Model Ideas for Modern Layouts

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I came up with a few neat ideas for modern-era layouts while chatting with some fellow model railroaders yesterday. I thought I’d share some of them.

  1. Railfan parks. These have sprung up in various places around the country (Cresson, PA, Rochelle, Il, Folkston, GA to name three) and are usually erected by small towns to give railfans a safe place to practice our hobby.

  2. Converted Depots. Many old passenger stations have been converted to other uses. Spartanburg, SC’s station still serves Amtrak but also houses the Hub City Railroad and the Hub City Farmer’s Market. I’ve also seen old depots converted for office use, restaurants or just left abandoned.

  3. Defect Detectors. These are very much a part of modern railroading. All that’s needed is a small electrical box with and antenna. If you were adventurous enough, you could rig up some recording device to play the sound of a talking defect detector when a trail passes. As many railfan parks are equipped with scanners, this would be prototypical.

2

The old depot in Ferguson, Missouri has been converted into a cafe/ice cream shop.

http://www.whistlestopdepot.com/depot.html

And the old Frisco depot in Webster Groves, Missouri is the home of a model railroad.

http://www.bigbendrrclub.org/index.shtml

Steve S