Dick Elwell's Hoosac Valley is a bridge route that interchanges with the Boston & Albany, the Delaware & Hudson, the New Haven and the New York Central. The HO railroad features magnificent New England scenery with lots of rivers and forested mountains.

Dick will show you his method for making super-detailed foreground trees. That skill at detailing carries over to the layout's many mini-scenes. These are life-like vignettes that tell a story of a slower era.

You'll tour the 40x26 foot Hoosac Valley from one end of the layout to the other behind a GP-7, and then an RS-1. You'll go on board to enjoy a beautiful looking and operating railroad that Dick and his friends have created with exquisitely weathered structures and rolling stock.

The 31 year old Hoosac Valley has kept up with changes in the hobby by adding radio control throttles and walkaround design. Although the mainline has changed very little over the years, the scenery itself has been re-done 3 times as new methods came into the hobby. Some changes in the trackplan required more space, so Dick used a practical approach to negotiate for additional right- of-way.

You'll be inspired as Dick recounts some of his early pitfalls as a beginner in 1959. And you'll enjoy knowing that this layout evolved from an idea on a piece of paper into a Great Model Railroad.