Larry's Trains

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My journey into O Gauge railroading has been a relatively recent one, having been in this hobby for a short five years. As a young person growing up in Canada, trains were not a holiday tradition. Hockey was the winter pastime, followed by road hockey all summer long. For an indoor pursuit, my buddies and I gravitated toward slot car racing.

Our first train set arrived here for my son's fifth birthday. This was a Lionel Union Pacific Express Set. While this held David's interest for a short while, the figure eight configuration soon became a little dull. This little starter set gave birth to our current O Gauge empire.

The first layout consisted of two 4' x 8' tables fastened together in the shape of an L. This seemed sufficient for our O27 train set. I used traditional Lionel O27 tubular track. The layout did have extensive scenery. Having another hobby of growing cactus plants in a greenhouse and an affinity towards thespectacular scenery of Arizona, I fashioned this early layout on the American Southwest.

Like many first attempts at modeling, there were certainly many shortcomings in both design and operation. In addition, as I discovered reading resources such as the O Gauge Railroading magazine, my interest in creating a Hi- rail layout solidified and the current layout was born. At about the same time, the local hobby store began selling trains from Mike's Train House. These fine looking locomotives and rolling stock were both affordable and great to operate and significantly piqued my interest in the hobby.

The current "Erehwon and Saguaro Railroad" is my attempt at modeling a freelance Hi-rail layout. It covers the geographic areas of Arizona, Colorado and on into the Midwest. This is a steam/diesel transition layout set loosely in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Steam locomotives are still in operation, but they are quickly being overtaken by first generation diesels. The road names of Union Pacific, Denver and Rio Grande and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe dominate. While the railroad is of course fictitious, I have attempted to bring as much realism to the layout in the space available to me. This is what Hi-rail is all about, operating toy trains in a scale environment.

The layout occupies an area around the perimeter of the finished basement and into the furnace room. Due to the design of the basement, and consequently, the layout, it is very difficult to provide meaningful measurements. At its longest stretch, the layout measures 35 feet in length and is about 5 feet wide. If I had to make a guess, I would say that the layout is approximately 450 square feet in its current state.

If you are interested in reading further about Hi-rail O Gauge railroading, please refer to the News and Reviews section of my web site. Now onwards to the photos!

Here is a sampling of photos taken of the Erehwon and Saguaro Railroad. Check back often for updates as we follow the trains and lives of the townsfolk throughout the layout.

All photos have been taken with my Nikon Coolpix 995. For more information about the Nikon check out this web site http://www.rosensaft.com/ezra/coolpix.htm

My Layout Trackplan
I have hand drawn this trackplan and enhanced it somewhat in Paintshop. For those of you with good eyes, each square represents 6 square inches. The overall size of the layout is about 28 feet in width and extends approximately 30 feet in length into the Work Room.

The Town of Erehwon ^{Updated May '02}
This is a link to photos of the town of Erehwon. Erehwon is a bustling little place located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountians, a mere stones throw from Denver, Colorado. The town boasts many thriving businesses and factories. When you visit, be sure to check out the Erehwon Museum.

LaJambe Logging ^{Updated September '02}
The following will link you to photos of LaJambe Logging, located a few miles outside of town. LaJambe Logging employs many of the town folk of Erehwon who are known to be hardworking and quite adept with an axe.

Onwards to Saguaro ^{Updated September '02}
Nestled in the Sonoran Desert, the town of Saguaro has the reputation of being a proud little town. City council recently commissioned many new projects to spruce up the place. A weekend steam excursion tourist train frequents Saguaro, which has furthered its reputation as "The Little Gem in the Desert."

Through the Sonoran Desert ^{Updated September '02}
Looking for a taste of the spectacular scenery offered by the Sonoran Desert? Follow this link to view some of the majestic mountains and xerophytic vegetation in this amazing part of Arizona.

Along the Right of Way ^{Updated September '02}
Along every right of way, there are always lots of interesting sights and activities. The Erehwon and Saguaro is no exception.

The Erehwon and Saguaro Yard ^{Updated April '02} Here you will find several photos of the Erehwon and Saguaro yard. It was a relatively quiet day when this railfan visited the yard. In fact, there are no E and S locomotives in the yard. It seems that the Denver and Rio Grande has been taking full advantage of the loopholes in its lease with the E and Sand has quietly taken over the yard! The yard continues to be a work in progress as it is in need of considerably more detailing.

Layout Overview Photos ^{Updated April '02}
I have received considerable e-mail from O Gauge people requesting overview photos of the layout. This is a difficult task due to the size and shape of the room and layout. As points of reference, I have left some of the trains in the spots where they were photographed in the many of the photos found in the links above. This may be helpful in identifying specific areas of the layout. Part of the layout runs around corners and even into other rooms, which makes overview photos difficult to produce.

Fun Fotos ^{Updated March '03}
This section includes various photographic odds and ends. You may find items such as digitally enhanced photos, pictures of people who have dropped by to run a few trains, as well as hobby related photos from my own travels here and there. Enjoy.