San Juan del Oro, El Siswoki

Scale: HOn3 & HO

There are two layouts, one standard gauge, the other narrow gauge. The standard gauge layout features the sister city of Nolehagas, located on the border of Colorado between Arizona and Sonora. The narrow gauge San Juan del Oro is a freelance 1932 mining town with many scratch built, kit and kit-bashed structures. Details are everywhere. The layout owner is an active artist and retired architect and it shows by the way each scene was built as a stand-alone project and at the same time everything comes together to form the overall layout. Many of the freelance buildings are built from photos and drawings from actual structures of the area. This layout has been featured in the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette and other publications over the last several years.

Era/Locale: 1932 Southwest Colorado
Size: 9′ x 6′ narrow gauge, 11′ x 22′ std. gauge
Benchwork: 100%
Track: 100%
Scenery: 85%

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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