RGS/D&RGW, Ridgway – Durango

Scale: HOn3

If you ever walked the RGS right-of-way, you’ll appreciate what the layout owner is attempting to recreate on a large scale. The large mural style hand-painted backdrops gives the viewer the feeling of Colorado’s mountains and bright blue skies.

Construction began in August of 2016 and will probably continue well into the next century, as the layout owner likes to joke. The layout is designed using Cadrail software to reproduce each town with the actual 1940’s track plans that allows for dispatcher-controlled prototypical operation in many uncompressed areas.

Dozens of RGS/D&RGW scratch-built, kit-bashed and kit built structures from previous layouts populate the foreground. As a bonus, a nice collection of RGS/D&RGW artifacts and John Hugh Coker artwork are also displayed.

RGS Roadmaster.

Era/Locale: 1938-1942 Southwest Colorado
Size: 89′ x 36′
Benchwork: 60%
Track: 25%
Scenery: 20%

franklin junction.

Ridgeway Engine Facility.

Ridgeway Depot.

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From Minnesota Digital Library:

“The growth of Minnesota can be tied directly to the growth of railroads. The railroads supported farmers, millers, miners, and loggers by moving the raw materials they produced to sell at markets. In turn, the railroads brought other goods and products to the people to build their homes, businesses, and towns. Railroads also brought immigrants to settle the land and provided jobs and income to laborers and investors.

Three of Minnesota’s major railroads were the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Soo Line. While these three were not the only railroads that operated in Minnesota, they had a major impact on the state.

The U.S. Congress chartered the Northern Pacific Railway in 1864 to build a transcontinental railroad from Lake Superior to the Pacific coast. When it was completed in 1883, the railroad had laid nearly 6,800 miles of track through Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Its headquarters were in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

From ThievesRiver.com:

1) Uff da

Background: A Scandinavian import, particularly from Norwegian, “uff da” is widely used to express dismay, exhaustion or sometimes even relief. It embodies the stoic yet expressive nature of Minnesotans.

Example: “Uff da! I forgot my wallet at the cabin. Now I can’t pay for the meat raffle tickets, gosh darn it!”

2) You Betcha

Background: This phrase epitomizes the friendly and positive attitude of Minnesotans. It’s often said with enthusiasm and is used to mean “absolutely” or “you can count on it.”

Example: “Do you want to come to the hockey game this weekend? Grain Belts are on me!” – “You betcha!”

Read more at ThievesRiver.com