Layout Geography: Update

 I think in the first week of my blogging I wrote about the geography of my layout. Additionally I covered my decision to move the modeled portion of my layout to Charleston, WV a year or so later. 

I thought after a couple years I’d go over it again.

What I mean by layout geography is, “Where in the world is my layout located?”.

I think the answer to this question is actually one of the top three or four questions you must answer when building an operations oriented layout. Frankly I cannot, off hand, think of anything more important, even though I’m sure there is something.

Where you are determines your traffic plan. Your traffic plan practically dictates everything else you’ll do. What kind of trains will you run? Your car and locomotive fleets. What else?

I spent a GREAT deal of time with railroad atlases and determined where my railroad would go; connections to be made; traffic plans; logically what trains I’d be running over my layout.

I made a decision that I WANTED a rail to river barge feature for trans loading coal. My main reason for doing this was to utilize about 150 foreign road coal hoppers I already owner. These hoppers are primarily lettered for WM and CRR*.

After looking at the atlases, and looking hard at where I wanted this fictional Atlantic Inland to go I realized that I needed to move the West end of my layout from a fictional city of  “Littlerock”, located in an obscure part of the West Virginia coal fields, to Charleston, WV.

It was a MAJOR decision for me, but it made SO MUCH SENSE.  And I kicked myself for not doing this twenty years ago.

Charleston WV is set on the Kanawha River at the confluence of the Elk River. It divided Charleston into three basic sections: West, East, and South Charleston.

On the West Bank of the Elk and the North bank of the Kanawha Rivers is West Charleston. The NYC and B&O live here. On the East bank of the Elk River , north of the Kanawha River is East Charleston, home to the Atlantic Inland. The South bank of the Kanawha, South Charleston is the realm of the C&O.

There’s already rail to River barge transfers going on here. There’s three foreign railroads to make connections with. There’s a bit of first class passenger service terminating here: the NYC Wolverines originate here along with a couple mail and accommodation trains from both C&O and B& O, plus I believe C&O’s passenger fleet to and from Cincinnati calls here. I’m sure B&O must have a presence here too.

My new layout design has changed a big feature of my operation;  helpers. The new layout has helixes. In my opinion trying to run manned helpers through a helix where the train is not visible is not practical. The move to Charleston provides a remedy to this. Charleston is where the mountainous portion of the AIR begins. I will bring trains out of staging with relatively light power, and at Littlerock Yard, I will change power to a heavier, more powerful mountain locomotive set. I will, for all practical purposes, make the entire layout a helper grade. 

I’m very happy with my decision to make this move. 

The West End of the modeled portion of my layout will be East Charleston, WV.


* Huge lesson here. Do not buy ANY cars until you have a layout built!


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