Built by Others is an article series showcasing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader and its related products. The HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch layout project layout first appeared in the pages of Model Railroader in January of 2018, as well as the 2017 issue of Model Railroad Planning. Jeffrey Damerst took inspiration from this track plan, performed extensive research to better understand the history of the Winston-Salem Southbound, and reconstructed and expanded the original Tar Branch in both Z and large scales.
Built by Others: Jeffrey Damerst’s Winston-Salem Southbound layouts
By Jeffrey Damerst – photos by the author unless otherwise noted
In December 2017, I was reading the then-current issue of Model Railroad Planning, which featured the Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch layout. I began to wonder if I could re-create this model railroad as a Z scale (1:220) shelf layout. Using the HO scale track plan as a template, I began construction.
The layout quickly came together. Within a day I had the track in place. I then began studying all the material I could find. With the help of my local librarian, I scoured the internet for books, videos, and any other resources that would help me to learn more about the railroad and area which I was modeling. This research and information informed my modeling.
The Z scale model railroad is controlled by a single power pack. It’s operated as a single block as only one engine runs on the layout at a time. I enjoy switching on this model railroad.
About six months passed after the construction of my Z scale Tar Branch before I once again found myself thinking about layout construction. I was looking at available space in my basement, and singled out a room that is 28 feet long. The thought occurred to me: “What if I built the Tar Branch in G scale?” After all, I mainly model in 1:29.
I already had benchwork in the space. It’s had many different layouts resting on it over the years. To get the large scale WSS started, I purchased grass mats and used them to cover the top of the benchwork. Then, I placed the G scale track on top of the mats.
I started on the short side of the layout, which is seven feet long. The track plan shown above is an adaptation of David Popp’s expanded HO scale layout from MRP 2017. The right side of the layout is 18 feet long and contains the original Tar Branch layout.
The first structure on the left is the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. According to my research, the business received boxcars of glass bottles. I built the structure out of 1/4 inch plywood and covered it with a printed, textured cardstock. The full-size building had a lot of windows, which in G scale would have taken a long time to cut out. Instead, I opted to make them out of paper, a technique the late Paul Dolkos used on his photo structures. I wrapped the building around a corner, but have yet to build the loading dock and parking area.
The vehicles on the layout are a mix of modeling scales. The green truck is O scale (1:48), while the black car is 1:25 proportion — slightly out of scale, but 1:29 proportion vehicles are difficult to find. It might seem at first that 1:32 vehicles would be closer to 1:29 scale, but they also are hard to find. Since 1:32 kits seem too small, I just use 1:25 vehicles.
I used custom-printed cardstock for the background photos. I applied most of the backdrops per the instructions, but they were difficult to line up without assistance.
The real Winston-Salem Southbound was jointly owned by the Atlantic Coast Line and Norfolk & Western. In 1957, both railroads supplied the WSS with a pair of Electro-Motive Division Geeps. In 1962, WSS management decided it would be easier to let ACL and N&W supply the locomotives. Thus, an ACL GP7 switches the distribution row, while a freelanced WSS 0-6-0 camelback steam engine works Atlas Supply Co. Note the number of windows in the Atlas Supply structure shown above, which is more than eight feet long and 20 inches high. Using paper windows made the flat easier to put together, but it still took more than a week to build.
There was only room for a single track by Atlas Supply Co, so I made the siding longer than it was on the prototype.
The Winston-Salem Southbound freight house contained the railroad’s offices. The prototype structure has been preserved and is now home to restaurant on the first floor; offices occupy the second floor. The full-size building has 24 windows across the top and 24 doors on the loading platform on each side. One side was against the railroad siding while the other side was for trucks. I didn’t have room for all 24 doors and windows, so I made it fit the space as best as I could.
For the cold storage structure, I followed Eric White’s instruction, but converted the measurements of the HO scale structure to G scale. I built the structure using ¼” plywood. Because of the building’s size, there’s only room for one refrigerator car on the siding.
The prototype Winston-Salem Southbound used the N&W yard north of the city for maintaining its locomotives. Based on my research, a WSS locomotive would assemble a train and run south of the city, then make its way up the branch. On old maps, there was a small passing track south of Brookstone Avenue. However, I didn’t have room for the passing track there, so I moved it elsewhere on the layout. Since the model railroad is self-contained, I built a small freight yard with four short sidings.
I also built a two-track engine terminal, allowing me to return to the time when steam was king. The Winston-Salem Southbound dropped fires on steam in April 1957. I used a Piko camelback 0-6-0 steam engine on my version of the WSS. The prototype operated 2-8-2s and 2-8-0s. Trains on the layout consist of an a locomotive, five freight cars, and a caboose.
Work continues on my 1:29 proportion WSS. The right side of the model railroad is covered in large scale locomotives waiting to be painted. Once I’m able to clear those from the layout, I plan to resume work on structures and eventually equip my freight cars and Geeps with Kadee couplers. I also hope to work on a 12-foot backdrop to go behind the freight yard so I can replace the photo backdrop.
