Mimics the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company Flushing Line from Manhattan to the World’s Fair at flushing Meadows
Interchanges with the BMT so Brooklyn people can attend the World’s fair
The dark green train belongs to the IRT
The blue train belongs to the Brooklyn Manhattan Transit (BMT) Company. The blue & orange Colors are authentic for the 1939 – 1940 World’s Fair
Hell Gate Bridge
Spans the East River from Astoria, Queens to Randall’s / Ward’s Island
Built in 1916 to link the New Haven & Pennsylvania Railroads enabling rail traffic from Boston to Washington, DC
Famous Lionel toy train accessory
Considered the most durable bridge in the Metro New York City Area
Inspiration for the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia
Train Control
Digital Command System by Mike’s Train House (MTH) Electric Trains
Handheld remote control sends radio signal commands to a track interface unit (TIU) that digitizes the commands and transmits them into the tracks
Each locomotive has a unique signature code, so it enables running several individually controlled trains on the same track at the same time
Famous Trains You May See
The Blue Comet, circa 1929 to 1941 ran from Hoboken to Atlantic City, New Jersey so New Yorkers could visit the famous Steel Pier
The Crescent Limited of the Southern Railway ran from New Orleans to New Jersey where it connected with the Hoboken Ferry to New York City
The Pocahontas, operated by the Norfolk & Western Railway ran 565 miles from Norfolk, Virginia to Cincinnati, Ohio in 5 hours & 35 minutes pulled by a 4-8-4 J Type Steam Locomotive capable of 100 MPH
Famous Trains You May See
The Hiawatha of the Milwaukee Road circa 1935 to 1941, ran from Chicago to The Twin Cities in Minnesota covering 410 miles in 6 hours with speeds in excess of 100 mph
The Broadway Limited, operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad ran from New York City to Chicago via Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh running 910 miles in 16 hours
The 20th Century Limited, operated by the New York Central Railroad, also ran from New York City to Chicago covering 860 miles in 16 hours
Famous Trains You May See
The Senator, operated jointly by the Pennsylvania and New Haven Railroads, ran from Boston to Washington, DC for business people & politicians
The Ski Train, operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was seasonal and it ran from Denver to the Winter Park Resort in Colorado circa 1941 to 2009. The route climbed 4,000 feet through 30 tunnels including the 6.2 - mile long Moffat Tunnel, which is the highest railroad tunnel in the United States
Famous Trains You May See
The Texas Special, a joint operation by the Missouri, Kansas & Texas RR, and the Frisco Railroad began operating in 1915 from St. Louis, Missouri to San Antonio, Texas. In later years, the Texas Special went to New York City using tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad
The Sunrise Special (1922–1942) ran from Pittsburgh to Montauk, Long Island via a joint Pennsylvania and Long Island Rail Road operation during the summer. Trains ran eastbound on Fridays and westbound Mondays
Famous Trains You May See
The Cannonball (1899 – present) of the Long Island Rail Road runs from Long Island City to Montauk via Jamaica. This train was originally run in two sections, one to Greenport and the other to Montauk, splitting at Manorville
The Chessie was a Chesapeake & Ohio RR plan for a train that never ran, but it occasionally runs here. The Chessie was to operate from Cincinnati, Ohio to Washington, DC after WW2, but a surge in automobile traffic brought about its demise
This Model Railroad
It’s O-Gauge High Rail with scale & toy-like features. 1 foot in real life is about ¼ inch on this railroad
Era modeled is 1930 to 1950
Over 300 feet of MTH Real Trax track and 16 MTH electric switches
Trains are products of Mike’s Train House (MTH), Lionel, RMT and K-Line
This railroad is built on 3’ x 6’ bench modules, so it can be dismantled & relocated
Electrical System
400 Watt Z4000 MTH transformer powers the main level with a constant 18 to 22 volts on the track
Each of the El loops gets power from separate 75 Watt MTH Z750 transformers
Several hundred feet of AWG 16 & 18 wire cables homemade by twisting two wires together with a drill motor
Accessories have a separate 10 to 12-volt DC circuits
Contributors
Wire from Ray Leblond & Junior French
Old Glory, a Dressel railroad lantern & several automobiles from Don Corie
Saw dust ground cover and some of the automobiles from Wayne Duprez
Special electronics from O-Gauge Railroading Forum members
Ford Dealership from John Dolan
Pictures by Gines Navarrete & Wayne Duprez
Contributors
Lionel sign & Long Island Railroad billboard from Karen & Matt Archibald
The realistic chunky coal in the hopper cars is from Gene Maag
Fingerprints by Scott, Michael, Patrick, Tommy, Elise, Maeve, Vicky, Jack and Grandpa
Under Construction
A train layout is never done including this railroad!
Where you see pink, a mimic of New York City will reside on a platform 16 inches above the main level. It will feature the Third Avenue Railway street car line, elevated railways & famous New York buildings
New benches to the left will feature an engine terminal, a passenger coach yard, a town with an aircraft factory & Dolan’s Ford Dealership