Howard Zane's Layout

[RBH29]

It's been quiet around here lately so I figured I'd post something. Has anyone been to Howard Zane's layout in Columbia, MD? I just found out about it recently. It's in a 2,850 sq. ft. basement. Wow - a huge layout! Maybe on one of my excursions to MD I can arrange to visit it. My latest trip to Maryland where I was planning to take a cruise on a WWII Liberty Ship in Baltimore Harbor was cancelled due to the terrible bridge collapse. I think I posted previously that I'm interested in Liberty Ships because that's how my father traveled to England while in the Army during WWII. So anyhow, I hope everyone's doing well.

[v8vega]

I think I saw somewhere in the past we built a Liberty ship a week during WW11, Thats a 400 ft long ship.

[gregj410]

Has anyone been to Howard Zane's layout in Columbia, MD?

I have a friend who has been to Howards many times and has several of his buildings. He has offered to take me up there although we have never made the trip. My understanding is he rarely if ever runs trains at all when people come over, probably due to his age. Videos of his layout can be seen on YouTube. He also has an impressive picture book of his layout. If you can get to see it, I’d recommend going sooner than later, I believe he’s in his 80’s yet he is still building structures.

[healey36]

Agreed, RBH...not much going on here anymore, especially 3-rail, and since I'm predominantly tinplate, likely even less interest. Here at the shack, unrelated projects have taken over for the time-being.

Never been to Mr. Zane's, but his layout looks awesome; also a maintenance nightmare. I've seen some great HO pikes in my time, but that one takes the cake!

[RBH29]

There's probably not much new I can tell you guys in Maryland about Mr. Zane but maybe others aren't as familiar with him. I stumbled upon his layout through a YouTuber Named Al Pugliese. Mr. Zane also has a website zanestrains.com and has had quite a career. He owned and ran a major model railroading show for 30 years in Maryland before he sold it. Unfortunately he has cancer now but a volunteer crew helps maintain the layout. Al Pugliese has an impressive layout too. He's in Ellicott City, MD where I visited a couple of train gardens last Christmas time. Ellicott City has many features that would make great modeling features but it has a bad flooding problem due to its topography when it experiences heavy rains.

Greg, I saw the Zane's Train book on sale at the website for $70. Amazon offers it for twice that price.

V8, I should probably start another thread on Liberty Ships since that's not really a model train topic.

[webenda]

Has anyone been to Howard Zane's layout in Columbia, MD?

I have never seen Howard Zane's layout, not even on YouTube, until now. Thank you for mentioning it, RBH29.

Never been to Mr. Zane's, but his layout looks awesome; also a maintenance nightmare. I've seen some great HO pikes in my time, but that one takes the cake!

From a couple of Howard Zane Layout videos:
That's a lot of lights to maintain and this is just a small part of the layout.


Here a train is stuck on dirty track in a tunnel and the maintenance crew is trying to get it out before cleaning the track in the tunnel.

I find under the layout more interesting than above.

Reference: https://youtu.be/8kB5bIzSYuQ?si=qTah_vLsupJPo_s-

[Norton]

Never visited but have seen many videos of his layout on youtube. I believe he was a dealer in brass and has an extensive collection on display in addition to the layout. I think in one video he said all his trains are brass. Not sure if that applies to all rolling stock as well.

Pete

[webenda]

Never visited but have seen many videos of his layout on youtube. I believe he was a dealer in brass and has an extensive collection on display in addition to the layout. I think in one video he said all his trains are brass. Not sure if that applies to all rolling stock as well.

Pete

Based on Howard Zane's WEB site, he is a dealer in brass trains. When he says brass trains he is referring to engines. As for rolling stock...
"Many of us old-timers were fortunate to enter the hobby when RTR was hardly known about other than entry level train sets. Scale model railroading for decades had five basic genres:

1. arm chair - looking, admiring
2. possession - collecting and accumulating
3. building equipment (rolling stock/structures)
4. building layouts
5. finally, operation."

"We all had our favorites, and mine was the 3rd - building rolling stock from wood kits."

"My layout now consists of almost 600 hand-built wood freight and passenger cars. Only hoppers and tank cars are still either from plastic kits or RTR,"

Reference: https://zaneshouseofbrass.com/zanecraftsmankits.htm