The layout of Green River is impressive. As it turns out, there's a lot to admire at 33 x 44 feet. Layout owner Hilton Gravish said in 2012 he began modeling the Wyoming section of the Union Pacific River from Echo Canyon to Green River in the 1950s. Much of the UP Railroad is meant to be modeled by Castle after he sees firsthand the dramatic and scenic features of the Echo Peak, Green River, and Canyon. In 2011, I became a member of the Union Pacific Historical Society primarily to obtain copies of: streamliner Magazine, Vol. 14 No. 4, published in the fall of 2001, contained detailed articles about Green River in the 1950s. ” From there, Hilton's fate was decided, and work began on the Green River layout the following year.
When I found the materials for this story on my desk one morning, one aspect immediately caught my eye: the background. These paintings by Don Britton are particularly reminiscent of John Ford's classic westerns, capturing vast desert landscapes in comprehensive perspective. “He (Don) traveled to Green River himself and took many photographs to capture directly the atmosphere and salient features of the landscape. Expertly blended with law and color matching.'' Measuring 30 inches tall and 8 feet long, these fiberboard panels are mounted on wall-mounted brackets for easy removal. .
Even with the beautiful backdrop, it remained Hilton's favorite view of the layout that inspired him to model the area in the first place. “The most interesting aspect of the layout is exactly what caught my attention when I first visited the prototype: it's standing.” On the pedestrian bridge, you'll see views of Castle Rock, the Green River District, and the river itself. Watch the long train wind its way down the Green River yard tracks against a backdrop of spectacular scenery and a somewhat barren but textured surrounding landscape. ”
However, there's more to this layout than just a pretty face. Hilton lists his strengths as “track work, general layout design, detailed yard design, wiring and electronics,” and Green River's layout clearly demonstrates these strengths.
“For trackwork, the minimum radius is 48 inches; Switches are used. The book “Truck Planning for Realistic Operations'' by John Armstrong has been very helpful for tips and advice on this aspect of layout.''
A key objective for Hilton was to implement “hands-off” decoupling during switching operations. “I personally believe that manual uncoupling of any kind impairs operational practicality in the model. The current layout uses a permanent magnet Kadee No. 308 uncoupler to Remote, hands-off uncoupling is implemented.'' Kadee whisker couplers are used in vehicles wherever possible to ensure the most reliable operation.
Due to space limitations, the vast Green River yard is used for train assembly and disassembly. “In fact, we're very happy to do this with the remote switching and hands-off disconnects built into the layout. Once the trains are assembled, we're able to connect them to various loops such as Cheyenne, Ogden, Portland, and Park City. Each loop can hold up to 2 or 3 trains, all hidden below the visible layout. You can store a total of 8 to 12 trains. , you can bring it into your driving session if you want.”
Five video cameras monitor a hidden loop beneath the visible layout, and two overhead directional control video cameras are used to view the entire yard and associated industrial areas. This setup allows Hilton to run many trains at once, averaging about 15 trains in a given service session, which typically lasts three hours. With this layout he can comfortably operate 5 conductors at the same time.
Green River's layout is an impressive undertaking in both scale and execution. As the photos prove, no detail has been spared to achieve a layout of this size. This layout is both an aesthetic feat and a joy to operate. Still, in hindsight, would Hilton have done anything differently? “(Green River) was several years in the making and changes were made as it progressed. In general, I probably wouldn't do anything different than this.” I can see why, Hilton.
Hilton Grubisch, his wife Barbara, and their two children started building models of North American trains in the mid-1970s after watching long freight trains trudging through the Sierra Nevada and up Donner Pass. started. Then, in 2011, Green began working on his river layout. He currently also runs his own business and is involved in the design and manufacture of semiconductor chips and ion implantation equipment used in the manufacture of his flat panels and his displays.
