LAYOUT FACTS
Saint Louis Lines is an HO-scale model railroad focusing on operations of the Missouri Pacific (MoPac) Lines in the Saint Louis area during the late nineteen-seventies. Other railroads represented on the layout include the Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA), Norfolk & Western (N&W), Alton & Southern (A&S), and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (FRISCO).
Major changes began to take place on the layout in late 2024. The entire upper level of the bi-level layout was removed and the primary staging yard was completely reconfigured. Additional modifications to operations were heavily inspired by Missouri Pacific’s St. Louis Terminal Division operations of the nineteen-seventies. The layout is spread between two rooms and was constructed with wide aisles to comfortably accommodate operators and visitors.
Lenz Digital Command Control was used to power the layout for years, but in late 2024 it was replaced with a TCS (CS-105) Command Station and booster. CTI Electronics products and NCE Light-its are used to power signals. An Arduino-driven relay module controls power to the staging tracks. Block detection is accomplished using NCE BD-20s connected to TowerLCC+Q boards by RR-Circits. All systems interface with a Windows 10 PC running the most recent update of Java Model Railroad Interface (JMRI). Most locomotives are sound-equipped, using a mix of Train Control Systems, Soundtraxx, and LokSound decoders.
Lighting is provided by daylight-balanced LEDs.
TRAIN OPERATIONS
A 5-track staging area at one end of the layout incorporates a wye for turning locomotives. There is a division classification yard at the other end, with a loop for turning trains. A JMRI computer-simulated centralized traffic control system (CTC) controls signals and routes, and is used to manage all mainline traffic. Crews communicate between the dispatcher and yardmaster directly or by using a dedicated wireless telephone system.
JMRI OperationsPro is used for car forwarding, with some manifests and switch lists generated live during an operating session. MR SLAM FORMATTER is used to format and print PDF manifests and switch lists. Car cards & waybills are not used.
A crew of 7 operators is optimal for a full session. There are local trains, mixed freights and yard transfers transporting grain, cement, farm machinery, trailers, beer, steel, and many other commodities.
Represented Railroads are:
- MoPac (Missouri Pacific) – Primary Operations. Yards, locals, manifest freight trains.
- Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad – manifest freights over MoPac right-of-way.
- Terminal Railroad Assoc. of St. Louis (T.R.R.A) – Serves several industries incl. Purina Mills.
- Alton & Southern – yard transfer
- Frisco (St. Louis-San Franciso) – yard transfer
- Norfolk & Western (former Wabash) – yard transfer
This page last updated January 2025.
See the Operations pages for more information on Train Operations.