Layout Geography: Where in the world are you?

 The Atlantic Inland layout is a large “X” with the center of the cross in Western Central West Virginia, about 65 miles Southeast of Charleston, WV. 

My main city, and the center of the “cross” is Littlerock, WV.

One Leg of the X, the main East-West line,  goes from St. Louis to Newport News

The other leg of the X, the Northwest to Southeast line, goes from Chicago to Atlanta (Then on south to Savanna and Tampa/St. Pete)

Traffic to the Northeast US (Baltimore, MD., Philadelphia, PA., New York City, Boston, MA) gets interchanged with the Western Maryland ( And the rest of the alphabet Route) at Chatsworth, WV. 

Traffic to Pittsburgh, PA. and the eastern Midwest goes over to the WM in Chatsworth, up the WM to Cumberland, MD., then, still on the WM, up to Connellsville, PA., where the P&WV takes over to Pittsburgh, PA.

We reach Washington DC via a connection with the RF&P at Richmond, VA, and we reach Norfolk, VA by handing traffic off to the N&W in Richmond.

Traffic going South diverges on to the Deepwater Sub Division just east of Pettigrew. The Deepwater Sub connects with the VGN at, of all places, Deepwater, WV., and it continues south to Bluefield, VA where we reach the N&W proper. The N&W carries Southward traffic to St. Paul, VA where it hands off to the Clinchfield.  The Clinchfield carries our cars south to Spartanburg, SC. where the Southern takes over to Atlanta. From Atlanta the Cof G goes to Savanna, or the ACL takes tonnage to Florida. For tonnage through the Memphis Gateway the Clinchfield would hand cars off to the L&N or TC at Kingsport, TN.

Going west AIR tonnage follows the New River to Huntington WV. At this point traffic for the upper Midwest will diverge on the AIR’s Ohio Division connecting with the B&O at Parkersburg, WV. And continuing on to an end to end connection with the W&LE in Zanesville, Ohio.

The W&LE can hand lake tonnage to the P&WV (For Pittsburgh, PA, or by P&LE up to Ashtabula or Conneaught, or the W&LE will hand off to the NKP (And I guess Tony Koester)  for the Race to Chicagoland.

For cars continuing on to St. Louis and points west AIR trains depart Huntington for Cincinnati, Louisville, Columbus, and eventually on the east side of the Mississippi all westbound trains get handed over to the TRRA in East St. Louis, IL., the western terminus of the Atlantic Inland Railway.

Does your railroad connect with mine? More on layout geography later.