When this O-gauge Lionel train layout was built in 1947, I was too young to appreciate all of the effort that my dad put into it. He worked a regular job (45 to 50 hours per week) with the Pennsylvania Railroad and produced this three-level layout in his spare time without using power tools of any kind. Every piece of wood was hand-sawn, every hole was hand-drilled and all burlap was hand-tacked. Watered-down plaster was applied by brush to create the snowy ground.

The Christmas layout was built in the basement of our small Philadelphia row home and, because it was too big to carry up the basement stairs, was taken out the back door and around the block to the front of our house. It barely fit through the doorway, even after the storm door and front door had been removed.

The image on this page is from a 35mm photo taken by my late Uncle John Sherlock, who also worked for the PRR.


More Train Info & Photos

Main Page - Introduction
Overview - General description
Aerial photo - Large photo overview of layout
Photorama - Several pages of photos
Construction - Progress photos and descriptions
Layout storage - How we move and store this train layout
Inventory list - It continues to grow
Frequently asked questions - And answers to them
Tips for a better layout - Ten helpful suggestions
My grandson's layout - A simple model railroad for kids
GM Aerotrain - 1950s Train of the Future
Hiawatha - The first streamlined steam loco
PRR Consolidation - Pennsy's steam freight workhorse
PRR GG1 - The most famous electric locomotive on earth
PRR Mallet - Pennsy's big, powerful steam freight hauler
PRR MP54 - Serving commuters for over 50 years
PRR T1 - Sleek and massive Pennsy steam power

copyright Joseph M. Sherlock - 2000-21
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