Roger Russell's On3 and Sn3 Layouts

Roger Russell’s On3 engine won first place in 1993 at the San Antonio Convention. This was a lot of fun for him. Roger wanted to create something different that he had never seen at a Narrow Gauge convention. The engine started as a kit and he soldered it together in precision scale. The inspiration for the engine came from photos. Then he wanted to take it a step further and animate it, upping the ante for the convention. He did not disappoint, driving everyone at the convention crazy. Some of his structures are scratch built, while some are made using kits. He prefers scratch building and he has learned that he would rather do freelance work. Not having to recreate a specific scene gives him creative freedom.

Roger started building an open grid Sn3 layout on plywood and immediately had trouble getting the rolling stock to run. He worked on it for a couple months until a friend came over. In just three hours the layout came down and was destroyed because his foundation had been all wrong. This taught him the importance of a foundation and that it needs to be true for the rolling stock. He used hollow core doors and ceiling tile, both for the scenery and how it sound deadens.

The Sn3 Rio Grande Southern represents mining in the 1940’s. His first layout was modeled after what he saw in Colorado. Mining had settled that area, so it was normal to find mine industries. Favorite structures on this layout include the Durango engine house and the Durango depot scene. Roger tried to catch most of the Colorado flavor. For more tips on planning your layout visit the Model Railroad Academy website.