Powell is pleasant little town, population about 5,200 people today. For years I thought about retiring there, as my grandfather did, but over the last twenty years or so Powell has actually suffered something of a suburban "blight," wherein there are a lot of homes on one or two acres scattered all around Powell to the south. When I was growing up there was an A&W drive-in, but now there's a Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and other chain operations that have destroyed much of what was so appealing to me in the past. Fortunately, the layout takes us back to a time before all that (even before the A&W!).....

The track arrangement for Powell:

This diagram is rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise from it's orientation on the main plan. East is to the top. The line from that direction comes from Frannie, and line off to the bottom proceeds on west to Cody.

The simple track plan is all there is in Powell - what looks like a passing siding is really an industrial siding. With usually only one train a day, passing sidings on the Cody branch were not, and ARE not, a high priority.

Near the bottom of the diagram you can see where the model of the bridge and road crossing Alkali Creek at the same point will be. You can see pictures of the actual area on the Cody Branch page.

Capturing the Powell atmosphere of old will be a challenge, and may well nigh be impossible, but I'm gonna try.