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The Mississippi Alabama & Gulf
Layout at a Glance
Name: Mississippi Alabama & Gulf
Scale: HO
Size: 14 X 32
Locale: Southern Mississippi and New Orleans
Period: Summer of 1955
Layout Style: Around the wall triple deck
Layout Heights: Three levels at 30-, 40- and 58-inches
Benchwork: L-Girder and metal shelf brackets
Subroadbed: ½ inch plywood
Roadbed: Cork
Track: Atlas Code 83
Minimum Turnout: #6
Minimum Radius: 27 inches on Mainline
Landforms: Pink foam insulation and Sculptamold
Scenery: Real dirt, ground foam, sagebrush trees
Backdrop: 1/8 inch Masonite with photographic prints
Control: Digitrax Radio Super Chief
Name: Mississippi Alabama & Gulf
Scale: HO
Size: 14 X 32
Locale: Southern Mississippi and New Orleans
Period: Summer of 1955
Layout Style: Around the wall triple deck
Layout Heights: Three levels at 30-, 40- and 58-inches
Benchwork: L-Girder and metal shelf brackets
Subroadbed: ½ inch plywood
Roadbed: Cork
Track: Atlas Code 83
Minimum Turnout: #6
Minimum Radius: 27 inches on Mainline
Landforms: Pink foam insulation and Sculptamold
Scenery: Real dirt, ground foam, sagebrush trees
Backdrop: 1/8 inch Masonite with photographic prints
Control: Digitrax Radio Super Chief
The MA&G (nicknamed "The Magnolia Route") was a fictional Class 1 railroad which ran from Chattanooga, TN to Houston, TX with branches to Mobile, AL and New Orleans, LA. The modeled section represented the mainline run south of Hattiesburg, MS to New Orleans. The MA&G met the Southern Railway and the GM&O at Slidell, LA and used their shared trackage across Lake Pontchartrain into New Orleans. In exchange, the two railroads had running rights on MA&G track between Slidell and Mobile, AL. Built when the original building measured 14' x 32', the lowest level, which was 30 inches from the floor, had 30 staging tracks with a wye (see track plan below). The second level, which was 40 inches high, represented the mainline run through rural southern Mississippi to the Pearl River and featured two fictional towns (Wharton and Edna), a sawmill complex, three major bridges and a farm. The run between Edna and New Orleans was located "in the helix". I decided to take advantage of the dead time spent in the helix to represent these miles of non-modeled mainline. It also served to soften the transition between the rural and urban areas. The upper level, which was 58 inches from the floor, represented the terminus of New Orleans. Wanting to showcase the primary "rail-serviced" areas of the city, I chose the Central Business district, waterfront warehouses, and Union Passenger Terminal with its support facilities, to model.
The Magnolia Route has been featured in numerous publications and productions. The original 12 by 13 foot version of the MA&G was featured in the April 2005 Model Railroader. I have also written articles which were published in both Great Model Railroads 2007 and Great Model Railroads 2013 as well as the cover story for Model Railroad Planning 2014. I have had several photos of the MA&G appear throughout three different Walthers catalogs, including a second place win in the 75th Anniversary "Magic of Model Railroading" contest and a first place win in the 2014 catalog. Other photos of the layout have appeared in several books by Tony Koester, including Planning Scenery for Your Model Railroad, How to Kitbash Structures, and the cover photo for Steam and Diesel Locomotive Servicing Terminals. My work was also chosen to appear in Kalmbach's "Art of Model Railroading" calendar for 2016. By far my most thrilling recognition was being the subject of Volume 56 in Allen Keller's "Great Model Railroads" DVD series! As a member of the South Eastern Region (SER) of the NMRA, I have presented various clinics on the MA&G at the 2006 Convention in Southhaven, MS, the 2010 Convention in Birmingham, AL, the 2013 mini-meet in Choctaw, MS, and the 2014 convention in Memphis, TN. During these conventions I have won numerous awards for model photography and structures. At the local level, the MA&G has been featured in both newspaper and television media.
The Magnolia Route has been featured in numerous publications and productions. The original 12 by 13 foot version of the MA&G was featured in the April 2005 Model Railroader. I have also written articles which were published in both Great Model Railroads 2007 and Great Model Railroads 2013 as well as the cover story for Model Railroad Planning 2014. I have had several photos of the MA&G appear throughout three different Walthers catalogs, including a second place win in the 75th Anniversary "Magic of Model Railroading" contest and a first place win in the 2014 catalog. Other photos of the layout have appeared in several books by Tony Koester, including Planning Scenery for Your Model Railroad, How to Kitbash Structures, and the cover photo for Steam and Diesel Locomotive Servicing Terminals. My work was also chosen to appear in Kalmbach's "Art of Model Railroading" calendar for 2016. By far my most thrilling recognition was being the subject of Volume 56 in Allen Keller's "Great Model Railroads" DVD series! As a member of the South Eastern Region (SER) of the NMRA, I have presented various clinics on the MA&G at the 2006 Convention in Southhaven, MS, the 2010 Convention in Birmingham, AL, the 2013 mini-meet in Choctaw, MS, and the 2014 convention in Memphis, TN. During these conventions I have won numerous awards for model photography and structures. At the local level, the MA&G has been featured in both newspaper and television media.
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