Following Doug's O-Scale Track Layout into Hermosa

Next in line on Doug’s O scale track design of the Silverton Branch of D&RGW Railroad is the town of Hermosa. After heading out of Durango and crossing Animas Bridge, Extra 464 West makes its way 10 miles north, where it turns the corner and passes into a straightaway stretch where sits Hermosa. This small stop on our overview of the O scale track route from Durango to Silverton features some fine scratch work from Doug, who utilized historical pictures and his imagination to bring Hermosa to life as it once existed. Let’s take a closer look at Hermosa and see if we can find some components of Doug’s O scale track layout that you can use on your own models.

Laying out the O scale track for Hermosa

While fairly sparse as far as townships go, Hermosa plays an essential role in the operations of D&RGW Railroad where it passes from Silverton Durango. You won’t find saloons or union halls in Hermosa, but you will find a water tank that is vital to keeping Extra 464 West moving along to its final destination. Said water tank still stands in Hermosa, and is similarly weathered to Doug’s O scale track model.

Other of the features in Doug’s O scale track layout of Hermosa give this little stopover significance, although some may not be historically accurate. One of these, the lineup of Gramps oil tank cars, did not actually exist in Hermosa during its heyday, but there’s a reason that didn’t stop Doug from including them in his O scale track design. As a little bonus, he explains that he chose to utilize Gramps tank cars because of one of his favorite railroad stories, in which the grandchildren of the founder of Gramps Oil mistook his cars for those of another company.

Lastly, on the way out of Hermosa you’ll see Extra 464 West skirt the bend around beautiful Shalona Lake, which Doug introduced to his O scale track design using EnviroTex, black paint and dye. He finishes up by a talking a bit about the scenery around the lake, including his process for buying and weathering the trees that tower up until the hills around Shalona.