Vol. 05: Don Cassler's M&K Divison of the B&O
The M&K Division of B&O Railroad is a spectacular model created by Don Cassler and fellow builders, Bill Hanley and Mark Vinski. Don welcomes Allen into his home to unveil the fruits of a 20-year project. The trio’s layout is based on collective memories of cherished train-watching locales, and was specifically designed to suit the space of Don’s basement.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) is the oldest railway in the United States. Don’s scale model represents the West Virginia portion of this legendary railroad, where towering mountain grades are common and helper engines contribute additional power to inch winding trains of 50 cars up the steep gradients. 20 years of hard work put in by Don, Bill and Mark is without a doubt on full display, and it’s an understatement to call the incredible M&K a true masterpiece.
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1:54Check out the model of the M&K Division of B&O Railroad created by Don Cassler and his fellow model railroaders, Bill Hanley and Mark Vinski. Allen Keller is welcomed into Don’s home to see a 20 year long project that took place in Don’s basement. The trio formed an informal club and worked under Don’s
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5:27Check out the completed masterpiece of the M&K Division of the B&O in this video tour. This strikingly detailed model was created by Don Cassler and his club which consisted of fellow model railroaders, Bill Hanley and Mark Vinski. The club finally completed the immense project after 20 years in the basement of Don Cassler.
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12:29In this video, watch the operation of Don Cassler’s M&K Division of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and listen to the narration by Allen Keller. Tour the layout as if you were there, following the trains’ rotations with Keller describing the various operations along the way. The operating scheme of the West Virginia modeled M&K
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5:51It was not hard for Don Cassler and his club to find inspiration for their model railroad. They based their model railroad on the M&K Division of the B&O in West Virginia. Don explains how everybody that worked on the layout was captivated by that area of the country as well as that kind of
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3:01Railfanning is a hobby many enjoy. A railfan is an individual who is interested in model railroads. Don Cassler believes that inspiration is the greatest thing you can get from railfanning. Railfanning also allows you to get an idea of an area you are trying to model. You can take pictures of others’ layouts and
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2:54In this video, Allen Keller talks with Don Cassler about scratch building model railroad structures. Many modelers struggle with getting started on their layouts because they are uneasy. The financial investment they have made in their kits and materials can make them wary to actually use them. The beauty of scratch building is that the
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4:35In this video, Don Cassler demonstrates the use of the custom tools he has made for car detailing. Cassler gives his tips and tricks to make car detailing easy and more efficient. Cassler has developed a tool with a needle attachment that can be used for multiple functions. These functions include picking up styrene, holding
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2:11There are many benefits to working on a model railroad with a small group of people. The friendships made, the companionship, and the unique expertise offered by each modeler means that a layout can be completed faster, and with improved quality. In this video, see Don Cassler’s basement model railroad layout and hear him describe
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2:35In this video, watch Don Cassler’s M&K run and listen to him discuss its operation with Allen Keller. Cassler’s layout operates once a month and is worked on with his team three weeks a month. The M&K is unique because of its untraditional island formation. This design enables the engineers to follow their trains around
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