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r u t h e r s
Scale:
HO
Railroad:
The Reading Company
Modeled
Portions: From the Southern End of Saucon Creek Yard (connection to Bethlehem
Steel) to Perkasie. Towns to be included are Saucon Creek Yard, Hellertown,
Coopersburg and Perkasie.
Era(s):
Steam-to-Diesel transition era and Second Generation Diesel to C-Day.
Motive
Power: SW1's, NW2's, FT's, F7's, GP7's, GP30's, GP35's, SD45's, SW900's,
SW900m's, SW1200's, MP15's, C-630's, C-424's, U30C's, RS-3's, RDC's
Goal:
To re-create the Bethlehem Branch as it appeared in the last twenty-five
years of the Reading's corporate existence.
Operations:
Through
Freights:
PB-1:
Philadelphia (Berks Street) to Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard), Called Daily
at 6:30 PM
PB-3:
Philadelphia (Berks Street) to Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard), Called Daily
at 8:30 PM
BP-2:
Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard) to Philadelphia (Berks Street), Called Daily
at 1:30 AM
BP-4:
Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard) to Philadelphia (Berks Street), Called Daily
at 3:00 AM
XB-23:
Abrams to Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard), Called Daily at 11:00 PM
BX-330:
Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard) to Abrams, Called Daily at 3:30 AM
Locals:
Saucon
Shifter: Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard) Shifter Crew
CD-46:
Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard) to Perkasie.
CD-45:
Return of CD-46
Extras
(Iron Ore Service):
PBX:
Philadelphia (Port Richmond) to Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard), Called as
needed.
BPX:
Bethlehem (Saucon Creek Yard) to Philadelphia (Port Richmond), Called as
needed.
[Note:
Extras shall be identified using the lead engine number. Thus, PB-485X
would be a Philadelphia to Bethlehem extra led by locomotive 485.]
Click
here to see a diagram
of the railroad room.
Click
here to see a few photos
of the railroad room.
D e
s ig n D r u t h e r s
Schematic:
Loop to loop (basically the good ole dogbone with a single track section
in the middle)
Track:
Atlas code 83 on the visible "main line" and some code 70 on the industrial
and yard tracks. Hidden staging will be all code 100 with rerailers every
3 feet.
Control:
North Coast Engineering's Powerhouse Pro with Digitrax and NCE decoders.
Minimum
Radius: 30" maintrack, down to 24" on industry and yard tracks
Levels/Decks:
One deck with multiple levels of track. The lowest level will start at
the return loop representing Philadelphia (Tabor Jct.- partially under
the stairs and Saucon Creek Yard) and enter the scenic portion of the railroad
south of Perkasie. The railroad will pass through Perkasie and narrow to
a single track for the tunnel. The "tunnel" will cross the removable duckunder
for entry to the laundy and storage areas and pass under Saucon Creek yard
and the stairs. After exiting the steps, it will return to double track
and enter Coopersburg. Coopersburg will utilize the area from the stairs
to the corner. Leaving Coopersburg, we pass through some rural Pennsylvania
countryside and enter Hellertown. Hellertown is above and behind Perkasie
and marks the entry to Saucon Creek yard and Bethlehem Steel. Once again,
the tracks cross a removable duckunder for the storage/laundry areas and
enter Saucon Creek yard. The return loop at Saucon is hidden partially
by yard tracks which pass over the loop tracks as the yard tracks run along
the wall enclosing the steps. The return loop at Saucon will also utilize
the space under the stairs (occupying space over Philadelphia). It sounds
confusing, but it looks good on paper and nothing looks too crowded. The
basic idea behind the plan was from an article in the April 1957 issue
of _Model Railroader_ about the late Bob Hegge's HO scale Crooked Mountain
Lines.
Track
Switch Control: Caboose Industry's ground throws on visible sections and
Tortoise switch machines in the staging areas.
Signals:
Only to indicate switch position
Couplers:
Kadee
Wheels:
Proto 2000 and Kadee
Operation
Method: Car Cards and Waybills with verbal train orders
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