Introduction

The Mockingbird Industrial is a Z-Scale model railroad depicting the Dallas, Garland, and Northeastern short line railroad and the Trinity Railway Express commuter line in northwest Dallas, TX.   The era is roughly the mid/late 2000's to the early/mid 2010's.  The modeled portion of the prototype includes about a 3 mile segment of the joint DGNO and TRE line between Medical Market Center station and South Irving Station, plus the DGNO's Brookhollow Branch that runs from Mockingbird Yard due north to service multiple industrial areas in northwest Dallas.

Key features of the layout include a small rendition of DGNO's Mockingbird Yard, the crossing of a tributary of the Trinity River, and a number of industries including the Frito Lay plant in Irving and the Coca-Cola plant in Dallas near Love Field.   A double-track mainline allows one or two TRE commuter trains to run while the DGNO switcher serves the industries.   Occassional BNSF, Amtrak, and UP trains also make appearances to add some big-time mainline railroading flair to the equation.

The name "Mockingbird Industrial" is derived from local surroundings, as the DGNO's Brookhollow Branch winds adjacent Mockingbird Lane in Dallas, and the aforementioned Mockingbird Yard is the center of operations.    This stretch of railroading is model-genic by virtue of its varied rolling stock and railroads, and not so much for the scenery. Yet, it still does have some interesting architecture mixed in with some wonderful urban decay, which contrasts nicely to the sleek and colorful TRE equipment.   And of course the Trinity crossing adds a nice scenic element as well.