Stone Coal Branch, WV--12'x14' Track Plan

Scale: HO
Minimum Radius: 30"
Minimum Aisle Width: 27"

This bedroom-sized layout represents the Virginian's Stone Coal Branch, just north of Elmore, WV as it appeared from the 1940s to the 1970s. This branch was worked by mine runs from the large yard at Elmore. Typical power during both the VGN and N&W eras was one or two Fairbanks-Morse Trainmasters. Stone Coal Junction was an active interchange point with the with the Chesapeake and Ohio. Although the C&O had trackage rights over the Stone Coal Branch, they preferred to interchange hoppers bound for Stone Coal Branch loaders with the Virginian. The C&O would drop off empties at the junction where the Virginian would take them, set them out at the appropriate loader and return C&O loads to the junction. This agreement still exists today with the NS and CSX.

This layout could keep one or two operators busy for a couple of hours. C&O empties would be set out at Stone Coal Jct. before the session. A Virginian mine run with a Trainmaster and twelve to fifteen hoppers would emerge from staging to deliver empties to the four large tipples along the branch. In addition to VGN hoppers, the mine runs would also have to pick up empties from the C&O at the junction and distribute them appropriately. The mine run would then pick up the loads, take them to the junction, separate the C&O loads to be left at the junction, and take the remaining loads back to Elmore.