N-Scale Module Sampler
Meade Area Railroad Society (MARRS)

North Sheldon/Area 53

Owner: Rob
Loop module, approx. 4.5'L x 3'D. Masonite-on-frame construction; styrofoam terrain with center skyboard separating different scenes.

When the Kankakee, Beaverville, and Southern needed a new engine facility, high land prices drove them to a solution rarely used in the diesel era: a roundhouse. Meanwhile, in Virginia, a once-mundane government office building has suddenly been transformed into a heavily-secured complex...

Pennsy-Erie Interchange

Owner: Steve
Straight module; 4'L x 2'D. Plywood-on-frame construction; plaster terrain.

At this busy interchange in western Pennsylvania, the PRR and Erie exchange several dozen cars each day.

Appalachian Scene

Owner: Goldy
Multiple modules; 10'L x 2'D including 2x2 corner. Plywood-on-frame construction; plaster terrain.

These modules depict a typical Eastern mountain road, with the road following the railroad tracks through the valley and buildings climbing the hillside.

East Nihon, Maryland

Owner: Goldy
Straight module, 4'L x 2'D. Plywood-on-frame construction; plaster and styrofoam terrain.

When a nearly-abandoned Maryland town became home to a Japanese manufacturer's new factory, the town quickly became an interesting amalgam of urban-Japanese and rural-Maryland design sensibilities.

German Village

Owner: Bill
Loop module. Plywood-on-frame construction; styrofoam terrain.

This area represents a German village scene, surrounded by countryside. Scenery is still under construction.

Langham Junction

Owner: Rob
Corner module with additional interface; approx 2.5' square. Plywood-on-frame construction; styrofoam terrain.

Even Midwestern railroads occasionally have to contend with inconveniently-placed terrain. Though the 50-foot-high glacial moraine known as Mount Langham would scarcely be a bump by mountain-railroad standards, back in the 19th century it was still easier for the New York Central to go around rather than through.

Baden Oof

Owner: Bill
Multiple modules; approx. 18'L x 2'D. Plywood-on-frame construction; styrofoam terrain.

This massive yard facility is a major train-dispatching center, managed from an elevated control building spanning the mainline.

Official records indicate that a passenger station used to stand here, but there is evidence that the actual site of the station was some distance further up the line. In either case, major reconstruction in recent years would have eliminated any traces of previous structures within the Baden Oof yard limits.

Abandoned Styrofoam Quarry

Owner: Charlie
Loop module, approx. 6'L x 4' D. Styrofoam construction, with Masonite fascia and wood frame. The legs are a separate unit; the module rests on top of the leg unit, without attaching.

Not long ago, "McDonnell's Loop" was simply another abandoned industrial site blighting the landscape. Today, through the efforts of the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, it has become a scenic attraction and a model for reclamation efforts everywhere.

Kankakee River Bridge

Owner: Rob
Straight module, 4'L x 1.5'D. Plywood-on-frame construction; styrofoam terrain.

This multi-arch concrete bridge, originally built to carry four tracks, spans the Kankakee River at Kankakee, Illinois. Built in 1919 by the Illinois Central Railroad, it replaced an older single-track steel truss bridge at this location, and eliminated a traffic bottleneck (and an interlocking tower) at the river's north bank.