Dave Vollmer's
N Scale Juniata Division
Pennsylvania railroad - 1956
Consolidated Rail Corporation - 1980
"Modeling the Standard Railroad of the World"
Coming soon to Bellevue, NE
NEW!!! Last Update: 12 July 2008. Added new title logo. Renamed layout "Juniata Division" instead of "Middle Division." The logic behind this is due to the obvious discrepancy between the real PRR 4-track Middle Division and my double-track mainline. Additionally, since I'd modeled fictional towns, I figured it was best not to portray this layout as a model of a real segment of the PRR or Conrail.
NOTE: The N scale Juniata Division is currently crated in preparation for a move to the Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska area. I expect it will be back in operation in August.
NOTE 2: I have begun building a roster for Conrail operations circa 1980, and am planning a dual-era layout capability. The idea is that I will hopefully be able to operate the layout either as 1956 PRR or 1980 Conrail, with railroad equipment, vehicles, lineside structures, and industries appropriate for the specific era. Pictures of the Conrail equipment and operations will be coming soon.
New!!! Introducing Rail Time, my new Model Railroad Blog!!!
Return to The Vollmer Family!
Loads eastbound, empties westbound on the PRR Middle Division near Jack's Run, PA in July, 1956.
Click above to watch a 6-minute video tour of my layout! (Note: It may take a few minutes to load...)
Overview of my 36" by 80" model railroad in the upstairs bonus room (click to enlarge):
Scroll down for links and photos...!
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Railfanning the Middle Division
Questions? E-mail me at vollmerdp@aol.com.
This is my fourth layout and the second representing the PRR in N scale. My last layout depicted PRR coal operations around Shamokin, PA in the summer of 1956. The new layout, like the last, is built on a 36x80" hollow-core door with folding legs. The new layout seeks to correct some of my mistakes of the last, and depicts a fictional segment of the PRR in central Pennsylvania inspired by the Middle Division - rather than Northern Division - operations. The layout is called the "Juniata Division (pronounced jōō' nē - āt' ə)" after the Juniata River followed by the real PRR's Middle Division from Duncannon to Altoona, PA. The real PRR Middle Division became part of Conrail's Pittsburgh Line in 1976 after the Penn Central failure.
The new trackplan here is based on one Lou Sassi did in Model Railroader in the early 90s (and in the Second Edition of Kalmbach's Small Railroads You Can Build) called the Mohawk Valley. I changed a few sidings and industries, but otherwise kept the general concept intact. I also added a 3-track staging yard here.
Recreating an actual location on the Pennsy's four-track Broad Way of Commerce would have been difficult in my limited space. Instead, I've chosen for now to model a fictitious segment of the PRR (until that wonderful day when I can accurately recreate the PRR in that dream basement) and am attempting to capture the essence of the PRR's Middle Division. I tried to make the towns "sound" Pennsy, such as East Mifflin, Jack's Run, and the main focus, Lewisport (a combination of Lewistown and Newport, both on the Middle Division). Even the mine is "almost right." The PRR served 42 Berwind-White Eureka coal mines (and hauled Berwind's massive fleet of privately-owned hoppers), so my kitbashed Walters mine is Eureka 43. The time is July 1956, the last full year of steam operations on the PRR. Diesels, trailers on flat cars (TOFC), and track reductions are starting to change the image of the mighty Pennsy but some of the past is still very much there, from the wood-and-brick interlocking towers to the freight house with its PRR Merchandise Service trucks parked out front. My version of the Middle Division has two instead of four tracks, but the spirit is there even if the space is not!
The layout is built on a 36"x80" hollow-core door with folding, telescoping H-legs These legs were purchased on-line here. The scenic base is 2" extruded Styrofoam. Scenery is Styrofoam with Sculptamold. Rockwork is Mountains-in-Minutes flexrock castings. Ground cover comes mainly from Woodland Scenics, although I've used some natural dirt I sifted and "baked" myself.
I used Atlas Code 80 flextrack with Peco Insulfrog Code 80 turnouts. Minimum mainline radius is 13.5" and turnouts are #8 on the mainline and #6 on sidings. Why code 80 and not that beautiful Atlas code 55? This layout has to move with me every few years (I'm in the Air Force) and go with me to shows where it will take a beating. I just felt the code 80 had a better chance of surviving!
I'm using the Digitrax Super Empire Builder DCC set. Yeah, I know, it's more than I need for such a small layout, but (see above) I plan on using it later some day on the "big one." Wiring is 14 AWG solid for the track bus, 24 AWG for the feeders, and 18 AWG stranded for signaling. Signals are NJ International PRR 8-bulb position light signals (some absolute stop, some permissive). Mainline signals are fully animated using Logic Rail Technologies SAD-3 Signal Animators. Read about how they work here. Sidings have toggle switches allowing them to be manually controlled between stop and clear aspects. Signals are powered by a separate (MRC Tech II) DC power pack.
To see my active locomotive and cabin car roster click here!
Locomotive Roster:
Life-Like A-B-A Alco FA (with Trainphone added)
Life-Like A-B EMD E7 (with Trainphone added)
Life-like EMD E8A
ER Models AB Baldwin RF-16 (with Trainphone added)
Kato E8A (with Trainphone added)
Atlas VO-1000
Atlas RS-3
Atlas GP-9x2 (with Trainphone added)
Kitbashed PRR L1s Kato 2-8-2 (with GHQ Pennsy L1s Conversion kit)
Kitbashed PRR H10s 2-8-0 (parts from a Spectrum 2-8-0, a Minitrix K4 and B6, and TCS decoder).
Kitbashed PRR M1 4-8-2 (parts from a Spectrum 4-8-2, 2 Minitrix K4s, a ConCor J3a tender frame, and Digitrax decoder).
PSC Brass K4s 4-6-2 (currently awaiting restoration)
Rivarossi GG1 (looks cool, but no catenary on the Middle Division!)
Freight cars are a mix of Bowser, Atlas, Micro-Trains, and Intermountain. All have knuckle couplers and have been weathered. Cabin cars (cabooses for the non-SPF) are Bowser N5 and N5C, two of which have Trainphone antennas added. Passenger equipment is a vast array of Atlas, Rivarossi, Hell-Gate Models, Lima, Intermountain, and Con-Cor. All have a Pennsy prototype or have been modified (like the P70) to match one.
All structures on the layout are commercial kits. Many have been kitbashed, all have been painted, but all were purchased rather than scratchbuilt. Why? Two reasons. Commerical kits are:
1. Rugged. Failing that, the are
2. Replaceable.
No $100+ craftsman kits or 9-month scratchbuilding projects for me when one clumsy hand at a show or drop during a move could end it all! Few of my railroad structures are actual PRR prototypes (most come from Atlas and Walthers), but I find with the correct two-tone brown with red window sash scheme and proper PRR signage (via PowerPoint and a photo printer), they do a "good enough" job. Again, someday I plan to invest in accuracy when I build a more permanent layout, but for now, I rather enjoy making commercial kits look Pennsy (or at least less like everyone else's!).
Middle Division (West to East):
East Mifflin
M Interlocking
East Mifflin Passenger Shelter
Berwind-White Eureka #43 Branch (trailing point from eastbound main)
Jack's Run
Jack's Run Bridge
Jack's Run Tunnel
Lewisport
LEW Interlocking
Lewisport Passenger Station
Lewisport Freight Station (trailing point from eastbound main)
Juniata Machine Tool Co. (trailing point from eastbound main)
Wm. T. Schaeffer Feed and Coal Co. (facing point from switchback, coal trestle)
Company Siding (trailing point from westbound main)
Lewistown Secondary Track (facing point from westbound main)
Berwind-White Eureka #43 Branch
Berwind-White Eureka #43 Coal Mine (2 tracks, facing point)
I've ordered the Micro-Mark car routing system so that I can operate using waybills and car-cards. For now, I'll probably stick with simple sequence operations, although I do have a fast-clock capability with the Digitrax system. My initial plan would involve east- and west-bound locals dropping off and picking up at Lewisport, a Lewisport job, a mine turn, and a passenger train. The passenger train can be swapped out some sessions for a hotshot freight, such as a TrucTrain. My hope is to keep two or three people occupied for a 30-60 minute session if possible. The recent addition of a 3-track staging yard makes operations far more promising.
The N Scale Juniata Division has served
passengers since 17 February 2008.
Member: PRRPro Modeling Group Friends of the RR Museum of PA East Carolina Chapter NRHS
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Note: All photos, videos, and images (except for the Pennsylvania Railroad logo) contained herein are Copyright 2006-2008 Dave Vollmer and may not be used without permission.
