New-York tribune., 1911-12-17
Miniature Railway Built by
Two Grown-Ups as a Yuie-
tide Suprise,for Happy
Family of Children.


rrbore are sure TO be some'happy children
ont in East orange. y. j., on thrlSl'lds
,,ornlng for a surprise has been prepared
for q certain family Of youngsters Whl
live there that ranks high among aithoS'
human" TOYS. II is a complete modei Tall-
road. which is not only equipped VIII
,..iIs Switches stations and rolling stocB
and ,s electrically operated, but which Is
also controlled entirely from a centra
operating station through the ingenuity OF
,ts builders Two young men. one an editor
and the other in the chemical business. are
the engineers of this remarkable railway
I one of them is an uncle OF the childreh
the other a friend Of the uncle. The edltoi
| for the ronce has become landScap'
| architect. and the friend. who is a me-
chanical genius and builds model warships
for recreation, has taken delight in putting
his talents to the test in arranging the IN
genous electrical control.
George s Olds, the uncle in the case
conceived the idea Of this remarkabie
! Christmas present for his little flock OF
nepnews and nieces early in the autumn.
His sister fell I'm enthusiastically with his
plan. and the next step was to find space
IN the house where il could come to proper
fruitlon. Fortunately, there proved to be
large unoccupied room in the basement
unused In the domestic economy ana al
most ideally suited 10 the purpose. IL was
promptly turned over to the builders and
they got TO work Mr. Olds knew, OF
course. that there had been many model
railroad laid out for other children, but ne
also knew the powers of his friend. Charles
A. Myers. jr. and determined that between
them they would make II different from
any other ever built The first and most
radical difference was TO be that the road
would be completely electrified, so that IL
could be operated in all essential details
from one central control
As might be supposed. this was not such
an easy undertaking, and II required some
careful planning. However after good
many ground plans had been drawn. and
the scheme for wiring plotted, the two con-
structors were ready 10 go to work Tracks
We're the first consideration. Between I75
and GOO feet Of metal track, with its minia-
ture gauge OF about two and one-hali
inches. was purchased. In the middle be-
tween the rails upon which the wheels of
the trains were TO run was the third rail- "a
carry current. while metal ties bound the
three together, This track, with numerous
switches. was laid in sections on the floor
of the room and 80 arranged as 10 cover
thoroughly the territory whose traffic the
complete system was to carry.
The main line was laid out in two parallel
tracks. taking In the largest dimensions OF
the room. Long, straight sections and
curves form an irregular pOlygon, within
which three connecting branches make IT
possible TO run the trains over large va
riety of long and short routes. one crosses
miniature lake by means Of cantilever
lridge constructed entirely by Myers; the
others are useful as shorter cut-offs. The
system is also equipped with no fewer thar
five sidings. all of which have, Of course
their necessary switches.
The country through which this ample
track network was to run was the next
problem Of the engineers in miniature. IT,
too. was the subject OF careful study and
planning The result IS a level stretch oi
plain. covered with fields and trees. from
which steep hill rises on the east, with a
lake at its base On the plain, besides farms
and villages. are two prosperous towns
connected by winding country roads as vel
as by the railway These. like all the other
salient features OF the landscape, were
named after the children who are TO be-
come the owners One. called Donaldtown
is a thriving manufacturing town, for which
an automobile factory furnishes the chie1
Industry. II has special loop of track tc
serve this factory
The other town. more Of a residential
Mace. is named Edwardville. The mountain
Is Mount Elizabeth and the lake Lake Rich
ard. while the most congested switching
roint hears the title Of Carolyn Junction
Each OF the first four has a station. the
towns having freight sheds as well as glass
topped waiting rooms for passengers. Up
the side OF Mount Elizabeth runs en- cleo
tricallv operated cable railway. again the
ingenious work of Mr.. Myers. AT the noun
taintop there is a tiny shrine ana Htue
chAIets cling TO the sides and nestle In the
valleys of the ridge. Through the noun
tain the main line runs in a tunnel OF
double bore with fine concrete arches.
Lake Richard is not large, measuring
about three feet by one and half, but II Is
big enough TO accommodate wooded ISL
and where a party of campers seem TO be
ENJOYING themselves under blue ana White
tent Round the lake runs wagon road
which then winds It's way acroS the lne OF
the railroad-a crossing carefully protected
bv a Look out for or-the-locomouve' sign
by the way-to Edwardvlle. North OF II
and near Carolyn Junction lie the turn
table and the roundhouse
I'm ali this stretch OF model countryside
not realistic detail is lacking. Artlhciai
moss makes the most natural grass imaS-
Unable The trees. a hundred ana seventy
five Of which have been especially ordered
from Germany. are not bit like the IA
miIi9r toy trees Of Noahs Ark associa-
tion. but gre recognizable as oaks, pines
and what not There are also Towering
shrubs. not half as high as your finger
and powders that are most natural IN
the farm. dominated by its thatched cot
tage and barns and surrounded by brlck
wall the realism of which is heightened
nv break and crumbe here and there,
are waios with oxen, dogs i'm their ken
uels. farmers cows. pigs. chickens and a
whole galaxy OF other domestic animals.
All is so real as to be startling. \ touch
that makes this effect of real life dwarfed
10 a Nliputian scale all the the more tell
ing is the presence of signboards along
the right of way which advertise the
wares of the two cities. especially the
make Of automobiles manufactured In the
Donaldtown shops.
No less faithful copies of the things Of
the real world are the various cars and
locomotives OF the system. The bulk OF
the traction work falls to four electric
locomotives of the New York Central type
These can be bought in the toy shops
but not so the powerful, eight-drivered
freight engine which Myers has built