Current Layout by Mike Swederska, Sr.

Layout Name:

"Meramec Valley Lines"

Layout Status:

active

Track Type:

Layout Space:

20' x 30'

Layout Style:

Walk-in

Track Manufacturer:

Shinohara & hand-laid

Rail Size:

code 100, 70

Min. Turnout Frog:

#8 (main), #6 (yards)

Min. Radius:

48"

Ruling Grade:

2.5%

Track Height(s):

54" to 64"

Mainline Track Length:

200'

Completed:

benchwork: 100%; track: 98%; scenery: 66%

Setting:

Missouri (south central Ozark wilderness)

Railroad(s) Modeled:

Control System:

DCC (Digitrax)

YouTube Channel:

visit

Notes:

Meramec Valley Lines is Mike's private road name. It modeled as if it is a subsidiary of the Missouri Pacific (slogan: "Serving the Missouri Ozarks"). Mike uses JMRI for operations, and Tortoise Hares for auto-routing turnouts.

Videos:

Mike's MP Mountain Scratchbuilt from Brass

2-8-2 Running Light in Early Hours

Omnicon PRR 4-6-2 on Layout Tour

The owner standing in his train room.

An example of the custom logo Mike uses on his engines.

The private railroad logo as it appears on freight cars.

The logo on a caboose.

Mike and Bill Winans exchanged decals for each of their respective private railroads. This photo shows Mike's model on his layout, using Bill's "St. Louis Eastern and Pacific" decals on the box car.

This shows one leg of the layout.

This photo shows the middle section of the layout.

This shows the third leg of the layout. It is the opposite view of the first photo, that is, Bill is standing where Mike was standing in the first photo.

This is one of Mike's scratchbuilt brass steam locomotives. See his YouTube channel for a video dedicated to the construction of the subject of the photo shown here, a Missouri Pacific 2-8-2 light Mikado, before it went into the paint shop.

This is a beautiful example of the work that master craftsman Mike does. This 4-8-2 Mountain-class Missouri Pacific #5339 and its tender were built out of brass, and he used S Scale Locomotive & Supply drivers. It took Mike about four months to build it. Themodel includes DCC, lights, and sound (see the MP Mountain YouTube video link for a test run of the engine). This photo appeared on the inside cover of the August 2023 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman in the NASG promotional ad campaign. Photo enhancements were done by Brooks Stover.

A composition of two cellphone photos Mike took showing his layout becoming congested with engines.