Radio Trains

Home of Colleywood / Maryville Junction

Colleywood / Maryville Junction (CMJ), is a model railroad 4 x 8 foot N-scale DCC layout set in the mid-50's in a fictional place located in the Kettle Moraine area of southern Wisconsin. Click on the images below for enlarged versions and witness the weather change during a typical day.

Radio Trains' New Release for 2021

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACKS

Colleywood / Maryville Junction from another side. All of my previous videos of this layout have been filmed from the front side, with the layout's back side against the wall. Well, I've "turned the table" ... here's a look at CMJ from the other side of the tracks!

Introducing Our New Winter Layout

WINTERGREEN JUNCTION

Wintergreen Junction (2019)

Wintergreen Junction: 2020

Wintergreen Junction is set in a fictional place located somewhere in the great white north near the arctic and is snow covered nearly year round. This new 3x3 ft. N scale DC layout was created very quickly between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2019. Although unfinished and somewhat barren (ran out of time), it continued to evolve during 2020.Wintergreen Junction: 2020 reveals all of these additions including 6 new structures, 75 additional trees and interior lighting of the all the buildings. Still unfinished with more to come in 21!

Colleywood / Maryville Junction

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Colleywood / Maryville Junction - "A Day In The Life" is a eight part video series depicting a typical day in the life of CMJ in October of 1965. See the layout in operation from daybreak to evening, imagining a typical day at the junction.To view the entire series in sequence, start with Episode 1 one (above) or watch this playlist on YouTube.

The Back Story

CREATING THE LAYOUT

Colleywood / Maryville Junction is designed for simplicity, to prove that DCC does not require all of the intricate wiring the experts say is necessary for proper operations. This layout is powered by one single DCC feeder connection. It contains 4 main lines, 43 turnouts, 2 Auto Reverse Loops and effectively runs four different multi-locomotive consists, plus yard switching simultaneously. For the complete story, watch below.

CMJ Original Video (2012)

CMJ "Relocation & Renovation" (2018)

Welcome
Layout
About "RT"

Welcome Aboard

RADIO TRAINS produces videos of N-Scale and O-Scale trains plus documented rides and field trips on Real World trains,and is dedicated to Colleywood / Maryville Junction (CMJ), a model railroad 4 x 8 foot N-scale DCC layout set in the mid-50's in a fictional place located in the Kettle Moraine area of southern Wisconsin.

CMJ Layout Goals

The goal in designing CMJ was to include a main street, a residential area, a switching yard, multi-levels and the ability to operate four individual trains concurrently by one operator, while simultaneously being able to run a fully functional switch yard, all from one single DCC conenction to power the entire layout.

About "Radio Trains"

Although I've been a lifelong Lionel-Around-The-Christmas-Tree-Railroader, I'd never given much thought to becoming a "Model Railroader" until I was given the remnants of my son-in-law's N-scale layout which he had inherited from his grandfather, just after the turn of the century. That's when I caught the fever. However, my 3rd grade skill level at most tasks required to create a model railroad made my progress slower than a sea turtle out of water, not to mention I didn't do it the conventional way. Many mistakes were made, wrong decisions implemented and creative shortcuts taken. For the complete story, watch the video here.