John Peluso’s Frisco Lines Eastern Division Model Railroad

photos by Dale DeWitt

John Peluso has been fascinated with trains all his life. John and his boyhood friend, John Garavaglia, spent many hours watching the Frisco and MoPac railroads go about their work.

This beautiful 16’x30′ HO scale double-deck layout features broad curves, rolling tree covered hills, two deck truss bridges, a helix, and two 1½% grades. John’s design goal was to have lots of running space between his towns and double-deck construction allowed for a 400 foot mainline. The layout uses CVP Products EasyDCC to control his trains which will facilitate John’s plan to implement operations.

There are five towns modeled: Webster Groves, Rolla, St. James, Dillon, and Dixon. Webster Groves is the home of John’s beautiful scratchbuilt Webster Groves Station. Another scratchbuilt structure is the Dutch Boy paint plant. The layout also features the Lindenwood double ended yard with an eight track capacity with a diesel service facility and two other hidden staging yards, Chouteau and Springfield.

John’s railroad serves one large grain elevator and a small grain elevator in a rural town. The firms served by the railroad ship a variety of goods including lumber, fabricated steel, grain, manufactured consumer goods, and other industrial products plus parts.

John has done an excellent job of hiding the entrance to the room and a second door, which provides access to the shop area. The doors blend fully with the scenery and swing open and closed. John did such a wonderful job of disguising them, many visitors can’t find their way out!