Layouts

Many - there are several layouts in Michigan worth a visit, not even sure I can list them all.

Mike Burgett has an absolutely gorgeous C&O - 1965 West Virginia layout.
John Depauw has a really nice EJ&E layout - Chicago 1973
Ron Griffin has a cool Adrian & Blissfield layout - modern day
Larry Burk has a neat On30 layout - the Laurium Mohawk & Brockway Railway
Bill Heiden has a spectacular Milwaukee Road layout - breathtaking scenes

And there are more.

Regards,

Brian Everett

Andy Keeney

Nashville Road

Other Lansing- and Grand Rapids-area model railroads

If you go to Lansing for Andy Keeney's enormous Nashville Road, Tom Weaver's Canadian Pacific Webbwood Subdivision, about fifteen miles east of there, is well worth visiting and covering, too. Aside from being an excellent model railroad, it has a neat take on a helix that is article-worthy in itself. Operations are just beginning there, and the scenery that's in place, so far, is nicely done.

Bob Truax's Great Northern Old Goat Division, five or six miles south of Andy's, is a beautifully-scenicked steam-era railroad that I don't recall being covered outside of NMRA publications.

Up in the Grand Rapids area, on the opposite side of town from the Sunset Valley, the Grand Rapids Model Railroad Historical Society's Pere Marquette layout uses a neat trick for fitting in a lot of route-mileage in a way that runs counter to a lot of current layout design thinking, but that I found works very well when you are focused on an operating session.

I have a warm spot for Tim VerBurg's Chessie System layout, a few miles southwest of the GRMRRHS, having been to an extremely enjoyable operating session there a couple of years ago. It did not have any scenery to speak of, then, but the signalling system was well-designed, the operating scheme well-implemented, and when I was switching Wyoming Yard there, it reminded me very strongly of hours I'd spent at the real one, a few miles down the road, watching trains. He also has been doing a lot of work with 3D-printed modeling.

And I enthusiastically "second" Brian's recommendation of John DePauw's EJ&E, north of Detroit.

If you were to find yourself with some extra time in the greater Detroit area, there's this little operations-based layout that returned home and is entering a new phase of its existence, southwest of Ann Arbor, after traveling for a decade and a half (see .sig).

Greg Rich in New Baltimore, Mich.

North of Detroit, Greg Rich has a very nice layout set in the early 1900s. It has beautiful scenery and finely-tuned operations.

He's located in New Baltimore, Mich.

Blissfield Model Railroad Club

The Blissfield Model Railroad Club is another great model railroad in Michigan.  We are located in Blissfield Mi. and well worth the 2 to 3 hour drive from Grand Rapids and Lansing. Our website is  https://bmrr.org/ .  You can contact our president and we can schedule a time when we can have members available to run trains for you. 

Bill Heiden has a

I concur and would like to see more of this layout.

Detroit Model Railroad Club

Located in a former movie theater the Detroit Model Railroad Club is an impressive O Scale layout.

The club history would make for a great segment. http://www.dmrrc.org

The Detroit Model Railroad I

The Detroit Model Railroad I would not want to see on MRH its built the Old way of building layout's and its one big spaghetti bowl !!!! How do I know? I use to be a member 20 years ago and not for very long.

Joe,  being from Metro

Joe,  being from Metro Detroit. I would recommend the following 

Bill Neal’s Panhandle PRR (all steam, multi deck, mostly ((90% finished) This layout looks nice enough I don’t mind it is PRR..

Ron Kings Eire RR.  A stunningly good looking Fall Railroad (but not over the top). About 95% complete.  Has some of the best scenes I have ever encountered with fantastic running engines and some great detail

i will second Greg Riches layout.

Ken Chick,  N scale proto/freelance about 75% complete (was in great model Railroads I think)

Jay And Brook Qualman,  an Railroad covering most of south east Michigan.  With all the related railroads and junctions.  It is pretty much 100% complete as far as track goes but only about 30% complete for scenery  but it is about 3000 sq ft so has a lot of it complete.  The cities of Milford and Seginaw with thier scratch built building and prototype accuracy is amazing. But the country side is very nice as well.   It has been in a view mags as just photos (including I believe Walthers catalog) but never been featured.

I know a few more in the area also.   It depends on what you are looking for.

Scenery,  operations, buildings, cars,  locomotives prototype accuracy?  And how finished?

feel free to contact me off line and if you tell me what you are looking for I can probably give you a few ideas.  It just depends on what you are looking for.

If you are interested I can probably get you a couple photos of each of these layouts as know the owners of them.  

-Doug M

South Detroit to Huron

South Detroit to Huron is 45 mins north of downtown Detroit! HO scale 15'/13' bedroom size layout..

Huron side is not finished but South Detroit side is 80-90% finnished ( so I say)

Milwaukee Road

I've seen a few clips of Bill Heiden's Milwaukee Road on Youtube, and I'd love to see more.

Glad I don't....

Glad I don't have to make the decision on what layouts don't make the TMTV shoot, but sure will be looking forward to the ones that do......

How will you guys decide?