Retired Modules
The first modules produced and shown by club members were in 1985, all built in the St. Louis area, with 19 modules built during the second half of the 1980's. The 90's saw 12 more modules created, many to replace earlier efforts. As retired modules, several were integrated into home layouts, some were scrapped, some moved out of the area with their owners, some were remodeled into new scenes. Here are a collection of photos of modules we no longer show.
Chama, New Mexico
By: Chuck Graham
Started Construction: 1986, Retired: 2002
Chama, New Mexico was Chuck’s first module – a re-creation of the well-known helper terminal and division point on the San Juan Extension of the narrow gauge Denver & Rio Grande Western. Begun in 1986, this module split time between his home layout and the Mudhens’ appearances at local shows and National Narrow Gauge Conventions until 2002, when it was retired as a traveler and became permanently part of the home layout. These photos were taken prior to the 2000 NNGC home layout tour.
Chama’s iconic structures – the coal tipple, engine house, and depot are present in this 1950-1960s era scene, the latter two being scratch built with modifications to fit the available space. A turntable was included, even though the actual turntable had been removed decades earlier. The yard is populated with DC brass locomotives, including #271, a Sunset C-16 which Chuck painted. At this point, many more structures were planned.
Chama, as seen before a virtual layout tour as part of the virtual St Louis NNGC in 2020. Here the scenery has been restored, and the scratchbuilt warehouse and the oil dock have been added. Now the module is run using DCC, using a number of Blackstone K-27s for locomotive power.
Lake Junction & Sapinero, Colorado
By: Chuck Graham
Started Construction: Mid 1990's, Retired: 2009
Lake Junction and Sapinero, built as a two-table set, depict two locations along the upper portion of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado. While the Sapinero town was largely freelanced, the Lake Junction scene matched the actual location fairly closely. For years, these two modules were shown on the homepage of the Great American Train Show – a recurring event where the Mudhens won numerous modular layout awards. Both tables were retired in 2009.
A second Lake Junction module, following the 2008 Standards, was begun in 2014 and is now part of the Club Loop.
Quartz
By: Richard Rands
Started Construction: 1985, Retired: 2009
Richard Rands (Berkshire Valley Models) built Quartz, a freelanced mining scene with a long elevated spur, in 1985. The Leaverite mine was added later by Les Walker, and Greg Gray painted the backdrop. The module was retired in 2009, the mine was salvaged and now appears on the Sheridan Mining District table in the Club Loop. Photos by Gary Hoover.
Glory Hole / Summit
By: Paul Kraegenbrink w/ Club rebuild
Started Construction: 1989, Rebuilt: 1995 Retired: 2009
This 6’ module started out as “Glory Hole”, by Paul Kraegenbrink, and featured a straight across-the-front main line, a two-track spur into a quarry, and a front-to-back transition for occasional matching with Chama’s back-to-front transition. Photographer unknown.
By 1995, Paul chose to donate this to the club, and the group rebuilt the module as “Summit”. Most of the track was not changed, but the quarry was replaced with a town and an engine house, and a mountainous background on the left side was added to match that of Big Mill. Summit was retired in 2009.
Triple X Mine
By: Bud Garner w/ Club rebuild
Started Construction: 1988, Rebuilt: 1988 Retired: 2009
The Triple X mine module was originally a 3 foot corner HO standard gauge table, donated to the club by member Bud Garner. Rebuilding it into a western mine scene in 1988 was a club effort: Chuck Graham laid the HOn3 track and built the hillside, Randy Meyer added the rock castings, and Ty Marcucci built the mine. The module was retired in 2009. Photo by Gary Hoover.
East Tennessee
By: Les Walker
Started Construction: 1990, Retired: 2009
East Tennessee was one of several eastern narrow gauge-inspired modules built by Les Walker. This freelanced 4 foot corner module, built in 1990, captured the rolling terrain of the foothills and the rural feel of eastern narrow gauge. The module was retired in 2009. Photo by Gary Hoover.
An aerial view of Les Walker's East Tennessee. Photo by Gary Hoover.
Cranberry, North Carolina
By: Les Walker
Started Construction: 1993, Retired: 2009
Les Walker also modeled the Cranberry, NC location on the narrow gauge East Tennessee and North Carolina RR (ET&WNC), also called the Tweetsie. Les’ module faithfully featured some elevated tracks, turntable and engine house. The module, built in 1993, was eventually incorporated into Les’ home layout before being retired in 2001. Photo by Les Walker.
Doe River Gorge, North Carolina
By: Les Walker
Started Construction: 1987, Retired: 2005
The conductor had the engineer stop the train just before the bridge so tourists can get out and take in the grandeur of the Doe River Gorge from this vantage point.
Another shot of the Doe River Gorge. That's a lot of good looking vertical scenery! Les has been studying up on his geology! and remember, this is on a portable module.
Rico, Colorado
By: Fred Smalley
Started Construction: 1986, Retired: 2008
Photo by Chuck Graham, 2002
Fred Smalley built an 8 foot module depicting Rico, CO in the early 1900's on the Rio Grande Southern RR . The 2-piece module featured the Rico yard, 2 stall engine house, depot, various scratch-built support structures, and a backdrop painted by Greg Gray. Fred donated the module to the club in 1994, and after appearing at many narrow gauge conventions and events, it was retired in 2008.
Parlin, Colorado
By: Ty Marcucci & son Ty Jr.
Started Construction: 1989, Retired: 1997
Parlin, Colorado was a stock loading location east of Gunnison on the Denver and Rio Grande Western’s original “narrow gauge transcontinental” line over Marshall Pass. This 4 foot module, built by Ty Marcucci and his son Ty, Jr featured the stock pen and the small town. Photo by Chuck Graham.
Ophir, Colorado
By: Bob Rands
Started Construction: 1985, Retired: 1991
Bob Rands, the founder of Micro Engineering and of our Mudhens club, built this 4 foot corner module as Ophir in 1985. The module captures the grandeur of the famed location on the Rio Grande Southern which featured spectacular wooden trestles, hugging the mountainside in the San Juans. The module was retired in 1991 and is now part of a home layout. Photo by Chuck Graham.
Midway
By: Club project
Started Construction: 2003, Retired: 2009
Midway, a four foot module, was built as a club project in 2003 for that year’s National Narrow Gauge Convention in Denver. Midway, featuring a single spur for switching, was the last module built by the club using the 1984 Standards and DC control.
Photo by Gary Hoover.
Crested Butte
By: John Scherr
Started Construction: 1994, Retired: 2002
Crested Butte was a 2 table scene which included a wye, was built for the '94 National Narrow Gauge Convention in Denver. This important module set served as a location for turning engines and trains, as well as the beginning of a branch line.
Lizard head
By: John Scherr
Started Construction: 2000, Retired: 2005
Another of John Scherr's past modules was 6' long Lizard head based on the famous section of the Rio Grande Southern in south western Colorado.
Red Mountain Town
By: Herb Koenig
Started Construction: 1987, Retired: 1998
Herb Koenig built this beautiful module of Red Mountain Town on the Silverton RR, a near tree-for tree re-creation of the prototype. This 8' module with an extension for one of the legs of the wye, is now in service on Herb's home layout, the Cordite and Flat River RR.
This is the photo that inspired Herb to build his module. The photo was take in 1890 and part of the Richard Kindig Collection.
Alpine Station
By: Randy Meyer
Started Construction: 1985, Retired: 2011
Built by Randy Meyer in 1985, Alpine Station depicts the facilities adjacent to the west portal of Alpine Tunnel, under the Continental Divide, on the Denver South Park & Pacific mainline – which never did make it to the Pacific. Randy captured the barren nature of this location of epic snows and avalanches above timberline. In 2003, Randy transferred ownership of the 10’ two-piece module to Chuck Proudfoot in our Arizona Division, who added the stone engine house with the enclosed turntable. Currently, Chuck and son Scot are building a new, larger version of Alpine Station, to be composed of three 6’ tables, to replace this aging module.