KVRY

On Halloween, we flew out to St. Louis and then drove to Carlyle, Illinois where we visited Ric and Jan Golding’s Kaskaskia Valley Railway.

Ric and Jan host an operating session twice a year and we attended the fall session.   It spans both Saturday and Sunday and accommodates operators that arrive at irregular intervals.

The KVRY starts in the basement and extends from the back of the house all the way to the front yard. 

It takes quite a bit of time to traverse from one end to the other, and just getting out of the basement can be an adventure in itself.  Ric has created a series of switch backs that allows you to move from a chest level layout through a high window in the basement.
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The weather was perfect.   It was warm and the skies were clear.

To the left, Doug Matheson, Bart Salmons, and André Schofield survey part of the layout in the backyard, near Beagle Junction.

Doug traveled from Ottawa, Canada, while Bart hails from West Virginia, and André from Minnesota.    I first met all of these guys on-line; the internet can really bring people together.
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The KVRY uses a dispatcher based in a room just off the kitchen. Train operators communicate via two-way radios to get permission to advance to the next town.

To the right, Jane Clarke, the dispatcher, checks a switch list while Bart looks on.   In the background are Doug Matheson and Andy Clarke.
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Outside, you can see that it was a beautiful fall day.  

Andy Clarke is the yardmaster for Consolidated Yard, which is located at the front of the house.  

The track to the right is a switch back that goes from Consolidated down to “Cat Dump”.
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Just like real life, trains get to sit awhile.

On the right,, Doug Matheson and Ken Brunt are waiting with their train at Southern Junction.

Southern Junction is where the track from the basement joins the outdoor railroad.
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On the left, Jane Clarke, Jan Golding and Ric Golding.  

Ric and Jan are tireless promoters of the hobby.