Alberta Midland
Owner: Dennis Dreher
This layout is HO gauge and represents what would have been if this Alberta Midland Railroad actually got the financial support. The layout size is 24’x 24’ L shape and operates on DCC Digitrax system. Memories of the 1950 - 1960 eras well bring operations steam and early diesel locomotives to life. The layout boosts mountains logging to the prairies grain elevators and everything between all on 5 levels. The 20’ single ended yard adds a variety interest because of its Wye track so trains are coming and going 2 directions keeping the yard master quite busy.
Camrose industries are the older scenes such as a Mill and Cream depot and passenger station. Red Deer has lumber, flour, bakery and leather industry.
Just outside of Red Deer a barrel factory and buck oil station requires cars to service it. Next to the Barrel factory is a transfer yard will keep yard master busy changing cars and trucks busy bring the goods that request rail loads.
Once back on the main line the tracks hid south to Olds which the grain elevator and Swift Meat packing plant request more cars. Just outside of Olds an oil refinery is busy filling cars.
Nordegg Mine has the busy yard with coal cars so the Jive, the main yard coal facility can service the steam locomotives.
No layout should be without a logging and lumber mill. Hill Crest lumber yard is busy as the Heislers locos pull the logs loaded from a spur tree and slowly down a 4 % grade to the Hill Crest mill and dumped in the pond. Lumber now cut is loaded on lumber cars and pulled down a 2% grade to a classification yard.
If that is not enough switching well then the Hidden Staging Yard add more interest. This run is called Saskatoon Staging. Although it is unseen the 6 tracks 10’ long services Saskatoon as cars arrive full and depart empty.
AMR is fully scenic and animation through the layout adds realism and scenes may bring smiles and laughter to the operators and viewers.
If that is not enough, well how about operating in the evening or dusk. The layout boost that evening running is more fun because it adds new visual prespective as the locomotive lights shine through mountains and tunnels. Town street lights, building lite interior details adds you telling a story that leads you away from trains running.