Model Railroading > Layout Update

With the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a moment to post some progress photos on my HO scale Conrail Bethlehem PA layout.  The layout is L shaped, with a helix on each end, connecting 3 levels.  The main portion of the layout, planned for scenery, occupied two sides of a finished family room space which will also double as a crew lounge.  One helix shares space with my workshop, and the other is in a closet.  I'm modeling 1994 (with some variation '92-'95) and covering a fairly small portion of "real" railroad, representing the east end of Allentown Yard, over the Lehigh River to south Bethlehem, and east to about Florence.  This allows for some good operational variety while allowing for a prototype "feel" for the scenicked areas making use of my somewhat-limited space.

The bottom level is staging, and any of the trackage outside of the family room is also considered "off-stage"; the first image shows the in-progress CATS/JMRI dispatcher's screen.  The top row is all built and active, staging level.  CP-Allen and CP-JU will occupy the middle level; noting that Allen is really a "staging" interlocking that ties the prototype Allentown receiving/hump inbound tracks back out to the helix, and CP-Easton and CP-Bethlehem will occupy the top level.  Again, Easton is really a "staging" interlocking here as well.

All of the staging & helix "stuff" is intended to support prototypical operations from east end Allentown out to Florence, including the Reading Line (ex Lehigh Valley "hole" track) and the Bethlehem Secondary (ex Reading).  The Bethlehem Secondary gets the shortest shrift, in that the only visible part of it will be at the diamond crossing at Bethlehem, where it will the become hidden track out to "Easton" where it ties back in; but this allows me to use it as a spot to leave a train out of the way.  Trains can then duck out at Easton / swap with another consist.  For example, a ZBB ore train could arrive from Philly, and then use "Easton" to go back to staging; then a "BEPI" can come up out of staging and run west via the Bethlehem Sec and CP Bethlehem.

Traffic-wise, I'll have a lot of manifest freight traffic (ALSE/SEAL, ALOI/OIAL, PIOI/OIPI, NSSE/SENS, etc.), intermodal (no double stacks yet) with Mail-3, TV-3, and others; the RoadRailers; unit coal and ore trains (I've been accumulating those cars for awhile now); and the fun addition of the CP Rail/D&H trains.  D&H 265/266 from/to Oak Island will be regulars, but, I'm planning to exercise some modelers license by having the 555/556 manifests occasionally appear to run around their trains.  When these trains were routed through Allentown, a straight-thru move from the north thru Allentown then west/south to Philly wasn't possible.  By 1994 these trains had been rerouted via Sunbury and Harrisburg. 

Bethlehem Steel will be a notable part of the layout; although I won't be able to represent a lot of it; I have assembled a small fleet of switchers for Bethlehem's common carrier Philadelphia, Bethlehem, & New England (which went neither to Philadelphia nor New England), along with slag cars, submarines, flatcars, etc.  If everything comes to fruition, one operationally interesting aspect of the layout will be having a PB&NE crew fetch empty scrap gons to hand over to the CP Rail/D&H "BS-1" job that would occasionally work at Florence.

I almost forgot, that there will be a few locals scurrying about as well.  The YPAL-13 East Penn Drill will need to come out to work Reeb Millwork, the WPAL-12 Cement Secondary job will head east at JU (and I've managed to cram in a few turnouts to allow this train to swap trains and return the next day with a different consist - important to me as I grew up along the Allentown Branch where I'd see this train as a kid growing up).  The WPAL-10 will run to Manville and the WPAL-18 to Washington... on my layout those two will also be used to reposition manifest blocks to keep rotating cars/consists thru the staging plan.

Anyway, enough rambling, let's show some photos.
1. In progress dispatch screen. Top row = staging and is in service. Bottom row is not yet built, hence the grey track.
2. Google Earth view of the territory I'm attempting to represent
3. Finished family room benchwork - top level is CP Bethlehem, middle is JU, bottom is staging

 

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4. The other side of the family room, looking in the same direction as photo 3
5. A view looking east at CP-92 in staging; this side of the family room allows for 10 tracks, 5 of which continue thru the other side of the L.  That gives me 5 tracks of about 30-35 cars capacity, and 4 more that hold between 15 and 20 coal hoppers.  For now, I only have 20 cars of each unit train consist anyway so starting out this will be fine.  Over time I plan to accrue unit train cars & will probably need to double trains up out of staging.  Alternatively, some of the shorter trains like locals, the RoadRailer, the D&H intermodals, etc can use this side of staging as well.
6. Looking the other direction from photo 4, this is CP-95.  This is a giant complex where 10 staging tracks come together into a turnback loop and into two main tracks up the (not yet built) helix which will be in the back left of this photo.
 

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7. In progress "helix 2" connecting East Penn to JU and Bethlehem.  For now I am only building up to the middle level.
8. Benchwork connecting the family room "main layout" to the helix.  This is the middle level and will be the east side of JU.
9. Overview photo of helix 2.  The turnouts are for the Cement Secondary run-around operation that takes advantage of helix/staging track to do so.  I'm using Rapido RailCrew switch machines here, because these turnouts were an afterthought & the Rapido machines were easy to add after-the-fact.  Operating switch stands & targets are a huge plus.

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10. Close-up of one of the Rapido Railcrew installs.  (You may notice the pink insulation. I didn't realize that I needed to peel off the outer plastic layer first. So I have a few spots like this that I'll need to touch up.  Lesson learned!)
11. Starting out on Helix 1 at the west end of CP-95.  This helix will go up to Allen and Easton.  Tricky trackwork here.  I am definitely pushing the limits with the space that I have.  Trying to go slowly & make sure the trackwork is smooth.  (Staging is using Atlas Code 83 and Peco turnouts mostly with a few ME's.  The rest of the layout will use Walthers flex on the mainlines and ME flex on yard tracks/branches, and the Walthers turnouts whenever they finally get here)
12. Looking the other way

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Here is a video of CP Rail 8-858 moving empty coal hoppers out of Bethlehem Steel (actually it's in the staging yard)...

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Impressive. Love all the staging. I've found I didn't plan enough staging myself and now paying for it in inconvenience.

A large undertaking. It will be fun to watch your progress as I certainly like your theme!

TJY

I spent some time at CP Bethlehem when in town, plus the hump yard, and CP Burns.  But I liked CP Bethlehem best.
looks to be a very nice layout by the way.
john ( formally from PA)

Wow, lots of work, great looking cabinetry too. Interesting to see the CATS screen.
t4p.

Looks like you used patterns to lay the flex-track curves correctly. I can't read the manufacture's name and contact, who makes them? Thanks in advance!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/20 13:46 by RRBaron.

Awesome! Great to see the progress you're making, keep the updates coming.

dt

Amazing work of yours - to put it mildly! I especially admire the work you have done with the dispatch screen - so realistic to the real thing.

Question: Are your crossovers configured (electronically) so that you throw two switches, using only one control, or do you throw them individually?

Matthew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/20 19:31 by Cumberland.

I can't add any more compliments than those already posted.  That's quite an undertaking you have there and wish you the best of luck for continuing progress.  I spotted a lone RDC in one shot - I remember that Reading (SEPTA?) had an RDC running between Bethlehem and Lansdale but cannot remember the years of operation.

Thanks all for the input and comments, thus far!
* The curve templates came from English's Model RR supply... I'll get the info from them & reply back later
* The crossovers do throw at the same time, but programming both switch machines with the same DCC address
* That RDC wouldn't be prototypical for 1994 but it's fun for my youngest daughters to run occasionally

Fast Tracks has all the templates available for download and printing
https://www.handlaidtrack.com/track-templates-ho-turnouts
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/20 09:01 by Finderskeepers.