INT Dorchester Branch, VA track plan HO

Track plan INT Dorchester Branch HO scale
  • Size: 11′ x 14′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 30″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

Interstate Logo PlainIt’s difficult to get a lot of operation into a small bedroom. The most common solution is to build a switching layout to get enough operation since a small slice of mainline or branchline is often too compressed for much operation. The Interstate Railroad’s Dorchester Branch, however, packs a lot of operation into a short branch with some interesting switching challenges making it a great prototype for a bedroom layout.

From Dorchester Jct., the Dorchester Branch crosses … Read more

SOU CRR Clinchcross, NC track plan HO

Track plan SOU CRR Clinchcross, NC HO scale
  • Size: 14′ x 20′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 28″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

Southern Logo (plain)Clinchcross, near Marion, NC, was a major interchange point between the Southern and Clinchfield.  Besides playing host to several coal trains per day (particularly on the Clinchfield), Marion was a busy switching area for both roads.  The Clinchfield stationed a switcher at Marion for years (don’t know about the Southern) to work the four-track interchange yard and industries which included a concrete block plant, a scrap dealer and a piggyback track among others.   On the Southern side, the main industries were furniture plants which would see … Read more

MGA Waynesburg & Southern track plan N

Track plan MGA Wayesburg & Southern N scale - Lower
  • Size: 10′ x 15′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 18″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

MGA Logo PlainIf you like unit trains, big loaders and lots of different railroads, this is a great plan for you!  The Waynesburg & Southern was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (a 1/3 shareholder in the Monongahela) and opened in 1968 to serve three large coal loaders being built around Blacksville, WV.  From its inception, it was operated as a branch of the Monongahela.  The Monongahela had its own branch to Blacksville, but it was too old, too steep and too full of curves to operate unit trains, so it was … Read more

L&N Martins Fork, KY track plan N

Track plan L&N Martins Fork, KY N scale
  • Size: 11′ x 13′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 18″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 27″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

L&N Logo PlainThe Martins Fork Branch, despite its name, was actually a mainline on the L&N’s Cumberland Valley Division.  The line extends from Loyall, KY to Smiley, VA where it goes through the Hagans Switchback to meet up with the old CV main.  As a mainline, it handled most of the coal traffic from Loyall bound for the Southern, Clinchfield, and N&W.  In addition to being a mainline, it was also home to several loaders and other, smaller coal branches, including the Crummies Creek Branch with its Lick Branch Spur which … Read more

CRR Kingsport, TN track plan HO

Track plan CRR Kingsport, TN HO scale
  • Size: 7′ x 20′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 27″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 27″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

CRR Logo PlainThis track plan is a little different for ARM because it doesn’t have a single coal loader. Instead, it focuses on Kingsport, Tennessee, an industrial area along the Clinchfield mainline. Despite the lack of coal loaders, this area still had plenty of hills and tunnels, and the mainline still offered plenty of coal trains moving through. Still, the large industries in Kingsport are what kept the railroad busy. The largest customer in Kingsport was (and still is) Eastman Kodak (now Eastman Chemical). In fact, Eastman basically occupies the entire … Read more

L&N K&A Coal Fields track plan HO

Track plan L&N K&A Coal Fields HO scale - upper
  • Size: 22′ x 22′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 27″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

L&N Logo PlainThis layout represents the L&N’s former Knoxville & Atlanta division south of Corbin. This area is a fantastic blend of coal, mainline traffic and fantastic scenery, and the L&N shared a coal branch with the Southern Railway.

The Layout

Southern Logo (plain)The layout is designed to represent operations in the ’70s, though some of the loaders like Roosevelt were probably inactive or gone by this time. The lower level represents … Read more

CRR North End track plan HO

Track plan CRR North End HO scale - Lower
  • Size: 22′ x 40′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 28″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

CRR Logo PlainThe Clinchfield’s coal loaders were mostly located north of Dante, VA, and that’s the focus here.  Three primary branches, the Freemont Branch, the Nora Spur and the Haysi, were all served by mine shifters (mine runs) and dumped hundreds of coal loads onto the mainline every day.  The Haysi Railroad, operated as a Clinchfield branch line, is renowned among coal field fans for the radio controlled B-unit that worked its tracks.  Dozens of loaders on the mainline and seven … Read more

C&O New River District, WV track plan HO

Track Plan C&O New River District, WV HO scale - Lower
  • Size: 28′ x 30′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 30″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

C&O Logo PlainThe Chesapeake & Ohio’s New River District was enormous and encompassed numerous coal marshaling yards and dozens of branches (“subs” in C&O lingo).  The C&O’s double-track mainline ran through the heart of the New River District from Deepwater, WV to Hinton, WV.  The marshaling yard at Thurmond, WV sat on the mainline in the middle of the district.  It served not only as a yard but also as a base for numerous nearby branches including the South Side Branch, the Loup Creek Sub, the White Oak Sub, Keeney’s Creek Sub, … Read more

INT Norton and Dixiana Branch track plan N

Track plan INT Norton and Dixiana N scale
  • Size: 9′ x 9′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 12″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 48″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

Interstate Logo PlainThe Interstate’s Dixiana branch north of Norton, VA was home to several coal loaders and served by two mine runs per day.  A small yard at Norton was used by the Interstate’s first and third mine runs and “Hill Crews” bound for the Clinchfield at Miller Yard to sort cars bound for the Southern and L&N (west) from those bound for the Clinchfield (east) and the N&W at Norton.  The N&W’s medium-sized yard at Norton … Read more

Book Review – the Model Railroader’s Guide to Coal Railroading

by Tony Koester
Kalmbach Publishing, 2006
ISBN 0-89024-668-8

45starReview by Dan Bourque

MR Guide to Coal Railroading - CoverFor many of us Appalachian modelers, the name Tony Koester and “coal railroading” are permanently wired together thanks to Tony’s previous layout, the Allegheny Midland, which captured the look-and-feel of Appalachian railroading so beautifully. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that Tony has written an excellent book on the subject of coal railroads with the modeler in … Read more