Backdrop Added to The C & G RR Layout

Over the 4th of July holiday weekend, Chuck Shutz made another update to his C & G Railroad layout; he has added a nice backdrop. The original layout looked great already, but the backdrop has added a whole new dimension.

The Great Northern Station

Built in 1914 at a cost of two million dollars, it was approximately 300’ x 155’ and the concourse spanned 12 tracks below. It was demolished in 1978 and all passenger business was transferred to the Amtrak station in St. Paul, but during its many years of service, nearly 3 million passenger trains passed beneath its concourse.

Updates to The C & G RR HO Scale Layout

Since the original article and pictures last October of Chuck Shutz’s 44″ x 66″ HO scale layout, the C & G RR, Chuck has made a number of enhancements.

When he first sent pictures of his layout last September, I was quite impressed with how much detail he was able to get into such a small space.

New Book Chronicles 75 Year History of the Twin City Model Railroad Museum

The storied history of the Twin City Model Railroad Museum is chronicled in a new book titled The Twin City Model Railroad Club/Museum 1934-2009. The book is now available in the Museum’s gift shop at Bandana Square, Suite 222, 1021 Bandana Blvd. East, St. Paul MN, 55108; cost is $20 including tax.

A Good Quality Locomotive Will Make All The Difference

It can be very frustrating having a locomotive that you need to push to get going, or it suddenly speeds up and falls off the tracks. A locomotive runs by picking up the electricity from the track through its wheels.

Why Build A Branch Line Model Train Layout?

Branch lines are a popular theme for small model train layouts. A branch line is a quieter alternative to a main line layout and can be fascinating to build and operate.

How Model Train Locomotives Work

A locomotive runs by picking up an electrical current from the metal rails through metal wheels that ride on the rails. The electricity is transferred from the wheels to the motor, which causes the motor to run.

Pictures from “The Circus Moves by Rail” show at the Twin City Model Railroad Museum

Last month, I told you about the “The Circus Moves by Rail” show at the Twin City Model Railroad Museum scheduled for October 10th and 11th and said that I would follow up by posting pictures of the event.

Videos from “The Circus Moves by Rail” show at the Twin City Model Railroad Museum

The event was held at the Twin City Model Railroad Museum’s home turf at Bandana Square in Saint Paul and was attended by other groups, including C&R Circus, a group that specializes in HO and O scale circus modeling.

Twin City Model Railroad Museum on Saint Paul Community TV

I found a great video created in October 2007 by a Saint Paul Community Television channel. This video tells some of the history of the Twin City Model Railroad Museum much better than I can.

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