Welcome to the Rocky Mountain Central (HO) and the Colorado Pacific (HOn3) based off of the Denver & Rio Grande Western. 

This is a 24x34 foot double deck layout set in the mid 1950's where steam is still prominent but you will occasionally still catch a covered wagon pulling a passenger train.  The layout features a 16-foot yard with a large steam servicing facility, deep gorges and a variety of scratch built or kitbashed buildings and bridges.  The lower level is mostly standard gauge except in the town of Salida where there is a narrow gauge yard with some dual gauge trackage for material transfer.

A southbound standard gauge train will leave Denver and head south to Pueblo, turn west to Salida, north through Leadville to Glenwood Springs, turn northeast bound through Orestod and Kremmling, then east through Sulphur Springs and ending up back in Denver.  Obviously a northbound would reverse the trip.  Prototype route map.

LOWER LEVEL TRACK PLAN:
(RED is the Rocky Mountain Central, Blue is the Colorado Pacific and Magenta is dual gauge track shared by both roads as they interchange.)

The Colorado Pacific starts a climb as it leaves Salida southbound, passes through Alamosa (hidden staging track) and then Antonito on the lower level.  It then turns westbound to Durango (another hidden staging track).  As the train leaves Durango (comes into view on the upper level) it either turns north to Silverton where the main commodity comes from the various mines or heads south to Farmington NM where lumber operations abound.   Prototype route map.

UPPER LEVEL TRACK PLAN:

The concept of operations is for the Colorado Pacific (CP) to extract the raw materials on the upper level, make the long trip down to Salida and transfer the goods to the Rocky Mountain Central (RMC).  The RMC then takes the goods to the Denver yard where the train is broken down and re-classified into outbound trains.  These trains then take the raw materials to the industries in the various towns along the route and pick up finished products which they return to Denver.  At this point the finished goods are again re-classified and new trains made up.  These trains may service any of the lower level towns or be destined to drop off their goods in Salida where they are transferred back to the CP and delivered to the various towns along its trackage.

The trains are controlled by Digitrax DCC with many incorporating sound.  Warning! Once you operate with sound you can't go back. 

Construction on the layout started in February of 1999.  Currently the lower level has all of the track installed and operational with 95% of the scenery roughed in and about 40% detailed.  The upper level is under construction with trackage being laid in Farmington.

To see any of the photographs of the layout click on an area of the track plan or on the town below .
Status as of 8/01/2003:
Denver - track, ballast and partial buildings
North Platte river (between Denver & Pueblo) - complete
Pueblo/Kremmling - complete
Track between Pueblo and Salida - complete
Salida/Orestod - track and partial buildings
Arkansas river (between Salida and Leadville) - complete
Leadville - track, roads and buildings, details to be added
Glenwood Springs - complete (mainline plus 3 hidden storage/passing tracks)
Sulphur Springs - complete (mainline plus 2 hidden storage/passing tracks)
Rio Grande Del Norte river and gorge - complete
Alamosa - complete (mainline plus hidden staging/passing track)
Antonito - complete
Durango - complete (mainline plus hidden staging/passing track)
Farmington - track being laid, some buildings complete & waiting to be installed
Silverton - planning stages, some buildings complete.  Silverton starts at a 63" level and will have a narrow gauge switchback track that will rise on a 4% grade another 10 inches as it serves the various mines.  That means that the track starts at approximately eye level and climbs from there so the operator will be looking up the mountain when working the mines.

Thanks for stopping by, if you have comments please send them to jhoverson@comcast.net.