The new issue of Great Model Railroads (GMR) 2020 from Model Railroader magazine has just hit the newsstands. I was honored that Model Railroader selected my Georgia Northeastern Railroad as one of the ten layouts featured in this special issue. All of the layouts featured are great in their own way, it all depends on what you like about model railroading as to which one is your favorite.
In my GMR article, The Blue Ridge Mountain Route, I explain why I chose to model the Georgia Northeastern and a brief history of the line. I also describe how I designed the track plan and the basic construction of my layout. In addition, I cover the operations of the layout and explain each of the different switch jobs. Here is a link to the Model Railroader website to order a copy of GMR 2020.
As part of the article, I submitted an updated track plan that reflects the current configuration of the industries on my layout. While the track plan has not changed since the original drawing that appeared in Model Railroad Planning 2016, I did make some changes to the size and location of the industries as I built them. The artists at Kalmbach have done an excellent job of drawing the structures and details as they are on my layout. The track plan is copyright of Kalmbach Media Co. and used by permission on my website.
The one photo in the magazine that I am most proud of is the one of my son operating my layout. The photo is the feature of Steven Otte’s commentary, “A sense of purpose”. It was so enjoyable to share an ops session with my son and see how much he appreciated the layout. For me, sharing and hosting operating sessions is the primary reason that I built it. I hope you pick up a copy of Great Model Railroads 2020, it really showcases what makes each layout great.