Dakota Modelers Group

Tag: travel

  • Traction Action in Fort Collins

    Willmus, 2025.

    One thing I often like to do on roadtrips is estimate the modeling potential of different areas. Scarcely a trip goes by where I come up short in finding something railroad related that is interesting, unique, and highly modelable!  On this latest summer road trip, we visited several places known for their railroad history and we ran across a few gems which will be the focus of their own articles.  Fort Collins, Colorado isn’t often considered to be a railroad town.  To be sure, Colorado is the capital of narrow gauge railroads in the western US and the state boasts rail lines that run through some of the most scenic areas in the United States. A local group in Colorado is reviving a bit of railroad history that’s unique in the 21st Century, streetcars!

    History

    1924, Miller Family Collection, Fort Collins, Colorado.

    Fort Collins, like many small cities in the western US, had a streetcar system at one point.  From the late 1890s until the Great Depression, cities such as Gillette, Wyoming and Missoula, Montana had small streetcar systems that made public transit fast and easy.  Electrification was perhaps the biggest sign that the old west full of cowboys and outlaws was giving way to a more “civilized” age of industry.  Fort Collins was no different in that respect. Founded originally as a military outpost in 1864, the old fort was constructed to protect the Overland Trail mail route in the area from bandits and natives.  What followed was typical of western cities.  The population grew and settlers brought agriculture and industry to the area, tearing up the high-plains and river valleys at the foot of the Rockies.  By 1900, Fort Collins had a population of 3,000 people.

    Wikipedia, 2025. Fort Collins Municipal Railway Timelapse 1908-1986.

    In 1907, the Denver and Interurban Railroad, which itself was a subsidiary of the Colorado and Southern Railroad out of Golden, built the initial trolley system in Fort Collins as the railroad attempted to expand operations along the front range of the Rocky Mountains.  From 1907 until 1918, the Fort Collins system operated well but the automobile was eating into profits and the system closed at the end of 1918.

    In 1919, the city of Fort Collins purchased the streetcar system and revitalized it with some track upgrades and by purchasing small Birney streetcars which could be operated by a single person.  The system eventually expanded to include a total of nine Birney streetcars running on 6 miles of track that sprawled out in a 3-legged wye.  The backbone of the system was Mountain Ave, part of which is now reconstructed and in regular use.  The streetcar system would operate until 1951.  Here there is a small error on the organization’s website.  Fort Collins may well have been the last city to operate single truck Birney trolleys, but I happen to know that Minneapolis-St. Paul ran a streetcar system until 1954.  It’s a small detail, but an important one to consider for anyone wishing to model a streetcar system instead of the typical railroad.

    In any case, the Fort Collins streetcar network ceased operations in 1951.  In 1977 a small group of volunteers began restoring Car No. 21 which had been put on static display at a local museum.  These volunteers would go on to form the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society in 1980.  The organization continued to grow and gain support before relaying track down a section of Mountain Ave in 1984.  This operation was met with resistance by citizens concerned about hazards, noise, and tearing down trees which had grown up in the street median over the years.   The line, which runs down part of West Mountain Avenue and has a short leg down South Roosevelt Avenue into the City Park, has been turned over to the city while the FCMR Society focuses its efforts on restoring streetcars and other pieces of equipment.  For a more comprehensive description of the streetcar system’s history, please visit the FCMR Society’s website.

    Riding the Fort Collins Trolley

    Willmus, 2025

    There are many heritage railways in Colorado and many more across the United States.  Each one offers its own unique experience, but I think the Fort Collins Trolley is truly a one-of-a-kind. Since the 1950s, American public transit has shifted to a model that focuses around buses, carpool lanes, and larger cities boast light rail systems.  It is rare to find a heritage railway that has managed to relay track down the middle of a busy suburban street flanked on each side by houses that were built in the 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s.  That is precisely what the Fort Collins Trolley offers visitors.

    As of this season, the trolley operates from May 3rd to September 28th every half hour from noon to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays. The fare is all of $2 with reduced rates for seniors and children.  Toddlers are free to ride with an adult.

    Just like the original line, riding the modern rails is an odd experience.  When people think of railroads they usually picture machines that weigh hundreds of tons effortlessly gliding over glass-smooth track.  Trolleys are nothing like that, however. The streetcars are about as big and heavy as a small transit bus and the rails follow the path of a paved roadway.  That means the streetcars bob and weave as they roll down the track. The streetcars also stop at every intersection and slow down for curves but manage to maintain about a 12mph average.

    The sounds are unique as well.  Trolley poles maintain contact with overhead wire using small electrically-conductive wheels.  The pole itself is spring-loaded, which puts tension on the overhead wire.  As the trolley moves down the track, the sound of stretching metal can be heard up and down the line.  The closest I can liken the sound to is that of someone plucking a strand of barbed wire on a fence.  The vibration and noise travels down the wire rather than making a single percussive wave.  Besides the wire, the trolleys themselves are nearly as quiet as a car.  All that is heard is the hum of two electric motors which sound similar to modern electric cars.  The trolleys are equipped with a bell too.

    The streetcar system also operates a very unique railfanning experience.  Since the trolley runs  on a predictable schedule along a route that for all intents and purposes is a paved street, there is no need to hurry or break traffic laws.  I found it very easy to leapfrog the trolley about three times per run, the biggest hazard being the potential of being hit by a car while exiting my vehicle.  The grassy median and the sidewalks on each side of the street provided ample opportunities for photographs.  Indeed, this is one of the few times where I could go grab refreshments from a street vendor while waiting for the trolley to come back around!

    I found West Mountain Avenue to be the perfect backdrop for the trolley.  Large, mature trees lined the street, a steady mix of vehicles, bicyclists, skateboarders, and pedestrians kept things interesting.  Houses on each side of the street were all historic with some renovated in ways which compliments their history.  The corner of West Mountain Avenue and South Roosevelt Avenue was probably the best place to sit and wait.  The trolleys there have to slow down for the curve which brings with it yet another unique sound of wheels rubbing against rail.  Admittedly, that sound is less pleasant that some of the others one can hear trackside.  I happily spent three hours photographing and filming the streetcar as it rolled up and down the line.

    Modeling Potential

    Willmus, 2025.

    While I am a fan of traction railroads, the fact is streetcars appeal to a small minority of model railroaders.  It is understandable why this is.  First, old streetcar networks are close to falling out of living memory.  Streetcars are no longer culturally relevant in a modern, car-reliant society.  Most Americans also do not have much experience with any sort of rail-based public transit, so there isn’t much of a personal connection with streetcars for most people.  Operators may find streetcars to be boring as well if they enjoy picking up and setting out cars or moving whole trains over a main line.  Trolleys run the same routes on predictable schedules and usually do not handle freight or mail.  Some systems did have those services, but they were secondary to transporting people.

    Nonetheless, there are a couple of reasons why someone would consider modeling a traction line.  The first is that trolleys are unique pieces of railroad equipment.  To most people, diesel locomotives all look similar and the same can be said with steam locomotives.  The general population simply isn’t that familiar with trains.  However, streetcars have very unique designs and paint schemes that make each stand out.  People who watch a traction layout in action are easily able to pick up on the fact that there are different cars on the route.

    Another reason someone might want to model a traction railway is that it is possible, and perhaps even preferred, to automate such a model railroad.  Streetcars frequently stopped at random locations by being flagged down by riders and they made scheduled stops at the end-points and mid-points of their routes wherever two or more cars would cross paths.  With DCC, JMRI, solid state electronics, and all the modern technology we have today in the hobby it is possible to build a model railroad that essentially runs itself.

    Some streetcars are easy to purchase ready-to-run, especially the Birney streetcar. What is convenient about Birney streetcars is that they were mostly all the same design, meaning a paint job is all that’s required to customize the model. Bachmann made a Birney model up until about 2020 and they can be found used on auction sites and train shows frequently. TSG Multimedia did an excellent product review back in 2017 of this model and you can check it out below. I also recommend subscribing to the channel!

    TSG Multimedia, 2017

    Operators aren’t left out though because an operating session on a streetcar line would be a very unique experience.  Instead of picking up and setting out cars, streetcar operations revolve around keeping to specific schedules and adapting to things like traffic, pedestrians, and riders wanting to get picked up or dropped off in different locations.  Operators on the same track must also be aware of each other and communicate clearly to avoid accidents or making each other late.  If a typical freight railroad operating session is like a big game of chess, then I imagine an operating session on a traction layout would look like a choreographed dance.

    I think the biggest advantage of modeling a traction railway is that much of the focus is on modeling realistic city scenes that are often left out of layouts modeling freight railroads.  The modeling potential is less focused on trains and more focused on structures, figures, vehicles, and small scenes that make train layout feel realistic.  The trolleys themselves are unique pieces that often require kitbashing or scratchbuilding, but there are commercial products available as well.

    One advantage I see in modeling a traction railway is that a person doesn’t need a lot of space, even, in large scales.  O scale (1:48) is traditionally the size modelers gravitate towards for building traction layouts, but in HO scale a layout can be very small indeed!  Most streetcars were designed to navigate 50 foot turns with Birney trolleys able to navigate even tighter radii.  In HO scale that works out to 6.875 inches (175mm)!  A 16 inch deep shelf can easily accommodate a full turn back loop while a 12 inch shelf offers ample depth for structures and streets.

    Conclusion

    I suppose the conclusion of this article are two separate thoughts.  The first is that if you are in the Fort Collins area in the summer on a weekend afternoon, stop by the Fort Collins trolley and spend a couple bucks for a ride.  They have a little depot as well which is used as a ticket booth and gift shop.  Every little bit helps!  The second concluding thought is that if you are short on space and prioritize model building over switching operations, a traction layout is an awesome concept worth exploring!

  • 5 Reasons to Build a Small Layout

    After passing Pierpont Lake, the duo race a summer thunderstorm back to town.

    The first rule of model railroading is have fun.  This is a hobby, after all, and so it makes no sense to turn something fun into difficult work.  With that in mind, the second rule of model railroading is that it’s your railroad and you can do whatever you want with it.  I suppose if we added a third rule it would be to treat others with respect (looking at you, Modeler’s Life), but beyond that there really isn’t too much in the way of rules to follow.

    Naturally, a lot of people in the hobby have a dream of building a gigantic model train layout in their basement, a loft in their garage, or even a separate building.  Many such layouts have been featured in printed and digital media and I can understand the appeal.  Large layouts are a sign of discipline, education, and the accumulation of many years of knowledge about railroads, model trains, and a dozen other skill sets.  However, most of us likely aren’t going to have the chance to build something that big and those who do get the chance might want to consider a few things before breaking out the wood saw.

    The case for a modest train layout

    The fact is most train layouts aren’t particularly large.  The 4’x8’ layout in O scale or HO scale was the standard for decades, and while preferences have changed for how layouts are designed, the amount of space available really hasn’t.  The average train layout today can comfortably fit in a spare room and that’s likely all the room most people have to spare for their hobby.  A number of people have even less space, perhaps only one or two walls of one room that is used for other things, or maybe even a closet!

    Some things we can’t change and space is one of them.  Odds are that even if you move to a new house you and the family aren’t going to place high priority on finding as much space as possible for a train layout.  I mean, you might, but that would be an exception rather than the rule.  With that in mind, modest train layouts have plenty of benefits!

    1. Cost savings

    Train layouts that are on the small side are much more affordable than the basement empires we see in magazines or on Youtube. The fact is most people don’t have a lot of extra money these days to dedicate to leisure activities and at the same time model railroad equipment has gotten more expensive.  By focusing on a smaller layout, overall costs of construction can be brought down in terms of raw materials and equipment.

    2. Efficient Design

    A smaller area to build a train layout requires an efficient track plan in order to maximize the utility of the space. Larger layouts have a tendency to turn into a “spaghetti bowl” or they end up having more track than necessary in order to fill out the space. This doesn’t happen all the time, but it is a noticeable trend that shows up in a lot of the more classic designs. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t build a model railroad that way, but most people who are low on space are going to think long and hard about what they want to include on their layout. As a result, there is usually a minimum of track and turnouts, key industries that don’t waste space, and other layout design elements that do their job well without wasting materials.

    3. Quicker Construction

    There’s only so much time in the week to dedicate to building a model railroad.  Between work, family, volunteer projects, and all the other things which occupy life, most people only find a few hours a week to enjoy a hobby.  With that being the case, wouldn’t it be great to get a train layout up an operating quickly?  Small train layouts are faster to build as a side effect of having less material to deal with.  Laying fifty feet of track is quicker than laying two hundred feet or more! Building a dozen model kits is faster than building three or four dozen. Wiring two locomotives for DCC takes an afternoon.  Wiring two dozen locomotives takes weeks to complete.

    4. More Details

    Model builders hold detail in high regard.  In fact, behind the smoothness of rollingstock and locomotives, a model’s details are what model railroaders focus on when purchasing a new piece of equipment.  If you only need to buy or kit bash a few items then you can invest more money into those items.  Additionally, fewer square feet to add scenery means it is easier to add a higher level of detail to a train layout.

    5. Comfortable Environment

    This last one is often overlooked by magazines.  Having a train layout is great, but if there is no place to sit and relax then people aren’t going to want to spend much time in the layout space.  Model railroaders in the modern day are also often renters or are purchasing a home with fewer bedrooms.  In such cases it is often unrealistic to expect a train layout to take up a large amount of real estate.  Instead, a small train layout can open up enough space for couches, TV’s, spare chairs, a kitchenette or coffee maker, and all the other creature comforts that make the hobby more enjoyable.

    Modest Layout Examples

    Of course, the first rule in the hobby is, again, its your railroad and you can build it how you want. We’ve all taken this to heart by building layouts that meet our needs without taking up so much space that it intrudes on the rest of the household or spills into our day jobs. That, I think, is a key thing to keep in mind about hobbies. They are meant to be enjoyed, but in order to enjoy them to their maximum potential we also must be able to take a break and not have to think about our modeling projects for short periods of time. Just like everything else, model trains are best done in moderation That’s why a layout is generally not placed in the living room but is instead out in the garage, down in the basement, or even in a dedicated structure.

    Anyway, in order to show what can be done in a modest space, I have a dedicated gallery of sample images from three train layouts. My own Black Hills and Fort Pierre, Jordan Schmieg’s Milwaukee Road Minnesota-Dakota Division, and Mike Thoreson’s TC&W Lakeville Sub. Each image has an included caption with information about what you are viewing so I encourage you to take a stroll through these digital galleries:

    Mike Thoreson’s Lakeville Sub

    Mike is a busy guy. Between work, raising a family, and being the president of the Black Hills Railway Society, there isn’t much room in the schedule for model trains. However, he did find space in the back of his basement to build a small train layout that satisfies his needs, provides storage for his model trains, and a workbench from which he produces some fantastic models! The Lakeville Sub models a small section of Minnesota in the late 1990s and features equipment painted in BNSF and Twin Cities and Western (TCW). The layout is a walk-in shelf design which features a large operating pit and shelves around 3 walls plus a peninsula. It does not have continuous running, but for a one or two man operating crew that is hardly an issue.

    • Mike’s Layout feature’s its own “official” BNSF logo greeting visitors to the layout. Above the sign is the short peninsula which physically encloses the operating pit and provides extra operation potential.
    • An overall view of the layout as it stands back in November, 2024. Mike made sure to do a lot of room preparations before building the layout itself. He now has a sky-blue backdrop ready to go and can make modifications to the lighting now that he knows where everything is going to be placed around the layout.
    • In addition to BNSF and TCW equipment, Mike’s layout also features some oddities such as this United Ag MP15DC switcher.
    • One of the larger industries on the layout will be a grain complex built around an old elevator. Such sights are common across the Midwestern prairie.
    • The “clean” look at the benchwork before Mike began laying track and placing structures. The benchwork is primarily made of 1x4s in an open grid pattern topped with 1 inch extruded insulation board.

    Jordan Schmieg’s Milwaukee Road Layout

    Jordan Schmieg also lives a busy life and his is just getting started! Graduating from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology this spring, Jordan is looking forward to applying his degree in useful ways as well as finishing his home layout that depicts the Milwaukee Road transcontinental line in the 1970s. Like most model railroaders, Jordan prefers to model in HO scale since it gives him the opportunity to use prototypical equipment for his area and era. In this case, Jordan has a pair of SDL39s plus GP40s and SD40s. He also has some modern BNSF and steam locomotives on his roster as well. Jordan’s main operational interest is whole-train movements which presented him with a challenge in a 14×16 foot space. His solution was a double-track mainline that runs from staging at the back of the layout through the town of Andover, South Dakota where the layout is located. He also found room to model portions of a branch line that ran North to Britton, South Dakota. If you also prefer mainline train action but don’t have a lot of space, Jordan’s layout is proof that you can make it work!

    • Engine 582 leads a northbound ballast train to fix a washout near Britton. This is one of the few times the line sees maintenance; most of the work done is to barely keep it open. In less than 5 years this line will be abandoned and the rails pulled.
    • Engine 206 leads a loaded coal train eastbound through Andover. It is bound for the power station in Big Stone City, SD, on the Minnesota border.
    • Milwaukee Road Bicentennial Unit 156 leads westbound hotshot #201 from Chicago. It will stop in Aberdeen for a new crew and fuel before continuing west to Tacoma.
    • As the Milwaukee’s extensive network of branchlines across the Dakotas deteriorated, derailments became a common occurrence. Here, a wreck is being cleaned up just south of Pierpont on the Andover-Brampton branch.
    • SDL39s 586 and 583 take the weekly branchline job south towards Andover.
    • After passing Pierpont Lake, the duo race a summer thunderstorm back to town.
    • A doe and her twins take a quick glance at the trestle near Pierpont Lake. With the exception of the weekly train rolling over once each way, this spot is quiet most of the time.

    The Black Hills and Fort Pierre in HOn3

    My own home layout takes yet another approach to building a model train layout in a small space. Unlike the other examples in this article I rent my house which excludes me from knocking down walls, painting, or making any hefty modifications. Due to the nature of the lease and the low cost of my rent I would rather not make my landlords angry by leaving them with a tremendous mess to clean up. Frankly, a lot of people find themselves in a similar position. The solution that I found was to design and build a sectional, free-standing layout in the middle of the room with its own integrated backdrop, lighting, and valence. After building four sets of shelves out of 2x4s and press-board, I went about constructing three boxes that work out to being 24 inches deep, 96 inches long, and 28 inches high. These three were then fed into the layout room through a basement window and bolted together. Building the benchwork saved me a massive headache in that I didn’t have to clean up sawdust in a carpeted basement. I am now at the stage where I am laying track and painting backdrops under temporary shop lights. Progress is slow but steady and as of right now I have the track 90% done on one section of the layout and half the backdrops painted!

    • This section called “Nemo” has had the most progress in the last few months.
    • Here is the original track plan for the layout which features tight curves, steep grades, and a very narrow gauge feel to it.
    • I prefer slow speed switching to mainline train action and this layout is designed to meet that desire. Four turnouts make up an entire town and will serve a sawmill, general store, post office, and passenger station.
    • I’ve made substantially more progress from when this photo was taken, however it shows off the design of my benchwork quite well. It is composed of 3/4 inch plywood cut into strips then glued and nailed together into an open frame design that is (almost) square!
    • Steep grades and tight curves will be ever-present in the more mountainous sections of the layout. In this case, both the mainline and the lower leg of a switch back will cross under the upper leg of the switchback leading to the log landing out of frame to the left.
    • To go along with the compact nature of the layout is compact equipment. Narrow gauge trains are typically much smaller than their standard gauge counterparts. In fact, planning out the track for this HOn3 layout isn’t terribly different from N scale projects I’ve done in the past.
    • My layout features hand-painted backdrops which take time to finish. At the moment I have half the backdrops finished and this section is meant for the log landing that runs on a shelf about 5 inches off the lower deck, encasing the staging yard. My backdrops are depicting late summer or early autumn in the Black Hills right as leaves are beginning to turn.
    • My one operating locomotive at the moment is a Blackstone RGS C-16. The Black Hills and Fort Pierre had a very similar locomotive but this one will be used for photography and testing out track. Things are starting to come together though as this photo shows.

  • Layout Tour: The Black Hills and Fort Pierre in HOn3

    Home layout tours are one thing we love to do whenever the opportunity presents itself. Admittedly, this is a rather rough video filmed in a vlog style which I’m not a big fan of. However, over fourteen minutes I take the camera around my model railroad replicating small sections of the Black Hills and Fort Pierre that used to run in western South Dakota from 1880 to 1930. This layout runs HOn3 trains to represent the little 3-foot gauge “hogs” that climbed the steep hills and navigated the sharp curves of a railroad built by the Homestake Gold Mine out of Lead. If videos aren’t your thing, please see the photos below!

    First, every layout tour should start with a trackplan! This is a little outdated but is still about 95% accurate. The layout is built in three 2×8 foot sections which bolt together. Double-sided backdrops separate the layout into four distinct scenes plus a staging yard. Those scenes are a log landing, a meadow with a switchback running up the mountain side, the town of Roubaix, and the town of Nemo.

    After studying the track plan for a while, the remainder of this article consists of explaining the different scenes around the layout along with photos showing the progress on the railroad up to the date of this writing.

    The key motive power for this layout will be a trio little Spartan Series brass HOn3 locomotives. At the moment they don’t run particularly well but after extensive work they should prove to be very reliable, smooth engines.

    The layout will feature hand painted backdrops which use cheap acrylic paints. This is an example of what I have done so far on the layout, depicting a late summer or early autumn mountainside in the northern Black Hills where a log landing will be located.

    On this section there will be two levels. The top level is a log landing which will feature a couple of spurs and HO scale logging equipment. This is a convenient location for the log landing because directly underneath is where the staging yard will go. Underneath both the staging yard and the log landing are a couple of shelves which will store rolling stock and locomotives. This will make swapping out entire cuts of cars simple.

    In order to get to the log landing, trains will have to rise about 5 inches in a small space. This requires the use of a switchback and a 4% grade. Yes, it is steep. It is also realistic for the Black Hills and Fort Pierre which regularly had grades surpassing 5%! In order to move trains up the hill, operators may need to “double” the hill. This is a technique where the train crew will drop half the train at the bottom of the hill and then haul what they can up to the next siding above the grade. Once the first half is over the hill, the crew will drop those cars and come back for the remainder of their train. It is a time consuming operation but also a regular spectacle on this little narrow gauge line.

    The switchback leads down into the town of Roubaix which is now just a collection of residences. However, in its prime the little town boasted the large “Uncle Sam” mine and mill complex. I don’t have enough space to effectively model the entirety of the facility, so instead I will be watering down and simplifying things. A single spur track will provide space to drop cars for the mine and for the homes in the area. A couple of farm houses and a station platform will be included here. Roubaix was not a junction in real life, but on a small layout like mine there must be compromises, so the actual junction which existed as well as the switchbacks that also existed are all going to come together right here.

    Past Roubaix, the tracks wrap around again to the switchback area which violates one of the cardinal rules in modern layout design, allowing a train to pass through a scene twice. This is one of those necessary compromises in order to make the track plan work. The good news is that there is one area of the actual BH&FP which had three tracks stacked on top of each other. The railroad had a pair of switchbacks facing each other in order to leave the top end of a mountain valley. While this one won’t replicate the scene 100%, the three tracks in the same scene will still look correct. The mainline then splits with a short branch going into the town of Nemo.

    Nemo was originally a sawmill town and an important part of the Black Hills and Fort Pierre. This will be one of the signature scenes on the train layout and I’ve taken great pains to plan this out in a way that will be recognizable to locals. Two landmarks in particular will be included, the sawmill (with log pond) and the general store which took in everything from hardware and clothing to raw meat and produce. Miners and loggers in the area would travel to this store to get just about everything they could use. All of these materials were delivered by train. One other important structure will be the Nemo depot. I don’t yet have a photo of the depot, but it is described as being a converted boxcar propped up on a wooden foundation with a small platform attached to it.

    Lastly, one landmark is no longer with us but is culturally relevant to the area. One locomotive on the BH&FP roster was a copy of a C-16 2-8-0. It served the railroad well and lasted right up until the tracks were tore up in the 1930s, but it was always stored in Nemo where it spent its days collecting and distributing log cars between area sawmills and running trains out to the east end of the railroad at Piemont where it interchanged with the standard gauge Chicago and Northwestern. At the moment this Blackstone engine is a stand-in for that locomotive, but I have plans to kitbash a replica of #538 from photos using a brass C-16 in the future.

    Anyway, that’s a tour of my layout for now! I am hoping to do another post like this in a few months or a year from now once track and trains are up and running. Until then, take care and please check out some of the other excellent content DMG’s authors have been publishing!