Walter’s HO layout represents the Erie-Lackawanna in the 1970s. It covers a space of 48 x 25 feet and includes around 900 feet of track. Minimum radius is 22” on the older sections and 28” on the newer sections.

The layout was started in 1983 as a shelf layout in his apartment, where his wife gave the initial green light to start. The shelf layout grew and now encircles the entire apartment, including the bathroom and kitchen. The 320-foot-long mainline climbs from 9” to 40” above the floor. A unique feature is a bridge that passes above a staircase. Beneath the bridge is a 10-foot drop to the floor. 

The layout is set up to accommodate point-to-point or continuous running. There are 2 classification yards, 6 drop tracks, 14 industrial spurs, and 17 storage tracks.

Walter thanks Pete Luchini for building much of the scenery and keeping him inspired.

Scale: HO

Prototype: Erie-Lackawanna

Locale: Catskill Division (fictitious)

Era: 1970s

Layout Size: 48' x 25’.

Trackage: Approximately 900 ft of track and 150 turnouts.

Construction: Combination of 1” x 3” box framing and shelf brackets.

Control: Digitrax DCC

Scenery: 50% complete.

Accessibility: This layout is not handicap accessible and requires walking up two staircases.

Parking: Plenty of parking on the street, dead-end road with no traffic.

Layout Visits: Yes

Operations Sessions: No

Website: No