Trains.com host David Popp invites you along for this initial overview of Model Railroader magazine’s emerging HO scale (1:87.1) project layout, the East Troy Industrial Park Railroad! To get things started, David shares how 1:1 scale operations of a Class III railroad (as featured in the Trains.com Video Series “Taking Care of Business: SMS Rail Lines”) helped inspire designs for a new, contemporary display at Firecrown Media’s Wisconsin office. Without question, this all-new layout also draws upon the heritage, traditions, and even locations established by the former MR&T model railroad. Throughout the build, David and Co. will devote attention to showcasing a wide array of old and new tips, tricks, and techniques they’ll use to bring this project to fruition – all in time for cover story presentation in the January 2026 issue of Model Railroader magazine!
Our design is for an L-shaped HO scale layout that measures 14 x 19 feet. The railroad has a 28” minimum curve radius on the main line and uses no. 5 turnouts or larger throughout. It will feature some of the East Troy Trolley Museum’s main line and operation, small pieces of both the town of Mukwonago and East Troy, and assorted industries collected from SMS in New Jersey and from southeastern Wisconsin. It also features an option to later add more of the trolley operation through a plug-in addition. Freight service on the ETIP will be handled by the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. While set in modern day, this layout could easily be backdated to most any operating plan in the past 120 years with minor changes to the industry choices and structures.
