Logansport and Indiana Northern - 2
I
n the middle of an Indian
corn field near Kewanna,
Indiana, sits a modest
home that houses one of the
most detailed layouts built
to date. The layout is of none
other than Tom Johnson’s
Logansport and Indiana
Northern. Many on the MRH
forum have admired and
envied of Tom’s work on the
1. It’s mid-morning and 29
idles patiently, waiting for
the crew to finish office
work in the yard office.
Modeling on a shelf layout ...
Lead photo: L&IN #29,
a former Lehigh and
Hudson River Alco
C420, is passing the
approach signal for the
crossing with the former
Erie Lackawanna main
in Delong IN. The Farm
Bureau Co-op fertilizer is
in the background.
1
MRH forum. I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with
Tom discussing his approach to model railroading.
MRH:
Tom, as a transplant from Indiana, when I see your work
it brings back memories of my many years living near Fort
Wayne. Let’s start with the basic question. How did you get
started in the hobby?
Tom:
I got started when I was in the 5th grade, with an
American Flyer train set followed by a Lionel FA Texas Special.
I sold the Lionel train to help fund an Athearn set with the old
rubber-band drive Santa Fe F unit. I purchased the Athearn set
from the City News Agency hobby shop in Plymouth, Indiana. I
didn’t have enough money so I put it on layaway. At the time,
2. The yard office in Logansport is a nondescript metal
building that serves the L&IN very well.
2
MRH-May 2014
