South River Modelworks

Welcome to my blog and please bear with me as I stumble through the set up, expansion and maintenance of the blog. Should you need instant visual gratification, check these links for layout progress and info on past kits.

Photos of most recent (post retirement) work on the South River & Millville layout.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/103194951@N02/sets/72157683576799481/

Photos of all my kits, made from 1991-2016

https://www.flickr.com/photos/103194951@N02/collections/72157722282077440/

Photos of early layout work and processes.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/103194951@N02/albums/72157685988008225

https://www.flickr.com/photos/103194951@N02/albums/72157688049150572

I strongly believe in living in the environment I model. New England has always had a powerful influence on me, it’s history & the imprint left by one of this country’s oldest and most enduring regional cultures. I think one of my best strengths in layout building is to use my various design skills and love of history to convey a "sense of place" for my stomping grounds.

The influence of my good friend, the late Dick Elwell, on the design of my layout is very strong. When I first visited Dick’s layout, I instantly saw an entire landscape. This first impression stuck with me and connected me, not only with the person, but with his philosophy of creating “ a place.” one could relate to. You could also say that all the parts have to connect to” the whole.”

The layout built around a single track main line running peddler freights and local passenger service. I like the areas of western Massachusetts, southern/central Vermont and eastern New York to the west of those areas in Vermont and Mass. I run both steam and diesel creating scenes covering roughly the 40s to 1960.

Overall, I would say my layout is prototype inspired, though not a strict prototype representation. However, my kits are primarily based on actual buildings. As such, about 25 or so of my kits are embedded in the layout, framed by new England rural settings. This provides the overall “picture” of my “reality” as I see it.

 Current Track Plan - Click to enlarge.

Overall layout views below. About 60% of the layout is finished. The rest is operational and needs final buildings and scenery