YouTube vlogger Hyce posted a tour he recently took of Eddie Carroll's layout in Texas. It's a large, mostly-complete HO and HOn3 layout. Large is not the word. Even for Texas, large is not the word. Where to begin, though?
First, the scenery looks amazing! While nothing any human can do would come close to compare to the beauty of the original, Eddie and his friends have done satisfactory justice to the western San Juan narrow gauge railroads. The Denver & Rio Grande Western's Silverton line is there--including a dual gauge Durango yard, along with much of the Rio Grande Southern and the Silverton Railroad to Red Mountain. All of it is hand-made and dutifully maintained.
The trackwork, the scenery, the background, the rolling stock, nearly everything is worth studying. Nonetheless, of particular note is the model of the Silverton Railroad's Corkscrew Gulch Turntable. The prototype, which is in the final stages of decomposition across the valley from the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton, is the only instance in North America of a turntable installed for use on the main line of a railroad.
As Hyce said, closing out the 40 minute video,
Eddie was so kind to take us through and show off his layout, which was incredible. Not only is it gigantic and multi-level, everything about it is so artfully and artistically done. ... It's not just giant for the sake of being giant, it's also so detailed and exquisite in its very own way.
Almost as an afterthought, the lower portion of his layout is standard gauge HO, based on Eddie's favorite Pennsylvania lines. All of it's worth a look, not to envy so much as to certainly admire! Great job, Eddie Carroll and friends! ⚒
