First Post

No doubt, like many of you, I have tried a variety of blogs over the years. I have used this particular service before under a different name. Now I am going back to blogger dot com. This will be accessible through my own website: Copper Rail Depot dot com.

I am located in Copper Center, Alaska:

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where I operate a small tavern and overnight accommodations. (Click on the map for a larger view).

I have lived in this area off and on since 1976. I purchased the old Copper Center Bar in 1996 and renamed it the Copper Rail Depot--a historic model railroad-theme bar.

I now operate North America's farthest north outdoor large-scale (~1:24) model railroad. That scale is referred to as "G" (as opposed to HO or N or Z or O (Lionel).
It is also among the largest privately-owned model railroads you will find anywhere.

I have two separate model railroad systems in G-scale. The original is the historically-based Copper River & Northwestern Railway-Chitina Local Branch. My model extends from the historic town of Chitina to Kennecott. The Kennecott model is in a separate 36-foot long building. The Chitina model is overhead in the bar. Also outside is a model of part of historic downtown McCarthy. This model is approximately 450 feet of track and was completed in 2003.

The newer model, sometimes referred to as "Phase II" is brand new. I am in the process of completing it, but it is already operational. This is a modern line, with elements of the Great Northern, Santa Fe, Milwaukee Road and Alaska Railroad contained within it. The model centers on the mythical town of Cicely. Cicely appears in the old television series Northern Exposure, which is in syndication. This model is particularly impressive, consisting of approximately 700 feet of railroad line.

If you want to see the most impressive model railroad in Alaska, you need to come to Copper Center.