The Kingsbury Branch

Bill Denton’s Kingsbury Branch is a remarkable N scale model railway layout, faithfully capturing the Milwaukee Road’s industrial operations in downtown Chicago. It recreates a tight, gritty, brick-lined world where freight trains creep through alleys and alongside towering warehouses. Compact yet full of atmosphere, the layout has become a benchmark for realistic urban switching in N scale.

The Inspiration

The Kingsbury Branch entered the modelling spotlight in Model Railroader magazine in April 1975. The article highlighted how this short industrial spur was crammed into narrow streets, served major industries, and featured quirky track layouts that begged to be modelled. Bill was a student at the time and lacked both space and funds, but the idea took root.

Two decades later, with a better selection of N-scale kits and supplies on the market, Bill was ready. Products from companies like Design Preservation Models (DPM) and Gold Medal Models made it possible to replicate the unique look of Chicago’s urban landscape, while improved track components allowed for precise, detailed trackwork. Construction on the 12 ft x 2 ft layout began in 1994 and took about four years to complete.

The Prototype

The real Kingsbury Branch was a classic Milwaukee Road industrial spur threading through a maze of warehouses, factories, and narrow Chicago streets. Over time, the southern portion of the branch south of Division Street was abandoned, though traces of its past remain. Remnants of track are still visible in places, and several rail-served buildings have been converted into housing.

Bill modelled the southern portion from Grand Avenue to Hobbie Street, as described in the 1975 article. This area, close to downtown Chicago, offered an engaging mix of street running and alleyway trackage. His chosen modelling era was 1973, matching the timeframe of the article and allowing the use of period-specific rolling stock and structures.

The Layout Design

To meet display and transport needs, the layout was built in two 6ft by 21in sections. These can be shown at exhibitions or integrated into a larger home layout. The baseboards were constructed with 1×4 timber frames and 1/2in plywood tops, with 1/8in Masonite backscenes supported by 1×2s. Bill prioritised robust construction from the outset, choosing quality materials to minimise future warping.

Trackwork

Trackwork is one of the standout features. Bill hand-laid the southern section, using Micro Engineering Code 55 rail and PC board ties. Turnouts were built from scratch, soldered by hand, and aligned to match the real-world geometry. It took about two hours to build a single turnout, but the results were worth it for the operational realism and visual accuracy.

For the northern section, Bill used Micro Engineering turnouts to save time. Mainline track was Code 55 flextrack, while sidings and spurs were built with Code 40 rail to reflect lighter construction. Ties on the spurs were spaced slightly wider for added visual distinction. Micro Engineering switchstands and detailing completed the effect.

Buildings and Scenery

Most of the buildings were kitbashed or scratchbuilt, based on photographs Bill took in the Kingsbury area. Some were adapted from commercial kits:

• Kirchheimer Brothers – Fully scratch-built using techniques from John Nehrich’s “Built like a Brick Freight House” article (Model Railroader, October 1996).
• Ontario Warehousing – A mix of Design Preservation Models (DPM) wall sections for the front, with a scratch-built curved back end.
• Philip Blum Co. – Custom-built to match the actual prototype.
• Pennick and Ford – Kitbashed from two Walthers Brach Candy Factory kits to achieve the height and presence required.
• E.B. Millar and Charles Emmerlich – Both are built using multiple Model Power Baldwin Locomotive Works kits, which were combined to create the taller, bulkier brick structures typical of Chicago’s older industrial districts.

He also modelled shopfronts at Erie and Cambridge, including a Walgreens – a nod to his then employer.

Weathering was done using a simple but effective method: a wash of Polly S Grimy Black over base paint, wiped off with paper towel to leave residue in the recesses. The result was convincing urban grime.

Streets and Alleys

Chicago’s real Kingsbury area is known for its blend of brick, concrete, blacktop, and dirt roadways, often intertwined with street trackage. On the layout, streets are represented using sheet styrene painted to resemble concrete and asphalt. For brick alleys and smaller side streets, Bill used Holgate & Reynolds brick sheets glued to styrene.

Where track and streets intersect, he lined the sides of the rails with wood ties and filled in the remaining space with plaster or additional ties, producing a realistic street-running effect. Sidewalks and curbs were made from Fine N Scale Products’ “Easy Streets” components, which can be cut, sanded, and adjusted as needed.

Details and Urban Atmosphere

Urban details give life to any city layout, and Denton spared no effort in this area. From rooftop water tanks to storefront signage, every element on the layout contributes to the sense of place. For finer details, he leaned on Gold Metal Models, which produces N-scale fire escapes, TV antennas, burglar bars, and chain-link fencing, all essential elements for a gritty Chicago backdrop.

Streets were populated with vehicles, pedestrians, and general street clutter. Telephone booths, trash bins, and shopping carts fill the alleys, while figures from Preiser and other manufacturers create a sense of life and activity. These touches make the viewer slow down, notice more, and perhaps recall similar places they’ve walked or worked.

Epilogue

Bill Denton’s Kingsbury Branch is one of those rare layouts where inspiration, patience, and execution came together in harmony. From the moment he first encountered the 1975 Model Railroader article, the idea lodged itself firmly in his imagination. Many modellers have a “someday” project – the prototype or scene that remains in the background for years – but few follow through with the same conviction that Bill ultimately did.

The finished layout captures more than the trackage of a Milwaukee Road industrial spur. It conveys the texture of a place: the canyon of brick buildings, the clutter of alleys, the way trains pick their way cautiously through narrow city streets. The grime on the walls, the patched track, the faded signs all make the viewer believe they are looking at Chicago in the early 1970s, not a basement in N scale.

There is also something to be said about timing. By waiting until the 1990s, Bill had access to tools and products that simply didn’t exist in his student days. That long pause between inspiration and realisation gave the layout its strength, combining modern materials with two decades of stored-up ideas. The result is an object lesson in persistence: a reminder that sometimes the best projects are those that take years to ripen.

The Kingsbury Branch stands as a touchstone for urban modelling. It showed that a compact, exhibition-sized layout could capture the density and atmosphere of a great city, while still offering meaningful operation. For anyone with an interest in industrial railroading, it remains a benchmark – and a tribute to the power of an idea that refused to fade.

More Information

• Denton, Bill. “The N Scale Kingsbury Branch.” Model Railroader, Jan. 1997, pp. 140–145.
• Denton, Bill. “….” Model Railroader, May 1999.