Double Pinwheel Helix

Double Pinwheel Helix 6

Lots of track plans need a helix, especially if you’re trying to build a double-deck layout to capture your favorite mountain railroad. Ever wonder why I draw most of my helices on Appalachian Railroad Modeling track plans as octagons? Here’s why…

I’ve never heard any model railroader talk about how much fun it was to build a helix, but I know plenty who dread this step in their construction. Building a helix is daunting because it’s a whole lot of track and subroadbed crammed into a vertical circle, and it’s usually hidden, so its construction needs to be bulletproof. My layout requires not one helix but two, so I wanted to find a way to make them in the most … Read more

N&W Pocahontas Main, WV track plan HO

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

Two Key Questions for Track Plan Compression – Derby, VA Case Study

Derby, VA track plan ideas

One of the toughest parts of prototype modeling is knowing where and what to compress to keep as true to the prototype as possible for a given space. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to compress any scenes, but that’s a fairy tale for all but the most compact of prototypes. We’re stuck with the challenge of trying to find the right balance of scenery elements and operations to model our prototype within our space constraints.

The coal mining town of Derby, VA on the Interstate Railroad offers a good case study of how to compress a prototype operation to fit into a range of spaces with different trade-offs, and it’s covered in good detail in Ed and … Read more

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

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

New Manns Creek Railway Models and More

C&O Sewell, WV HO scale model scene by Tom Maule

If you haven’t seen them yet, you HAVE to check out the newest model photos! First up is some absolutely stunning work by Tom Maule who models the Manns Creek Railway in HOn3. For those unfamiliar with the Manns Creek, it was a 3′ narrow gauge operation that transported coal from mines at Clifftop, WV down into the New River Gorge where it connected with the C&O at Sewell, WV. Tom’s layout is almost entirely scratchbuilt including the 20-ton hoppers, the tipple and coke ovens at Sewell, and the town of Sewell on the mountainside. Tom also models the month of November, 1952, so his layout reflects barren trees, all of which have been painstakingly modeled. Truly awesome work that … Read more

NYC Piney Fork Secondary, OH track plan HO

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

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

Book Review – The Monongahela Railway in Color, Volume 2

Book - The Monongahela Railway in Color Vol 2

By Stephen M. Timko
Morning Sun Books, 2020
ISBN 1582487103

Review by Dan Bourque

Book - The Monongahela Railway in Color Vol 2

Stephen Timko’s newest foray into the coal fields comes in the form of The Monongahela Railway in Color, Volume 2. This book is part of an anticipated three-part series, and volume 2 covers the West Division and branches, primarily the more modern branches on the road. If you’ve … Read more

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

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

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