NYC/ACY Hiles Tower - New London, Ohio in N scale

[btrain]

I'm getting that itch again to try something a little different in modeling. I've been satisfied with my sectional NKP Bellevue modular layout, which needs a little more work but is nearly finished. The main problem I'm facing right now is in my current situation I do not have a lot of space to set it up (it's about 10' 6" by 6' 5" when sprawled out). This new layout is about half the size and will be set up in a breeze compared to Bellevue. Don't worry, the Nickel Plate isn't going anywhere. I'll still take it to shows and conventions, and hopefully, my future will warrant it spending more time in operation than in storage.

The main impetus behind the new layout was seeing a video from overseas. British N scaler Terry Tasker has built a really well-done roundy round called "The Circle Line," which is five feet in diameter and has a double-track mainline. This answered a question I've been mulling over for quite some time of how to model the New York Central in northern Ohio. My roots in this road run deep as my great grandfather used to be a conductor between Elyria and Youngstown, and growing up near Oberlin, Ohio, I wasn't too far from its former well-groomed mainlines to Chicago and St. Louis.

At first, I debated about using Doug Nelson's wonderful Middle Divison as a basis for this layout before I saw the video, but hiding the curves would be a real challenge in the Ohio flatlands, especially with the long coach cars of the Central's great steel fleet. If I used Terry's idea, I could have a gentle curve throughout the scenic section with a backdrop that would prevent viewers from seeing both openings at the same time that the trains are using.

I have modified Terry's plan to fit in a live interchange and diamond with the Akron Canton & Youngstown at Hiles Tower in New London. The plan has a five-foot outer diameter just like Terry's, but I have drawn up a 32-inch inner diameter giving me 14 inches to play around with a scene on the baseboard. This is three inches more than the Circle Line. Curious to see how big-boned I am (the holidays were too good for me), I mocked up half of the layout in foam-core to see if I could fit in the middle. It's a bit snug, but it works. I do envision bringing this layout to shows, where I'll either be in the center or on the outside depending on how introverted I feel that day. Also, to help with storage and transport, this layout will be in two halves with staging being separated from the scenic portion.



The big thing I wanted to try is early winter scenery. I've noticed with layouts like Ed's or Mike Confalone's Allagash that the models just really pop out at you during that time of the year. The brown golden colors with some pale greens help set a tone that pairs well with industrial equipment. Nothing wrong with green brush and plentiful wildflowers of summertime, but railroading is dirty, dreary, and tiring work, especially during the steam era. 

Right now, I'm in the research phase and gathering up notes. @SAH has been an incredible help by providing me with a great deal of information about the location. He's shown me a copy of the AC&Y Historical Society Newsletter about Hiles tower and of New London itself, which answered so many questions about the area. I'm also lucky that I live by a surviving Big Four tower in Grafton. I've taken measurements of it and have started piecing it together for a scratch build.



If you love NYC Hudsons screaming across the flatlands with mail trains, Lightning stripe F-units grumbling along, and classy yellow FMs going across the diamonds, I hope that'll you enjoy this little project.

[Chris333]

That plan is curvaceous.

[Chris333]

Would your great Grandfather have worked for the Lake Erie & Pittsburgh?

Just recently found out about this line as it is pretty much gone. Like the tall curved bridge up near Cleveland (Mill Creek) and the long tall bridge at Tinkers creek.

Also I can only follow it to Kent, did the line ever get to Youngstown?

EDIT no it only made it to Brady Lake.

LE&P was the LE&P Branch of the NYC RR’s Lake Division. It was built in 1911 and was roughly a 28 mile branch line which ran south from Marcy tower on the Belt Line, down to Brady Lake tower, Oh., where it junctioned onto the PRR’s Alliance to Cleveland mainline. Never hosted passenger service and there was no significant on-line or local customer base. Bridge traffic only. PRR had trackage rights over it but never used those rights for any moves. Basically NYC ran two types of bridge traffic on it’s LE&P, or two freight pools ran the LE&P: 1. Thru traffic between Minerva and Rockport yard, and 2. Thru traffic between Elyria and Youngstown. Block stations were Brandywine, Northfield and Hugo. Double track Marcy to Warner, then single and back to double Hugo to Brady Lake. 19 and some very interesting 31 orders were used on the LE&P
The track was maintained to 40 mph class, and in late 50’s NYC put welded 127 lb rail on it. The LE&P began its downward spiral about 1960 when NYC shifted its Youngstown traffic to via Ashtabula and down to Youngstown. The Minerva-Rockport LE&P pool soldiered on until Nov 1966 when the trestle shifted and NYC opted to reroute the Minerva-Rockport pool to Minerva-Collinwood. In 1968 and 1969, there was a little Ben Gateman Landfill traffic. In 1969 after PC was merged, the LE&P was put up for abandonment, as a parallel route to the PRR. In 1971, there was serious talk by PC of putting it back in, due to congestion on the parallel PRR. Fascinating part of the old NYC.

https://www.railsandtrails.com/NYC/LE&P/index.htm

[PJPickard]

Interesting plan! And yes I love Hudsons and the like in the Ohio flatlands. I'm from NE Ohio and my dad worked for NYC. I really have no room for a layout and I have been tossing around ideas for a T trak thing, but this is a neat concept. Oh and of course...not having room doesn't mean I don't have a lot of locos and cars waiting for room! And like you my plan if I ever get to it is to do November/December scenery.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is rad!

[garethashenden]

There's another round British layout worth looking at, Mini MSW. Pretty much the same idea, but a different setting. Its a good concept if you want a smallish layout where trains can just run.

[btrain]

Would your great Grandfather have worked for the Lake Erie & Pittsburgh?

Just recently found out about this line as it is pretty much gone. Like the tall curved bridge up near Cleveland (Mill Creek) and the long tall bridge at Tinkers creek.

Also I can only follow it to Kent, did the line ever get to Youngstown?

EDIT no it only made it to Brady Lake.

https://www.railsandtrails.com/NYC/LE&P/index.htm

Yep, that was his regular run along with the Norwalk Branch from Elyria to Bellevue. I recently found a silent super 8 cab ride film of a trip between Elyria and the then-newly P&LE Gateway yard done in the late 50s. I've got it digitized and just need to add sound before I post it to Youtube.

There's another round British layout worth looking at, Mini MSW. Pretty much the same idea, but a different setting. Its a good concept if you want a smallish layout where trains can just run.

Yep, that was one of the layouts that Terry based his plan on. Here's a pretty good website that features both https://esngblog.com/2021/04/02/return-of-the-roundy-roundy/

[Chris333]

Well if you were interested in the Tinkers Creek bridge:
http://waltonhillsohio.gov/pdf_waltonhills/en-US/HistoricalDocs/TrainsTrolleysPlanes.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1JeKE9iyInl5_IcRLKPIrzoMaY84Z9yIMHo051OyK6EWW3RaNCvf5ktko

And here it was around 1950

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.3748764,-81.5758134,972m/data=!3m1!1e3

But what? you say this layout will be all curves and no room for a big bridge like that?  Just a bit more North at Mill Creek

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4367296,-81.6369061,1009m/data=!3m1!1e3

Hard to believe it is all gone.

[btrain]

Hard to believe it is all gone.

I walked the path near the turnpike entrance about a year ago, and it's pretty crazy that the only visible artifact from the railroad is the tower at Brady Lake, along with a few bridge abutments. There are some fleeting shots of the Tinker's Creek trestle in the film footage.

[btrain]

This week I worked on my scratch build copy of Hiles tower. The tower is nearly complete and just needs a few more details added, such as the nameplate, mini searchlight trainorder signals, and stove pipe.

As I mentioned before, I'm lucky that one of the remaining Big Four stilt towers is only a short drive from my home. I was able to take measurements, notes, and photos of the Grafton tower, which has been preserved and restored by the local historical society. @SAH also provided me with a great deal of information about the tower and the junction through his files from the AC&Y historical society.



Before I started building, I mocked up a cardstock version to see if it looked visually correct since I don't have access to the actual dimension of the tower. The Big Four stilt towers seemed to be constructed in all sorts of odd rectangular shapes, but after reviewing some photos (northamericaninterlockings.com is a great reference for any tower nut like myself), it looks like the company didn't differ much between Grafton and Hiles, except for windows. I also wanted to see if I could get the roof to curve down to a horizontal overhang for the eves with this mockup. Given my current skills, I couldn't get the roof to lay flat at that spot, so I lowered the roof's pitch by several scale feet to achieve the effect.

Onto the construction! The structure is made of Evergreen clapboard siding with 0.080 square bracings, and the interior was scribbled and bent to get that outward bevel at the bottom. The detailed molding at the bottom was made with thin sheets cut into strips with styrene strands glued to it. It was then made into a square and glued to the bottom of the tower. Windows and doors were found in my spare parts box and are Grandt Line.



The painting was a bit challenging. The New York Central Historical Society offers Tru-Color bottles of paint that are correct for NYC structures. Unfournatly, they are currently out of stock, and I had to find alternatives to keep the momentum going on the project. After a couple of blot tests, I found that Tamiya XF-12 JN Gray has a green tinge that works well for the structure body, and Tamiya XF-5 Flat Green is great for the trim.

Seeing how big the windows are looking into the building and knowing that this would be the centerpiece for the layout, I knew I couldn't leave an empty space inside, so with some 0.020 styrene strips, I made interlocking levers. I'm planning on adding piping and interlocking detail under the tower and along the line, as written about in the Jan. 2004 issue of MR by Bill Daranby, once I get to the scenery building stage.



Here's the almost-finished tower ready to O.S. NYC and AC&Y trains at this small rural Ohio junction.

[amato1969]

That is really nice work @btrain !

  Frank

[videobruce]

I get jealous everytime I see something this well built.

[SAH]

Nice job Brian.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That thing is slammin Brian.

[Philip H]

I think RMC might like an article on this build!