Altoona
Altoona is the heart of the PRR, and is the first prototype location
represented on the layout. There are three areas represented in Altoona:
The Altoona and Juniata Shops, the 12th St. Shops, and the Altoona
Division Yards.
The yard is a 6-track staging yard off of the westbound main as it enters Altoona. This area is used as on-layout storage for trains.
The 12th St. Shops are represented by models of the Master Mechanic's Building and an upgraded test plant. I know that the Walthers Machine Shop kit I used for the test plat does not look like the prototype, but I like the model, and I figure a transcontinental PRR would have had heavier testing needs, requiring a larger building. (How's that for rationalization?)
The Altoona shops consist of a 3-track locomotive shop, a 3-track car shop, a machine shop, steam refueling facilities, diesel refueling facilities, a sanding facility, and a 27-stall 3/4 round roundhouse. A RIP track off of the turntable serves as the DCC programming track.
The Juniata Shops are represented by a facade of the west side of the
Erecting and Machine Shop. A staging track from the westbound main represents
the access to the E&M Shop, and allows for possible addition of an
off-layout staging yard.
River City
River City is a major city served by the PRR. The mainline runs underneath
the city, which is served by the grand Pennsylvania Station on the
corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and Taylor Blvd. Penn Station is on the
edge of downtown River City, and the financial district is a mere block
away. River City is home to offices of the Fidelity and Guarantee Co.,
Donaldson's Department Store, Merchant's Bank, and General Electric,
as well as the world headquarters of Holden/McGraw Industries. Of course,
River City is also home of the world-famous River City Police Department.
River City will be built on a sheet of plywood, and will be removable
to allow access to the platform tracks. The showpieces of River City
include Penn Station (Walthers
Union Station) and several Custom
Model Railroad structures. The current plan for River City will be
two complete city blocks, and four half blocks. The center of the cityscape
will be Penn Station, surrounded by Cassatt Park.
Horseshoe Curve
Horseshoe Curve requires no introduction. It was, and is, one of the
most famous train-watching spots in the country. Horseshoe Curve was
a massive engineering project to extend the length of the PRR's main
east-west mainline up a side valley to allow for a much shallower grade
on the east slope of the Allegheny mountains. At its peak, the Curve
was four tracks wide and hosted trains such as the Broadway Limited
on its run between Chicago and New York.
The model will feature all four mainlines, and will be scenic-heavy.
This is the second scene that will be based on a prototypical location.
The space for the model is an alcove in the basement, allowing visitors
to stand between the east and west approaches and watch trains, just
like the prototype.
Panther Creek
Panther Creek is a small Appalachian coal mining town. The town centers
on the Panther Creek Coal Mine, which is served by the PRR. Panther
Creek includes a coal tipple and a small yard for sorting inbound and
outbound hoppers. The town of Panther Creek is too small and remote
to merit a passenger station, and the railroad only serves the mine.
The main features of the model of Panther Creek are the mine (Walther's
New River Mine), and the yard. The yard is small and is designed to allow
a mainline train to drop off a string of hoppers, and a switcher from
the mine to take the cars and switch the yard. The mine will back up
to the backdrop, allowing the mine track to slip through the backdrop
unnoticed.
Newark
Although not based on any specific place, Newark does have one distinction
that could hint at a prototype location. Most people would say that "Newark" is
pronounced "new-erk." Sons and daughters of The First State know better.
They know that when the word "ark" is placed after the word "new," it
is still pronounced "ark." Hence, Newark is pronounced "new-ark." That
being said, the town of Newark is not particularly based on Newark,
DE. Newark is an industrial town with tight, winding curves, curved
switches, and crossovers. In addition to the many industries, including
the coal power plant, Mom's Hardware (a Holden/McGraw Industry), and
Pattington Printing, Newark hosts an intermodal yard used by PRR TrucTrains.
Newark is behind the scenic divider from Panther Creek. One might remember the disappearing coal mine track... It emerges into the coal power plant, providing a loads-in-empties-out interchange. Instead of running mainline trains through, a switcher carries short strings of hoppers between two small yards: one serving Panther Creek Coal Mine, the other serving Newark's power plant. The effect is that loads delivered to the power plant emerge as freshly-filled cars in the mine, and empties delivered to the mine emerge as freshly-emptied cars from the power plant.
To be continued...
