Tour Details

Saturday November 11, 2023

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AM Tours

10am - 2pm

Norm Stenzel’s The Brandywine & Benedictine Railroad

The layout is set in Appalachian Virginia and West Virginia in 1953. It has a single track mainline loosely based on things I liked about the B&O, N&W, WM, and the Clinchfield. The layout is loop to loop with large staging yards at either end. It is designed for prototype operation and is fully signaled. It is designed to keep about 16 operators busy. It can be run under either CTC, ABS or TT&TO operating rules. Signals and dispatching use a computer with Railroad & Company software. The layout uses Digitrax DCC for train and layout control. We use any kind of Digitrax Throttle (Wired, Simplex Radio, or Duplex Radio). We also use WIFI throttles using JMRI. All locomotives are equipped with TCS WOWSound decoders and set up to sound and operate prototypically. All visible track and turnouts are hand laid using code 70 rail. Motive power is a 50/50 mix of steam and 1st generation diesel. The railroad runs a mix of freight and passenger trains but leans heavily toward coal traffic.

City: Suwanee
Scale/Gauge: HO
Norman Stenzel

Randall Watson’s St. Louis and Southern R.R.

Lower Level 28.5" off the floor, Main level 44.5" off the floor, Lever Three 60.5" off the floor Lever 3 and 1/2 is 78" high. L-girder on 1/2" plywood, Homasote over plywood on the lower level, Homabed on plywood on the Main level, Cork roadbed on plywood on level three and level three and 1/2. Atlas Code 83 flex track, Walthers turnouts #8 and #6 on mainline, #5 and #6 in yards. 32", 30" and 28" on mainline. 26" in some sidings. 2% in Helix and on some of the third levels. DCC Digitrax Radio Control, boosters, power managements, block detection.

City: Suwanee
Scale/Gauge: HO
Randall Watson

PM Tours

1pm - 5pm

John Rieken’s Transcon Four

The TC4 runs from the east on the Pennsylvania and from the west on the Great Northern and Burlington into Chicago. Trains are switched out and reassembled to run outbound from Chicago. The TC4 also has several industries to switch out along with locals. One will find both freight and passenger trains on this layout.

City: Homer
Scale/Gauge: HO
John Rieken

John Travis’ Johnstown & Gerryville

The Johnstown & Gerryville Railroad (J&G) is an HO scale bridge route between the PRR and B&O operating in western Pennsylvania. Using the mid-fifties as a back-drop, this fully sceniced basement-size layout runs both steam and diesel. This large basement layout featuring 2 levels with valance lighting and LEDs for buildings & street lighting. Aisles are wide and the fascia is curved to be operator and visitor friendly. Features include: beautiful scenery providing a realistic setting for operations; the CTC Signal system is Dispatcher controlled to keep traffic moving; two visible staging yards; realistic animation and six towns provide lots of operating interest; Digitrax DCC controls the trains using wireless throttles; antique telephones are used for communications and several contest winning structures make this a great layout. Search for ‘Johnstown & Gerryville’ on Youtube to view our current videos.

City: Hoschton
Scale/Gauge: HO
John Travis

Justin Jankauskas’ Delaware and Hudson Penn Division

The Delaware and Hudson Penn Division layout is based on the line from Wilkes Barre, PA (South Staging) to Oneonta, NY (North Staging). The line was a steep climb to Ararat Summit needing helpers in both directions. Operations ceased in 1984 when the D&H purchased the ex-DL&W line out of Scranton directly to Binghamton, NY. I aimed to recreate the memories of my childhood along the Penn Division in Carbondale, PA with colorful mixes of patched out motive power including many Alco powered road freights. The layout is an around the walls style with a lower staging level connected with 2 long ramp tracks.

City: Hoschton
Scale/Gauge: HO
Justin Jankauskas