The drawing of this coal trestle is based on a prototype located on the Norfolk & Western Ry. in Montpelier, Va. Coal from this terminal was loaded onto trucks with a conveyor and delivered to the nearby DuPont estate. Since the terminal was for private, exclusive use, there was no weigh scale or office house. You can use this model for a similar purpose or it can be used to serve nearby industries, such as coal or crushed stone.
The trestle is no longer used and has fallen into disrepair. The track led to it off a spur and up an approximately 3 percent grade. Modeling a steeper grade would save some space on a layout, but it must still remain prototypical. You can also adjust the length of your model to suit your layout needs.
In the December 2012 Model Railroader, Harold Russsell drafted plans for this N&W coal testle. Click on the link to download a PDF of drawings.
most useful thanks: these structures are not often esy to figure out from photos.
Happy to see an N&W trestle as I live in Norfolk,VA. I wonder why the manufacturer's have so much Western labels, the Santa Fe, the SP ,The Np ad infinitum!
I really like these diagrams for scratch building. Keep them coming.
This coal trestle is exactly what I was looking for, since there are none in my location.
In case anyone wants to locate this trestle it is actually located in Montpelier Station, VA. at the Montpelier Estate in Orange County. It is not in Montpelier, VA which is about 50 miles away in Hanover County. It is also not far from the location of the 1888 Virginia Midland Railway wreck at the Fat Nancy.
The drawings and photos of this trestle are excellent and cast welcomed attention on a southeastern prototype. However, Montpelier, Va., and this trestle are on the Southern Railway, not the N&W. While the trestle was added well after his death (during DuPont family ownership), the Montpelier estate was better known as the home of President James Madison.
Test after upgrade.
I really enjoy these construction articles. There's nothing
like building it yourself.
I enjoy these modeling projects,and would like to see more of them. Thank you.
There is another coal trestle in Rock Hill, SC off the old Southern (NS) Railway heading for Lancaster, SC. This was for loading trucks too. These are both Southern Railway types of coal trestle.
I really enjoy these "modeling projects". It seperates the men from the boys to see these projects on a layout. A modeler learns a lot about railroading with these projects. Simple projects are best for attainable success.
I have just expanded my layout, So I have plenty of room on a blank canvas for this, I'l mark out it's spot on my layout now Thanking you
Could you post a version of the plans scaled to N Scale
could well use it with a few mods on my layout…
Just in time !! I need a coal trestle for my module. Looks like just the one! Thanks!
You have made a mistake here. The trestle is on the old Southern Railway mainline and is on today's Norfolk Southern and never on the Norfolk & Western. Photographed it myself.
A little more discussion on structure features would be nice. But, I can see using it in modification for a local cement loading/unloading rack. Local had a track overhead and a track crossing under for up and down loading along with truck paths along side. Hmmmmm.