David Masters

The Mississippi River & Bonne Terre Model Railroad (MR&BT) is a fictitious representation of the real MR&BT, which operated in southeastern Missouri from the Mississippi River at Riverside south to Doe Run, Mo. The MR&BT was a railroad designed to carry lead ore from three mines to a lead smelter at Herculaneum, Mo and then transport lead bars to connecting railroads for the war effort in WW II. MR&BT operated three passenger trains per day with two connecting through to St. Louis, Mo at Riverside on the Iron Mountain & Southern. The layout features a section with 5% grades and two switch backs, ferry boat, loads of details, and many scratch-built and kit-bashed structure. The layout occupies two 13' by 26' rooms, and most of the locomotives are battery powered although track power is available. Backdrops were done by Jo Ann Kargus.