Roger Nulton
Monon Route

The layout represents a 100 mile segment (the "4th Subdivision") of the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville (nicknamed "Monon") railroad's single track main line. Starting at the north is the Monon "Shops" in Lafayette, Indiana, and at the south, the layout ends at McDoel Yard in Bloomington, Indiana. The real Monon was a Class 1 carrier with a 500 mile long route contained entirely within the state of Indiana. Trackage rights into Chicago and Louisville, Kentucky provided access to its final destinations.

The Monon's business picked up rapidly during the postwar era depicted. New management brought the ancient line out of bankruptcy and was improving the plant and the equipment, quickly bringing diesels and modern steel rolling stock on the property to replace aging steam and wooden composite cars. The Monon was a north-south line crossing many other railroads, so most of the railroad's freight business is bridge traffic. Seven interchanges are represented, including the Illinois Central, Pennsy, New York Central and Nickel Plate, so you will run freight with reporting marks from all over North America on this layout. There are also two branch lines generating on line traffic of limestone and coal, as well as several sidings for shipping agricultural and other products.

Published sources: "Great Model Railroads": 1998; "The Hoosier Line" (Monon RR Society magazine): August 2011; "Railroad Model Craftsman": August 2013 and October 2016; "NMRA Magazine": March 2014 and November 2014; Model Railroader, June 2017

Basic information:
A. Scale: S
B. DC or DCC: NCE DCC with radio cabs and sound equipped locomotives
C. Dispatching/control method: Timetable and Train Order
D. Car control: CC & WB, optional switchlists
E. Mainline: 180', 98 turnouts, 7 interchanges
F. Room size: 1600sf plus branches in the garage
G. Percent sceniced: 70%
H. Handicap accessibility: 3 steps with handrail, 51" dropdown duckunder
I. Maximum number of guest operators: 8