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Great Model Railroads Allen Keller Vol 45 Bob Lawsons Southern Railway

Bob Lawson's Southern Railway in Kentucky is a vision of small town Appalachia with coal mines, mountains and trees. Bob is an architect, engineer and builder who is known for creating dioramas that tell stories of life in the late 40s and early 50s. These highly detailed scenes are then added to his HO layout making it a great place to sit back and watch the trains roll.


He was fond of the Southern as a youngster and later wound up working as a car designer for the road. He also re-built and operated the Southern Iron and Equipment Company's car shops where he designed many of the SEICO freight cars. So he could be the ultimate nitpicker, but he's not. Bob thinks the overall feel of the railroad is much more important than precise accuracy, and he looks for details that add to the mood of a scene.

Bob says we should share and learn from each other to advance the hobby, and that friendships make the hobby more enjoyable.

The Southern Railway is full of eye-catching scenes based on years of observation, notes and photos. Most of the structures are scratchbuilt.

Bob will show you how to build dioramas to fit the layout, weather cars with oil paints, and build scenery with cloth, Styrofoam and ground foam.

The Southern is a Great Model Railroad because Bob has used his skill as a designer to tell stories with beautifully weathered equipment and structures.