Double Pinwheel Helix

Double Pinwheel Helix 6

Lots of track plans need a helix, especially if you’re trying to build a double-deck layout to capture your favorite mountain railroad. Ever wonder why I draw most of my helices on Appalachian Railroad Modeling track plans as octagons? Here’s why…

I’ve never heard any model railroader talk about how much fun it was to build a helix, but I know plenty who dread this step in their construction. Building a helix is daunting because it’s a whole lot of track and subroadbed crammed into a vertical circle, and it’s usually hidden, so its construction needs to be bulletproof. My layout requires not one helix but two, so I wanted to find a way to make them in the most … Read more

Two Key Questions for Track Plan Compression – Derby, VA Case Study

Derby, VA track plan ideas

One of the toughest parts of prototype modeling is knowing where and what to compress to keep as true to the prototype as possible for a given space. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to compress any scenes, but that’s a fairy tale for all but the most compact of prototypes. We’re stuck with the challenge of trying to find the right balance of scenery elements and operations to model our prototype within our space constraints.

The coal mining town of Derby, VA on the Interstate Railroad offers a good case study of how to compress a prototype operation to fit into a range of spaces with different trade-offs, and it’s covered in good detail in Ed and … Read more

Modeler Spotlight – Bob Chapman

C&O 2-6-6-2 in HO scale by Bob Chapman

Bob Chapman HO scale layoutBob Chapman standing in front of Cincinnati Union Terminal on his HO-scale Cincinnati-based layout

I had the privilege of visiting Bob Chapman’s HO scale, Cincinnati-based layout recently to see his work first-hand, and it was a non-stop parade of beautiful trains and meticulously built models.

B&O 4-6-2 Royal Blue in HO scale by Bob ChapmanB&O class P7A 4-6-2 Royal Blue speeds by on Bob Chapman’s layout

Bob loves many railroads, so his … Read more

A Special Train for a Special Day

CSX ET44AH 3621 Barboursville, WV

by Jonathan Spurlock

CSX’s former C&O line to Logan, WV and the coalfields in the region left the main line at Barboursville, WV. The Logan subdivision then traveled near some of Barboursville’s residential district before heading mostly south to Logan and beyond. The line was usually kept in a well-maintained condition but I can seldom remember seeing a train. Even in my grade school years, we had a younger-than-Little-League baseball league that played games literally a stone’s throw from the tracks. Even at 9 years of age, I could throw a rock better than a baseball, but that’s another story.

Many years later, one of the saddest days of anyone’s life happened. Dad completed his earthly journey and … Read more

Moving Train Order Signals on the C&O at Man, WV

by Jonathan Spurlock

C&O LogoMy dad was an operator on the C&O at Man, WV, and I can still relive the first time I ever saw him hand up orders to the crew of a moving train. I will always think of him as one of the bravest men I ever knew. You can read more about this in my first article, Passing Train Orders on the C&O at Man, WV.  One of the last things he did before handing up the orders was to change the train order (T.O.) signal for the appropriate track, something I’ll explain here … Read more

Passing Train Orders on the C&O at Man, WV

C&O GP7 5865 at Man, WV

by Jonathan Spurlock

C&O LogoMy late father is one of my heroes. Now, I’m sure many boys – and girls – might say this about their dads but there was one time where I don’t think I was ever more proud of my dad!

He had been hired by the C&O in the fall of 1969 and started as an “operator” in one of the “cabins” on the line not too far from our house. Sure, it took a time or two for his 11-year-old son (me) to finally catch a little of what he was talking about, but … Read more

Evolution of Appalachian Railroads 1945-2005

Map of Appalachian Railroads circa 1960

The evolution of coal-hauling railroads in the Appalachians is fascinating, especially over the last 60 years. Six years ago, Appalachian Railroad Modeling published its first map of the coal fields and railroads circa 1950. While it was informative, these four maps go well beyond the original to show how Appalachian railroading changed over time, and together they tell a fascinating story of growth, downsizing, consolidating and rebirth. Based on the resources I had, it was difficult to tell when certain lines were abandoned, especially in the 1945 and 1970 maps, so many of the dashed lines in the 1945 map may have been active, and many of the dashed lines in the 1970 map may have been abandoned decades before. I learned … Read more

RJC – Turning the Bigler Shuttle

RJC EMDs at Stifflertown, PA

RJ Corman Operations at Stifflertown, PA
by Henry Statkowski Photos and figures by the author

RJC Logo (plain)R.J. Corman’s Pennsylvania Line operates a coal train between Rosebud Mining’s Stifflertown, Pennsylvania mine in southwestern Clearfield County and their Bigler coal preparation plant in northeastern Clearfield County. It’s a 60-mile run using SD40-2 variants (SD40-2s & SD40T-2s) and 100-ton coal gondolas, formerly handled by a multitude of coal trucks (locally referred to as “coal buckets”) over public highways. The over-the-road transport was labor intensive – rail transport over already-existing rail lines was a logical step. Loading the train at Stifflertown is performed by front-end loaders at a coal dock, with the … Read more

N&W Norton Yard Brakes and Tight Tunnels

NS working Norton Yard, VA

by Harry J. Dolan (Retired NS Trainmaster)

N&W Logo blue PlainWorking the N&W’s Norton yard in Southwestern Virginia required sets of six-axle locomotives.  The yard has a 1% descending grade from west to east.  Tracks 1 thru 8 (original numbering) hold 40 hoppers each; at 100 tons each, that is 4000 tons.  One six-axle unit at Norton couldn’t handle much more than switching the caboose track.  One Dash-8 would not even pull the 21 loads out of Norton Coal (switch off N&W Main at the east end of yard that crossed the Miller Yard Main of Interstate in Norton).

Just to give you an example as to what tonnage and a 1% grade will do … Read more

N&W Train Symbols

N&W SD40 1596, Home Creek, VA

by Harry J. Dolan (Retired NS Trainmaster)

N&W Logo blue PlainThe N&W used train symbols to identify its trains.  Train symbols are different from train numbers.  Train numbers are used to designate scheduled trains (those who’s authority to occupy the main track between stations is listed in the Division Employees Timetable).   Train symbols, on the other hand carry no timetable authority and do not authorize a train or engine to occupy the main track between stations.  Train symbols, at least on the N&W, pretty much reflected the initial and final terminal of the train or perhaps the primary type of traffic handled on that train.  For instance, the train … Read more