"HO Scale Layout:

    The HO layout fills a 30' x 30' room and replicates the logging and mining industry in the Brainerd Lakes Area from 1905 to 1915. This layout duplicates in miniature two types of railroad operations that historically existed in central Minnesota during the time period from 1905 to 1915. The railroad equipment used at that time has been carefully researched and the models accurately duplicate the actual equipment used at that time in the area.

    Likewise the buildings in the towns included on the layout have been researched and the models have been built to provide a replica of each town as it appeared during the time period being modeled.  There is not enough space to include all towns in the area, so the towns included on the model railroad have been carefully selected to simulate different types of towns.  In each town modeled, it is not possible to include all buildings, so the significant features of the town have been identified and modeled. 

    The first type of railroad operation modeled is based on the logging activities between Brainerd and Walker on the Minnesota and International Railroad (M&I).  The towns included on the model layout related to logging are Brainerd, Merrifield, Hubert (the railroad name for Lake Hubert), Nisswa, Pine River, Nary and Walker.

    In Brainerd there is a model of the large sawmill once owned by the Brainerd Lumber Company.  It was built next to Rice Lake where the ball park now is located.  Also in Brainerd is a turntable, a coaling tower, a water tower, the freight station and the first passenger station.  Industries modeled include a feed warehouse and grain elevator, a fruit warehouse, two bulk oil dealers, a pickle factory, an ice plant, a stock pen, a retail coal dealer, a gas plant and the tie treating plant.

    The model of Merrifield includes the Wigwam resort (later called the Train Bell Resort), a feed mill, a loading platform, a log loading area and the open air depot.  On the layout Hubert has the open air depot, a loading platform, the log loading area and the post office. Nisswa has the depot, a retail coal dealer, a lumber yard, a stock pen, a loading platform, the log loading site and a small tie saw mill.  Also included are a number of the local commercial businesses.  Near Nisswa there you can see a large resort building similar to the Douglas Lodge that was built at Itasca.  Between Nisswa and Pine River is the Silkarn resort.  In Pine River there we have the depot, a pickle plant, a lumber yard, a retail coal dealer, a wood working plant and a feed mill.  In town a number of commercial buildings are displayed.  There is also a large log loading site near Pine River.

    Nary is a logging town.  It has several log bunk houses, a blacksmith shop and an engine house.  A steam log loader, typical of the day, is included.  At Walker there is a log lift that lifts logs from the lake and loads them on log cars.  Also included is the depot, a beer warehouse, a feed warehouse and a bulk oil depot.

    The other part of the model railroad duplicates the iron mining operations in the Crosby/Ironton area.  There are replicas of two shaft mines based on the Kennedy and Armour #2 mines in Ironton and an open pit mine based on the Evergreen Mine.  There is a model of a sintering plant based on the Evergreen plant located in Ironton.  The towns of Deerwood and Ironton are modeled. Ironton has a depot, a lumber yard, a retail coal dealer and a bulk oil plant.  Deerwood has the depot where the line to Ironton leaves the main line.  The Northern Pacific (NP) and Soo Line are the railroads in the area. 

    There is a large holding yard that is called Bemidji or Duluth, depending on the direction the train is running.  The model railroad has two mainlines, so that trains can be operated in different directions at the same time when the club is open for visitors.

    The HO model train layout is able to duplicate the actual train operations employed on the M&I, NP, and Soo Lines.  These model railroad operations are based on employee timetable procedures used by the railroads at the beginning of the twentieth century.

    The log loading site at Nary.  A steam loader has completed loading a log car which will now be taken to the sawmill at Brainerd.

    Some of the commercial buildings in Pine River.  A corner of the depot is shown and behind it is the bulk oil depot with a truck loaded with 55 gallon drums.

    Close up of the cross-loading operation.

    Log loading site near Pine River on the M&I.  To the left a logger is using a horse to skid a log to the loading site.  Two men are loading a wagon with small logs that will be taken to the woodworking plant in Pine River.  Two loaded M&I log cars are seen in the background.  Farther to the left, a log car is being loaded with the cross-loading method.  A horse is being used to pull the logs onto the log car, one at a time.

    A freight train pulled by M&I #1 is shown at Hubert.

   Lumberjacks are logging off white pine timber north of Pine River.

    Commercial buildings, above, in Nisswa

    Steam launch owned by a resort on Lower Cullen Lake.  Resort cabins are in the background.

    Wigwam Hotel, later called the Train Bell Resort, at Merrifield.  A farmer's homestead is in the background.

    A wagon is being loaded at the platform at Merrifield.  In the background two box cars are spotted at the feed mill.  To the left are logs that will be loaded on log cars and sent to the sawmill at Brainerd.

    Here is a busy scene at Nary, a logging camp south of Bemidji on the M&I RR.  A track crew is busy replacing ties and a logger is taking a horse to the blacksmith's shop to have his shoes replaced.  The blacksmith's shop is behind the stock pen.  A shay locomotive simmers next to the shop.  The engine house is in the background to the left.

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    Over the period of a simulated day (one operating session about 2 hours long), there will be two M&I log trains, a M&I local train (switches each town) in both directions between Brainerd and Bemidji, a M&I passenger train in both directions between Brainerd and Bemidji and M&I through freight trains between Brainerd in Bemidji.  On the NP/Soo Line there will be a NP local freight from Brainerd to Ironton, a NP through freight from Duluth to Bemidji and empty and loaded ore trains between Ironton and Duluth.  In addition, there will be a switching crew at Brainerd, a woods switching crew at Nary, a mines switcher at Ironton and a switcher that will bring loaded ore cars from the open pit mine to the sintering plant.  With all of these trains operating, it will be a busy scene.

    The layout is wired for DCC control, but locomotives with DC can be run on a limited basis.

    "O Scale" layout, room size 13' x 57', is based on a terminal railroad which will allow a large variety of trains, both steam and diesel to be run.

History and Theme Selection:

    The layout design committee was faced with an interesting design issue with the O gauge project.  We had a major donation of O gauge equipment from the estate of a model railroader and collector, and wanted to create a layout that was both interesting and fun for members and young and old visitors alike.  But we also wanted to model some consistent aspect of full-scale railroading while making good use of our available equipment. We came up with the notion of modeling a terminal railroad, one which provides shared track within a large city.  This allows us to run trains from different intercity roads on the same track, as they share access to passenger stations and local industries in the city.  Most large cities have railroads like this, although we have trains from railroads that put us in the Midwest somewhere.  Beyond this description, the layout can only be described as free-lanced, as there is little attempt to model a specific geographic location.

Operation:

    The 53' x 13' layout provides for passenger trains with a union station (to be built) near a brightly-lit downtown district and a couple of small suburban stations.  Freight traffic is supported with a freight yard and a variety of operating accessories on sidings throughout the layout.  There is an engine facility featuring a Lionel transfer table for locomotive storage.  Accessories are operated by members and visitors with controls in the nearby fascia.

    Trains can be operated using Lionel's TMCC or in conventional mode.  Provisions were made to incorporate DCS should that become available to us.  Conventional engines can either be run using either Trainmaster units or ZW throttle handles.  The layout is blocked to permit mixtures of control choices as well as operation of multiple conventional engines.

Construction:

Displays:

     Steam and diesel engines, above, move through the downtown area taking shape at one end of the layout.

    The developing town, served by passenger traffic, is on the left, and the freight yard is at the far right. The UP Big Boy has no problem with its train on the 2% grade above.

    The Big Boy moves quickly past the haunted house - crewmen don't want a breakdown here!

    The city is growing, taking advantage of good train service provided by the big steamers.

    Articulated steamers like to 'hang out' on the curves.

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    Crosslake "N Scale" static layout:

    Our N scale static module not only shows the town of Crosslake in the early 1900's, but the Crosslake Logging Camp and Old Log Landing, where logs were dumped into Crosslake. In the spring of the year, these logs floated down Crosslake and were put through the sluiceway at the dam. They then floated down the pine river through the Mississippi and in to the sawmill in Brainerd. The original Corps of Engineers dam at Crosslake was constructed in 1885 and 1886 and then rebuilt in 1906. The headquarters for the Crosslake Lumber Company was in Crosslake and included a mess hall, bunk house, horse stable, roundhouse, office, dance hall, store and Post Office. The blacksmith shop was across the road.

    The Crosslake Logging Company was organized in 1890 and rails were built about 20 miles north of Crosslake through heavy white pine timber. Spur lines that reached like fingers back into the heavy timbers were cheaply constructed and easily removed. Logs were brought out of the timberland on Railroad flatcars and dumped down the high banks into the lakes while they were still frozen.  There were 3 standard gauge locomotives and each pulled from 8 to 24 cars.  Logging operations continued until 1908 when equipment was left idle and allowed to deteriorate. Around 1911 the equipment was sold and parts went to Saskatchewan Canada, Montana and Chicago.

    The bench-work is completed for a second N scale train layout and we are looking for N scale enthusiasts to help plan and build the layout.

    Logs are dumped into Crosslake Moonlite Bay at the Old Log Landing and will float down the lake shoreline through the dam and into the Pine River

    Notice the Crosslake Dam (lower left) built in 1906 with the road going over the top of the dam.

    Logs are being dumped into Crosslake across the road from the Crosslake Logging Camp.         

    The G scale train runs around the upper perimeter in the HO historical layout room that is 30' X 30'  Various G scale trains are run that are property of several NTRRC members. Eventually the club hopes to have a logging or mining G scale train of the early 1900's to complement our HO Historical layout.

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