|
Susquehanna Valley yard and set-up track are shown in this shot of the lower valley.
The yard is a 3-track yard with a run around track between tracks 1 & 2.
|
|
The grade on the left goes up from Jefferson
Junction to the Starrucca Viaduct, which can be seen in the distance. In
the prototype, the tracks under the viaduct were Delaware & Hudson.
|
|
The Starruca Viaduct. The prototype is 110' feet
high and was constructed in the mid 1800's. It is the largest stone
bridge in the world.
|
|
A coal unit train headed by a Erie-Lackawanna H16-66
(trainmaster) trundles across the viaduct with a pair of D&H locals
underneath.
|
|
The E-L ran an extensive TOFC operation from the
east coast to Chicago. They had hot-shot UPS trains starting in the
early 1970's which are extensively documented in the ELHS's Diamond
publication.
|
|
Here a trainmaster, in the classic GYM color scheme,
rolls downhill past some gas and diesel storage tanks.
|
|
Here is a view of the whole layout. The plan was
followed with regards to the track layout, except for the addition of a
trailing-point crossover on the lower-level main on the near right side.
The original plan has two facing-point crossovers on the lower-level
main, one in the foreground and one in the back right corner. There is
also a trailing-point crossover on the top level, hidden my the mountain
by the mine in the foreground.
|
|
Here is the view from the opposite end which reveals the tunnel access.
|
|
Busy picture, not prototypical at all. This shows
the diamonds in the main on the upper level. These were a PITA to build.
I think that if I did this over again, I'd use the Kato Unitrack diamond
because you can create this configuration without any cutting. The part
number is 20-320 and can be seen at
Kato's website.
The beauty of this piece is that the legs disconnect so that you can
join four of them to make this double main crossing. Additionally, Kato
makes a Unitrack to code 80 converter piece, 20-045, seen at that link.
|
|
|
The valley under the Starruca Viaduct. If this were
a scale version of the bridge, it would be 8.25" high and 78" long.
Of course, that's why it's called modelling!
|
