The Missabe Northern Railway - Part 1 - Overview and Route to Mesabi Iron Range of Minnesota

The Missabe Northern Railway Is a very large private HO model railroad based on the DM&IR and Great Northern railways in Minnesota in the early 1940s. It captures the flavor of the full cycle of moving ore from the Mesabi Iron Range to the two ore docks of the DM&IR at Duluth. It also includes general freight operations from Duluth to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as on the Iron Range plus detouring grain trains from the west for delivery to the elevators of Duluth.
The layout focuses on realistic operation and performance. Over 4,000 feet of code 70 track is hand laid on Homasote spline roadbed for smooth, sweeping curves. 560 turnouts are scratch built in place to aid the illusion that equipment is flowing through the longer turnouts full-size railroads use.
Connecting railroads represented include the NP, DW&P, C&NW, SOO, Sandstone Quarry, Mesabe Southern (logging), CB&Q, MN&S, and Minnesota Transfer.

[@mikekutz5776]

This is wonderful, I enjoyed every minute. Hope to see part 2 soon. Being, a Minnesota boy and the son of a former Milwaukee Road employee this bring back lots of memories. I remember a vacation trip up around Hibbing and the surrounding area as a small boy. Thanks for this post.

[@johnarthur6302]

This is a really impressive layout- Lots of big steam and great track work with plenty of room for those long trains. I look forward to more - thanks for sharing!

[@bobdtaylor1989]

Such a pleasure to watch and listen to your narration. The layout looks like such fun to operate, good idea prioritising getting things running before scenery!

[@Missabe3]

Thanks much, Bob. Yes, clearly a long term project, so I made sure I also did more physically challenging things first while body still cooperating, like finishing most track plus wiring work crawling underneath or twisting underneath upper deck!

[@derekalexander4030]

You have done an incredible job on this layout. It must have taken a lot of control not to fill all of that space with track. The result is spectacular. Thank you for sharing the layout.

[@Missabe3]

Thank you. My interest, as a railfan and retired railroader, is seeing trains going somewhere making money, not crawling through a maze of inner-city terminal trackage surrounded by "clutter". Seeing decent size trains flowing 30-40 mph through very large radius curves and easements is more photogenic for me than thumping along at 5-10 mph through a bunch of rough commercial turnouts. This is balanced with a lot of yard and industry track as well, so I have the best of both with variety in both as I saw in my career.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Wow!! That is quite the operation! Your layout is amazing. Thanks for sharing it with us

[@Missabe3]

Thanks for watching!

[@rogerhuber3133]

Fantastic layout. Beautiful!

[@jwrailve3615]

Finallyyyyy. Someone who’s using large steam beyond challenger and repetitive rerun big boys. Found another channel who models ops with large steam it’s always nice to see! Impressive layouts and those ore strings is absolutely incredible

[@Missabe3]

Gee, what's a Challenger... Thanks. I have to admit I did get an AHM cab-forward back when on sale once for $20 or $25 (yes, way back about Jr. High...). I flipped it around into a crude Yellowstone. Also added long firebox to a Bowser Challenger along with imagination into a sort-of NP/GN Z-6. Fun if crude experience. Brass is a bit nicer!

[@jwrailve3615]

@@Missabe3 if I could afford brass, and there was a large variety of ho scale small steam brass then I’d definitely want it all in brass, yea your Yellowstone’s are just awesome. I’ve only seen a couple ever being used on a layout so this was cool to see

[@modelrailroader5619]

That’s a well thought out and nicely constructed layout. Love the concept!

[@Missabe3]

Thank you. As fun to plan and build as to operate.

[@StubProductions]

This is an amazing layout! Thank you for sharing

[@Missabe3]

Glad you like it!

[@williamschlenger1518]

This a fantastic model railroad.

[@tootired76]

I love your hard work and dedication to you hobby. This is really cool!

[@CNW1025]

Amazing layout Sir. Great pleasure to watch.

[@daleshipman7139]

Nothing short of incredible. Been thru the Duluth area in the middle 80's. Enjoyed rail fanning that area. Great layout. i also just subscribed to your channel!

[@Missabe3]

Grandma and Grandpa lived in Duluth. Must have swallowed a little ore dust one day when I was about 6....

[@staffordstationngauge8359]

Great layout and fantastic detail

[@randywise5241]

What a cool and artistic obsession to have. 👍👍👍👍

[@dmcry600]

Very well built railroad!!!! Excellent work!!!

[@Missabe3]

Thank you very much!

[@TheGhostRonin]

This is awesome

[@bcsanches]

Impressive layout!!! I would be really pleased if you can provide a layout tour just walking around so we can better understand your layout. Thank you!

[@Missabe3]

Thank you. Planned "railfan" video later this year should help - meanwhile pausing Part 1 on schematic will provide chance for closer look. From west ends to Duluth at east end is 500' run.

[@P61guy61]

Awesome. Thank you for posting

[@classicallpvault]

This is quite a spectacular layout... I'm a former model railroader myself, but where I live most people build much smaller and much more picturesque layouts based on German architecture and trains (mostly Fleischmann and Märklin) and this is a whole new level of scale. Might not be as detailed on a closeup as the typical Rhineland villages/towns we're used to see here, but this massive industrial inspired approach has a completely different type of charm of its own, plus the actual train operation itself is much more complex. Really impressive!

[@Missabe3]

What do you think my railroad would look like if I spent the same hours and money in 1/10 the space? Or 1/100 the space on a shelf module? Building nice models and super-detailed scenes is a nice hobby for those with little space. So is stamp collecting. I choose railroad function and performance modeling, not a scene or two that happen to have a train wandering through with no place to go. I also have great respect for the exquisite work of military modelers, but that's not my personal hobby interest. Realistic operation is a branch of the hobby for those with broader interests than just model building. Each has their place to be enjoyed, which makes this such a broadly appealing hobby.

[@midwestmodelrailroadz4022]

Great video. New subscriber. Nice to see others modeling that area.

[@Biwabik223]

I was really impressed with your Omaha layout. But this layout is amazing!

[@Missabe3]

Glad you like it!

[@CONTAINERMAN68]

I love those ore docks, the ship and the massive amount of ore cars needed for your layout! If i had the space, I would have gone this route. But my interest lies with intermodal and I've gone that route. I'll be back to watch 2 & 3!

[@Missabe3]

Every subject has it's own special appeals and we each bring our own priorities and different skills to the table. I happen to prefer loose car railroading over modern unit train railroading because of the much greater amount of switching involved and of course steam power. Taconite trains are unit trains serving a handful of massive taconite plants then mostly dumped in storage areas handled by conveyors and moved to the docks mostly by conveyer. Ore trains are dedicated trains of ore involving much switching and existed in an era of many small mines requiring local service, switching and classic shoves onto the ore docks. No comparison for operating interest and diversity - for me.

[@davidkoehler136]

Beautiful

[@dennisbailey6067]

I like the ' functioning ' design.The empty ore cars travelling up the mountain to the mine,then the loaded ones going down to the docks.Plus the industries to service.Running round and round is fun,but having a destination and a purpose, adds interest,and running won't become boring.

[@davidcurtis5398]

Where can we see a video on how you do your switch controls??? Wonderful road...I'd also like to know how you make a spring switch in HO...I've never seen one in that scale...

[@Missabe3]

Azatrax makes excellent infra-red detector circuit boards to control switch machines or other devices. One version they offer is called spring switch. The turnout stays lined for the normal route. When rolling stock approaches from the reverse side, the switch points are lined to allow exit. A second detector just past the points "sees" the equipment coming out and holds the turnout in position until the train has passed, then with about a 3-second delay to be safe, it throws the points back to the normal position. Very reliable. I have heard of people doing actual sprung points, but I figured that would be too risky with steam engine pilot wheels. They might not have the weight (or spring pressure) to push the points open reliably. I prefer to remove the springs on pilot trucks and add some weight to them so that the main engine weight is on the drivers for tractive effort. I also did not want to risk the points not fully returning to normal position - not a desirable situation for a Yellowstone or N3 with 60 ore cars possibly picking the points. No video of my push-pull switch machine control - at least not yet. Heart of it is DPDT toggle switch that provides spring pressure to hold points securely. Extremely reliable electrically, extremely reliable mechanically, extremely inexpensive. All my frogs are power-routed with SPDT set and the other SPDT set used at times for fascia LEDs on harder to see turnouts. A large railroad isn't nearly as fun if one has to do maintenance on switch machines and track cleaning. I would never have built a home railroad this size if I didn't have proven methods to minimize work and maximize fun time.

[@davidcurtis5398]

@@Missabe3 Can't do that because I have no power in the track at all. All my engines are completely battery powered and i love them...

[@davidcurtis5398]

@@Missabe3 Would love to see a video on the push pull switch controls. I am trying to do some of my ideas now...

[@trainknut]

Me 2 months ago: "why aren't there any DMIR model railroads on KZbin?" This guy: "I feel a disturbance in the force"

[@chrisfeleciano-ws1ze]

Man I love private set ups with multiple cars of the same type.. I think ,just my opinion, what would be even cooler and I haven’t seen any one do is tagging up some cars finding an airbrush guy who could graffiti some of them cause that would really set it off since 99% of trains have been touched in the mainlines .But I understand they cost money and may not have or may have a huge resale value if they have to go hopefully not.. what are your thoughts on that and has anyone you talk to in the model railroad hobby world ever mentioned or thought of that idea?? Man you really have a really awesome set up I love it!!

[@Missabe3]

Ugly tagging too often obscuring essential car identification was not yet a fad in the 1940's. For those of you with modern interest, there actually are a few decal sets of graffiti available.

[@TrainmasterGT]

Can you show us the MN&S portion of the layout at some point, even if it’s unfinished? It’s my favorite railroad!

[@Missabe3]

You bet! Will be in next segment "Railfanning" but unfortunately, I may not get done until end of year. I grew up next to Orchard Gardens and waited for school bus in the waiting shelter there. While in elementary school, earliest memories are of the Blue Dragons still running. Great sound clawing south up last of grade out of Savage!

[@TrainmasterGT]

@@Missabe3 that’s so cool! I’m way to young to remember the MNS, by the time I came around all the rails in Savage were gobbled up by either Union Pacific or Canadian Pacific. When I found out about the railroad’s history I was mesmerized by the unique equipment and ROW that lined up shockingly well with areas I tend to frequent.

[@Hucklongfin]

I’m really impressed by your locomotives! How long did it take to collect them? Not to mention the $$$!

[@Missabe3]

About 50 years. Older ones not worth so much now as you can imagine, but re-motoring with flywheels from the start and more recently sound decoders give them excellent performance.

[@Wilett614]

Beautiful Model railroad ! Well Done and Follows the prototype . Only Issue I see ...is I DONT SEE ANY TREES ?? Wow I am sure somewhere in the Massabi Area there ARE TREES ! : ))

[@KG-xt4oq]

He states during the video that he plans to add trees as time allows. He also specifically talks about the lack of trees on his layout towards the end of the video as well...guess you missed those parts?

[@Stussmeister]

A very nice video and layout. I plan on expanding my own HO scale layout (with focus on the Pennsylvania Railroad), though I don't believe mine will be quite as large as yours.

[@Missabe3]

Thank you. No matter the space, a fun challenge to decide what interesting scenes to model. Had to leave things out because I also wanted decent size trains stretched out in open country running. I also find something interesting and creative in every model railroad regardless of size. Best wishes in deciding your priorities.

[@Stussmeister]

@@Missabe3 You're quite welcome, and thank you for your kind words :). It is always interesting figuring out what scenes you want to model and then determining if you have space to do so. I also agree that model railroading enables one to be creative in many different ways.

[@beansmodelrailroad527]

Wonderful layout. I love ore dock operations. One Question. How many pockets are ther on the docks?

[@Missabe3]

Thank you. 72 pockets per side, capacity 35 ore cars and a caboose per track. 4 Walthers kits per side, 8 per full dock, x 2 docks. For practicality, cars shoved onto dock keep the caboose, then train departing to go back up Proctor Hill backs in to get the caboose before making climb up the hill.

[@beansmodelrailroad527]

@@Missabe3 Thank you for the quick reply.

[@jasperrocks9967]

Lovely video! What brand of engines are these? Especially the 2-8-0’s since I’ve been meaning to get one

[@Missabe3]

A mix depending on RR. Peg yard switcher is a United brass UP engine stand-in with tender (from IC engine as I recall). Peg also has three Bachmann 2-8-0s as stand-ins. With large railroad, re-detailing engines lower priority than more scenery, for example. GN includes two Tenshodo brass F-8s and a Sunset (Samhongsa brass) F-1. Look for old (long out of production) brass on eBay. Bachmanns not currently available, I think, but you may also find on eBay. But beware - many owners of the Bachmanns stripped the main gear and part hasn't been available for years. I never put DCC keep-alives in steam engines (or diesels for that matter) because of risk of a person grabbing and bending valve gear, locking it up and stripping an axle gear. I simply don't need them because my electrical pickup from track is very reliable.

[@samfirn495]

Is that a brass yellowstone? If so what brand?

[@Missabe3]

Collected over the years. PSC you are seeing is newest brass from about 1998, picked up an MTH to reduce mileage on brass models that include Westside Samhongsa and oldest an Akane I re-motored. I put SoundTraxx in all, ripping out the junk MTH decoder along the way. The 1980 Westside was actually my first and I had to replace gearboxes about 5 years ago. Had to replace both Westside Sam gearboxes due to being only 24:1 ratio. NWSL 36:1's and back-emf tamed it beautifully. Got 1960 Akane at a reasonable price about 10 years ago, then PSC also secondhand, then MTH. Akane is surprisingly good runner especially with putting can motor in it, but not as accurate a model. MTH runs OK with better detailing than their earlier models but their decoder has DCC as afterthought and not nearly as flexible sound-wise as SoundTraxx. The PSC took by far the most work to ferret out all the places it would short itself but worth it. Very unusual equalized chassis but runs rock steady with no wobble that can occur with conventional springing in a very heavy engine.

[@Professional_Foaming]

what is the grade on proctor hill?

[@Missabe3]

Not quite realistic. Only 2% while prototype was 2.2%.... A little extra edge so single steam engines could pull 35-car ore trains plus caboose up from the docks. Broad curves also help reduce rolling resistance of train.

[@Professional_Foaming]

@@Missabe3 nice what can diesels do I saw a sd40-2 trio go down the grade

[@ErichRaeder]

Just a question are there passenger trains on this layout?

[@Missabe3]

Certainly. Will be more evident when I get around to "railfan" video version later this year.

[@midwestmodelrailroadz4022]

How large is the room that this layout is in?

[@Missabe3]

L-shape 64x90, 3700 sq. ft. basement extends under garage.

[@derekalexander4030]

Wow, did the under the garage part happen when the garage was built? Can it be done under an existing garage? Do you feel safe in that area with the cars in the garage? Lol.

[@Blackwellll3066]

I personally love mix of steam and diesel