Final ride along the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy | In this salute to Model Railroader magazine’s renowned MR&T (a.k.a “Myrt”) 28 x 54-foot model railroad in HO (1:87) scale, Trains.com cameras capture the final run over the entire +200-ft mainline route. Enjoy this first-ever, on-track perspective video of the storied layout that thrilled MR staff members, Kalmbach Media employees, and countless numbers of eager visitors since the early 1990s. Although the model railroad has become a fallen flag, this unique video stands as a glowing testament to the exemplary craftsmanship so many people contributed to the Milwaukee, Racine, & Troy layout construction efforts for nearly half a century.
If you enjoy this video, you won’t want to miss the additional videos (incl. a comprehensive Layout Visit, Rehab My Railroad series, and more) showcasing the display layout — all available to Trains.com Unlimited Members today!
That final downgrade!?! What is the slope on that? Must be fun for an uphill run pulling any number of roalling stock!
Great video of a beautiful layout.
The last run. Farewell MR&T the King of Layouts we will miss you but something better is coming in 2026.
Wow, what a fun ride on a legendary layout—thank you for that. Beautiful modeling work; all who contributed have good reason to be very proud of your accomplishments. Long live the MR&T!
• Tom
I’ve loved watching the videos and reading about the MR&T over the past few years as you all have added and remodeled it. Surely you all can find a home for this beautiful layout with a club, model enthusiast or someone. I know many of us would love to have the room for something like this! Thanks so much for allowing us to enjoy this layout from afar!
metzger2@charter.net It sure was great to ride along on its final ride. I’ve read several articles about it over the years but now it all is in perspective. Thanks to all that made it look and feel so real.
I guess there will be no more promotional rolling stock of MR&T for sale? It’s sad to see an iconic layout become a fallen flag.
I was curious about the number of re-railers in place on the downslope to the lower level. I assume it was because that was a difficult spot to get to when it came to manually rerailing a train, so every effort was made to keep the trains on the track.
Many thanks to all of the MR staffers who worked on the MR&T over the last five decades. I’ve read countless modeling articles that had ties back to it. It will definitely be missed, but a new layout always gives you a chance to change the things that you didn’t quite get right, use the latest materials and techniques, and learn some new things along the way. I’m looking forward to seeing the new layout being developed from the start in its new location. We’ll also be able to watch videos of it. Thanks again MR staff!
Salute to the many talented individuals who contributed to this iconic model.
Thanks so much for the tour and the perspective. Fun to see so many iconic scenes from various how-to features over the years as they appear along the line, though I noticed the train didn’t run through the Jones Island area.
Sad to see it go, but that’s life, and something we will all face with our own layouts as the years go by.
Hopefully a replacement is already being planned at your new location?
Sorry that the MR&T had to be terminated. I feel your pain as one who had to tear up my 25 year-old layout in 2018.
Can Trains.com provide a download of this trip so It can be stored on a home computer? Easier than creating and mailing a DVD, The many improvement projects over the years are really shown to advantage here. As I understand it, the main yard was never completely operational, which barred the MR&T from a traditional full operations scenario. Too bad. But the rail fanning experience of test and other trains running through all that glorious scenery showed the design and building skills of all the MR personnel who created this layout masterpiece.
A good send-off for a milestone layout. I was lucky enough to tour it in person with Neil Besougloff some time around 2014 or 2015.
I hope we can get a behind-the-scenes of the last run, it’d be interesting to see how you accomplished the ride along – I have a sneaking suspicion as to how, but I’d be interested to see it all laid out.
Looks like a flying dragon at the 4:44 mark. Is it an Easter Egg for the Lake Geneva original Dungeon Master?
Oh…. And of course Cody’s narrated version! 🙂
Hi MR and Trains.com staff! So sad to see the end of this MRT. This was truly one of my favorite model railroads! Any chance this video and one narrated by Dana can be made available on DVD? Will you be building the next version of the MRT at the new location and if so will some of the iconic structures be moved to the next version? Marc
Who knew the MR&T was that large and it must’ve been impressive to see in person. Thanks for the historical preservation – a fun ride in many ways. Best success in the new space.