The Copper Valley Railway
The layout models The Copper Valley Railway, a fictitious feeder line that interchanges with The Milwaukee Road in McKeever, Michigan (represented by a staging yard). The railroad also interchanges with the SOO line and the DSS&A in Houghton, Michigan. Other connections include the Wilson Lumber Company (fictitious) a logging line running from the forests above Hancock to a sawmill in Mohawk, Michigan. The Quincy & Torch Lake, a separate (and real) narrow gauge railroad brings raw ore from mines atop Quincy Hill to a mill and smelter at Mason, Michigan. From here the Copper Valley carries processed ore out of the Copper Country via its connections with the Milwaukee, Soo and DSS&A. A branch line also extends to Misery Bay, a lakeside fishing community.
The premise of the layout is that the copper industry in Michigan remained strong into the 1950s. In reality, copper mining was essentially over by the 1930s, outside of some ore reclamation operations that occurred during WWII.
At this point, the town of Hancock is the only one completely finished. Houghton is approximately 1/3 finished. All other areas are in the benchwork stage. What is finished features rugged, UP scenery resplendent in fall colors, plus highly detailed structures.
A unique feature of the layout is a 10-track hidden staging yard that pulls out like a drawer when in use then will disappear under Quincy Hill when not in use. Essentially the yard works as a giant transfer table. While the staging yard is complete and operational, Quincy Hill has not yet been constructed, thus the yard’s mechanisms are still fully visible.
Photos
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