John Gornick’s Tower Junction Railroad: DM&IR RR

• Scale: HO
• Era: Summer 1960
  
• Locale: Northern Minnesota
  
• Size: 11’ x 12’ Double deck around the wall with a 6 level helix
  
• Benchwork: 100% completed
• Track: 100% completed
• Scenery: 45-55% completed
• Control: MRC Prodigy Advance 2 DCC
  

The Tower Junction railroad is a proto-freelanced railroad based on the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway operations in Tower-Soudan and Ely, Minnesota.  When completed, there will be a few faithfully modeled prototype locations and the remainder of the railroad will be free lanced but operationally correct based on the Missabe’s operating practices.  The railroad is an iron ore hauler and features ore drags and mine switching along with some general freight and pulpwood operations.   There are two modeled mines (the Soudan in Soudan, MN and the Pioneer in Ely, MN) as well as several pulpwood loading locations and some other minor industries.

There is a visible staging yard that can store up to four trains and also allows for continuous running.  It is designed with operations in mind but is not far enough along to actually host operating sessions yet.  When ready, it will support 2-3 crews based on my current plan.