Hey SPFs! Need some Cresson info

[Specter3]

I am putting together a set of 4 ntrak modules to represent Cresson and MO tower. I know it was always a helper station but what were the facilities like in the days of steam? The flyover will be operational and a link to freemon style modules I have as well. Was the underpass where the old bridge was always there?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh man, awesome.

[Rich_S]

I am putting together a set of 4 ntrak modules to represent Cresson and MO tower. I know it was always a helper station but what were the facilities like in the days of steam? The flyover will be operational and a link to freemon style modules I have as well. Was the underpass where the old bridge was always there?

The Penn Pilot web site is your friend 

http://www.pennpilot.psu.edu/index.html

It looks like Cresson once hosted a roundhouse and turntable.



Where the current diesel engine facilities now reside.



Please post progress shots of the modules in the "Layout Engineering Reports" thread.

[reinhardtjh]

Digging through the PRR-Pro Yahoo group I found some mention of Cresson.  There are reportedly track diagrams in the book Triumph I, Altoona to Pitcairn if you can find someone with a copy.  Also a mention of facility photographs at the Hagley Musem digital collections site: http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/searchterm/cresson/field//mode/all/conn/and/cosuppress/1

A few Examples:
http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15017coll8/id/3267/rec/1
http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15017coll8/id/3278/rec/14
http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15017coll8/id/3311/rec/20

There doesn't seem to be much info out on the interwebs for Cresson.

Some interlocking diagrams for MO tower on The Broad Way PRR site http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Maps/Itlk/itlk_alt_pgh_main.html

A late (1958) track diagram for the Cresson Branch on Jerry Britton's site
http://kc.pennsyrr.com/maps/downloads/tc_pitt_1958_cresson.pdf

[Specter3]

Thanks for the info! I have seen the Cresson interlocking maps and that is what I used to make my track plan. That overhead shot with the roundhouse is just what I was looking for. The build thread is titled Ntrak with Pennsy flavor. The more I study it the more flavor it is getting. I dug around on the CRHTS site and found just enough pics to get really started. MO tower will be scratch built. My skills are not great but ai am pretty sure I can get recognizably close. Thanks for the help!

Ryan

[Specter3]

Based on the geography of the area does anyone else think the flyover was built by the PRR simply to get traffic over the westbound mains without fouling them? It just does not look like that was a naturally occurring land feature that was capitalized on.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Based on the geography of the area does anyone else think the flyover was built by the PRR simply to get traffic over the westbound mains without fouling them? It just does not look like that was a naturally occurring land feature that was capitalized on.

That's EXACTLY why they did it. That's the PRR for you!

[chicken45]

I have both Triumph I and the Color Guide. Send me a PM with what you need. Maybe you could make two MOs! haha!

The reason I'm not doing Cresson is because I didn't want to scratch the tower.
They also had a MOW siding where they kept snow plows and stuff that would be fun to rust up and display.

[Bob Bufkin]

Didn't someone do a model of Cresson Tower awhile back?

[chicken45]

Didn't someone do a model of Cresson Tower awhile back?

In HO, yes. I haven't seen anything in N.

[Specter3]

There is an HO model of it. AMB I think. It is available at MBK. Crazy windows up top and lots of detail. I will not be making an exact replica, I dont have the skill. But I feel sure I can put something together that will be readily recognizable. Biggest hurdle will be a grade that spans four modules. Still mulling over ideas on how to do that successfully. But with all this new info the itch to do some of the roundhouse facilities on the attached freemon module is powerful. But I dont have the time or the cash to put that together. I need working modules that can be brought to completion inside of this year.

[Hornwrecker]

The roundhouse and some other PRR buildings are shown on these Sanborn maps from 1911:

http://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/maps1/id/6611/rec/2