Finished 2-rail layouts

It don't get any better than this -

https://www.youtube.com/user/Industrialmodels2

2020

@Paul Kallus posted:

There are so few featured in the magazines.........

There are 2 magazines dedicated to 2 rail O scale that feature layout shoots and articles. Have you looked at either?

I was lucky to see Louis Hertz's layout with my late friend Bernie Lowe.  Louis switch machines were so crisp and firm they could have trimmed your finger nails.  He was the first to use fiber optics with his color wheel inside of the movie house that connected to fiber optics made the marque out front look like it had flashing color bulbs.   Is the DVD available of his layout?

Marty,

I subscribe to OST.  What is the "other" dedicated to 2 rail O scale?

Thanks,

Ed

@Ed Kelly posted:

Marty,

I subscribe to OST.  What is the "other" dedicated to 2 rail O scale?

Thanks,

Ed

O Scale Resource - the On-line magazine.

@Ed Kelly posted:

Marty,

I subscribe to OST.  What is the "other" dedicated to 2 rail O scale?

Thanks,

Ed

The O Scale Resource Magazine. On-line and free to read/download/print.  I'm not allowed to link it but you can google it.

Awesome video with great sound effects in that Fairmount Subdivision clip, thanks for posting that. Was that track Ross 2-rail?

I used to subscribe to OST, but had forgotten about it. I may still have some back issues laying in my disaster room of an office.

By posting this thread, I suppose I was hoping for some freebie on-line spreads and videos, but am especially interested if anyone has combined 2-rail O-scale with the usual 3-rail aspect of RTR buildings and accessories, which is a bit of an anomaly I suppose yet very appealing to me.

I saw the Louis Hertz RR featured in OGR and one of the OGR Great layout adventure DVDs.

FWIW: I've also seen some great scale Flyer layouts featured in the magazines and various videos. I believe that rivals 2-rail O-scale in every respect except grandeur of size.

There is a new effort to revive the O scale 2 rail hobby segment.  This project is just getting off the ground.  The people that are doing this have are established a Facebook page, YouTube channel and a blog.   The project is being supported by the O Scale Kings club.  

The new blog is called O Scale Central.  It gives the project's goals and what the participants are doing to revive the 2-rail hobby segment.  This is a link to the blog:

https://tworailoscaleblog.word...ardmaster-update-11/

They have decided to to call this hobby segment OS2R instead of the 2RS that is used on this forum.  2RS is easier to type so I will use that.  

The reason that you don't see very many 2RS layouts featured anywhere is that there aren't very many around the country compared to the smaller scales.  Most of the 2RS  layouts that are being built are narrow gauge, On30, etc.  Other model railroad magazines do feature 2RS layouts from time to time.  Perhaps one of the best known layouts is Dave Stewarts Appalachian & Ohio layout.  Dave has a website:

https://www.aorailroad.com

Great Model Railroads 2020 has an article on Lee Gasparik's Pennsylvania & New York Central layout.  The interesting aspect of this beautiful 2RS layout is that all the engines are battery powered.  

The a starting point to find information about  2RS scale segment is to look at the O Scale Kings website and the O Scale Central blog.

NH Joe

Paul, you can also search for Terry Terrance on you tube. He has several videos there and one of them is almost 2 hours long. It's called "2 Rail O Scale 2016." A lot of great layouts showcased in that video. I watched it and I enjoyed it.

I have seen a lot of 2 rail layouts in person and in video and you do see a typical 3 rail structure here and there sporadically on a 2 rail layout but the layout will not be full of them.

I think asking for a finished railroad would put the kibosh on most, but a few weeks ago my friend Joe Ioele told me that he has finished his. I'd never heard any modeler say that before. He sent me photos of his railroad and they are outstanding. I don't think Joe is on any forums but I sent him a link to this thread and maybe somehow it can be worked out.

Ed Rappe is far along and he posts on this forum from time to time. John Sethian's layout seems pretty well finished to me and he posts pretty regularly on this forum also. John's layout was featured in MR a few years ago.

Part of it is that O Scale appeals more to folks oriented toward locomotives and rolling stock, while smaller scales are more conducive to sweeping curves and scenery.

I am an O Scale Freak, yet have only test tracks and display racks.  I get only slight pleasure in seeing trains roll, and have zero interest in complicated switching moves.

Still, I admire really good layouts - Chris has one of the best, Norm Charbonnneau has a stunning 3-rail setup, a guy named Brennan had the same - my friend Greg has re-created Thurmond, W.Va, etc.  I love to see photos of these - and Erik Lundgren used to post really good shots of Dr. Jeff's spectacular layout.

Marty and Dan,

I thoroughly read O Scale Resource every time it appears in my inbox.  Please forgive my "senior moment".

Ed

Here is my friend Greg's "Thurmond."  Photo by Greg, placed here with his permission:

Just this side of the engine house is the Thurmond Depot.  Greg has duplicated it right down to the doorknobs.  Linda and I made a detour one year to visit the real Thurmond - one track now, but the depot is still there.

Here is Greg's depot:

And, in my Greg file, I have captured some of Chris' work, and a few Sethian shots.  They have appeared here before, and of course I would never repeat them without permission, but they exist.  They belong in a "coffee table" book!  Stunning!

Footage of my railroad can be found in Terry Terrance's 2 hour  O scale promotional video.  Video coverage includes several very nice layouts including Chris Smith's and  and John Sethian's.  Here is the link to the video:  Terry Terrance's 2016 O scale video

The coverage of my railroad starts around 1 hour 11 minutes into the footage.  Someday we'll need to do a new video as there has been a fair amount of scenery and rolling stock progress since Terry videoed the layout.  However that won't happen for awhile as my next objective is to signal the railroad using the  NMRA Layout Command Control (LCC) bus standards. 

@christopher N&W posted:

...........a few weeks ago my friend Joe Ioele told me that he has finished his. I'd never heard any modeler say that before.

I can't say it but I can write it - mine was finished Jan 2019.  Perhaps it lacks the grandeur of size...

MWB,

But, according to your most recent article in OST, your layout still needs overhead wires for those electrics you run "occasionally."

Chuck

@Paul Kallus posted:

By posting this thread, I suppose I was hoping for some freebie on-line spreads and videos, but am especially interested if anyone has combined 2-rail O-scale with the usual 3-rail aspect of RTR buildings and accessories, which is a bit of an anomaly I suppose yet very appealing to me.

To specifically answer your question, most of my layout has scratch built or highly modified buildings, simply because RTR buildings don't meet my locale or time period

But in a few places I have used RTR buildings with some minor modifications:

I do not know if what I have can be described as a layout, but I do enjoy making videos of my models...

Thurmond today:

Wow, l like that Thurmond rendition!...Thurmond and Cass make W.Va. live up to some country music descriptions....with Sandstone and Hinton and the New River Gorge.  The C&O there with its steam and coal mines and camps are eastern RR history l would like to model, but get distracted enough.

Check out the Aberfoyle railway; Do a little hunting on line and you will find plenty of videos of it stunning one of the best I have seen.

https://railwaypages.com/aberfoyle-jct-model-railway

https://stjacobsmodelrailway.com/

My situation is a little different since I have to model modular, but the layout is 90% complete. The uniqueness of it is that is is based on German prototypes.

It has been posted here before and here is a forum link to my layout Georgenstadt. Miketg

https://ogrforum.com/...41#23956019160082441

Though not totally complete, the Cherry Valley Railroad in NJ. You can see many videos and photos here:

Cherry Valley RR Facebook Page

Hey, thanks everyone for contributing links and photos, great stuff!

I suppose you guys are bummed that MTH is shutting down? I have a couple of their steamers that can be switched over to 2-rail...which I always thought was a neat engineering feat...though never used it myself.

I enjoy all scales of model RR'ing, and am probably a 3-railer like 90% of all 3-railers, we grew up with it and it works in relatively smaller spaces. But, if everything was equal, I'd switch over to 2-rail O-scale..how can you pass up realistic looking track!

@PRR1950 posted:

MWB,

But, according to your most recent article in OST, your layout still needs overhead wires for those electrics you run "occasionally."

Chuck

Yes, but I also model steam on the same layout.

The Rockford O Scalers have a Facebook page and have also posted videos on YouTube for your viewing pleasure and we invite you to check them out.  A sample video of our layout is attached.

@Keystoned Ed posted:

Footage of my railroad can be found in Terry Terrance's 2 hour  O scale promotional video.  Video coverage includes several very nice layouts including Chris Smith's and  and John Sethian's.  Here is the link to the video:  Terry Terrance's 2016 O scale video

The coverage of my railroad starts around 1 hour 11 minutes into the footage.  Someday we'll need to do a new video as there has been a fair amount of scenery and rolling stock progress since Terry videoed the layout.  However that won't happen for awhile as my next objective is to signal the railroad using the  NMRA Layout Command Control (LCC) bus standards.

Ed,

I looked at the Terry's video of your layout again.  It is spectacular.  I remember seeing the Model Railroader article of your Washington DC area layout.  It was one of the things that inspired me to go to O gauge from HO.  However, I am 3-rail because I don't have the space for O scale curves.  I would enjoying seeing your layout if I ever get to the East coast again.  NH Joe

Great videos.

Question on the track: it appears that in some of the videos the 2-rail track is narrower and in others wider, yet none were narrow gauge from what I could tell. Are there actually different gauges of 2-rail O-scale track?

Hi Paul,

There are some who use Proto 48. Photo 48 is proper 4'-8.5" scaled down spacing between the rails while regular 0 scale 2 rail and 3 rail uses 5' spacing between the rails. The difference is a little over 1/16". The equipment for Proto 48 won't work on 5' gauge track, and the equipment for 5' gauge won't work on Proto 48 track.

Another thing that might make a difference in appearance is that some people use code .148 heavier mainline rail and others might use code .138 and others might use code .125. I chose mine based on what the prototype used. Most 3 rail track uses taller and wider rails than what is generally offered in 2 rail. I think I've heard it mentioned that Atlas 3 rail track is code .225 compared to their 2 rail track offerings which are code .148. Code .225 would be off the charts heavy rail.

Also, unfortunately my friend Joe Ioele won't be joining the discussion about his completed railroad. He is also looking to get his railroad published.

@Paul Kallus posted:

Great videos.

Question on the track: it appears that in some of the videos the 2-rail track is narrower and in others wider, yet none were narrow gauge from what I could tell. Are there actually different gauges of 2-rail O-scale track?

Besides P48, there's also On3 (3'), On30 (30"), On2 (2'), and On18 (18").  There's also PA Broad gauge for the trolley modelers, although I've yet to see anyone actually model using that variant.

Thanks Chris and Marty for the track descriptions. I take it by "code" that refers to width of rail, such as code 0.225 = 0.225" wide rail head?

@Paul Kallus posted:

Thanks Chris and Marty for the track descriptions. I take it by "code" that refers to width of rail, such as code 0.225 = 0.225" wide rail head?

Paul, code would be the height in thousands of an inch. Code 225 would be 0.225” high.

@Paul Kallus posted:

Thanks Chris and Marty for the track descriptions. I take it by "code" that refers to width of rail, such as code 0.225 = 0.225" wide rail head?

Height, not width

Paul,

The code of the rail is measuring the height of the rail as Phil and Martin confirm, but at least in the case of Atlas and probably others, I think the width of the Atlas Code .225 track rail head is wider than Atlas Code .148 track rail head. It has been a while since I did some comparisons of track to determine if I'd stay in 3 rail or switch to 2 rail. At that time the center rail did not bother me but the rail in the Atlas 3 rail track seemed considerably oversized in every dimension, at least for the era I chose to model.

ME 148, Scaletrax (193), Atlas 3R (215)

I have ME flex connected to my Atlas flex on my 2 rail mainlines without issue. Smooth transition.

@Engineer-Joe posted:

I have ME flex connected to my Atlas flex on my 2 rail mainlines without issue. Smooth transition.

That's good to hear. I have some Atlas 2-rail track, but was looking at ME because it seems more readily available and at a better price point.