Welcome to the Union Railroad of Oregon HO scale Micro Layout. The layout measures 12”x30” and features a single operator turnout and one out of service turnout. The single industry on the layout in the Union Oregon Builders Co-op which receives building supplies, occasionally fuel and coal. The layout is operated by a single Plymouth, which made up the entire prototype fleet of the real Union RR of Oregon. I set my modeling I nOctober of 1968. The layout is around 95% complete at this point needing only fascia and some other small details. 
 

I am still working on the new layout room, but since I am using the TOMA method I decided to start my first 2’x4’ section of my HO layout. This first section will be the area around the Train Order office at Willbridge Oregon. The layout sections are built out of 1/2” plywood with a 24” tall Masonite backdrop. It is light weight enough I can move it myself and fits nicely on my new shelf system I put up. The plan will be to continue to work on the room and also this layout. 

I have been designing an HO scale switching layout ( 2’ x 8’ ) on the area around Astoria Plywood in Astoria Oregon during October 1968. This was part of the Spokane Portland & Seattle A-Line that tan from Portland to Seaside Oregon. The line is still operated to St. Helens by the Portland & Western Railroad with the last service being a trio of RDC’s running as an excursion to Astoria. The line past Astoria was pulled up and unless you really know where to look, it is hard to tell a railroad ever went to Seaside. 

I have been kind of quiet being as I have been dealing with working at a new job, trying to get a house ready to sell, and finally getting a new place lined up to move into in September. One thing I was looking for in a new house was a location I could have work space and layout. I have thought long and hard about what I want to do with my new space as both a work space and HO scale layout. 

#1 Work Bench

I had to take down my Madras Switching layout a few years ago and I was disappointed that my Jefferson Plywood building had ended up in storage. I really liked the unique look of the building but I really did not have a plan or a place for it. In the recent issue of MRH the idea building a free standing layout by Joe with his Siskiyou II gave me an idea. I  really like the look of the built in backdrop and valance, but I am wanting to build something narrower that I can hang on the wall.

I have had a little "layout kaboom" with my Madras switching layout, here is what is going on...

Awhile ago I decided to replace the switches on my Madras switching layout and got as far as cutting out the old switches and purchasing new ones. Also at this time my need to have a switching layout for work was no longer needed. I started really examining what I had started and I found that it was missing a few elements that I wanted to model so I decided to do a little remodeling.

I have been working on a structure projects but seem to keep stalling out as they do not have a place to go. I have thought about adding them to various Free-mo modules, but none of them really seem to fit into the plan. I have decided that instead of finishing up structures, then placing them in storage I really should have a place for them to go.

When I was looking though my Great Northern In Color Vol: 1 Lines West I came across a picture of an unusual train sitting at Spokane taken on a summers evening. The captions states "On June 20, 1968, Train #5, the Piggyback Special, is serviced in twilight... The train's consist included an RPO, and storage mail and express cars as well as TOFC flats." The photo shows a A-B-B consist of F units, followed by a storage mail, then RPO and 6 TOFC flatcars with a full load of GN trailers I decided I needed to model this train.

When laying out my new Revere Street Free-mo module I was looking at my aerial photo of the area and say\w a building on the corner of Division and Revere Street. Out of curiosity I checked in on Google Earth to see if the structure was still there and I was pleased to see it still standing. The building was also a unique structure which I thought would make from a great building at add to the module. After cruising around  the building in Google Earth and grabbing some screenshots I decided that it would make for a good Restaurant. 

Since getting into Free-mo in 2009 I have built a number of modules for myself and others. Some of them have been completed and used in setups but a few have been built but not finished. I have had two such modules I have been dragging around with me since I lived in Kansas with great plans, but not much progress. These two modules have been started and stopped over a half dozen times. I have either found a better technique, changed my mind, got bored, or just did not have the room.