The "Model Railroading Big Time: Part II" Story

One of the many wooden bridges that Linn has built for his
display.  Remember to click on any photo to enlarge it.

It was an ordinary day.  Visiting the model railroading display belonging to train modeling  extraor- dinaire, Linn Modinger.  I'm amazed at the magnitude of the layout in front of me.  It wasn't until a hour or so after I arrived that I had a chance to see the three-tiered layout in its entirety.  

A railroad time schedule for the three train company's that
are recreated in miniature on Linn's HO narrow gauge layout. 

Three separate real-life narrow gauge railroads are featured in the layout: the Rio Grande Southern Railroad Company in Colorado, The Colorado & Southern Railway as well as the East Broad Top Railroad Company in Pennsylvania.  Naturally all three are joined together into one layout to make for a smooth transition for travel throughout the layout.  

One of many train round houses on the train layout.

The Rio Grande has 114 yards of laid track while the Colorado & Southern has 73 yards of laid track and the East Broad Top has 77 yards of laid track.  I started to try and count the amount of coal cars, freight cars, etc. and stopped after I reached a couple of hundred cars and hadn't moved from one location in the layout.  And, the amount of engines is equally amazing.  

One of many miniature displays on the layout.  Click to enlarge.

But, what drew my attention most was the detail and quality of craftsman- ship displayed in the layout.  The many wooden truss and trestle bridges were pieces of art in themselves, but to see a train pulling a myriad of cars across one of them was as if I was watching it in real life.  

And yet, another wooden bridge.

Now, I have seen quite a few train layouts in the past, many dotted with buildings of all types and streets and roads lined with telephone poles and lighting, but this was totally different.  There must have been over a thousand trees covering the many mountains in the layout.  Quite a few of those were hand crafted by Linn.  Streams and even a few lakes were filled with water that I though was real until I touched it and found out otherwise.  

"Magic Water" was used to create this
river flowing under the two bridges.

To create this effect "Magic Water" was used.  It is a two-part epoxy material that is virtually odorless.  But, what impressed me the most was what I found underneath the layouts; what must be miles and miles of wire of all gauges.  Wires running to power the layout, wires running to the hundreds of switches on the tracks, wires running to the little red lights on the track that will stop a train if it tries to pass if it is illuminated.  Linn acted as the dispatcher and trouble-shooter today while Jerry, Scott and Dave ran the three individual train systems.  Each was given an assignment and as the afternoon progressed they had to contact the dispatcher by means of Linn's telegraph machines that used Morse Code.  Since none of the participants knew Morse Code, they also could reach him through hand phones.  

Linn preparing a clearance for one of
three fellows running trains.

Linn in turn would issue clearances to the three guys, telling them what to do to finish the instructions they were originally given.  As for me, I had the best time taking photos of just about everything on the layout.  I did at one point check in with Jerry and he handed me his controller and told me to move his train from point "A" to point "B".  I looked at him and asked, "Am I allowed to do that?"  He said, "I already asked Linn if it would be OK and he said yes."  Pretty neat getting a chance to "play trains" with the pros!  A few hours after we arrived, Jerry and I left.  I don't know about Jerry, but I had the time of my life getting a chance to see the layout in person and actually having the chance to "play trains" on the layout.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Colorado and Southern line engine #69. 

A small Junction House for Vance Junction.

Caboose for the Rio Grande Southern Railroad.  Tough to believe the detail on a car which is probably less than three inches in length.

Another steam engine.  All the engines on the display are steam engines. 

This small red light in the track bed will not allow the train to continue past it if it was lit.  Amazing electronics such as this are throughout the display.

Another rail depot.

This miniature Greyhound bus has a flat tire and is being fixed.

This is a snow plow car for the R.G.S. Railroad. 

Beautiful scenery add realism to the display.  The background has been hand painted onto the wall.

This is a coal box or refueling station.  The train can pull up to the chute to gather more coal.

This is a black and white photo I found on Linn's wall.  It pictures an original structure in a small town known  as Saw Pit.

And this is the resulting model that was made for the display.  Linn told me that a friend made the model for him.

Realistic scenery dots the landscape on the display.

This waterfall actually has running water that is created by using a small pump.

Loved the old Ford "Woodie" I found on one of the country roads.

This is pretty much the town of Robesonia, Pennsylvania modeled in miniature.

Another coal box for refueling.

Loved this little Railway Express panel truck.

One of the participants today is pulling his train into the water tower for more water.

A small sub-station in the town known as Gladstone, Oregon.

This stop in Saltillo, Mexico displays the little red signal on it's roof that can stop a train if the track is not clear in front of it. 

This is Tucker Bros. Welding and Machine Shop in miniature.

And this is LDub controlling the train to the left in the photo.  I had to run it through a tunnel into the next room in order to complete the journey that Jerry was assigned.  You can see the three tiers of the layout to my right.