Operating Layouts:
Operating sessions are on seven local layouts on the evening of Thursday, May 4. The operating sessions start at 7:00 pm and we suggest arriving at least 10-15 minutes before the start of the session. Assignments are made during registration on a first come, first served basis until all spaces are filled. Operators will be notified by email by Monday, April 24th with a confirmation of their layout assignment. Due to limited space at most layouts, everyone who signed up must operate and not just observe. Operators are asked to report on time to their assigned layout and to thank the layout owners for opening their doors for us.
MenuCL&W - Arley Mitchell
| Operator Slots Available: | 6 |
|---|---|
| Location: | 55 minutes from Convention Hotel |
| Parking: | On Street |
| Layout Scale: | HO |
| Layout Description: | The CL&W is a 576 square foot freelanced layout based on the Chessie System. Scenery is about 15% complete. |
| Layout Control: | DCC using NCE |
| Physical Requirements: | Standing with one duck under |
| Handicap Accessibility: | No |
| Operations: | Moderate with track warrants |
| Session Time: | 7:00pm to 10:00pm |
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Layout Index
Huntingdon Northern Railway - Bob Prehoda
| Operator Slots Available: | 6 |
|---|---|
| Location: | 37 minutes from Convention Hotel |
| Parking: | Driveway (4 cars) and On Street |
| Layout Scale: | HO |
| Layout Description: | The Huntingdon Northern is a freelanced medium-sized layout (24ft x 26ft) with 100% of it’s scenery finished. The railroad is operated as a bridge route, set in Southwestern Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, MD in 1957. The railroad uses a centralized Dispatcher that controls train movements by issuing train orders to crews and also used the train order signals as manual block signals. The Huntingdon Northern was featured in the November 1998 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. |
| Layout Control: | DCC with NCE and radio throttles |
| Physical Requirements: | No stairs to reach basement, standing with aisle ways narrowing to 2 feet in width, no duck-unders. |
| Handicap Accessibility: | No |
| Operations: | Moderate (car card and waybill system, train orders with manual block and telephones) |
| Session Time: | 7:00pm to 11:00pm |
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Layout Index
Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh Southern - Don Coulter
| Operator Slots Available: | 6 |
|---|---|
| Location: | 18 minutes from Convention Hotel |
| Parking: | On Street |
| Layout Scale: | HO |
| Layout Description: | The Pittsburgh Southern is a modern, freelanced route of the Norfolk Southern running south out of Pittsburgh towards the mid-Atlantic. Traffic consists of a mix of locals, transfers, and mainline through trains. The trackwork is completed to allow for operating sessions. The 240-foot mainline runs point-to-point between two becks with several branches for switching. There is minimal scenery completed at this time, however the layout is now fully signaled. |
| Layout Control: | DCC with NCE |
| Physical Requirements: | Stairs, concrete floor, no duck-unders, walk-around operation |
| Handicap Accessibility: | No |
| Operations: | Moderate, fully signaled, dispatcher, yard limits |
| Session Time: | 7:00pm to 11:00pm |
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Layout Index
Pittsburgh Mainline - Andy and Charlie Blenko
| Operator Slots Available: | 5 |
|---|---|
| Location: | 40 minutes from Convention Hotel |
| Parking: | On Street |
| Layout Scale: | HO |
| Layout Description: | 600 square foot HO Scale layout set in the early 1980s depicting Conrail's double-track Pittsburgh Line from Johnstown to Pittsburgh with a lower deck for staging. This layout features a 280 foot two-track mainline as well as interchanges with Chessie, Union Railroad, and AVR. Scenery has just been started, but track on Conrail is 100% complete to the point that operations are well-developed. |
| Layout Control: | NCE DCC provides layout control. A central dispatcher directs operations through JMRI block detection and remote turnout control. |
| Physical Requirements: | Stairs to reach basement, standing on concrete floor, no duck-unders. |
| Handicap Accessibility: | No |
| Operations: | Moderate (car card and waybill system, train orders, operating signals, two-way radios for communication) |
| Session Time: | 7:00pm to 11:00pm |
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Layout Index
Penn Creek Valley Railroad - Pittsburgh S Gaugers
| Operator Slots Available: | 6 |
|---|---|
| Location: | 64 minutes from Convention Hotel |
| Parking: | On Street |
| Layout Scale: | S |
| Layout Description: | Built by the late Sam Powell, this S SCALE (not American Flyer) layout depicts a fictional line running through the South Hills of Pittsburgh set between 1950 and 1953. The 27x26' layout has complete scenery and features several impressive scratch-built & kit-bashed structures as well as having all turnouts and much of the track hand laid. Equipment is a mix of Steam & Early Diesel and 40' cars and heavyweight coaches are still the order of the day. The railroad was gifted to the Dawson Historical Society upon Sam's passing, and has been graciously re-assembled by the Pittsburgh S Guager's and some friends of the Society. |
| Layout Control: | Digitrax DCC w/ Duplex Radio & Wi-Fi Throttles |
| Physical Requirements: | Standing required for operations and a duck under used for quick access. |
| Handicap Accessibility: | Layout is wheelchair accessible, however bathrooms are not. |
| Operations: | Moderate, Single track, Train order and switch lists. Operators will be paired and all will start as road crews with the possibility of advancement to yardmaster later in the session. |
| Session Time: | 8:00pm to 11:30pm |
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Layout Index
Turtle Creek Railroad - Ken Hanawalt
| Operator Slots Available: | 6 |
|---|---|
| Location: | 30 minutes from Convention Hotel |
| Parking: | Parking on street - take care not to park directly across from driveways. |
| Layout Scale: | HO |
| Layout Description: | The Turtle Creek Railroad is a two-level layout in a room about 34 feet by 27 feet. There are 30 towns, about 300 turnouts, and 900 freight cars. The scenery is mostly complete. We are just starting to install signals. The Turtle Creek Railroad is a free-lance switching layout, representing local freight traffic running from McKees Rocks, PA south to Brownsville, PA. There are no through freight or passenger trains. The motive power is a mix of steam and diesel with sound. Staging is distributed around the layout so that several trains can start at once. |
| Layout Control: | DCC using NCE radio throttles |
| Physical Requirements: | Standing to operate is required due to the layout height. There is a level entry to the layout from behind the house, but the driveway is sloped down from the street. A drop down bridge provides access to the layout, but no duck under is necessary during operations. Stairs are required to reach the rest room. |
| Handicap Accessibility: | No |
| Operations: | Moderate - The operation is moderately complex but easy to learn, low pressure and not sensitive to errors. Two person crews are used for each train. New operators have an experienced partner. Operation is based on intensive switching using car cards. There are a few signals, but not dispatcher. Crews must negotiate meets and passes. A key objective is to minimize waiting on the layout. Most crews will be busy during the entire session. We are easy going and friendly. |
| Session Time: | 7:00pm to 9:30pm |
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West Virginia Central & Pittsburg - E. Roy Ward
| Operator Slots Available: | 3 |
|---|---|
| Location: | 60 minutes from Convention Hotel |
| Parking: | Driveway and Duzyk Lane |
| Layout Scale: | HO |
| Layout Description: | The WVC&P is a prototype freelanced HO Appalachian coal hauler set in 1958 and based on Western Maryland operations in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The layout occupies a 24' x 20' room and was started in 1978. It has been operated by Timetable and Train Order and a Card System since its inception. It has 154 feet of main line and 113 feet of branch lines, 30 locomotives and 300 freight cars and is controlled by a MRC DCC system. Roy's layout appeared in Model Railroad Planning for 2006. A companion prototype article appeared in the 2006 issue of Classic Trains |
| Layout Control: | DCC using MRC System |
| Physical Requirements: | Stairs to reach basement, standing on concrete floor, no duck-unders. |
| Handicap Accessibility: | No |
| Operations: | Serious - Timetable & Train Order (TT&TO) with car card and waybill system. |
| Session Time: | 7:00pm to 12:00pm |
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Layout Index