This website will display the development and construction of Charlie Taylor's O scale model railroad layout of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad during the American Civil War.

2013

2012

2011

2009 - 2010

EXTRAS

ACW Photos
These three photos are from a short history of the Southern Railway,
"The Bicentennial Story of Southern Railway", published approximately 1977.
Color Tests - August 2011
My name is Charlie Curro and I've been a friend of Charlie Taylor (and family) since 1984. He's also my boss - I've been doing computer graphics for him for that same length of time - so when he says "now we're gonna make train stuff" I say "okey-dokey".

I'm going to build a slew of flatcars and boxcars for him and he had some specific colors in mind. The problem is that I live here in northern Michigan and he lives in Memphis and exchanging digital color chips over computer screens just wouldn't cut it.

So I decided to make up some rolling stock "maquettes" so he could see where I was headed in real space instead of digital. Obviously this would also give me the chance to work out the finishing issues before I screw up a bunch of these beautiful kits.

I shipped them off to him and he's happy with the results so I shall proceed. Here are a few shots of the maquettes. They're very close to O scale height but shorter in length. The back sides were left untouched in the "pure" color while the front sides were weathered to varying degrees.

Recently I also spent a few days splittin' rails for the gazillion miles of fences he will need in this huge layout. Meanwhile, Charlie Taylor and Wil Shirey were down in Atlanta having fun with a few of the ACW model railroad folks.
November 2011
Progress is happening and there are many hands contributing to the Memphis & Charleston layout now that it is well on it's way. Wil Shirey is painting the vast background scenery as well as figures, mules, etc. Charlie Taylor's mother is scratch building any number of things from outhouses to hotels and takes us all to school with each new thing she brings in. Nephew Andrew Taylor has built rolling stock and more. Trees and mules and rails for fences are starting to arrive.
Yankee hears rebel yell.