This layout is O gauge magic

Learn how the tried-and-true can create O gauge magic

Kids in the 1950s built train layouts on sheets of plywood or on the floor. Scenery might have been limited to a few accessories and a Plasticville kit. Grass could be dyed coffee grounds or sawdust, and any roads or highways probably had been painted on the surface of the wood. Simple. The focus was on the trains, often on how fast they could be made to fly. That emphasis never disappeared, but scenery evolved thanks to new materials and improved techniques.

The “Casey” Line, as Ken Cook calls his three-rail layout, exemplifies this noteworthy trend. It beautifully combines old and new with a touch of innovation. The results are impressive and instructive to all.

Ken favors Lionel trains from the late 1930s to the early ’60s. As a student of the hobby, he has seen how the magnificent scenery associated with the HO side of the hobby has influenced the O gauge niche with great results. Ken wanted to put his vintage trains in realistic settings, combining tradition with innovation. The results bring magic and excitement instead of staleness and predictability.

Retire to get going

September of 2016 was a momentous time for Ken. After a career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and then becoming an attorney, he felt ready to retire. His wife, Linda McMahan, concurred, knowing how hard her husband had been working for four decades. Now he deserved the chance to relax.

Of course, Linda (a retired army officer and attorney, too) doubted Ken was going to spend his leisure with his feet propped up on a porch railing while sipping a tall cool one. Neither did she think her husband would be sleeping till noon or following behind her at the store.

But retirement represented uncharted territory for Ken. He wondered what was going to fill his many free hours while keeping him intellectually challenged.

Then Linda and Ken remembered that he is a true creature of habit. They, along with their friends, predicted he would discover any number of meaningful activities. If asked specifically what might engage him, the people who know Ken best would have said without hesitation what had long grabbed him: “toy trains.”

Linda McMahan was a source of encouragement and insight for Ken while he was designing and building his 14 x 26- foot home O gauge layout.

1 Striking Union Pacific Alco FA diesel units lead matching streamlined cars into the main passenger station on Ken Cook’s tribute to Lionel’s postwar glory. He waited until retirement to get going and then finished the “Casey” Line rapidly.