Overview of the New England, Berkshire & Western

In this video, view an overview of the New England, Berkshire & Western model railroad layout. This video is Allen Keller’s tribute to the Rensselaer Model Railroad Society on the 50th anniversary of the club and 25th anniversary of the New England, Berkshire & Western model railroad.

This is the fourth version of the HO layout that has been built by students and friends. One man is more closely associated with the club than anyone else, John Nehrich. John has been involved in the club since 1968, and now works full time for it. He has kept the vision of building a model that is true to the original concept, even though the layout has been refined over the years. Allen speaks with the president of the NEB&W, Mike Barenys.

Some aspects of the layout are different from the model Allen saw when he was there in 1987. The outside of Davison Hall hasn’t changed much over the years but the layout sure has. The NEB&W is in the basement of this hall at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Most of the layout has been rebuilt at least twice, yet the continuity of the club and the layout remains, even improved. The members are sticklers for accuracy of rolling stock, structures, and scenery. The 40 members are evenly divided between students and non students. The layout itself is L-girder with hand-laid track and a minimum radius of 48 inches. This visit to the NEB&W will include a number of trains, so you will get a feel for the total railroad and its traffic. The overview begins in the branchline at North Creek.