Conrail Lehigh Line - 1991-94

[ljudice]

After a hiatus, I am back building a layout - the single track (formerly double) ex-LV Conrail Lehigh Line from Port Reading Jct NJ to Pattenburg, NJ.  The layout will include - in view:

- West end of Port Reading Jct Controlled Siding and Jct to Trenton Line
- part of Manville Yard
- Royce and Read Valley Running Track
- Possibly interchange w/ Black River & Western
- East End of Pattenburg C.S. into the Musconetcong Tunnel

Off stage the other ends of the two modeled C.S.  plus a staging yard - Aldene on one end and Easton on the other.

Scenic highlights:  it's NEW JERSEY so there are none!!! 

Just kidding:    The long trestle at Neshanic,  Musconetcong Mountains and a lot of farmland.

The "removed second main" will be prominent - double track bridges, embankments, etc....

Era: 1991-1994 the glory days of Conrail - mostly can openers on locos;  The Lehigh Line was NOT cleared for stacks or autoracks.
But it saw CR's hottest trains - the MAIL trains,  TV3 and TV11.  It also saw about eight daily merchandise trains. coal trains
(until 1993/4 or so), extra sections and detours off the Trenton Line.

D&H ran a 3 day a week intermodal with SOO power most times.  Lots of oddball moves (Lehigh was in the MIDDLE of CR not
a stub end as it is now). We had the monster dimensional loads from Air Products, DOD Nuke Rod moves, lots of other stuff like
military trains - as the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne was still open.

NS power was VERY common (though never leading, due to PA toilet rules).  Tropicana trains detoured some times.

Subroadbed is 95% done - Woodland Scenics Subroadbed + Cork + Peco Code 55.   

No grades.  Which is not prototypical, I know.

Updates and photos to come...

- Lou

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Muy caliente!

[ljudice]

Muy caliente!

Muchos gracias!

[Specter3]

Love the idea of abondoned track. I always look at old right of ways while traveling and try and remember where they are to go back and google map them. I always wonder, was it busy? What ran here? When was the last train? When was the first? Poking around sometimes answers these but not all the time. Looking forward to seeing it Lou.

[Philip H]

Is your European stock going into storage?

[soo]

Sounds like a great plan.

I am looking forward to seeing the track plan. Ever since the help from fellow members on my current plan....I think basing/replicating the proto is the ticket to N scale happiness.. YMMV

See ya,
Y-It

[crrcoal]

Looking forward to this Lou!!

[amato1969]

Lou, sounds cool - track plan/sketch?

  Frank

[ljudice]

Rough diagram...   the real proposition here is to set up familiar trainwatching locations, duplicate the operations of getting trains
around each other, with a couple of industries (on the prototype there are not that many)

Many details omitted, sorry for the scrawl....

[amato1969]

Wow, huge space!  As a Valley modeler, I'm looking forward to this east coast goodness.

  Frank

[ljudice]

Tracklaying began last night in Pt. Reading Junction...

Fortunately I was able to re-use all my benchwork and 30-40% of the subroadbed.  Most track in the back (behind a LOW divider) is also re-used from the last layout...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I love it man. It looks nice and simple too, which I'm sure will speed construction.

[ljudice]

I always liked the idea of  carving out space for an HO layout but building it in N...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I always liked the idea of  carving out space for an HO layout but building it in N...

That's an EXCELLENT way to have a whole lot of nothing, which is great.

[wm3798]

How did you get Gahan Wilson to draw your track plan!

I like the simplicity as well, the staging looks a little dicey back there, but if you can reach it, preach it, brother!

Lee