Mineral Point & Galena Southern Railroad

miles to the north, Mineral Point was found to have a large deposit of Zinc. A source of transportation was needed to move the ore from the mines to the smelter and eventually on to the manufacturing centers. I started In 1961 in my parent’s basement in Forest Park, IL with very limited space available. Years later (in 1977) my first wife and I had a home built in Darien. I decided not to build a new railroad, but to move part of the existing railroad from Forest Park and utilize it in my new and expanded area. The layout would then be what I always wanted-size-wise. I saved 1/3 of the original MP&GS and added a new 2/3, so that the new and improved MP&GS would be larger and better than the original layout. The new layout would include a longer main line, larger terminal towns, engine facilities and more scenery. The move was made. The expansion started, and on June 21, 1984 the hand-laid mainline was completed. A party and the driving of the golden spike completed the big event. The work on the MP&GS slowed and occasionally came to a stop several times-during 1984, as my first wife and I battled with the cancer that took her young life. But sometimes from adversity, springs hope… I was remarried in 1990 and our son was born in 1997. With the help of my son, Bob and good friend, Joe, the MP&GS is finally nearing its completion. The trains are running and the sun is truly shining. While the two railroads I have modeled are gone and lost to time and history, my MP&GS stills lives on in our basement.