NorthStar '06

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Rail - Layout Tours

We will have, of course, model railroads on tour Saturday and Sunday during the convention. Saturday the layouts will be close to the convention hotel so that driving distance is minimized. The Sunday layouts will be further out in the metro area, so convention attendees will be able to visit them on the way home. We expect to have four to five layouts open each day and are still developing the complete list of model railroads at this time.

Here's some info on what we have so far:

John Anibal's Burlington Northern La Bina Subdivision, is an HO scale layout in three rooms that measures 18x24 feet overall set in the 1970's. The setting is a large city with seaport facilities. John uses a Zero-1 control system, and the layout features fully automated mainline operations with red and green signal indications. A small switching area uses hands-on DC control.

Martin Hrabe's HO scale 24x32 foot layout is housed in three rooms. The railroad is set in the 1950's and 1960's with Rock Island and Great Northern power. Scenery ranges from massive mountains to logging, mining, and wharf scenes. Martin uses a combination of handlaid and flex track mounted on spline roadbed and homasote on plywood.

Michael Moormann's N Scale 1930's vintage Sogn Valley is set in the rolling country of southeastern Minnesota. It is located in a 12x16 foot room and is 100% sceniced. The layout is basically a shelf railroad with two switching modules that feature scratchbuilt structures and small towns. Michael passed away several years ago, but his widow Alice has agreed to open the layout for the TLR.

Ron Schutts' Soo Line Wishek Subdivision is an HO scale 7x13 foot railroad set in the mid-1980's in southeastern North Dakota. Scenery is 100% complete, and there are numerous mini-scenes to be found. Some buildings have interiors and lighting.

Ken Zieska's S scale Minnesota Heartland is set in the 1960's and 1970's in Minnesota. The 40x40 railroad is approximately 50% sceniced. Features include nicely done backdrops and many scratchbuilt structures.

Dave Hamilton's Chicago Burlington and Quincy is set along the Mississippi River from East Dubuque, Illinois to La Crosse, Wisconsin. It is set in the 1950's and features first generation diesels and steam locomotives, several of which are equipped with sound. The railroad operates with DCC.

John Hotvet's Santa Fe - Rio Grande is set in south central Colorado in the mid 1950s and features first generation diesels and steam locomotives pulling prototype length passenger and freight trains. Traffic is interchanged with the Missouri Pacific, Rock Island, Colorado & Southern, and the Rio Grande narrow gauge. A card order system is being developed to control car movements. The railroad is controlled by a DC system.

Gerry Leone's HO scale Bona Vista Railroad is set in Minnesota in the steam era, although one diesel has made inroads. The railroad features many superdetailed, scratchbuilt, and kitbashed structures. Many layout elements have been featured in Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman.