East Line and Red River c. 1879
This 7/32″ 1:55 finescale 3′ gauge railroad (equipment slightly smaller than On30 to provide for 3′ gauge) depicts an actual East Texas narrow gauge line in the late 1870’s through the Piney Woods from the major Texas inland port of Jefferson to the town of Hughes Springs. The EL&RR was chartered by the State of Texas in 1871, with construction starting shortly thereafter, and it ultimately ran from Jefferson to McKinney on the west and Shreve’s Port (now Shreveport) on the east. It was owned by the Katy (or a Katy subsidiary) from 1881 to 1923 when it was sold to KCS subsidiary Louisiana Railway & Navigation Co. (LR&N/L&A), was standard-gauged in 1893, and is now a part of the KCS east-west mainline from the DFW Metroplex to Meridian, Mississippi.
Started in the early 1980s, this is a small around-the-wall point-to-point layout with a removable connecting bridge for continuous display operation, constructed in a 10’x16′ outbuilding. It is almost entirely scratch-built: engines on modified recycled HO chassis, rolling stock (except for one significantly modified kit caboose and one significantly modified locomotive), structures, and hand-laid track on hand-cut crossties. The handbuilt Howe truss bridge will support at least 32 pounds. Scenery is mostly natural materials, including real East Texas red dirt. Construction is modular, cantilevered from the walls. It won several awards during its early days when it was previously displayed. The layout is equipped with location-specific ambient sound consistent with the period and environment, including a steam reciprocating sawmill. Lots of details to look for.
Photos
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Katy Fort Worth Division Waco-Hillsboro c. 1950
This 30’x35′ HO prototype-based single- and double-deck layout is under mostly final finishing and is about 90% complete and operating, with trains running the full length of the layout on over 300 feet of mainline track (min. mainline radius 36 inches). The layout depicts the Katy mainline from 18th St. in Waco to the line split in Hillsboro north of the station, set in about 1950 (this is the line that runs along the east side of IH35 north of Waco). The 35′ operating Waco segment depicts much of the industrial and depot district along Jackson Street from the 18th St. viaduct to the Brazos River bridge and includes well-known industries and landmarks of the time including the Waco Creek bridges, Texas Coffin, Geyser Ice Co., Crawford Austin Manufacturing (2 plants), O-K Paper, Brazos Valley Cotton Oil (“The Silos”), The Shear Co. food distributors, Katy Park (home of the Minor League Waco Pirates), Humble Oil Wholesale Distribution, and the Katy freight station. The Katy passenger station, Railway Express and U.S. Mail buildings are full size, as is the ballpark. The station area includes an operating scratchbuilt wig-wag signal. Bellmead Yard and the Tower 21/144 area (SSW interchange), Elm Mott, West, and Hillsboro are currently under scenery installation. Abbott and Winslow yard are complete. Integral to the layout is a large approx. 7′ max diameter concentric double helix (max. grade 1.5% – one up, one down) to allow for a longer mainline run on 2 levels between Bellmead and Hillsboro through Elm Mott, West and Abbott. Surrounding part of the outside of the helix is the Texas Central subdivision “Tin Can” to Stamford and Rotan which incorporates a mostly hidden reversing loop. Structures on the layout are scratchbuilt or, in some cases, extensively kitbashed. Operation is networked DC throttles with provision for plug-in DCC power districts, plus 5 local throttles for switching and hostling. The layout is operated manual block under timetable and train order protocol.
The layout is home to multiple well-known Katy trains of the postwar era, including the Texas Special in its streamlined and mixed third consist “mongrel” versions, the heavyweight Bluebonnet, the Houston Bluebonnet, the Katy Komet, mixed freight, oil, reefer and stock movements, original Katy gray diesel switchers, EMDs, ALCOs, Baldwins, and steam engines. It is also home to Katy motorcar M-12 and trailer coach for the Stamford run over the Tin Can. The M-12 is a model which I extensively kitbashed from a Bachmann doodlebug, and is the subject of the Modeler’s Corner of the June 2025 Katy Railroad Historical Society’s Katy Flyer. The streamlined Texas Special likely to be in service is an extensively kitbashed consist from the 1980s which was the design testbed for the Hallmark brass model (which I designed for Bobbye Hall from Pullman records), but who knows, I may have the brass one out.
There are numerous pieces of restored or adaptively reused antique pieces of rolling stock in active service, including several cardboard-side and steel-side heavyweight passenger cars, and an approx. 60-70-year-old Ideal Models cardboard and wood kit 120 ton crane which was in pieces and which has been rescued and rebuilt as the Bellmead steam wrecker, accompanied by all-kitbashed wreck train and a bridge gang outfit car consist, including a unique coal/water steam crane tender which Katy built from a steel boxcar, as identified in Katy records published by KRHS.
Duckunder access is approx. 5-1/2 feet above the floor, so the layout is accessible. Well-behaved kids are welcome.
Photos
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Track Plan
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Included in Registration