Wingedfoot Paper: Part One

 These posts are getting long, which is more of a comment on my talkativeness than anything else. In any case I was convinced by the hobby press at the time that I needed a big industry around which to build the rest of my layout. My layout was located in central WV and I had recently read about WESTVACO Paper (West Virginia Paper Co) so I chose paper. My friend Jon Cure confirmed my decision by his comment, “A paper mill is the PERFECT model railroad industry”.

On my TTTO layout one of the stations was named Wingedfoot, so this name and location was adopted for the Wingedfoot  paper mill co. (WFM). 

At the start WFM covered about 40 linear feet of layout around the inside curve of the Wingedfoot peninsula. There was an associated yard (WFY) and eventually, with the addition of the Island City Branch,  the whole area grew to cover roughly 80’.

Through trains dropped and picked-up blocks at WFY. The “Wingedfoot Switcher” was stationed there, and at the beginning of each session the person that selected this job reported directly to WFY. It was one of the few jobs that managed to hold on to its P2K 0-8-0 for ten years (The other yards with 0-8-0’s managed to wear theirs out!). 

In addition to the WFM there were several other industries to work. 

1) Wingedfoot Paper Mill

2) P.E. Frantz Milling

3) The town of Island City:

   A) Fuel dealer

   B) Feed Mill

   C) Live Bird Track*

   D) Cold Storage Track

   E) Team Track

   F) Ice Dock

Also in the Wingedfoot area we’re two large coal tipples, not switched by the WF switch JOB, Wingedfoot Coal Co. Tipples #1 & #2. Additional the Jct. To the Priest Valley Branch** was in WF. The Branch was often switched by the WF Switch job, when I was short of operators, or someone would work that Branch.

Let’s end this for now. Let me know your thoughts for operating a paper mill, AND the designs of your mills!

———————————-

*Live Bird Track: the PGA CO-OP (Poultry Growers Association) was located in Island City. I owned a small fleet of poultry stock cars, Poultry Palace Cars, Ambrose Kits, that operated into and out of Island City. They delivered live chickens to Island City where the chickens were “Processed” and dressed chickens were loaded into meat Reefers there. The ice dock iced these Reefers as well as many other Reefers from nearby loading points.

**Priest Valley Branch: the Priest Valley Branch was where Wingedfoot Coal #2 was located. This was one of my largest tipples with easily 25 car capacity. The branch then ran around the blob end, turnback end, of the peninsula and into a one track staging track, where an additional coal train/ general freight train was staged. This train simulated the results of switching further up the branch.



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