Category Archives: HO scale

NC&StL Pikeville Branch, TN track plan HO

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NCSTL Pikeville Branch TN HO scale track plan
  • Size: 12′ x 12′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 24″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″ 
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This track plan was a personal challenge to see whether a double-deck plan for a long branch line could be modeled in HO scale in a tight space of less than 12 x 12 feet. The subject is an area I hadn’t known much about before. I discovered it on an L&N coal mine map from 1966, and thanks to the great site historicaerials.com, I was able to explore topo maps and aerial photos from the late 1950s about a year after the branch transitioned from the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis (NC&StL) Railroad to the Louisville & Nashville. What I … Read more →

LN Davidson Spur, KY track plan HO

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L&N Davidson Spur HO scale track plan
  • Size: 12′ x 12′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 28″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 21″ (mostly >36″)
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

L&N Logo(Note: this track plan and description have been updated twice to include additional details provided since the first posting–thanks to coal-field guru Robby Vaughn for clearing things up!)

The Louisville & Nashville had more coal branches than you could shake a stick at, and they came in many sizes. One of the smaller branches was the Davidson Spur which left the Eastern Kentucky (EK) mainline at Lothair, KY. After crossing the North Fork of the Kentucky River, the branch … Read more →

BN Marias Pass, MT track plan HO

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BN Marias Pass - Lower HO scale track plan by Dan Bourque
  • Size: 18′ x 26′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 28″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 26″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This track plan is FAR from the Appalachians, but it captures an iconic piece of mountain railroading, the Burlington Northern’s route over the continental divide via the former Great Northern’s Marias Pass line across the Rockies near Glacier National Park, Montana. This route, the northernmost rail crossing of the continental divide in the US, is known for its snow sheds and incredible glacier-carved backdrops making it the perfect route for Amtrak’s “Empire Builder.”

The Layout

This track plan is designed to fit into a moderate-size basement complete with utility spaces and support poles. This is 50+ miles of railroad on the … Read more →

WM Chaffee Branch, MD track plan HO

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WM Chaffee Branch, MD HO scale track plan
  • Size: 12′ x 16′ 
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 27″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

WM LogoThe Western Maryland’s Chaffee Branch was an insane piece of railroad with grades so steep it took the second largest shay locomotive ever built to operate the branch. The WM’s shay No 6 is both the biggest on the WM and the last built by Lima in 1945. Operationally it only lasted for 5 years as the steepest parts of the Chaffee Branch for which it was built ceased operation in 1950 when the mine at Vindex, MD closed. Thankfully, this … Read more →

BNSF Kootenai River Sub, MT track plan HO

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BNSF Kootenai River Sub, MT HO scale track plan - Lower
  • Size: 18′ x 27′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Visible Mainline Radius: 33″
  • Minimum Radius: 30″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

I’ve been working on several non-Appalachian track plans recently, and I thought I’d share one. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe runs through some beautiful territory, and the BNSF’s Kootenai River Sub on the border of Montana and Idaho has to be one of the most spectacular! Originally part of the Great Northern’s mainline across the northern US, this line picks up just west of what is probably the Great Northern’s most famous line across the continental divide via Marias Pass and Glacier National Park. Still one the nation’s major east-west routes and the route of Amtrak’s … Read more →

C&O E&BV Sub, KY track plan HO

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C&O E&BV Sub HO scale track plan by Dan Bourque
  • Size: 27′ x 30′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 30″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

C&O LogoThe C&O was the king of coal hauling in the Appalachians, and some of the largest operations it served were in eastern Kentucky on the Big Sandy Subdivision. One of the coolest parts of the Big Sandy was the area geographically south of Martin, KY including the Long Fork Sub and Elkhorn & Beaver Valley (E&BV) which followed the left and right forks of Beaver Creek, respectively. The Long Fork Sub was densely packed with loaders of all shapes and sizes … Read more →

N&W Pocahontas Main, WV track plan HO

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NW Pocahontas Main HO scale track plan by Dan Bourque
  • Size: 11′ x 21 ′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 30″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

N&W Logo (Tuscan)The N&W’s Pocahontas Division encompassed the bulk of its coal field lines in West Virginia. While it was home to lots of coal, the “Pokey” main was also the primary artery of the entire railroad connecting the Midwest with the road’s eastern terminus of Norfolk, VA. As such, the main was a robust affair, double tracked with sidings and concrete coaling towers spanning the main between the large yards of Williamson, WV and Bluefield, VA, and traffic was a mix of coal, other freight, and the hottest passenger … Read more →

N&W Abingdon Branch, VA, NC track plan HO

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NW Abingdon Branch HO scale track plan by Dan Bourque
  • Size: 15′ x 24 ′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 27″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

N&W Logo (Tuscan)The Norfolk and Western’s Abingdon Branch was a sleepy operation that connected small towns in the mountains of North Carolina with the N&W main at Abingdon, Virginia. The line was known for its steep grades (3%), sharp curves, numerous bridges and mixed trains (freight and passenger). This line was home to the famed “Virginia Creeper” mixed train–today, much of the line is preserved as the Virginia Creeper Trail. The highest point on the N&W was on this branch as well, the top of the grade at Whitetop, VA … Read more →

NYC Piney Fork Secondary, OH track plan HO

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NYC Piney Fork Secondary HO scale track plan by Dan Bourque
  • Size: 14′ x 17′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 24″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

NYC LogoFew people picture the New York Central when they picture coal-hauling railroads, but the NYC was a major player in the coal fields of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. The NYC’s Piney Fork Secondary ran south from Alliance, OH into the rich coal deposits of eastern Ohio where it intertwined with coal lines of the Pennsy, the Pittsburgh & West Virginia (later N&W), and the Nickel Plate Road (formerly Wheeling & Lake Erie and later N&W). The nerve center for NYC’s … Read more →

C&O Piney River and Paint Creek Sub, WV track plan HO

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C&O Piney River and Paint Creek Sub HO scale track plan
  • Size: 13′ x 16′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 24″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 27″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

C&O LogoDespite the long name, the Chesapeake & Ohio’s Piney River and Paint Creek Sub was a very short affair, less than 7 miles in length. Unlike most coal branches, this line also served a small city (Beckley, WV) and several industries on its way to the coal loaders at the far end of the line. The short running distance, ample side tracks and mix of industries makes it a perfect prototype for a large bedroom-sized layout.

The Layout

This plan is designed … Read more →