Model Train Resource: Online Videos of Great O-Scale Track Plans

At one of the largest proportions of 1/48th in the U.S., O-scale makes it easier to appreciate the fine details on locomotives and structures, albeit at the cost of requiring far larger spaces. Enjoy the work of some of the country's finest model makers by viewing their videos.

Scale Models, Arts and Technologies, a model building company, created this 52-by-22-foot layout for a lucky individual. This pike boasts over 1,538 feet of running, including five main lines ranging from 156 to 347 feet, a trolley run and subway. It’s meant to represent classic Americana, with lighted buildings full of interior detail, a roundhouse, a baseball field, air-traffic control tower and working drive-in movie theater. Check out the website, for more examples and videos of their work in O and HO scales.

Even if you don’t have room, you can still have an O-scale layout, as proven by Mario Brienza, whose creaton is only 12 inches wide, yet occupies the sides of t-by-12-foot room. Actual smoke, sound effects and operating signals add life to all his efforts. Diesel, steam and electric locomotives are represented. The videos are available below, here and here.

Established in 1926, the New York Society of Model Engineers reigns as the oldest model railroad group in the U.S. As you may have guessed from the name, the focus of this club is hand-crafting precision locomotives and rolling stock. Even the 20 scale miles of its two-rail O-scale track are hand-laid. (The club also has an HO scale layout.) Click the “Layout Pictures” button on the far left of the website for more videos as well as pictures of the groups fine work.

Founded in 1969 and with over 300 members, the East Penn Traction Club has long been a proponent of trolley modules in ¾”, HO and O scales. It sponsors the largest trolley-only model meet in the country in the spring of odd-numbered years. It freely shares its standards on its website, with basic O-scale modules measuring at least 16-inches wide and 47.25 inches long. All cars operate under live wire. Check out examples of the clubs efforts below, here and here.

Animation is the main draw in this public Christmas layout at Aventura Mall in South Florida, again by Scale Model Arts and Technologies. Look for private jets at the airport, cable cars traveling to the top of a snowy mountain, a water skier being pulled by a motorboat on the river, ice skaters at a rink and yes, a Christmas display in a small-town shop window. The pike sprawls over a 16-by-29-foot island with a total of 436 feet of running across five main lines and a trolley system.