I must say that from the very brief amount of what I've seen of this project, it looks pretty good. Having just purchased my first house, I'm looking to build and this seems like something right up my alley.... beer, trains, awesome! Anyone have any backgroup info on this line or links to point me in the right direction?
thanks
chris
I posted this background on the Beer Line in MR on another thread a week or so ago.
The original 4X8 Beer Line layout was in the April 1955 Model Trains (a magazinee Kalmbach purchased and operated for a while before merging it into MR). The older layout has been in a couple of Kalmbach books over the years, most recently Classic Railroads You Can Model (2002).
Assuming it's HO, I'm not sure why they kept the 4' width for the new one -- but we'll see when the magazine comes out. Since it's sectional, it could have been designed for any width and even 5' wide would allow for broader curves that would add reliability and flexibility in terms of equipment.
A Google search yields a number of links, many with photos. That would be a good thing to try.http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22beer+line%22+milwaukee&aq=f&oq=ByronModel RR Blog
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
If you have an interest in the prototype beer line in Milwaukee, then be aware that the Milwaukee Road Historical Association has published a very good soft cover book on the topic, packed with photos and information and well worth the money.
http://www.mrha.com/item-detail.cfm?ID=pub5
Dave Nelson