OperatingSessions.com | Great Northern Railroad

Layout Description

Sam’s layout is modeled after the GNRW in 1938. It includes two large 500 car yards at Seattle, Washington and St. Paul, Minnesota with a 400’ single track main line with passing sidings and a 50’ interchange/staging loop. The purpose was to model mainline train operation with 25-45 cars trains and large steam engines.

Layout design is around the wall starting at 36” at Seattle and ending at 58” at St. Paul with 48” minimum radius (one corner with 8’) and 0.5% grades.

The logging railroad has a yard that interfaces with the GNRW and John Allen’s ‘time saver’ with double switch backs to get to a small logging town with a runaround and small yard for loading new logs.

Motive power is all Steam and electrics. With 700 cars: you name it, the GN can carry it. Local switching is available along the mainline at Glacier, Glasgow and Tye. GN electrics pull trains through the 8 mile (60’ in this case) Cascade tunnel.

The GNRW published in Rail Model Journal March, 2005 (front cover and center fold)
New improvements:
1)Latest LCC control of signals and track plan on PC monitor that shows location of each train on the mainline.
2)Engines have the TCS WOW steam decoders with keep alive. All TCS DCC engine have headlights (engine/tender), marker lights (engine/tender), running board lights over steam valve mechanism, cab light and fire box light.
3)Most of the cabeese have working marker lights.
4)Four water towers with operating spouts and sound effects.
5)New scenery added to 80’ of rock cliffs. About 450 new trees including 75’-200’ conifers and deciduous.
6)Lights added to Ore dock, streets and icing stations.

General layout information:
1)1500’ of hand laid track on individual wooden ties and all #10 handmade turnouts.
2)12’ full scale GNRW ore dock
3)Two 130’ turntables with 24 tracks each.
4)Besides GN engines, the layut has the railroads that interfaced or competed with the GN, i.e: NP, Milwaukee, Burlington, CN, etc. Sam is also fond of steam engines that were iconic such as N&W A, J, Y6B, UP’s Big Boy and big blows, SP cab forwards, C&O H-6, H-8, PRR S-1, S-2, J, etc.
5)The layout includes around 100 vintage Ambroid, metal Athearn/Varney and Silver streak freight cars.

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOb7SgZTLWA