Zn3?

David Smith, he of the world's smallest layout, has decided to plot a new course.

He's dabbling in the idea of narrow gauge, and has contemplated an EBT theme.

His narrow gauge world would be in Z scale. That would make a distance between the rails of 4.15mm.

I do believe that would be the smallest scale EBT themed layout in existence. I wish him the best of luck.

UPDATE: The subject of the only Z scale narrow gauge model (that I know of) will be the Pine Creek Railroad in New Jersey, not the EBT. Less ambitious, but more practical. Take a look!

National Narrow Gauge Convention

It's in Hickory NC in 2011. Maybe I'll be able to get to this one, and hopefully by then I'll have something to show there.

If nothing else, maybe I'll be able to run some of my trains and pick the brains of the Nn3 Alliance members.

Layout Planning

David K. Smith, builder of the famous "Worlds Smallest Layout", had an article on his N scale blog (he has one on Z and one on T scales as well) about the familiar 4x8 layout.

Many layout designers are attempting to break away from the traditional 4x8 sheet, for good reason. A 4x8 takes up much more room than it's size would suggest, and in the long run it would be better to spread that 4x8 into smaller chunks around the perimeter of a room rather than smack dab in the middle because it gives you much more usable space in the room. Only one aisle is needed for around-the-room layouts, while aisle space is needed all the way around a 4x8, so right away a 4x8 adds another 2 1/2 to 3 feet along each side (5 to 6 feet to both dimensions), meaning a 4x8 will actually require at least a 9x13 foot room to operate.

David notes that, despite the drawbacks, the 4x8 track plans remain very popular going by the number of hits he gets on his track plans link. He speculates, and I believe he is correct, that the primary reason for the popularity of a 4x8 is quite simply the fact that is what size a standard sheet of plywood comes in.

However, there is a different reason that I can see why a 4x8 remains popular. This is based solely upon my own observation as I try to come up with a new plan for the Path Valley. I want my minimum standard gauge curves to be 15" or better because I have a Bachmann Spectrum Consolidation and a Model Power Pacific that I want to run on it; my current layout has the toy train 9 3/4" curves and these locomotives just won't run on them.

To have the minimum 15" curves on an around-the-room type layout I have to put balloons at each end measuring at least 3x3. These balloons are too large to reach across to get to the back corners, so access holes have to be cut in them. Worse, the balloon that would be needed in the middle of my particular plan would have to be made big enough to pass a line along the front, so it would have to be even bigger than the ends. This creates even more problems for reaching the narrow gauge line in the case of derailments or mishaps, the upper level of which would be atop the standard gauge return loop (which would itself be hidden by scenery).

It's much easier to put large radius curves at each end of a 4x8, although it decreases the overall area you have for actual layout elements along the sides. If you lay N scale track in an HO scale footprint you get a nice 19" curve that looks great and any locomotive can handle. You will only get 4-5 feet in the middle of each side to put the rest of your railroad if you don't want to resort to a "spaghetti bowl" look, but at least the curves are nice and big, and you don't have to worry about special wiring for end loops and the like.

Each setup has it's own pros and cons, but the advantages of the tried-and-true 4x8 (ease of build, simplicity in track plans) will assure that it will remain a favorite, particularly among beginning modelers. And truthfully, what's wrong with that?

Link

Kevin Strong is another EBT fan, as well as being the editor of the Friends of the East Broad Top's "Timber Transfer" magazine. Kevin models the fictitious Tuscarora Railroad, based on the real-life East Broad Top and Tuscarora Valley Railroads.

Kevin is also doing real model railroading since, unlike myself, he has the real estate aspect nailed down.

Since the actual Path Valley Railroad had proposed connections to the East Broad Top in or around Blair's Mills, Kevin is right around the corner (providing I can ever get the track plan for the PVRR finalized).

Track Plans, Part 2

Due to a compromise worked out with the management, I have decided to go with an L shaped layout. Track plan forthcoming, the PRR will not be represented because there just isn't enough room.

Input!

I sent an email off to the Historical Society of Perry County and got a reply from Carl Tressler, their President. Hopefully he will be able to supply some data, especially maps, that will be of help in my planning stages.

As a side note, Tressler's Farm is where the original disputed crossing of the PCRR and N&SVRR took place by way of a diamond, and after the court action where the trestle was built. I don't know if there is a connection, but I did ask.

UPDATE: There is a connection, the owner of Tressler's Farm was a several-greats uncle. Still waiting to see if there will be any information that I can use, any little bit will be helpful.

Track Plan?

The figure 8 in yellow is the narrow gauge portion of the line, the blue around the outer edge is the standard gauge part. The double tracks in green represent the dual gauge trackage in New Bloomfield, the ore processing plant at the top is in New Bloomfield Junction.

This is a very rudimentary track plan on a 4x8 table, there is another that I am contemplating which will be an around-the-wall type built on modules. I am trying not to build a "spaghetti bowl" type setup, but there is a lot of railroad to represent for a short-line.

The around-the-room plan has the benefit of not being as cramped, so things can be laid out more or less linearly. Also, the number of tunnels can be reduced or eliminated all together as the prototype only had one attempted tunnel (which will end up being a cut in my plan).

The drawback is that it will take up more room, but it should be easily portable on the modules as long as the joints are well planned.

Staying Alive

I haven't posted for a while, mostly because there hasn't been much movement on the Path Valley Railroad. I'm at a standstill due to time, funds and space constraints.

One of the things I have been trying to do is come up with a suitable track plan. This relies on two factors, both having to do with real estate. The first factor is the type of layout, I haven't decided on an island (in which case it would be a 4x8) or an around-the-room (in which case it depends on if I get to keep my room or not). There are pros and cons with both approaches, but I'm leaning towards an around-the-room in a modular format.

I want to represent three different railroads, which presents problems of it's own. The first railroad to be represented would be the mighty Pennsylvania, with it's four track mainline, in Duncannon. This would actually be simpler than it sounds because I would only need a relatively short stretch. I'm thinking of a double-track dogbone with the sides close together to simulate the four tracks. That way I could have a passenger train orbiting in the center and a freight working the outsides to interchange with the Susquehanna River & Western in Duncannon. PRR locos would range from Consolidations and Northerns to F-7 diesels. My Pacific would handle the passenger trains.

PRR purists will shudder, because none of the steam engines are PRR prototypes and the F-7's aren't detailed with the proper antennas and such. Also, I'll be using steel cabooses because that's what I have. It's my railroad, I'll run it like I want.

The second railroad, therefore, would be the SR&W from Duncannon to the dual gauge yard in New Bloomfield. It would serve strictly as a connector, so it can be fairly simple - the two terminus points and some straight track between. I have some 4-4-0's and a Spectrum Consolidation that will call this road home.

Last, but certainly not least, will be the narrow gauge Newport and Sherman's Valley railroad. Here's where it gets interesting. In the real world the N&SV ran from Newport to New Germantown with a spur into New Bloomfield until 1921. At that time the road from New Bloomfield to Newport was taken up and the road then ran from New Bloomfield to New Germantown. It left New Germantown for the last time in 1933 and steadily retreated from there, tearing up it's rail behind it, until finally it's backwards march brought it to it's New Bloomfield terminus in 1934 and it was no more.

In my world, the line from New Bloomfield to Newport was saved and a railcar ran the route for passenger and LCL traffic. I'm not really interested in representing Newport so much, a line running off "in that direction" is good enough for me (in actuality that line will run up the backside of the Conococheague Mountain to the Conococheage Gap). So for the narrow gauge portion of the line it's very likely that only New Bloomfield and the mines at the Conococheague Gap will be modeled.

That is still a lot of railroad for a relatively small space, so until I get my real estate woes solved once and for all, most of this is still up in the air. In essence I will have two roundy-round type circuits, one double-tracked, joined by a point to point line. I have several ideas on how to make it all work, but so far they are all just ideas.

But the armchair modeling is fun, too.

Duncannon

View Larger Map

Duncannon was the eastern terminus of the Perry County Railroad and subsequently served as the end of the line for the Susquehanna River and Western as well.

It was in Duncannon where the connection to the Pennsylvania Railroad was made between Shermans Creek and the Little Junaita creek, near the Susquehanna River. The SR&VRR's station was on South High Street, where the New Bloomfield road curved to enter town and became South Market Street.

The SR&WRR exited town to the northeast, roughly along the same track as Highway 15 takes now. The site of the former station is now occupied by the north ramp of the Highway 15 overpass and the southbound exit ramp to New Bloomfield Road (State Road 274).

Nowadays the only tracks in Duncannon are owned by the Norfolk Southern Railroad. No trace of the Susquehanna River and Western Railroad remains.

Something Completely Different

I am a big fan of the show Bullrun, mostly because I just like cars.

One of the episodes was a bit interesting because it had two railroad-related checkpoints. The first was Stove Pipe Wells, which caught my interest because Tom Knapp models it in Nn3 as part of his Carson and Colorado Railroad, although I don't know if the actual Stove Pipe Wells had rail service or not.

The second was Durango, of which no explanation is necessary.

There wasn't anything train related in the episode, but I found it interesting nonetheless.

An Auspicious Discovery

"April 12, 1914 - New Germantown: Trace amounts of a rare metal, called unobtanium, have been discovered in rock samples collected near the site of an unfinished and abandoned railroad tunnel on the Conococheague Mountain.

Unobtanium is highly sought after due to it's extensive use in the manufacture of replacement machine parts.

The Conococheague Mountain tunnel was an attempt by the Newport & Sherman's Valley Railroad to expand southward to Hancock, Maryland from it's New Germantown terminus, using a charter granted to the Path Valley Railroad on October 23, 1893.

It appears that the rock specimens were collected by one Phillip T. Watts, who was working as a day laborer at the tunnel site during the last failed attempt to drill the bore. Mr. Watts is now attending Pennsylvania State University pursuing a geology degree, and the rock samples he collected were being analyzed as part of a course assignment.

Whether or not these samples indicate larger amounts of the ore is yet to be determined, but any deposits would have to be quite large indeed to justify the cost of transportation to and from the remote Conococheage Mountain site."

And thus begins our alternate history...