Current Layout by Jerry Holmes

It's Autumn 1952 as Chesapeake & Ohio E8 #4024 crests the summit of Alleghany mountain at Alleghany, VA. This train is the westbound "Sportsman", one of C&O's premier passenger trains, which runs daily from Washington to Cincinnati. The motive power and passenger cars are from American Models. The vehicles are from M2 (Castline, Inc.), and the figures from Arttista. The steam locomotive on the turntable in the distance, is a brass C&O 2-6-6-6 class H-8, from River Raisin Models. The brick "A" cabin (as control towers were called by the C&O) was scratch-built by Bernard Kempinski, owner of Alkem Scale Models. The track is Shinohara code 100 flextrack, and the turnouts include Shinohara, Old Pullman, Tomalco, and Markway. All track is mounted on 1/4" Homabed over 3/4" plywood sub-roadbed. The track ballast is a natural product from Arizona Rock & Mineral. The sky-blue back-drop is painted on the sheetrock walls. There are a few thousand trees on the layout, mostly hand-made using natural materials for the tree forms. These include Oak Leaf Hydrangea and Nandina from the back yard, and Super Tree forms from Scenic Express. These forms were finished with ground foam of various fall colors, and then individually planted on the layout. Jerry's photo appeared on the inside cover of the November 2022 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman as part of the NASG's promotional ad campaign.

(copyright © Jerry Holmes; used by permission)

C&O H-8 1659 is emerging from the east portal of Alleghany Tunnel at Alleghany, VA, the highest point on the C&O. Holmes' beautiful 35' x 27' C&O layout. The locomotive, by River Raisin Models, was C&O's most powerful steam locomotive. The C&O called locomotives of this 2-6-6-6 wheel configuration "The Alleghany". The hopper cars are from American Models and S-Helper Service. The depot building was professionally scratch-built from photos and original drawings provided by Jerry. The figures at the depot are pre-painted from Arttista. The tunnel portals are scratch-built out of a base 3/4"-thick cabinet-grade plywood. This was overlayed with 1/16" styrene to simulate concrete. The styrene was engraved with the tunnel's name and the year the tunnel was completed (as were all C&O tunnel portals). The mountains and ridges are of hollow construction, formed over contoured plywood ribbing, spaced about a foot apart. The ribbing is covered with screen wire or cardboard strip matrix, covered in two layers of plaster cloth. The rock formations are a combination of carved plaster and rubber rock made by Cripple Bush Valley Models. The trees are all hand-made from natural shrub cuttings coated with various autumn shades of ground foam. The sky and clouds were painted on the walls of the train room by a very good artist friend of Jerry's before the trees were installed. This photo appeared on the inside cover of the September 2023 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine in the NASG's promotional ad campaign.

(copyright © Jerry Holmes; used by permission)