HO model trains can be realistic

Freight train waiting on the siding for a passenger train in Crawfordsville, IN.

Train on Fifth Street in Lafayette, IN

The train is going down Fifth Street in Lafayette. The year on the layout is Fall 1966.

Monon Train Blog

If you are looking at this for the first time, this is a blog about an HO model train that is meant to resemble the Monon Railroad in the 1960's. The layout is 24 by 26 feet and includes samples of the Chicago Railroad Yard and some towns along the way to the Louisville, KY Railroad Yard.
This layout represents 7 years of effort in its current location and almost 25 years in total effort in other locations. All 17 engines are Monon, but many railroad cars are from many other railroads.
Clicking on pictures will allow you to see a larger view. You will need to click on previous posts to see all that was added to this blog.

Monon Train Leaving the Chicago Station

The Train is leaving the station and beginning to go through the Yard on its way South.
HO trains are a lot of fun. Most of the fun is in designing and building them.

Chicago Rail Yard

The train has left the station and is going through the Chicago Rail Yard on it way south.

Monon Station

The train is stopped at the Monon Station for passengers and freight.

Battleground, IN Monument

Monument to the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe. Opened up the Northwest Territories.

Wabash River Crossing

The train is crossing the Wabash River and progressing into Lafayette.

Indiana Coal Country

Lafayette Brewery

This represents the Lafayette Brewery that my great grandfather, John Wagner, started in 1858.

Train at the Depot in Lafayette

Our train, like the prototype, went down Fifth Street in Lafayette. The train depot is the white building at the right.

Jim's Monon Train Layout

My train goes from the Chicago Rail Yard to the Louisville, KY Rail Yard - obviously with a lot of poetic license. The towns on the railroad include Monon, Battleground, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Bloomington, Bedford, Salem and Louisville. There are many buttons along the fascia that when pushed give you the sound of the scenes. The entire layout was designed to appeal to my grandchildren...and the children of any age. It was not designed to be use with numerous people in an operating secession. We do run as many as four trains at a time.

Monon EMD F3A engine

This is an engine on my current layout. It is progressing toward Bloomington, IN.

Monon Signal

The most fun with a layout is having structures that move or are lighted. Sound at crossings are also great. My newest layout in the garage has many lighted buildings and sound for cows, pigs, horses, sheep and crossings. Added to that are traffic lights that change.

Monon Railroad Wig Wag

This is an old style crossing buck.

Monon Engine

http://mononrr.com/mpages/md/md6.html

Clicking on the above link will give you a look at a Monon Engine.

Learning and progressing with my train

I spent hours learning how to lay sections of track, how to make grades and crossings and how to use turnouts (switches). My efforts at wiring caused some problems until I tried again and again. I used dental plaster to make culverts. I used Mountains in Minutes to give a realistic (sort of) ground contour. I painted the ground dark green before applying artificial grass and dirt. I made a tunnel for the train to go through. It was slightly curved and was about 20 inches long. Unfortunately I forgot that I might have to put a train back on the track if it came off. So instead of making the tunnel removable, it was fixed. I had to reach in with my hand and drag cars out.
Anyone first learning to use rail joiners that attach one section of track to another, has been frustrated at getting the joiners on to the rails. I eventually learned to expand the joiners before using them. Why don’t they come that way?
My wife and kids at least knew where I was if they were looking for me.
After two years of working on this layout I decided that I had arrived at the big time and decided to use the basement family room. After all, the kids could sit on the couch under the train and watch TV. I greatly increased my layout to a U shape that was 47 inches high off the floor. I admit I did make a mess. BUT it was Great!

First Attempt at HO Scenery

I used dental plaster beneath the track layout to slightly raise the elevation of the track. I learned that engines don't like much of a grade, but without some grade you can't make one track go over another. I used plaster to make the banks of a small pond and learned to color the area where the water was. I didn't yet know how to put a shiny plastic surface on the water. Planting grass was fun. I did know to paint the area dark green first so the plaster would not show through.

Wiring the layout so that power went to the track and power went to street lights, the train station and the two houses was easy to do. Wiring the electric switches (turnouts) was more difficult. I found out that when I became frustrated with trying something, it was best to wait until tomorrow. During sleep my mind generally found the answer.

HO Trains Are a Great Hobby

In the early 1970's when my four children were young, I started a hobby with HO model trains. I began making buildings for my train out of kits. I also bought a number of small "people" for my train and painted them. Painting their eyes with a single brush bristle was a challenge. Being a dentist, I was used to doing very small things. I also had some good magnification to use. I spent around two years making things for my train without ever getting an engine, cars or track.

Finally we moved and had a basement. I built a 4' x 7' plywood base for the train. I built a six inch offset along the 7' side and used hinges to attach it to the base. Then I attached the six inch offset to the wall. Adding two legs on the outside of the length of the base allowed me to have the layout down to play with it and raise it up and hook it to the ceiling to put it away. That left more room in the laundry room to my wife's delight.

You learn by doing and by making mistakes. The curves on my railroad were severe enough that I could only run switcher engines. But I still had a blast and now I had a place for my buildings and my people. All of them had to be glued down in order to let me raise the layout up to put it away. When I did this I had to remove all the railroad cars and the engine.