layout tours

Super Layout Tours - Steve Willis

We are excited to announce a change in the Super Tours.

James Peterson of Discount Model Trains has graciously offered to provide lunch for everyone at the convention, which includes all of the folks on the Dallas Super Tour, on Saturday June 6th! This has necessitated a change in the tour schedule.

A buy your own meal stop will still be provided during the Fort Worth tour.

Please note the new schedules below in order of visiting:

Fort Worth /Mid Cities Super Tour
Friday June 5th 8:00AM to 4:00PM

Stan Pirzchalski Colleyville HO
    The MDAK is an imagineered steam era railroad of the late 40s and early 50s, featuring heavy duty main line action in a mountainous setting. A 20 foot x 22 foot portion of the layout is 80%scenicked with a portion being reworked as an amusement park. A 27 foot x 47 foot addition is also 80% complete. Craftsman structures and large amounts of detail are highlights of this railroad, which also features eight different types of bridges, including a 3 foot long trestle. Over 2800 feet of trackage is complete, including a double track main line, passing tracks, and sidings. The main classification yard is 16 feet long and also features a 10 stall roundhouse and turntable. A 12 track classification yard has recently been started with some track being laid. A signaling system is 80% complete and working. A beautifully painted backdrop has been added that matches and enhances the overall effectiveness of the railroad. Automated crossing gates have also been added. Several scenes have been enhanced with animation and sound, including crossing gates, a pulp mill, airplanes, factory smoke, a thunderstorm, working traffic lights and a babbling brook.  Big steam is alive and well on the MDAK, including Big Boys, Allegheny's, and Challengers. Smaller steam power is employed in yard and branch line service. Control is Digitrax DCC with sound. This layout was begun 22 years ago as a 4x8 sheet of plywood by Stan and his wife, for whom the railroad is named (My Darling Angel Karen). It is and always will be her railroad. This is one layout you don't want top miss. Be sure to bring your camera.

Jim Packer MMR Colleyville HO
    The Nevadun Railroad is a freelanced steam era Colorado road running through spectacular scenery. Layout features a beautiful backdrop, mountains extending to the floor, and includes many rivers, streams, and bridges. Impressive Lake Mead and Boulder Dam are scenic highlights. Jim is a Master Model Railroader who has won numerous awards for his scratch built structures.  Each of these is designed for a specific location on the railroad. Layout is 17feet x 30 feet and housed in a custom designed basement. The motive power fleet is primarily steam, including articulateds and Super Power, operated by DCC with sound. Jim has added a complex day to night sequence featuring sunset and automatic, random lighting of the structures as darkness gathers. This is another one you don't want to miss.

LMRA Ft. Worth HO
    The Gulf and Denver models an expansive system of railroads operating under one corporate umbrella. Unique layout plan depicts two formerly competing railroads that are now merged. Identity of each line is still evident in separate bridge and depot color schemes, ballast colors, and rolling stock livery.  A small mining railroad and industrial terminal road are also modeled as part of the system. Layout is one of the largest in North Texas, featuring over 1300 square feet of railroading , 7.5 miles of main line and 33 scale miles of trackage overall. . Control is Easy DCC. A signaling system is being developed for traffic control.  Dispatcher control and radio communications also govern traffic. Layout is 85% scenicked, with beautiful backdrops and everything from mountain scenery to extensive cityscapes. All are complemented by detailed structures and beautiful bridges. This one has it all on a grand scale.

Jack Kibbee Ft.Worth HO & HOn3
    The Jasper and Keystone is a 1930s freelanced Colorado railroad. Long a favorite of LSR conventions, this layout has been in existence for 39 years and just keeps getting better. Layout is 12x34 feet with beautiful scenery, a hand painted backdrop, and craftsman structures. Hundreds of lights, lavish detail, and smooth operation make this layout absolutely spellbinding. To improve operation, layout has been converted to DCC. Jack is well known for his enthusiasm for adding to his layout. This year is no exception. A steel mill complex has been added since the last convention. Additional dioramas are suspended under the layout as well.  The J&K is rarely open for viewing, so take advantage of this opportunity to see one of the Metroplex premier layouts

Texas Western Model Railroad Club HO 
    Get ready for model railroading on a grand scale. The Texas Western stretches from New Orleans to Salt Lake City. The era is the late steam to early diesel era. The 600 foot main line encompasses scenes from Houston, Fort Worth, and the Rocky Mountains. At Alamosa, Colorado, the standard gauge line connects to an extensive narrow gauge system that features a 300 foot main line. Half of the layout features nearly complete scenery. Layout features include towering mountain scenery, highly detailed structures, and numerous bridges.  Digitrax DCC is used for control, and many locomotives have sound, further enhancing the overall effect. Operations are guided by ProTrak software and require 16 operators. Long trains operate behind large steam power and multiple unit diesels. Downtown Ft. Worth has been modeled with scratch built versions of the towering T&P passenger and freight stations along with other period landmarks. Substantial progress has been made in the areas modeling Galveston and Houston. Progress on the narrow gauge section of the railroad has also been rapid. Several towns are nearing completion, including those modeled after actual plattes obtained from the towns themselves.  If you appreciate beautiful scenery, urban landscapes, long trains, and realistic sound, make sure to visit the Texas Western.

Dallas Super Tour
Saturday June 6th 7:30AM to 5:00PM  

Jerry Hoverson MMR McKinney HO & HOn3
   The standard gauge Rocky Mountain Central and the narrow gauge Colorado Pacific are freelanced railroads that are based on the Denver and Rio Grande Western in the 1950s. Steam power is still in control of much of the traffic on the railroad. Layout is double deck and 24x34 feet. Lower level scenery is 100% complete and upper level scenery is 90% finished, complimented by a hand painted backdrop.  Other features include a large yard and steam facility, a second dual gauge yard, 4% switchback, detailed structures, and the spectacular Rio Grande Del Norte River gorge which extends to the floor and is spanned by several scratch built bridges. Layout is designed for operation using computer generated waybills. Control is Digitrax DCC with sound

Chip Romig Plano S & Sn3
    The Colorado and Silver River is a 1950s short line operating in concert with the Union Pacific and the Rio Grande. Lots of steam runs on the Union Pacific and Rio Grande. The Sn3 portion of the layout is all steam. Layout is built in a 60x28 room with track work 90% complete and scenery 50% complete. Operation is North Coast DCC with Soundtraxx sound. Special features include awesome rock work and a simulated locomotive cab with a video system.

Allan Gartner Richardson HO/G
         The High & Xiety is an operations based HO freelanced railroad that captures the look and feel of the    Clinchfield railroad. Heavy coal and merchandise traffic are routed through the scenic Appalachians. Railroad occupies 1100 square feet, has four levels and features a 450 foot long main line with five passing sidings, Features many mines, a coal cleaning and processing plant, and numerous other mountain businesses. Track work is complete and scenery is well underway. Special features include the nearly seven foot long Copper Creek viaduct, the Moss Coal preparation plant, and thousands of trees. Control is DCC with many of the refinements to operation that DCC has to offer. Allan authors a DCC website, so this is the place to see what DCC can offer.  Learn more about the railroad or DCC at  HYPERLINK "http://www.WiringForDCC.com" http://www.WiringForDCC.com. Don't forget to visit Allan's G scale railroad while you're there. (See below)

   The Finchfield and Wrensylvania transforms the entire backyard into a whimsical Great Smoky Mountain retreat where all of the structures are bird houses. Three loops of G scale track totaling 550 feet pass through four tunnels and pass over fourteen bridge and trestle systems. Water features include a waterfall, river, and pond. Trains run weather permitting.

James Peterson Coppell HO
    New Layout Just Underway! The Gulf Colorado, and Santa Fe will model Dallas in 1960.  The layout will represent nine miles of Santa Fe main track from East Dallas Yard, near Fair Park, to Hale Siding in Oak Cliff, with focus on local switching, interchange and 40 car freight trains. The railroad room is 25'by 38' above the garage, with staging in an adjacent 14' by 16' room. Construction began in March, beginning with light fixtures, backdrop and lighting fascia. This is an excellent opportunity to view the planning, room preparation, and early construction phases of a large layout. This will be the lunch stop on the layout tour.  James is the President of Discount Model Trains in Addison, and will furnish the meal at no cost to those on the tour. Please be sure to thank him by stopping by his store sometime during the convention.

South Side Railroad Modelers and DFW O Scalers Dallas HO/O
    The South Side and Rio Mesa is a freelance 1950s era railroad with a Texas look and feel. The railroad captures a time when the nation still moved by rail and steam was king but was already being seriously threatened by dieselization.  The railroad is under construction with 50 % of the scenery and virtually all of the track work complete. Layout occupies a room 20x85 feet on the first floor of the old Sears Catalog warehouse on Lamar Street in downtown Dallas. There is about 600 ft. of mainline and more than 200 turnouts. Features include the South Side on Lamar building-the former Sears Warehouse, Dallas Union Station, and Dealy Plaza with the triple underpass and book depository, a major city area, large steel mill complex, and a wharf scene representing Galveston complete with car ferry and underwater detail. Control is Digitrax DCC with most locomotives equipped with sound. The layout is specifically designed for operations and, for the most part, follows typical prototype practices. Operations are governed by RailOp. . Don't miss the full size replica of a control tower that houses the dispatcher. The club web site is www.railroadmodelers.com.

    While you are visiting the HO club, be sure to check the progress of the DFW O scalers, the Texas Midland Railway, located one level below the HO railroad. This railroad is in the construction stage and is approximately 20x45 feet. Trains will be running on the permanent railroad as well as the new modular layout of the DFW O scalers.