Overview of the Southern Railway
Bob LawsonDescription
In this video, Allen Keller will provide an overview of the Southern Railroad of Bob Lawson. This HO scale railway in Kentucky is Bob’s vision of small town Appalachia. Bob is an architect, engineer and builder who is known for creating dioramas that tell stories of life in the 1940’s and early 50’s. As a child, Bob wrote fan letters to the Southern and finally wound up designing freight cars for the railroad and others. He is so dedicated that he even has a real southern caboose that he plans to restore. The layout is full of eye catching scenes based on years of observation, notes, and photos. His scratch built structures are some of the best you’ll ever see. Trains run from Somerset to Danville, Kentucky through scenes that Allen Keller touts can only be called artistic.
Allen Keller is with Bob to touch on the layout’s famous diorama-like construction. Allen Keller asks why he built the layout in the series of dioramas. For Bob, having all the intense detail work in dioramas that are portable and can be moved with him, they are ideal. Bob’s railway has its own building, a former 3 car garage that is 24 by 30 feet. Most of the railroad is built on styrofoam. The track plan is complex due to the many loops that are used to gain running time. The trip begins and ends at Somerset, Kentucky. For more Allen Keller overviews or some of the best tips for great model railroads, visit the Model Railroad Academy archives.
The HO Scale Southern Railway in Kentucky is Bob Lawson's vision of small town Appalachia. Bob is an architect, engineer, and builder who is known for creating dioramas that tell stories of life in the late 40s and early 50s. As a kid, Bob wrote fan letters to the Southern and finally wound up designing freight cars for the railroad and others. Now, he has a Southern caboose that he plans to restore. The layout is full of eye-catching scenes based on years of observation, notes, and photos. His scratch-built structures are some of the best you'll ever see. Trains run from Somerset to Danville, Kentucky through scenes that can only be called artistic. Welcome, I'm Allen Keller, and this is Bob Lawson, the guy who created this fabulous Southern railway in Kentucky. Bob, the layout is famous for its diorama-type construction. Why did you build it as a series of dioramas? Well, the dioramas are where all the intense detail work is, and being portable, they follow me from location to location. I hope now they're in the permanent place. Bob's Southern Railway has its own building: a former three-car garage where it occupies 24 by 30 feet. Most of the railroad is built on styrofoam panels. The Southern trackland is complex because of the many loops that are used to gain running time. We'll begin and end our trip at Somerset, Kentucky.
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