Ted Brandon was known for many years as one of the premier Nn3 modelers. Recently Ted decided to switch to On30 and set about recreating his Rio Verde railroad in that scale/gauge. Ted has been kind enough to share his new On30 layout with us on this website. So without further ado, I turn this over to Ted:
"Having been active in model railroading for over 60 years, I had gradually moved down the scales from O-Gauge tinplate, through S, HO, TT and finally to N, but with a twist: Nn3 was so challenging that I could not resist it. I worked in Nn3 scale for over 20 years, ending that period as editor of the "Nn3 Handbook," the bible for that scale. My pride and joy was a scratch-built twin-motored model of the Uintah 2-6-6-2T Mallet in Nn3, all of 3-1/2 inches long!"
"Once I reached 80 years of age, I began to wonder how long my fine motor skills and vision might last, so decided to convert my N/Nn3 Rio Verde Railroad layout to On30, a scale with easier-to-handle equipment. I intended to do this with a minimum of destruction to roadbed and scenery. Fortunately, my Nn3 curves had been pretty wide, but On30 curves on the same roadbed meant accepting a 16-inch minimum radius. This wasn’t tragic, since I had decided to limit my motive power to BLI C-16s and Bachmann 2-8-0s at the most."
"I was able to retain most of my scenery, except for making adjustments for the wider swing and height of On30 locos. My N-Scale pine trees, however, had suddenly become On30-seedlings, although the overall effect, especially with the mountain backdrop, remained good, in my view."
"The Rio Verde is built on framework ranging around three sides of a 24 x 15 foot basement. Except for two peninsulas extending into the center, the framework is supported by 1x4 braces extending at an upward angle from the joint of floor and wall to the front cross members. This method provides excellent strength while eliminating the risk of accidental damage from kicks to traditional vertical legs under a layout’s front."
"The layout features a single-track main line of about 150 feet, ending in a return loop at a small station with its own freight yard and a commercial facility. Altogether there are four stations on the railroad, each with one or more freight customers, including a coal mine still pending. At typical 12-15 MPH scale speeds, main line running time out and back can be up to 15 minutes."
"Train control is handled by a 5-amp NCE wireless DCC system with sound installed in all steam locos."
Editor's Note: I first saw photos of Ted's old Nn3 layout in the Sept./Oct. 1998 issue of the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette. His modeling in Nn3 really impressed me, and he had built a really beautiful layout in this scale/gauge.
I met Ted at several of Allen Littlefield's Mid-Hudson On30 meets and learned that he has switched over to On30. Later I found out that he had purchased an NCE 5 amp DCC system, same as mine. We commiserated via email about our lack of DCC knowledge and decided to share our experiences with it. Ted also mentioned that work was progressing well on his Rio Verde layout.
Sooner or later I knew that I would ask Ted for an article on his Rio Verde for the website. Well, here it is and I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do. Ted has done some fantastic work on the layout and I thank him for sharing it with us.
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This page updated April 13, 2008
Webpage © Lawrence Rickert
Layout description, captions and photos © Ted Brandon