The Passing of Fred Dole

Fred Dole loved to share his love of the hobby for the improvement of all.

With the passing of Fred Dole, the hobby is a little bit poorer.

 Fred was a consummate modeler and an enthusiastic devotee of promoting the hobby. Fred had been the Editor of O Gauge Railroading magazine and later became a regular contributor to, and photographer for Classic Toy Trains.

I had the pleasure of editing several of his feature stories and was struck by how complete his projects were, and the willingness he expressed for sharing his techniques. Fred was truly dedicated to sharing the notion that all three-rail layouts didn’t need to look alike – that you could create your own 1:48 scale world to satisfy your desires.

Fred was also a devotee to Frank Ellison's layout from "Back in the Day," and he owned several structures from that legendary layout. 

Fred created an eye-popping rail/barge interface for his railroad.

Below are some of his by-lines from CTT. Dust off your back issues and check them out.

Two-level operation was designed in to Fred's O gauge layout.

CREATING A BI-LEVEL CITY SCENE

Classic Toy Trains January 2013  p. 50

CHOO CHOO BARN MARKS 50 YEARS

A half-century of success at a Pennsylvania toy train landmark

Classic Toy Trains November 2011  p. 50

MAKE A CENTERPIECE STATION SCENE

Don’t just place a building. Develop a stand-out scene

Classic Toy Trains October 2011  p. 44

BUILD A BUSY HARBOR SCENE

Expert tips for a bay, coal loading dock, & scratch-built barge

Classic Toy Trains May 2011  p. 42

BARE WOOD TO LUSH VALLEY: SCENERY FOR A TIMBER TRESTLE

Making a deep valley to showcase a tall timber trestle is easy when you follow these steps.

Classic Toy Trains July 2010  p. 42 

Fred was a master of creating scenes with both trains or scenic details.

MAKE A SCENE WITH ACCESSORIES

Lionel’s new accessories are fun and eye-catching. Here’s how you can make them look more realistic.

Classic Toy Trains February 2010  p. 60 

CREATE AN IDENTITY FOR YOUR MODEL RAILROAD

Develop a one-of-a-kind railroad and customizing your rolling stock.

Classic Toy Trains May 2009  p. 58

REALISTIC BACKDROPS IN 3 EASY STEPS

How to add a sense of depth to any scene using scenery fats and simple photo backdrops.

Classic Toy Trains March 2009  p. 68 

Fred Dole integrated structures from Frank Ellison's layout onto his own railroad.

Frank Ellison’s original buildings on Fred Dole’s new O gauge layout

Classic Toy Trains October 2008  p. 38