The recent thread on modeling NYC's Penn Sation contained a link to a recent video of Bill Katchel's Cosmopolitian Division of the PRR. Simply put, I was blown away by the layout. Searching YouTube I found a few other videos, including this cab ride view:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVJ7xfkdx6M
The overhead catenary is a work of art, particularly over the complex trackwork. I don't think I've ever seen so many dobule slip switches at one time.
None of the videos I've seen have any good narration about the actual layout. I can't find the size, but it has to be enormous. I'm curious how the size compares to Howard Zanes's beautiful layout. Did Bill build this all by himself, or did he have a dedicated support crew?
I usually prefer Southern California layouts, but I have to say that Bill's East Coast urban scenes make this the most spectacular layout I've ever come across.
Can anyone link other articles, or videos that may have more specifics of this layout?
Ray
Exceptional layout and most excellent modeler.
I believe some of his work has been published in the TKM from the PRRT&HS.
Pete.
If you want to see phenomenal catenary look for YouTube videos on Andy Rubio's PRR railroad. He gave a talk on it at a PRR convention one year.
THANK YOU! That's fabulous (and no way can I build something near it, with a *half* basement in a split level house). Well, except for the Godzilla-sized monsters on the side of the layout... <g>
Just search for Kachel at the Railroad Magazine index (https://rrmagazineindex.org/) and you'll get a couple of links, one to a 2021 article that had details on the layout (2600 square feet, started 1982, etc.). (I'm not sure forum rules permit me to directly post a link to the publication.) As model railroad layouts go, it is genuinely awesome, not just in size but in all the fine details.
SpringStreet Just search for Kachel at the Railroad Magazine index (https://rrmagazineindex.org/) and you'll get a couple of links, one to a 2021 article that had details on the layout (2600 square feet, started 1982, etc.). (I'm not sure forum rules permit me to directly post a link to the publication.) As model railroad layouts go, it is genuinely awesome, not just in size but in all the fine details.
Thanks for the link. I usually view that other not to named pubication but must have missed that issue.