Category Archives: Track Plans

Listing of ALL track plans on Appalachian Railroad Modeling. For more tailored results, select a category from the sub-menu of the Track Plans tab above.

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 trains … 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 →

Cumberland Mine Railroad, PA track plan N

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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 →

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 →

B&M Connecticut River Division, VT track plan N

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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 →

C&O Layland, WV track plan O

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C&O Layland, WV O scale track plan
  • Size: 14′ x 14′
  • Scale: O
  • Minimum Radius: 48″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: N/A
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

C&O Logo

Layland, West Virginia lay at the end of the Chesapeake & Ohio’s 6-mile long Laurel Creek Sub that originated at the small yard at Quinnimont, WV on the New River. Like most of the early lines built from the New River, grades were steep (up to 4%), and switchbacks were used to access some of the tipples crammed into the tight hollows.

The Layout

This track plan represents the very end of the Laurel Creek Sub and the medium-sized tipple at Layland, and the track arrangements would work … Read more →

FJ&G, NY track plan HO

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FJ&G, NY HO Scale Track Plan - Upper
  • Size: 13′ x 31′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 24″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloverville, better known as the FJ&G, wasn’t exactly a “coal hauler,” but it’s a fun little railroad nonetheless. Nestled on the fringes of the Appalachians in New York, the FJ&G served many industries along its line and connected with the New York Central. The primary industry in the area was leather, but in addition to dozens of tanneries, the FJ&G served many customers including manufacturers and coal dealers.

The Layout

This layout represents the FJ&G in the transition era when power was moving from steam to Alco switchers. By this time, the FJ&G consisted of a single line from its connection with … Read more →

My New Layout – Southern Railway St. Charles Branch

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In addition to keeping up Appalachian Railroad Modeling, I’m a model railroader myself. A few years ago, I had to tear down my first layout [largely unfinished] based on the Interstate Railroad in Virginia in preparation for a move. My layout space in the new house is a bit smaller, so it gave me the opportunity to model something different. You’ve probably seen a few of the ideas as they’ve shown up in the track plans section of ARRM.

Just a couple weeks ago, though, I began construction on my new layout, a 12 x 16′ double-deck design … Read more →

SP Tehachapi Sub, CA track plan HO

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SP Tehachapi Sub, CA HO scale track plan - Upper Deck
  • Size: 24′ x 40′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 35″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 36″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This track plan represents one of the most iconic pieces of railroad in the United States, the Southern Pacific’s Tehachapi Sub, home of the famous Tehachapi Loop. While certainly not an Appalachian track plan, it’s still a good study in prototype track plan design (and any mountain railroad is still pretty cool). This plan captures the key features of the line between Bakersfield and Mojave, CA circa 1990s when both the SP and ATSF (via trackage rights) ran 30-40 trains daily over this route.

The Layout

While 24′ x 40′ may seem like a lot of space for a layout, it was … Read more →