Conrail Lowgrade

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Layout Operations

OPERATIONS:

Informal operations were run as early as October of 2001. As more of the layout came online the operations became more intense.

January 2002 the mainline was completed around the room and operations started to work as planned.

2002, 2003, 2004 & 2005 operations included 2 OP Till U Drop (OPTUD) sessions plus the regular every other Thursday night.

2006 & 2007 also scheduled several mini OP sessions as well as operations every other Thursday.

2008 schedule continued the Thursday night OPs but was stopped in July due to a planned room expansion.

2009 - The layout operations began again as of August 8th after being down for over a year!

CR Bulletin

Conrail Low Grade Bulletin's

Current Conrail Bulletin

Railroading

Good News

UPDATES: A number of turnouts have been replaced with curved units eliminating areas of possible derailments. Additional scenery forms, using blue foam, have been started. A new shortline has been added (Reynoldsville & Falls Creek RR). All of the backdrop has been installed from the original plan and is painted. The Kittanning area has had the track realigned to better represent the actual area. Additional staging areas have been built. Quite a number of buildings have been heavily kitbashed or scratchbuilt to represent the buildings in the area being modeled. Work is completed on the 16 x 16 room addition (256sq. ft.). Future plans for the expansion into part of the office located adjacent to the basement (14 x 28 room – 392 sq. ft.) is still in progress. Total layout area will be 2500 sq. ft..

Welcome to the Conrail Lowgrade Seconday!

Bob Hartle – Clarion – 2009

NAME: Conrail Low Grade Secondary

SCALE: HO

SIZE: 75’ by 25’(1875sq ft total) basement + 16' by 16' addition adding (256sq ft) for a total of (2131sq ft).

PROTOTYPE/THEME: Based on Conrail Low Grade Secondary - Protype with 7 Independent Shortlines
(LEF&C – P&S – B&P – Falls Creek RR – B&LE [Kaylor branch] - Sligo & Rimersburg RR - Falls Creek and Reynoldsville RR)

LOCALE: Dubois to East Brady, PA w/Extensions to Driftwood, Emporium and Kittanning/Ford City area.

PREIOD: 1975-1985

STYLE: Multi-level, Point to point with 5 live interchanges and 6 multi-track staging yards

HEIGHT: 32” – 60”

LENGTH OF MAINLINE: 1125’ of single track main with passing sidings (3300’ total).

BENCHWORK: L Girder, Open Grid & flat areas(yards)

ROADBED: 7/16 OSB (wafer board) w/Homasote & Cork.

TRACK: Code 100 Flex. Most switches are hand ground throw (Several are Turtle Machine controlled from two locations places).

TURNOUT MIN: #4, #6, #8 curved and some hand laid. About 400 switches

MIN RADIUS: 24” or greater main line, 22” industrial sidings

MAX GRADE: 5% at Brookville Interchange (4%) Branch lines (2%)Main Line

SCENERY CONSTRUCTION: Combinations of plaster and foam, trees from weeds, Polyfiber fill and Woodland Clump Foliage - 20% of the scenery is in.

BACKDROP CONSTRUCTION: Painted 1/8” Masonite from the layout to the ceiling, and painted Plasterboard.

CONTROL: Digitrax DCC with radio simplex and duplex and walk around memory throttles.

COMMENTS: This layout was designed in 1999 with DCC walk around control in mind. View blocks were installed to isolate the operators from each other. Dispatch is by radio from a remote location, and car control is the modified pin system. Kadee couplers are hand un-coupled with sticks, without the use of magnets.