Earl Smallshaw

The Middletown & Mystic Mines RR was begun about 35 years ago. It's a coal-hauling railroad depicted in the year 1925. It's freelanced, following no particular prototype although some structures are patterned after actual structures in the prototype town of Middletown.

The layout is in a room 16 X 16 feet in a closed "W" shape. There is approximately 275 feet of mainline track. All track work is hand laid except in tunnel areas. I model in HO and HOn3 scales. See my layout by going to LAYOUT PLAN in my web site.

I've added a new feature to my web site called PANORAMIC VIEWS. This provides the you with views of the major sections of my layout so that they can be compared to the Layout Plan. You can see these sections by going to PANORAMIC VIEWS.

A more up close, and detailed, view of the layout can be seen by taking a train from one end of the layout to the other by going to LAYOUT TOUR. I have replaced most of the original photos with those taken digitally for better reproduction. There are more than 60 photos of my layout, most of which have never been published, where I explain details of the scene and modeling techniques.

I have been writing articles since I was a junior in high school, almost 60 years ago. If you want a reference list of articles I have written, you can select these using ARTICLES. My first article, appeared in the June copy of the 1951 HO Monthly, (no longer published). In addition, if I have any articles soon to be published, they are listed, along with photos, by selecting FUTURE ARTICLES.

Our model group, the HARTFORD WORKSHOP, was started by Harold Horner, Donald Clerke, Al Kalfleisch, and me. Check this new page out to see photos of the current members layouts as well as Harold Horner's efforts.

Plans are in the works to provide a 5-minute video of the layout. I have tried it so I know it works. All I have to do is shoot the video. See it soon on LAYOUT VIDEO.

If you ever find yourself in Connecticut, make plans to see the layout. I will accommodate everyone I can if our mutual schedules allow and if I get some advance notice of your plans to visit.

Lastly, if you have any comments, good or bad, about this web site, modeling problems of which I may be able to provide some help, or just want to discuss model railroading, then click on FEEDBACK & LINKS. I will attempt to answer all that I receive.