Category Archives: Non-Appalachian Track Plans

BN Marias Pass, MT track plan HO

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BN Marias Pass - Lower HO scale track plan by Dan Bourque
  • Size: 18′ x 26′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 28″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 26″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This track plan is FAR from the Appalachians, but it captures an iconic piece of mountain railroading, the Burlington Northern’s route over the continental divide via the former Great Northern’s Marias Pass line across the Rockies near Glacier National Park, Montana. This route, the northernmost rail crossing of the continental divide in the US, is known for its snow sheds and incredible glacier-carved backdrops making it the perfect route for Amtrak’s “Empire Builder.”

The Layout

This track plan is designed to fit into a moderate-size basement complete with utility spaces and support poles. This is 50+ miles of railroad on the … Read more →

BNSF Kootenai River Sub, MT track plan HO

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BNSF Kootenai River Sub, MT HO scale track plan - Lower
  • Size: 18′ x 27′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Visible Mainline Radius: 33″
  • Minimum Radius: 30″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

I’ve been working on several non-Appalachian track plans recently, and I thought I’d share one. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe runs through some beautiful territory, and the BNSF’s Kootenai River Sub on the border of Montana and Idaho has to be one of the most spectacular! Originally part of the Great Northern’s mainline across the northern US, this line picks up just west of what is probably the Great Northern’s most famous line across the continental divide via Marias Pass and Glacier National Park. Still one the nation’s major east-west routes and the route of Amtrak’s … Read more →

B&M Connecticut River Division, VT track plan N

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B&M Connecticut River Div, VT N Scale Track Plan - Lower
  • Size: 14′ x 31′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

Here’s another track plan that’s a bit out-of-scope for the railroads covered on this site, but it’s a fun one for the northern area of the Appalachians. The Boston and Maine’s Connecticut River Division straddled the namesake Connecticut River along the border of Vermont and New Hampshire. The Central Vermont (CV) had trackage rights over this line from Brattleboro to Windsor, VT, and it formed part of the CV’s single north-south mainline. The favor was returned with the B&M having trackage rights on CV track from Windsor to White River Junction, VT where the B&M met up with other B&M lines … Read more →

FJ&G, NY track plan HO

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FJ&G, NY HO Scale Track Plan - Upper
  • Size: 13′ x 31′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 24″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloverville, better known as the FJ&G, wasn’t exactly a “coal hauler,” but it’s a fun little railroad nonetheless. Nestled on the fringes of the Appalachians in New York, the FJ&G served many industries along its line and connected with the New York Central. The primary industry in the area was leather, but in addition to dozens of tanneries, the FJ&G served many customers including manufacturers and coal dealers.

The Layout

This layout represents the FJ&G in the transition era when power was moving from steam to Alco switchers. By this time, the FJ&G consisted of a single line from its connection with the … Read more →

SP Tehachapi Sub, CA track plan HO

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SP Tehachapi Sub, CA HO scale track plan - Upper Deck
  • Size: 24′ x 40′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 35″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 36″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This track plan represents one of the most iconic pieces of railroad in the United States, the Southern Pacific’s Tehachapi Sub, home of the famous Tehachapi Loop. While certainly not an Appalachian track plan, it’s still a good study in prototype track plan design (and any mountain railroad is still pretty cool). This plan captures the key features of the line between Bakersfield and Mojave, CA circa 1990s when both the SP and ATSF (via trackage rights) ran 30-40 trains daily over this route.

The Layout

While 24′ x 40′ may seem like a lot of space for a layout, it was … Read more →

UP, SP, D&RGW North Fork Sub, CO track plan HO

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UP SP DRGW North Fork Sub, CO HO scale track plan - lower deck
  • Size: 27′ x 38′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 30″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This track plan is decidedly “non-Appalachian,” but I’ve decided to include it because it offers an interesting glimpse into coal-hauling operations of western US railroads, in this case the Denver & Rio Grande Western and later the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific. The D&RGW mainline between Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah ran through Grand Junction, Colorado on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The D&RGW built a line south from Grand Junction into the fertile lands of the Gunnison River Valley and extended that line up the North Fork of the Gunnison River to serve the rich bituminous coal … Read more →