Working in
high-rail O gauge in a room the size of which would be much better
suited to one of the smaller scale’s, he has managed to capture the
feeling of Baltimore with a two level line connected by a helix in a
very tight space — so tight that the higher level has to be accessed
by a ladder, not to mention widths of the aisles.
A B&O
dockside
0-4-0 plies the harbor area in front of the American Can Company, a
model complete with interior details that includes the can making
machinery and the people working it. That section also has an
operational rotating hopper cars dumper. Other well-known landmarks
of the city are prominently displayed, including the PRR station, the
Bromo-Seltzer tower, and an establishment called the Kit Kat club, a
business no doubt similar in nature to Blaze Starr’s old hangout on
E. Baltimore Street. Elsewhere on the layout are a PRR H-class 2-8-0,
a GG-1, and a PRR streamlined K-4.
The railroad has a working signal
system that’s controlled by a computer hidden somewhere under the
lower level; the trains and turnouts are controlled from a single
fixed panel. The compact nature of the space available makes the way
he has utilized it all the more interesting although I don’t think
I would want to do any of the maintenance that might be required -
again - those tight spaces.
Gary Eames Pennsylvania Railroad
North Central Branch by Brian W. Sheron, MMR
Some time ago, I met Gary Eames at a luncheon, and
at the time, I was the layout tour
coordinator for the Division. So, naturally, during the course of our
conversation about
model railroading, I asked Gary if he had a layout. He said that he
did, so, being bolder,
I then asked if he would be willing to host an open house some time or
the Division, so
we could see his layout. I recall Gary was a little hesitant at first,
but then agreed. So on
Saturday, May 17th, Gary, with the help of his two brothers, Dexter and
Ross and a
friend, James Hartgraves, held an open house for the division.
About 18 members and friends attended, they were
provided with a real treat! Gary
models the North Central Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which is
north of
Baltimore. It is housed in about a 12’ x 18’ room in his basement. The
layout was
designed by John Armstrong, with upper and lower decks. It is Lionel
hi-rail.
As you walk in the layout room, the first thing
you notice is that the layout looks like a
fine piece of furniture. The fascia extends from the lower deck, which
is probably about
55” high, to the floor and is made from finely finished mahogany panels
with mahogany
trim. Each panel fits perfectly in place and can be easily removed to
access the wiring or
other equipment under the layout.
The layout is standard Lionel AC, and Gary
controls all of the trains from a central
control station located in the center of a helix which take his trains
from one level to the
next. Since train control is centralized, there is no need for
operators to walk around
with throttles following their trains, and Gary maximized his layout
size by keeping his
aisles narrow.
I was told that future plans are to configure the
central control station to look like the cab
of a GG-1, with video screen in the simulatd cab window and a camera
attached to the
front of an engine, so the operator will feels as though they are
driving the train around
his layout from the engineer’s seat!
The layout has an operational signal system, and
Gary’s scenery is also remarkable.
Most of the structures were built by his friend, James Hargraves, who
lives in Texas.
James told me that he would build the structures in Texas, then
carefully package them
up and ship them to Gary. Besides being beautifully constructed and
realistically
weathered, many of the structures had exquisitely detailed interiors
with interior lights so
the viewer can see inside the buildings. Most noteable was a 3 story
cannery which
James built, and he told me it had several thousand detail parts inside.