A moveable O-gauge layout raises the bar - Classic Toy Trains

y Rick Wright | photos by Paul DolkosMEMBERS OF the armed services,Pentagon employees andlocal HO and N scale modelrailroad enthusiasts descended into mybasement, where the pungent smell ofcoal smoke (lamp oil) is complementedby the unmistakable sound of flangedwheels on steel rails. Almost immediately,at the foot of the staircase, I couldsee their broad smiles break out beforean almost overwhelming visual andaudible spectacle.Welcome to the CONUS Lines, mywonderful world of O gauge, whererealism is all-important and where thescenes have a broad range of appeal.On this day, my guests see a SouthernPacific Cab-Forward labor upgrade,the sharp crack of its exhaust echoingoff granite walls. In its tow is a longstring of iced reefers heading east. Onthe outside main line, a Daylight 4-8-4leads a gleaming passenger train over adeep canyon and into a short tunnel,bound for a distant metropolis.On another day, visitors might see apair of Conrail SD80MACs hustle a double-stackpriority intermodal manifestthrough a small town where passengersgather for the pending arrival of themorning commuter train.1. An MTH Jersey Central Blue Comet passes Duffy’scoal yard on a cold morning. The scratchbuilt facilityincludes a modified Design Tech yard office.C LASSIC T OY T RAINS 51

Further down the line, a pair ofChessie System GP38s leads an autoparts train in the shadow of a toweringrock formation known locally as“Devil’s Den.” Autumn corn standsready for the harvest.Continental by natureAll these scenes, and many more,can be found on the CONUS Lines,a layout that has variably grown andcontracted over a 27-year period. Ithas endured 10 moves (including sixtranscontinental journeys) and nowexists, in its largest configuration yet,in Northern Virginia as a 22 by 33-foot walk-around layout with two 14-foot peninsulas.CONUS is the U.S. Navy’sacronym for “Continental UnitedStates,” a designation that I feelserves as a particularly appropriatemoniker for my versatile railroad.I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio,where seven Class I railroads operatedonly a bike-ride away from myhouse. Since then, I’ve spent 28 yearsin naval service stationed fromAnnapolis to San Diego, to Newport,Rhode Island, to Norfolk, Virginia.Naturally, my railroad interests areeclectic; therefore, so is my approachto O gauge model railroading.It isn’t hard to figure out why Igave the railroad its slogan: “Anywhere,Anytime.” Conceptually, thelayout serves as a setting or stage fora wide spectrum of railroad experiences.By swapping motive power,rolling stock, selected structures,automobiles, and billboards, my layoutcan represent scenes in Americanrailroading anytime between 2. A tinplate accessory – the 74-year-oldLionel no. 437 signal tower, complete withknife switches on its back wall – looks surprisinglyat home next to an MTH Baldwin dieselin the Cumberland Yard section of RickWright’s CONUS Lines. 3. Remember Alfred Hitchcock’s film“North by Northwest”? That’s Cary Grant(modified from a Life-Like figure) running intothe cornfield, made from dried cornhusks byRick’s wife. Just out of the photo is a 1:48 scalecrop duster chasing Grant.52 CLASSIC T OY T RAINS • N OVEMBER 2000

1930 and 2000 in the six geographicregions in which my family and Ihave lived: New England, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Far Westand Pacific Northwest. I’ve alsoincluded some Western Canada elementsto reflect great family days inVancouver and the canyons ofBritish Columbia where I’ve riddenand photographed trains.In addition to satisfying mydiverse interests, my generic layoutalso allows me to tailor settings andtrains to visitors’ particular favorites.For example, I once honored arequest from a former shipmate forhis father to see “nothing butPennsy” on my layout. His broadsmile and evident pride (as a onetimePennsylvania RR employee)when he saw and heard an M1b westboundwith a brace of high carsmade me feel that my time andefforts were well spent.For visitors with more generalinterests (I can see upwards of 120 4. An SD80MAC leads an intermodal trainthrough Oakfield. Rick bought the scratchbuiltdepot and added it to a scene that includes aLionel no. 30 water tank and a Berkshire Valleytrain crew shed. 5. At Sierra Crossing, a worker ignores theconsiderable rumble of a Daylight GS-4 and aCab-Forward as he applies a coat of paint to aLionel no. 12770 arch-under bridge. Theneighboring thru truss and trestle bridges arescratchbuilt.people or more in a five-hourperiod), I provide a “call sheet” thatexplains the current session’s timeperiod and region and the trainsthat are running.A game of operationCONUS Lines’ raison d’être is theprototypical, realistic operation ofscale steam and diesel trains, withthe additional center rail being theonly significant difference from Oscale model railroading.The layout reflects my prior HOmodel railroading experience, withits inner main fully integrated withyard, industry and logging switchbackoperations. It can be run inN OVEMBER 2000 • CLASSIC T OY T RAINS 53

Building flatsSinclairgasFeed millCoal yardCUMBERLAND(town)1 6 2Depot8PRAIRIEVIEWLOGGINGSWITCHBACKCUMBERLAND(yard/industry)SIERRACROSSINGA&W4ButteCanyonDinosaurlandpark3CornfieldConus Lines“Anywhere, Anytime”scale: 3/8” = foot47OAKFIELD5DepotDevil's DenBy swapping motive power, rolling stock, selected structures, automobiles, andbillboards, my layout can represent scenes in American railroading anytime between1930 and 2000 in the six geographic regions in which my family and I have lived.illustration by Terri Fieldeither continuous, point-to-point, orout-and-back fashion.My 118-foot double-track mainline, bi-directionally signaled, allowstwo trains to operate simultaneously.Meanwhile, I can perform switchingoperations in the yard and at localindustries, or I can negotiate thesteep switchback grades to and fromthe logging camp at Spruce, where adozen tiny laborers have completedbackbreaking work to get it ready forthe incoming train.Though I’m more of a realisticoperator than a toy train collector, Ididn’t want to exclude less realisticclassics from my layout. The outermainline is purposely isolated physicallyand electronically from the restof the layout to facilitate operationof a limited assortment of Lionel andAmerican Flyer prewar equipment.Big, but portableOne important design feature ofCONUS Lines is its portability. Acareer in today’s Navy carries with itonly one certainty: You will move,often, and not necessarily where orwhen you want. If you’re seriousabout model railroading, and don’twant to start from scratch every threeor four years or wait until you retire,you accept the temporary nature ofeach locale and design and build alayout accordingly.Each edition of CONUS Lines hasvaried in size and complexity,depending on how much time I hadto spend at sea during a particulartour of duty, and equally as important,what my pay grade was. Thebottom line: Shore duty and senioritymake for better, more complexand detailed layouts!One advantage to this approach isthat it has allowed CONUS Lines tostart small and grow throughout mynaval career. I’ve only had to buildtwo or three custom-cut connectingor corner modules at each new locationwhere I’ve lived.CONUS Lines, in its current configuration,is comprised of 33 2 by 4-foot modules and six custom-cut cornerand joiner sections. Thesesections are connected physically byC-clamps and electronically by sixpositioncinch sockets, eight-positionterminal strips, and RCA plugs.Each basic module is designed tostand alone. Thus, I can assemble alayout in “building block” or“domino” fashion to match the spaceavailable – from a 4 x 8-foot “table”layout in a small studio apartment inLong Beach in 1973, to my current54 CLASSIC T OY T RAINS • N OVEMBER 2000

configuration, the largest to date.When basements and largegarages weren’t available (as was thecase in San Diego and VirginiaBeach), I’ve sometimes assembledCONUS Lines in the living room.(Obviously, I have an understandingand tolerant family!). Other timesI’ve installed a number of sections ina large O gauge modular club layoutin a local shopping mall.As far as the ordeal of moving, it’snever what I would call “fun.” However,as long as all the layout’s structuresand scenery details areremoved (a six-week process withplenty of long nights and help fromall family members), I can wrap themodules in heavy blankets for transportwith little damage.Seasons and scenesBecause CONUS Lines is meantto be visitor friendly, I kept the aislesbetween modules at least three tofour feet in width. That gives guestsroom to enjoy my particular emphasison the kinder, gentler aspects ofscale model railroading: realisticscenery and structures, and plenty ofpeople and animals. Despite my layout’sability to change settings, mostelements of scenery are relativelypermanent and offer even more varietyfor visitors who might enjoy achange in seasons.At present, all four seasons arerepresented in the 21st century versionof CONUS Lines. Springblooms on six modules comprisingthe whistle stop of Prairie View. Summershines in the four mountainmodules comprising Sierra Crossing.6. Snow has fallen on the lower level ofCumberland’s business district, which includesa Downtown Deco newsstand and barber shopand a Walthers Cornerstone building modifiedto create Yummie’s Donuts. Inside the donutshop, you might be surprised to find that thecustomers are regulars at Moe’s bar of TheSimpsons TV show fame, made possible by ascanned computer image.5 steps to hi-railWHAT IS O GAUGE hi-rail? The termis used often, but its exact meaningis sometimes open to debate.When I say “hi-rail,” I’m thinkingabout the definition I’ve read inRealistic Railroading with Toy Trainsby Joe Lesser and Pete Youngblood(Greenberg Books, 1995).Hi-railing: A term used to denote toytrain operators who combine scale andnon-scale three-rail trains with a consciouseffort to achieve greater realism.With that definition in mind, Ioffer five easy steps you can take onyour layout to cross over into theworld of O gauge hi-rail.1Slow down! Operate trains atprototypical speeds. The increasein realism is accentuated by soundsystems that reflect how fast thewheels are turning on a locomotiveand synchronous smoke systemswith prodigious smoke. Nothingimproves realism more than hearing,as well as seeing, a mammotharticulated laboring upgrade atclose to stall speed with a dozenhoppers, or a G-5 steam engineslowly accelerate a string of Madisoncars out of the station.2Weather everything. Granted,this is a lot easier to commit toon a $25 hopper than it is an $800Daylight, but you can at least apply alight application of Testor’s Dullcote(or a similar flat clear lacquer)to remove the shine. My favoritetechnique involves washes of paints.With an airbrush, I apply FloquilGrimy Black diluted 10-to-1 withDioSol (Floquil’s lacquer solvent) tomake that rolling stock look welltraveled. Grimy Black is also greatfor staining GarGraves wooden tiesand roadbed. Mixed with FloquilRoof Brown, it makes an excellentweather medium for virtually allstructures. Stay away from pureblacks, whites, and reds; a fewshades off these traditional colorswill work wonders in achieving thatrealistic effect.3Match everything. You can “hirail”in scale-oriented 3-rail Ogauge models, traditional O gaugemodels, and even O-27 models. Justdon’t mix the various pieces in atrain. A traditional Lionel no. 2055steam locomotive running down themain with a brace of 6464 boxcarslooks as “right” as a scale MTH PremierSP Cab-Forward with a longcut of Crown and Weaver woodsidedreefers. Remember: All thingsare relative!4Learn to love the color brown.Until the late 1960s, brown (invarious shades and hues) was thecolor of choice for most of thenation’s rolling stock. Hi-railing Ogaugers who favor the steam-todieseltransition period should alsofollow suit. Most color images ofthis era show long strings of freight,mostly in boxcars, in Freight CarRed, Tuscan, or Mineral Red, naturallyweather worn and stained byuse. Bright colors sell models in themarketplace, but plenty of “brownish”models are available. And anairbrush and decals or dry transferscan do wonders for making a “correct”consist to run behind thosePennsy Centipedes you just bought!5Look, listen, and learn. Booksand videotapes can help youlearn more about realism, whetherit is concerning equipment,scenery, operation, or layout design.The marketplace is full of how-tomodel railroading guides and colorphotoprototypebooks depicting aparticular railroad,era, or geographicregion. RealisticRailroading with ToyTrains (where myhi-railing definitioncomes from), is myparticular favorite.For a more detaileddiscussion of myapproach to layoutdesign and operation,read “DominoPlanning Basics,”an article by DavidHi-railing:A term used todenote toy trainoperators whocombine scale andnon-scale three-railtrains with aconscious effort toachieve greaterrealism.Barrow in Model Railroad Planning1999 (Kalmbach Publishing Co.).Videotaped reference sourcesinclude Allen Keller’s Great ModelRailroads series.I think you’ll find that theresources to add realism to toytrains are almost endless for theaspiring hi-railer. – Rick WrightN OVEMBER 2000 • CLASSIC T OY T RAINS 55

Autumn colors the railroad tanktown of Oakfield on three modules.Winter covers the 16 modules thatcomprise the city of Cumberlandand its adjoining yard, industry, andengine terminal facilities.I’ve included three loggingswitchback sections, which are notinterchangeable because of the varying(and very steep) grades involvedin their construction. The center ofswitchback operations is the smalldepot and water tank halfway up“the mountain,” where GP9s or shay56 CLASSIC T OY T RAINS • N OVEMBER 2000locomotives pause for a crew changebefore continuing the arduous climbto the logging camp at Spruce.Rails pass adjacent farmlands, exitdeep cuts and tunnels, and soar overbroad valleys. They connect fourprincipal scenes of activity populatedby 494 people, 39 dogs, nine squirrelsand a menagerie of deer, pigs,horses and cows.My wife Melly and daughters Jenniferand Carolyn, all enthusiasticsupporters of CONUS Lines, oftenwork on special construction projectsand provide suggestions for newvignettes, as well as that oft neededextra pair of hands. Our approach toscenery, particularly after repeatedvisits to the Choo-Choo Barn inStrasburg, Pa., provides differentvignettes every three feet, includingongoing highway repairs, railroadgandy dancers replacing ties, a loggingcamp replete with wood hicks(lumbermen), and a scratch-built logskidder and boom. This approachalways brings expressions of pleasureand surprise from visitors who

8. Rick dressed up a Lionel no. 12703 icingstation with scratchbuilt extensions and modicationsof the basic structure. A modifiedLionel no. 2318 control tower shares spacewith a Design Tech handcar shed and a GloorCraft Models coaling tower. 7. Think a change of scenery would do yougood? Rick is willing to accommodate. This singlescene at the end of Cumberland Yard cantake on three appearances by simply swappingstructures: the U.S. Envelope Co. (built fromDesign Preservation Models modules with ascratchbuilt roof); the under-constructionSunkist Citrus Warehouse (a project headed byRick’s wife, Melly); and Lamberts Point Coal Pierno. 5 and coal barge (scratchbuilt).wouldn’t know a New York CentralHudson from a Santa Fe Northern.In fact, several repeat visitors atmy Christmas Season Open Houseeach year pride themselves on discoveringwhich depictions are new.Two individuals have spent hourseach year counting people to see ifthe number I provide is “right.”The “big” questionNaturally, people always ask “Howlong did it take you to do all this?”and “How do you ever move all this?”However, one other often askedquestion, especially from fellowmodel railroaders, is “Why did youdecide to forego HO and get into OGauge hi-rail?”That question normally answersitself as the next mammoth steamlocomotive exits the deep cut nearOakfield, billowing clouds of smoke,its staccato exhaust synchronous withmassive drive wheels that lead a longcut of boxcars and hoppers to distantmarkets. To me, that sceneexplains the magic of O gauge hirail,particularly given today’sunprecedented degree of selectionand quality equipment.O gauge hi-rail is BIG stuff. Eventhough it’s technically less than twiceas large proportionately as HO scale,I like to think of it as eight times aslarge – twice as large in all threedimensions. It has a heft and feel toit that bespeaks “power.”Complementing O gauge’s sizeare the sight and sound system packagesavailable in today’s models,which add another dimension ofrealism. Such features may helpthese trains catch the attention ofpeople whose imaginations are jadedby television and computer screens.Perhaps, then, these people willcome to understand what was, and is,the splendor and unique appeal ofAmerica’s railroads.Yes, I still prize my Lionel no.2055 and O-27 starter set no. 1503WS that I received in the early 1950s.But realistic O gauge products introducedin the last decade represent,in nautical phraseology, a sea changein the hobby.Those inclined toward a scaleapproach, but still desirous of thepure enjoyment of model railroading,can have the best of both worlds.Realistic motive power and rollingstock can easily be combined with a“model railroading is fun” approachso all of us can remember and cherishour “classic toy trains.” TRick Wright will appear at the GreenbergShow at the Capital Expo Center inChantilly, Va., on December 30-31,2000. His presentation will focus on hisexpansive layout and its evolution overthe years.N OVEMBER 2000 • CLASSIC T OY T RAINS 57

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