Layouts in the May 2018 Issue

Mount Hood Railroad in HO Scale
Visit this freelanced pike that travels through the Cascade Mountains, the High Desert, the Blue Mountains, and the Palouse to connect Portland, Oregon and Spokane, Washington. The railroad has an interesting story and hauls quite a variety of freight with an emphasis on logs and related products like woodchips and paper; ore, coal, and gravel; and mixed goods shipped between eastern and western Oregon. Our feature shares a creative ride-along story on the club’s Pioneer passenger train as it travels westward as well as a story about the operations of the layout and the railroad’s mythical history. We share lots of interesting photos of the Mount Hood Railroad Engineers’ beautiful scenery, photographs, and a cab ride video of the layout.

Blue Arrow Lines in HO Scale
See Bodo Capeller’s freelanced Pacific Northwestern layout. He runs an interesting mix of Great Northern and Amtrak electrics and Rio Grande Southern diesel locomotives. The small layout is well-scenicked with a bay, countryside, and two towns. Bodo built custom catenary wiring for the layout, adding to the realism of his work. He runs passenger service and has many people and other details included on the Blue Arrow Lines. We include photos, video, a map, and a cab ride on the layout.

Make Flower Planters for Your Layout
Create handmade flowers and planter boxes for your layout using inexpensive materials. The project is simple and can easily be completed by any modeler who is comfortable working with small parts. Our example is in HO scale, but we give dimensions in scale feet so it can be easily built in another scale if desired.