Black River & Western

[Missaberoad]

I'd originally streamlined that whole area because I was at a loss how to handle it. But I've since completely reworked it, and squeezed in the siding at Ferrellgas, plus a passing siding. BR&W does work them, so now there will be a little more to do. Oh, and I also added their siding at G&C Fab Con, just south of Three Bridges.

Happy to hear that. It would be an interesting bit of operation running around cars to serve the interchange and gas dealer...

[DKS]

OK, here's Version 2. The changes to the track plan include a big change in Three Bridges to add the Ferrell Gas siding and a passing siding, a siding at G&C Fab Con, and a small tweak in Flemington to include the old connector to Flemington Junction.

Quite a few things have been removed to create more "nothing," mostly along the bottom edge of the layout. Flemington got reworked a fair bit to include more landmarks (some of which admittedly no longer exist), with two fast food joints being the token nod to the ugly commercialization of the area.

Many structure kits have been earmarked for the layout; these are colored grey, and are correctly scaled to size. Structures in green will either be scratchbuilt or very heavily bashed. The remainder (tan) have yet to be identified.



Larger version: http://davidksmith.com/modeling/reading-central/images/BRW-2b.jpg

[Philip H]

Far be it from me to weigh in on the plans of a guru - I like this one better. It has a greater sense of the railroad being part of its surroundings.

[Dave V]

Looks like you've put more than a little thought into this over the years.  This is clearly your dream layout.  I can't wait to see how it develops!

[DKS]

Looks like you've put more than a little thought into this over the years.  This is clearly your dream layout.

Oh, indeed. Been thinking about this on and off practically since my first ride on it in the 60s.

[Dave V]

Oh, indeed. Been thinking about this on and off practically since my first ride on it in the 60s.

As someone who is also finally building his dream layout after several decades of thinking about it, I can tell you you're in for the most rewarding hobby experience of your life.  It's like answering a calling.

[wcfn100]

I'd lose the turnout on the LV track and have the interchange just go off the edge.  It'll give room for maybe another car and make it a bit less compressed.

Jason

[DKS]

I'd lose the turnout on the LV track and have the interchange just go off the edge.  It'll give room for maybe another car and make it a bit less compressed.

Tempting thought... must sleep on it... thanks.

[DKS]

So, Jason's suggestion became a catalyst for change--throughout the whole layout. It was designed with 2-foot benchwork all around, except for Lambertville which was 2.5 feet. Then it occurred to me, this was kind of arbitrary and also limiting in places. So, I lengthened Three Bridges by 9 inches and added 6 inches of depth. Then I also added 3 inches of depth at Flemington and Lambertville. Consequently things aren't as crammed; scenes can breathe more, and I get to keep the full interchange at Three Bridges while gaining at least a car length, if not more.

[BOK]

This is a really neat plan David. Before retiring from the railroad, four years ago I spent several years starting up and working on short lines some with excursion service and hauling freight so it's an interesting prototype to model.

Although, I currently, model in HO my heart is still N scale (spent 40 years in it) and will one day make a small layout I can hang on the wall when not in use.

Attached are a few photos of my current HO railroad based on the Monticello (Illinois) Railway Museum which I have been a member of for 50 years. The theme is steam/diesl excursions, photo freights and a bit of added freight service (the museum does store freight cars) with a mythical shortline. This is a very well operated/maintained operation with a mainline, NS connection, 8 miles of track with a wye on each end although they only operate mostly push-pull for about 4 miles from the museum into town and back.

I needed to take some liberties (don't we all) to fit the modeled portion of the railroad into a 20'X25' finished room only around the walls but with staging in an adjacent mechanical room at one end and the other operating on a 6" shelf through a guest bed room and closet loop un-sceniced.

Barry

   

[OldEastRR]

What's the abandoned RR (purple dashed lines) on the left side of the layout?

[Chris333]

What's the abandoned RR (purple dashed lines) on the left side of the layout?

Used to be a coal trestle! 

[DKS]

What's the abandoned RR (purple dashed lines) on the left side of the layout?

Used to be a coal trestle! 

Actually, of the two parallel dotted lines, the one to the right is the long-abandoned Flemington Branch, a connection between the CNJ South Branch and the Lehigh Valley at Flemington Junction to the north (the first few feet still exist, but the rest is obliterated). The dotted line to the left is a siding for either a freight station or a co-op, while the dotted line to the upper right is a siding for a freight house.

The coal trestle used to be on the right side of the BR&W, as viewed on the plan. I've been struggling to figure out how to cram in the trestle, and the problem has been that I couldn't work in a turnout for it. So, I said screw the turnout and I just tossed in the trestle; the connection to the line will be totally overgrown so it won't even be visible. Refresh the image of the plan to see how I did this.

Also, here's a newly-rendered enlargement: http://davidksmith.com/modeling/reading-central/images/BRW-3b.jpg

 

[Chris333]

So you are saying the line to the North used to keep going? In 1952 you can't see any old roadbed and it looks like it ends at the trestle.


A few piers look to still be left behind this fence:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5077723,-74.8618493,3a,60y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svw4zG5qc0HhnG15b5cgamQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Was that also another trestle right above the turntable?

You can see another line that used to be where Walter E Foran Blvd is now, but it doesn't look like they were ever connected.


I have no idea why I dig into this stuff, but I thought the line continued so I looked it up...

[DMetz]

The topo maps for Flemington at https://www.historicaerials.com/ show the Lehigh Valley line never connected to the PRR branch or the CRR of NJ branch. 
The Sanborn maps show a lot more detail about the industries in the area:  http://library.princeton.edu/libraries/firestone/rbsc/aids/sanborn/hunterdon/flemington.html