Modeling the mighty Pennsy in a small space

A version of this article appeared in Model Railroader’s special issue from 2018: Build a Small Railroad. 

Pursuing my hobby concurrently with my military career meant I needed a portable model railroad that could still suggest the scale and intensity of a gigantic prototype in an impossibly small space.

I found what I needed in a track plan with a scenic, double-track main line that could be made to look somewhat like the PRR Middle Division in 1956 as it followed the Juniata River through central Pennsylvania — what I’m calling the Juniata Division. After several less-than-fulfilling starts in HO, my requirement for mobility led me to model in N scale.

Pennsy from the track up
To establish my layout as clearly PRR, the main lines are ballasted, weathered, and super-elevated to convey the sense of heavy-duty PRR tracks. The ballasted shoulder is deep cinder, a product of thousands of steam locomotives passing by. There’s a double-track stone arch bridge, two-tone brown company buildings with red window sashes, and PRR position-light signals on the rights-of-way. I also added tree-covered ridges, a small town of typical Pennsyl-vania architecture, and even an Eisenhower re-election poster on the drugstore wall.

The theme continues with a collection of kitbashed and brass Pennsy steam locomotives. In 1956, the PRR train-phone induction phone systems were still in use on locomotives and cabin cars (cabooses), so I’ve added those where appropriate.

Maximizing a small space
My layout is based on an earlier Lou Sassi plan published by Model Railroader. That plan included over/under interplay between the tracks and the roads as tricks to increase the apparent size of the layout. I kept these in my design and added a narrow ridge line and Scenic Express SuperTrees to separate the two sides of the main layout to increase the sense of distance. One sharp turnback curve is hidden in a tunnel while the other is in a deep cut, like the one east of Huntingdon, Pa., on the prototype.

Most structures are small so that scenery dominates, with the exception of rail-served industries and the signature Lewistown passenger station. Tree sizes taper toward ridge tops in order to force the perspective. All these elements combine to make the main layout seem larger than it is.

Keeping it interesting
I keep my interest up in the layout by revisiting previously completed projects.

The layout originally included a kitbashed coal mine that wasn’t appropriate for the prototype. I replaced it with a stationery factory, based on a well-known trackside landmark in Huntingdon, Pa.

Another recent addition to the layout is a replica of the Pennsy’s station at Lewistown, Pa., and built by David K. Smith.

The most exciting change has been developing a full roster of Conrail locomotives and rolling stock circa 1980. I can change eras by swapping out all railroad equipment and vehicles. Then I can enjoy Big Blue in its early years, complete with Penn Central patch-outs, piggyback trains, and long coal drags of hoppers from merged or defunct railroads. Changing eras has been so enjoyable that now I’m eyeing pure Penn Central as a third potential roster.