The Rockland Branch
Grüezi! I’m a Swiss Modeller focused on the Maine Central Railroad and the PTC
This is the story of two layouts built on top of each other. On the upper level the time is September 1954. We are at the very end of the Rockland Branch on the Maine Central Railroad (MEC) – in Rockland, Maine. The track layout is almost 100 percent true to the prototype. The lower level is dedicated to operations of the Portland Terminal Company (PTC) with headquarters in Portland, Maine. It is the late 1960s. Only a short segment of the layout is scenicked: Part of Commercial Street in Portland.
My name is Markus Wüest. I’m a journalist and editor at the Basler Zeitung, the leading newspaper in Basel, Switzerland. In 1994 I bought a house on the coast of Maine and spend several weeks every year there.
My layout is DCC operated with Zimo controllers and decoders. It’s HO scale with Peco and Shinohara track and turnouts. Like most layouts, mine is a work in progress. I will keep you posted about changes, improvements, innovations and failures…