We use a one-dimensional, Single-Column Model (SCM) to investigate cloud-radiation interactions. The model can be envisioned as one vertical column in a general circulation model (GCM), with a horizontal extent equivalent to that of a GCM grid cell, and a minimum of 19 layers in the vertical. The SCM is computationally efficient and contains a full set of interchangeable, modern GCM parameterizations of sub-grid scale processes, such as convection, cloud formation and cloud-radiation interactions. Our long-term goal is to utilize this model in investigations of radiative transfer through broken cloud fields using stochastic radiative transfer algorithms. Numerical tests are performed to analyze model sensitivity and verify the realism of various parameterizations. Results are validated against observations made at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. The SCM results are realistic when compared to ARM data for quantities such as surface shortwave and longwave radiation, and robust against changes in vertical resolution