One of the finest layouts I have ever seen was Don Cassler’s B&O layout in Pittsburgh. It was fabulous but rarely covered in the model press. Partly because Don quit for a while after the death of his wife. Then, when he resumed work years later, I don’t know if anyone really documented all of the new sections that were added. Sadly, Don passed away about six years ago. Some of his “crew” wanted to purchase the house and save the layout, but other family members wanted the house and the layout torn down. And so it’s gone…
I miss Peter Hayworth’s Wangkui Railway layout, which was dismantled in 2010. His work proved that modeling the Chinese prototype in a large space was possible.
I have to wholeheartedly agree with you, Ed. And, yes, thank you Jim for posting that link. When I look at those photos, I realize that I can never hope to achieve the level of magnificence that Don achieved with his B&O layout.
I only wish that Don’s layout could have been photographed for one last magazine feature article, but nobody seemed interested in pursuing it. I tried a little but it wasn’t my place to get involved. He probably could have a hundred articles about the fabulous work he and his friends did, but that just didn’t seem to be his priority. Sigh…
Feel free to knock me for including a 3-rail layout, but the layout in what was once The Train Barn in Portage, MI did much for fueling my creativity when I was a youth. My grandfather would take me there when I was down for a visit, and right up until me last visit there it never lost it’s magic for me. Too bad it’s gone. The suspension bridge (first shown about 2:10 in the video) was amazing. You could actually watch the deck give and rebound as the weight of the train rolled over it.