Overview of Granite Mountain Railway

When observing a layout that is in operation, onlookers are always looking down on it from their own perspective as a spectator. But, what if they could be inside the layout, and see it from the perspective of a passenger inside the trains? They would see the layout in a new way. That is Doug Geiger’s goal while operating his railroad – to make it the most realistic and prototypical as possible.

In this video, take a brief tour of Doug Geiger’s Granite Mountain Railway through the perspective of a tiny passenger. Then, listen as Allen Keller discusses Geiger’s favorite aspect of model railroading, and as he gives a short overview of the Granite Mountain Railway.

The Granite Mountain Railroad is a huge layout that must be able to fit into the small space that Geiger is able to provide. The room in which the railroad resides is a meer 43 by 23 feet. To deal with this lack of space, Geiger made the tracks of his model run in three tiers or levels. The operation and production of such a massive layout also creates its own set of difficulties. Luckily, Geiger has two groups of friends who help him with both operation and building.

The first or lowest tier of the layout features two hidden staging yards, alpha on the left, and zeta on the right. They share a helix in the center. From this helix, the trains pass through an unfinished area, to make its appearance in Stillaquamish.