Work at the Litchfield Train Group…and Stalled Projects

Layout Visits, O Scale & Proto 48, Prototype Topics, Railfanning & MuseumsLeave a comment

No. 201: Visit to Minneapolis, Part 2

Golden1014

This is Part 2 of my trip to Minneapolis back in August 2024. Part 1 can be found here: https://railroadprototypemodeler.com/2024/09/19/no-200-visit-to-minneapolis/ After spending a fun Thursday with my buddy Clark Propst in Mason City, I drove north on Highway 65, which parallels the old Rock Island, to Northwood, Iowa, to try and find some inspiration on the railroad. I wanted to go to Manly but there was practically nothing left of the big yards, enginehouse and junction there. Then I drove north to Albert Lea, Minnesota to photograph the ruins of the old Milwaukee Road and M&StL there. The Rock Island, … Continue reading No. 201: Visit to Minneapolis, Part 2

Layout Visits, O Scale & Proto 48, Prototype Topics, Railfanning & Museums3 Comments

No. 200: Visit to Minneapolis, Part 1

Golden1014

What a fitting subject for my 200th post–a visit to Minneapolis, my home away from home during my youth. Above: A westbound Milwaukee Road freight train at Chanhassen, Minnesota in August, 1980. This is the first train picture I ever took. I was 16 years old. My mother was from Chanhassen. Her father–my grandfather–owned a large dairy farm just west of town and we visited the farm every summer. Minnesota is where I started railfanning, and Chanhassen is where I learned to admire The Milwaukee Road. Above. I broke the trip into two days so I could visit Jason Klocke … Continue reading No. 200: Visit to Minneapolis, Part 1

Hermitage Road Layouts2 Comments

No. 199: Layout Details for Hermitage Road

Golden1014

The Hermitage Road layout is about 95% finished so recently I added some details to the track and industrial settings to help make things come alive. Below. This is a switch stand at the Monticello Railroad Musem in Monticello, Illinois. I’m using this photo and others like it as a guide to finish layout details on my turnouts. Below. I took this picture last year on the BNSF at Abilene, Kansas. I’ve seen other places like this where new or used track parts are piled up near in-service tracks, so I added something like that below. I added my own … Continue reading No. 199: Layout Details for Hermitage Road

Hermitage Road Layouts, RPM and Modeling EventsLeave a comment

No. 198: St. Louis RPM 2024 and Layout Visit

Golden1014

On August 19th and 20th I attended the St. Louis Railroad Prototype Modeler’s Meet, now hosted by Lonnie Bathurst and a team from the Gateway NMRA. It was a HUGE event–over 900 attendees, lots of models to see, and lots of great vendors. It is a must-do event for prototype modelers. The event began on Thursday night with some layout tours and a social at the DoubleTree Hotel in Collinsville. I went to the social and it was a lot of fun. It was like a family reunion. I saw a ton of guys I knew and eventually I sat … Continue reading No. 198: St. Louis RPM 2024 and Layout Visit