F'BURG II ......... REBUILDING THE HO LAYOUT

Franklinsburg is set c. 1947- 48. It is a large, industrial town on a fictitious PRR mainline from Columbus OH. to Charleston WVA. NYC and B & O trains also use the station for passenger and transfer freight traffic.

Now that 'Federal Street' ( a Proto 87 freight yard layout set in Southside Pittsburgh c. 1950-52 ) is more or less finished, it's time to look at 'Franklinsburg' with a view to rebuilding for operation. Franklinsburg was designed as an exhibition layout and as such faced outwards to the viewing public. And that is the main snag for both operation and viewing now it is a permanent fixture at home in the loft.
Consequently it is going to be rebuilt so that it faces inwards towards the centre.

This will mean turning around the three centre station boards (each 4 feet long) so they are completely reversed and carrying out a large rebuilding programme which will involve a new low level freight yard, and at a slightly higher level to the main running lines there will be a mail and express facility plus head end and passenger car storage. A long overdue locomotive depot will be built behind and to the east of the passenger station to house local passenger and freight steam locos and a few encroaching diesels. The west end of the station will incorporate a junction with a track leaving for a local branch terminus, rising at the rear of the fiddle yard and re-appearing at about 2 feet above the main layout. The schematic diagram below gives some idea of the plans. Note the branch depot and mine are actually 2 feet above the mail & express and loco areas.

Layout size is 24ft by 12 ft.

Operation (Franklinsburg I )

The despatcher rules the show. He can make a session interesting and enjoyable, boring or sheer hell. What we do is pretty basic but still a lot more than your 'average' British outline layout.
Trains run to a schedule ( which is in printed form around the layout ) not as a timetable but I am not ruling this option out, long term. We feel, at the moment, there is less pressure with a schedule and it can be easily stopped and picked up again any time. Eastbound and Westbound movements are fairly well blanced in terms of trains available. Trains are described using ideas from Bruce Chubb's book on Operation. Each train has several numbers in the course of a session and may be treated differently when it appears. Minerals trains and transfer freights are run with 'Extra' numbers but are still part of the schedule. The dispatcher may slot other trains into the schedule. These have to be given 'Extra' numbers and description, of course.

Transfer freights are made up of two PRR trains and a NYC and B & O train. These are diverted from mainline running when the freight yard requires switching. If a freight yard operator is available, then in practice, this is as soon as the previous transfer freight is ready to leave the yard. Waybills are made up in readiness for these trains, prior to each session.

Mainline trains circulate the layout as per schedule, each time with a different number. For instance each East and Westbound Limited has four roles during a session ....... The Ohio Valley Limited, The Charleston Limited, The West Virginian and The Fast Mail. More head-end stock is switched when the 'Fast Mail ' puts in an appearance.

Operation (Franklinsburg II )

I see mainline running and the operation of the transfer freights to the low level freight yard carrying on pretty much as before as the system worked well. One 'improvement' will be the careful siting of the control panels so each operator has room to work efficiently.

New features (branch line, loco depot and head end stock / passenger car facilites ) will need to be worked in, and it is the operation of these and the questions they raise that is the main purpose of this page.

 

QUESTIONS

1) Where is the best place to site the icing platform?
On F'burg ( 1 ) I had it at the low level freight yard because there was a meat packing company that received and shipped reefers. But some of the head end passenger stock also has reefers which originate / terminate at F'burg and these had to be sent by switcher down to the low level yard. Bit of a puzzler this as there is a rough 50/50 split on high and low level reefers. Might there be two?

2) What diesel servicing facilites do I need?
Bearing in mind the time chosen ( 1947-48 ) saw the Pennsy begin that period with only around 300 diesels and facilities would be rudimentary in many places. Franklinsburg has mostly steam locos allocated to the depot but has a handful of new fangled diesel switchers. The depot also needs to service some incoming PRR freight diesels and passenger diesels from the NYC and the B & O. At this early period, would they all be serviced out in the open or shall I incorporate a run-through shed?

 

Return to Franklinsburg Home Page

View Next Page