TC Coal Fields, TN track plan N

TC Coal Fields, TN N-Scale Track Plan - Lower
  • Size: 14′ x 17′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″ (18″ on mainline)
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This is the first significant “Tennessee Central” content of any kind on Appalachian Railroad Modeling, but I doubt it will be the last. The aptly named Tennessee Central (TC for short) reached from southwestern Kentucky through Nashville to east Tennessee, and coal was one of the major commodities generated on the line. In the diesel era, the TC hauled short trains including lots of coal over lots of wooden trestles with a range of Alco locomotives in an attractive maroon and cream (later black and white) paint scheme–what’s not to love? This layout captures the heart of the … Read more

CRR Loops, NC track plan N

CRR Loops, NC N-scale track plan - lower
  • Size: 12′ x 19 ′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Mainline Radius: 18″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

CRR LogoOne of the Clinchfield’s signature locations was its descent of the Blue Ridge between Altapass and Sevier, North Carolina, a section of the railroad known as “the loops.” Where neighbors took a more aggressive approach that led to operational headaches like the Southern’s 4+ percent grade at Saluda, the Clinchfield managed to wrap itself around the hills in a series of loops that kept the descent/climb at a very manageable 1.2 percent (compensated for curvature). This easy profile meant … Read more

Cumberland Mine Railroad, PA track plan N

Cumberland Mine Railroad, PA N scale track plan
  • Size: 12′ x 12′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 27″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

The Cumberland Mine Railroad, built by U.S. Steel, is a coal hauler unlike any other. Built in 1975 to Class 1 standards, the 17-mile railroad is a hallmark of late 20th century engineering from start to finish, complete with a large, modern flood loader at one end and a similarly modern rapid-discharge dumper at the other. What makes the Cumberland Mine Railroad unique is that despite being surrounded on all four sides by lines of the former Monongahela Railway, The Cumberland Mine Railroad was completely isolated, miles from touching any other railroad. This makes it a great subject for those who … Read more

B&M Connecticut River Division, VT track plan N

B&M Connecticut River Div, VT N Scale Track Plan - Lower
  • Size: 14′ x 31′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

Here’s another track plan that’s a bit out-of-scope for the railroads covered on this site, but it’s a fun one for the northern area of the Appalachians. The Boston and Maine’s Connecticut River Division straddled the namesake Connecticut River along the border of Vermont and New Hampshire. The Central Vermont (CV) had trackage rights over this line from Brattleboro to Windsor, VT, and it formed part of the CV’s single north-south mainline. The favor was returned with the B&M having trackage rights on CV track from Windsor to White River Junction, VT where the B&M met up with other B&M lines … Read more

P&S North End, PA track plan N

P&S North End, PA N-scale track plan
  • Size: 14′ x 24′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 27″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

Pittsburg & Shawmut LogoThe Pittsburg & Shawmut was a picturesque coal hauler that featured tunnels, high trestles and lots of small loaders nestled in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. The heart of the P&S in later years was Brookville, PA, a small town that housed maintenance facilities, a small yard and an interchange with the Pennsylvania RR (and later the Penn Central and Conrail). A handful of trains, powered mostly by colorful SW9s, worked out of Brookville making this a great area to … Read more

KCNW Kelly’s Creek & Northwestern, WV track plan N

Kelley's Creek and Northwestern, WV N scale track plan
  • Size: 11′ x 12′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 15″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 27″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

The Kelly’s Creek & Northwestern was a coal-hauling short line that ran several miles into the mountains from the Kanawha River and a connection with the New York Central at Cedar Grove, West Virginia. Like the nearby Winifrede Railroad on the C&O side of the river, the KC&NW served primarily to shuttle cars from the coal tipples to a barge loader on the Kanawha River.

The Layout

This track plan represents the KC&NW circa 1970 when a trio of small but more modern loaders was supplying the coal. The single-deck layout is compressed but still features the key scenes of the railroad … Read more

B&LE Conneaut Branch, OH track plan N

ARRM’s 99th track plan and second place winner for the 100th Track Plan Contest is Jason Petty.

Jason’s idea was to model the B&LE’s Conneaut Branch in a bedroom. Local to this area, Jason likes that this piece of railroad has docks, yards, helpers, and big trains of coal and ore. I love that this gave me a chance to design a layout for unloading end of coal operations at a major port, something I hadn’t done before.

  • Size: 10′ x 15′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″ (except as otherwise noted)
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

Read more

C&O Hot Springs Sub, VA track plan N

C&O Hot Springs Sub, VA N Scale Track Plan

ARRM’s 98th track plan and third place winner for the 100th Track Plan Contest is Jonathan Myers.

Jonathan suggested a layout of the C&O’s Hot Springs Sub in N-scale to fit a 10’x12′ bedroom with a closet. He recommended this line because of the bucolic scenery and mixed passenger/freight operations.

  • Size: 12′ x 12′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: N/A
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

C&O LogoThe Chesapeake and Ohio’s Hot Springs Sub ran 24 miles from a connection … Read more

INT Stonega, VA track plan N

INT Stonega, VA N scale track plan
  • Size: 8′ x 10′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: N/A
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

Interstate LogoStonega, VA, located just north of the Interstate Railroad’s headquarters in Andover, VA, was home to a large wooden tipple and four banks of coke ovens throughout the steam era of the Interstate. While its layout was simple, operations were anything but, and multiple mine run and yard crews worked this busy operation each day.

The Layout

This layout is designed to fit along two walls in a bedroom, basement or garage. It’s designed in N-scale and limited … Read more

WVN West Virginia Northern, WV track plan N

WVN West Virginia Northern, WV N scale track plan
  • Size: 12′ x 14′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 12″ (15″ for B&O)
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 24″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

WVN logoThe West Virginia Northern was a short line that ran 11 miles from Tunnelwood, WV to Kingwood, WV. Begun in the 1800s, the WVN was always a small operation, using small locomotives to haul small trains to and from a series of small loaders. For most of its existence, the source of empty hoppers and the outlet for WVN coal was the B&O via a connection at Tunnelton. With so much “small” operation packed in … Read more