Super Elevated Curves & Design on the Piermont Division

Howard Zane loves seeing a train bank around a curve on a model railroad. The best way to create this is to elevate the outer side of the curve. Using flextrack, Howard glues a shim of styrene to the outer rail, making sure to not cover the holes. The outer rail will flex with the track. Next is to spike the track down, easily finding the holes by looking for the double spike.

Allen Keller asks Howard Zane about the design aspects that have inspired him since starting his railroad. One night Howard was coming back from a music gig, and suddenly he dreamed up a town called Mac, West Virginia. He had it totally envisioned in his head and started sketching it out when he got home and started building it all in one night. He was so motivated by his vision that he worked on it nonstop until it was done, taking a mere two weeks. He implements his visions by simply building them, without the need to draw up a plan.

However, this means most of his structures have been done over as he discovers better ways of doing them along the way. To Howard, when someone has a fire lit under them to work on a model train, they will accomplish what they dream up. In this way Howard has been able to create his model railroad layouts paired with the discipline to carve out the time to make it happen. To Howard, fantasy and limitless imagination is the key to the hobby. While some find enjoyment in prototyping, Howard finds enjoyment in making up new concepts for this railroad.

Watch more from Allen Keller’s Great Model Railroad series in our video archives.