While many hobbyists dream of filling their space with a busy Class I railroad or a hustling regional, the reality is most of us just don’t have the room or the hobby time to do justice to such subjects. But a short line hauling a few cars behind a small diesel? That works really well.
A single industry layout can fit on a shelf. A single town layout can fit in a spare bedroom. A good representation of an entire short line can fit in an average basement. And all would provide modeling and operating fun, whether solo or with a small group.
This is where the railroads operated by the Pinlsy Railroad Company really shine. Whatever era interests you – whatever type of equipment you favour – there’s a good chance you can find a Pinsly line that fits. If this sounds like what you’ve been looking for, this 240-page book with many full-colour photos will come in really handy.
I first ran into the Pinsly Railroad Company when I modeled the Boston & Maine Railroad Claremont Branch in HO scale: Pinsly took over that branch plus a connecting electric line and operated the two as the Claremont & Concord Railroad. Once I was familiar with Pinsly’s red diesels with black stripes and yellow lettering, they seemed to pop up everywhere.
Since the Pinsly empire has operated something like a dozen railroads over the years, I’m sure many of my friends who are interested in American railroading can say the same.
If you want to know more about this book, I’ve written a full-page, in-depth review of it for the November, 2021 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine. Have a look – and you might just find the ideal prototype for your next Achievable Layout.
(Thanks to Otto and Harry at RMC for continuing to publish my scribbles!)
The Model Railway Show 