RGS Ophir Loop

Scale: On3

The inspiration for this layout originates back to the 1990s and the layout owner seeing photographs of the Rio Grande Southern railroad. With the help from both Sundance Publications’ ‘RGS Series’ of books and multiple family vacation visits to Southwest Colorado, the layout owner selected ‘The Loop’ at Ophir, Colorado for his latest layout project. The first thing you’ll find when you walk into the sizeable railroad room is an uncompressed O scale version of bridge 45A spanning the Howard Fork of the San Miguel river located at Ophir, Colorado. As you turn, you will see floor to ceiling scenery that recreates both the Rio Grande Southern’s low line and the high line with its multiple trestles faithfully recreated on a grand scale. Over 4,000 pounds of hand carved plaster went into this scenic masterpiece that accurately replicates the Rio Grande Southern’s section from the Ames water tank to bridge 46F.

Era/Locale: 1940 Colorado
Size: 56′ x 25′
Benchwork: 100%
Track: 80%
Scenery: 100%

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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