Layout Plan and photos of the Central Connecting

What an awesome layout.

Everything blends together so nice.  Any idea what he used for ballast?

Thanks. All scenery materials ar Woodland Scenics, the track is all Atlas O solid nickel silver weathered with Rustoleum "Charcoal Green"  #7739830 satin spray paint. Mainline ballast is 2 parts gray mixed with 1 part black, while sidings & yard lead are 1 part gray and 1 part black mixed. The engine terminal and freight yard is all black cinders. 

Very impressive layout, I like the track plan that you posted.  Is the coal loading building a kit or a scratch build.  Thanks for sharing the pics,  Nick 

Jerry, gnnpnut, did the track plan design in order to "fit the available space".

 

The steam locomotive coal dock is a Suncoast kit, that was custom kit-bashed by Stu Grailnic, of Model Building Services. The Suncoast kit is normally only a one track for locomotive fueling, with the hoppers dumping fuel coal in the center track. Stu expanded it to 2 fueling tracks, with the coal supply hoppers on an outside 3rd track.

Without question this is one of the very best looking 3-rail layouts ever seen on this or any other train forum. The superb and skillful use of 'weathering' greatly enhances the visual realism of both the trains and their surroundings. 

I would say if you really want to get a great look at HW's layout then you should really buy Great layout Adventures 8  which can be purchased in the OGR webstore.  It has some wonderful footage of his layout and Rich has a wonderful interview with him.  I agree, this layout is one of the best I have ever seen...great details and not over done.

Chris is right, buy the DVD. After watching it multiple times I had to see more photos of the layout. I agree with all of the comments here. It's a well thought out layout, with a nice balance of scenery, details and functionality and I bet a lot of fun to run and watch. I wish I was one of the grand kids!

 

I'm not surprised that these photos have sparked some new interest on the forum. Thanks Jerry for posting them.

 

Joe

Thanks for postings the photos. Jack has done a beautiful job on this layout. Certainly museum quality.

Thanks very much, but HUGE credit MUST be given to Jerry Zeman, gnnpnut, for his "layout designing skills" and his "scenery skills". It is hard to believe, but Jerry finds "doing scenery" very relaxing, so we have "traded" my up-grading all of his rolling stock and steam locomotives to Kadee couplers, for his relaxing upstairs doing scenery.

Jack,

Great layout...great pics.  No wonder it must be so much fun running beers and drinking trains!  Matt

Yes it is, which reminds me, I have to make a run for a twelve pack of Shiner Bock for Saturdays session. 

Both of you have done an excellent job!  AND....your example of trading skills is what this hobby is all about.  The layout is magnificent!

 

Alan

My favorite part of this layout is the engine service facilities, which are just fantastic.

You should see their modular layout.  Nothing in any scale even came close to it in size when they were at Worlds Greatest Hobby a few years ago. Its massive and the scenery and detail was equally impressive, no surprise.

 

In addition to the amazing detail, I'd give anything for all of that natural light in Hot Waters train room

Thanks. Since it is a second story addition on the house, which has FIVE (count 'em FIVE) double crank-out windows for access to my wife's REAL, dirt-filled window boxes, we sure do get LOTS OF LIGHT. However, gnnpnut has some pretty difficult times doing photography and taking videos. Sometimes it is actually better at night, when you can control the light with the disable overhead track lighting.