Flyover of the HO Scale Chesapeake & Lake Erie RR

A quick "flyover" (and a not-so-great video made with my little mud-duck digital camera) of the extensive HO-Scale layout of the North Shore Model Railroad Club in Wakefield, Massachusetts. This 30'x 90' model railroad has been under construction since 1978. Club members gather several nights a week to run trains, build or repair sections of the layout, perform ongoing maintenance, or just hang out and talk trains. There are a number of model railroad clubs of various sizes around the country. This is one of the larger club layouts in New England. The railroad they've created is a fictitious transportation "system" called the Chesapeake and Lake Erie, which operates from tidewater at "Hampton News" to Charlottesville with various routes eminating to Chicago, Detroit and other destinations. The layout features a climb over the Appalachians across and along rivers and valleys. Several branch lines feed traffic to the main line and add operating interest and realism. Numerous industries--including a steel mill and power plant--are served by the C&LE. The layout is operated as if it were an actual railroad with members acting as train "crews" as they walk alongside their trains meeting or passing other trains, picking up or dropping off cars of freight at various consignees, as well as operating several passenger trains. There is a working signal system and a "dispatcher" who oversees the entire railroad, coordinating train movements. It's a fun hobby which brings together people from all walks of life and all ages in a common forum of friendship, learning, creativity, imagination and just plain FUN!