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I had to finish up the new Apache Railway scene for my friend Dave’s Chicago Denver & Pacific layout. This required the Walthers Kraft Plant in addition to the power house and the paper mill itself that I had already completed. The Kraft Plant is the final step in manufacturing white paper. I began by…
I received a request from my friend Dave to build a paper mill for his new Apache Railway. He needed the mill for the town of Snowflake, Arizona, so I started off with a Walthers paper mill kit and heavily modified it. My goal was to create something that no one else would have on…
My friend Dave needed a power plant to go with his new Apache paper mill that he was adding to his Apache Railway branch, so I offered to combine his power plant kit with some leftover parts I had from an earlier version of the same kit. As always, I didn’t want the finished model…
Here is the iconic Union Station in Washington, DC. Our private car arrived here from Chicago during the great Pandemic. And during normal times the station is overflowing with people coming and going, but during the virus many stores and restaurants in the station itself are closed. Also, by the time we arrived Amtrak had reduced its work force by 20%. Long distance trains had been reduced to only 3 days a week, instead of daily.
The New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal was opened in 1954 and now serves Amtrak, Greyhound buses and the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (the famous New Orleans streetcar system). The station was built behind the former Union Station on Loyola Avenue. At one time 44 passenger trains served the station daily. Today only 3 passenger trains make calls at the station.
What is it like to ride a private railroad car for ten days? While this experience may not be for everyone, those of us with a devotion to trains can find this a wonderful vacation. Expect first class service on a private car even though Amtrak is trying to reduce the movement of private cars. There are about 100 private cars in the country but not all are available to charter. So how do you find a suitable car?
This is the famous St. Louis Union station, a perfect example of Richardson Romanesque Architecture.
Opened in 1894 the station was renovated in 1985 after years of neglect. Today it stands as a venue for food, shopping, and entertainment.
Here is another background building that my friend Curt Goff needed for his railroad. This kit offers some modification options that I could not pass up.
For a number of years, Walthers has offered its large buildings in a version that fits nicely against a backdrop for layouts with limited space. I built the full-size version of this furniture building for my Bluff City Southern more than 20 years ago, so why would I need to read the directions? Well, I…
This is the Sacramento station which hosts not only Amtrak but California sponsored commuter trains and buses. This building has been under renovation since 2012, but so far, no restaurant has been opened. However, another 5 to 10 years are needed to finish the work.
![](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/mra/content/uploads/dev_mra/2016/03/16193256/mra-join-11.png")
Allen Keller
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Building a Paper Mill for the Apache Railway
Building a Power Plant for the Apache Paper Mill
Visiting Washington Union Station
New Orleans & The Union Passenger Terminal
Riding a Private Railcar
St. Louis Union Station
The Hardware Supply Background Building
Assembling a Walthers Background Building
Riding Amtrak on the California Zephyr