Note: Harold is building a new layout and has indicated on forums that he will be taking down the old site.  If you are interested in this information, please visit the site and make pdfs of the information before it is gone.

The Pacific Coast Airline Railway (“PCAR”) is Harold Minkwitz’s narrow gauge, 1870’s California railroad modelled in Sn3.5, the British Imperial gauge.  The current layout is a 4×8 foot built to test and serve as a “proof of concept” for techniques to be used in the future construction of a basement filling layout.  The 4 x 8 ft. layout is constructioned in halves, or sectional so that it may be easily moved from the basement.  There is also a page showing how a 4×8 layout can be integrated in to a 10 x 11 ft. room.  The PCAR website also has PhotoAlbum1 and PhotoAlbum2.

 Of interest to module-makers are the large number of tutorials covering a variety of scenery making techniques.  Harold is generous in creating his extensive tutorials and sharing them and is gracious in also documenting methods that don’t work.  Several of these articles have been published in either Railroad Model Craftsman or Model Railroader magazines.

Foliage

Rocks & Ground Cover

Water

Scratch Building

The PCAR website also has tutorials on hard-shell terrain and modifying freight cars to be more realistic.

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3 Responses to “Harold Minkwitz’s Pacific Coast Airline Railway”
  1. What has happened to “pacificcoastairlinerr.com”?

  2. Looks like it either the hosting or domain registration lapsed. It is a shame, as the site was a tremendous resource. I’ve gotten in the habit of making pdf files of any “must have” information I find on the web.

  3. Good news!! Looks like the PCARR is “under reconstruction” It will be nice to have this resource available again.

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