Chartiers Branch of the PRR

Chartiers Branch of the PRR

*N Scale Model Railroad by Jim Cullen*

My layout is based on the area of the Chartiers Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad which ran for 23.6 miles between Carnegie, PA and Washington, PA. It was basically a water level route that crossed the Chartiers Creek about 20 times along its path. The branch was part of Pennsy's Panhandle Division of its Central Region

Construction was started in April of 2007 in the smallest bedroom of our little house. The 36"' x 80" layout was built on a foam covered hollow-core door and was designed with the following criteria in mind: to be smaller and simpler, to have no grades, to be able to run two trains at once, to be lighter and more movable, to be lower cost, and to have a good size water feature.

I used open-grid type construction on previous layout with a base of cookie-cutter plywood. The layout could support the weight of my truck with its 2x4 legs and bracing. I tried a different technique this time with the door and foam and I must say that it has worked out amazingly well. Construction went fast with no real surprises. It's light and especially movable as the layout rest on two shelving units. Enjoy your visit.

Note: The Chartiers Branch layout was taken down in March of 2010. It provided a great deal of enjoyment during it's construction and operation. Jim.