The Ford Plant Has Two Sides

Modeler Rich Mahaney presents model railroad clinics all across America. In this video, Rich will discuss a layout in Missouri that features a huge industry that was built on the Mexico Texas and Western model railroad, also known as the Mexico Train Works in Mexico, Missouri. When Rich lived in Mexico, he was a member of this club and was a switcher. It takes a couple of hours just for the movements of this one industry.

The layout itself is based on a track plan that goes from the center of Missouri down to the Tulsa, Oklahoma branch line. The Ford Plant is a production plant with parts and frames entering on one side and finished vehicles coming out of the other. The building is 2 by 4 inches wide and 24 feet long.

The side of the plant with the autorack cars is the exiting side of the plant where finished vehicles come out. They are then staged in a yard and placed in the auto racks to be picked up by the switching to the main line. The other side features the incoming parts and various openings on the plant where cars are spotted to be unloaded. Tires, batteries, and frames can be seen here. All of the materials are brought in by various boxcars and then unloaded into the plant.

Rich goes on to show some pictures of the layout and the features he described. Overall, this layout demonstrates how simple construction can be used to create a complex and interesting industry with a lot of operating activity. For more, watch the full video. If you would like more tips on layout planning or if you would like to show us your layout, visit the Model Railroad Academy archives.