Ye gods - that's a tough one. I love urban railroads. My two top nominees would be:
I would nominate Chuck for sheer grandeur (and operational interest) of his huge Kansas City switching layout, John for the magnificent urban structure modelling from Boston.
Smile, Stein
There are so many I could not and will not go through to search for names, but I will mention my favorite. My choice , becase I was given the oportunity to run all positions and the atmosphere was always light with much laughter.
The late Whit Towers' Alturas and Lone Pine(ALP).
Yes it was dated and had baker couplers but it was point to point and everything on the rails had a purpose. The trains were short with an occassional long reefer train blasting through. The ALP had well planned yards that were challenging to operate and keep up with the schedule. In Alturas there was the interchange with the Western Pacific that created more traffic and gave us a taste of diesels on the layout(ALP=steam).
Whit will always be with me when planning my next move. I can see him sitting there with a cigarette or two laughing at my solutions and offering ways to do it better.
John
Bear "It's all about having fun."
Gee, its hard to limit myself to just ten...
10. Utah Colorado Western
9. Ohio Southern
8. Apalachian Southern
7. M & K Division
6. Granite Mountain
5. Coal Belt
4. Alleghany Midland
3. Utah Belt
2. Gorre and Dapheited
1. Virginian and Ohio - Allen McClelland's original
And, of course, my own Port Able and Pacific Railway.
George
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
1. East Broad Top, plan in the Dec 71 MR - it's the one that really hooked me on the hobby.
2. Gorre and Daphetid
3. Canandaigua Southern
4. Delta Lines
5. Prospect and Upper Ridge
6. V & O
7. Crooked Mountain Lines
8. Thatcher's Inlet
9. The Layout Doctor series
10. And of course the one I'm working on
Enjoy
Paul
Bob Grech
Joe Fugate
John Olsen - Jerome & SW / Mescal Lines
Malcolm Furlow - San Juan Central
John Allen - G&D
Boy! Is this one gonna be tough to view with dial-up...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Have you run on all of these?
I think the V&O would have to be #1 on my list. The G&D would have to be on it somewhere as would the original Sunset Valley.
Kind of like the Lettermen Top-10, but without the non-sense, the real top ten that you admire! I'll start mine (I like Western roads) So there is heavy Western influence.
10) Utah Belt - Eric Brooman
9) Cajon Pass - Ted York
8) Los Angeles District - Bruce Petty
7) Utah, Colorado Western - Lee Nichols
6) Mississippi, Alabama and Gulf - Cliff Powers
5) DRGW Tennesse Pass - Bernie Kempenski
4) Chicago, Indianaopolis and Louisville - Lance Mindheim
3) Argentine Division - Chuck Hitchcock
2) Daneville and Donner - Pelle Soeberg
1) SP Siskou Lines - Joe Fugate
Greatest Hit of All Time:
Cat Mountain and Santa Fe - David Barrow