INTRODUCTION

In the late 1970’s, I got back into model railroading, and I wanted to come up with my own railroad. I developed the concept of a proto free-lanced railroad that would be part of the great New York Central

System. The Erie & Northern would operate in a similar fashion to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, another NYC subsidiary, and would have its own reporting marks along with the NYC herald. I got as far as lettering some freight cars and diesels before serious problems arose. As I became more interested in fully developing the concept of the railroad, it became clear it would most likely run from Erie, Pennsylvania north into Canada somewhere. I had no interest in modeling that area and had by this time become enthralled with Allen McClelland’s legendary Virginian & Ohio. I wanted to model a coal hauler set in West Virginia and it became increasingly clear that the Erie & Northern wasn’t going to fit that role. So, I scrapped that idea and began developing another proto free-lanced operation that would satisfy my interest in coal hauling railroads and the geography of West Virginia.

Also, in the late 1970’s there were several articles in Railroad Model Craftsman that featured Eric Brooman’s Utah Belt. I loved the look of his contemporary diesels and freight cars and everything about his railroad fit the concept he was modeling. I had developed the name of my new railroad, the

Chesapeake, Wheeling & Erie, and the idea of the “Central Belt” logo came from the Utah Belt. So armed with a name, location and purpose, I began to plan the railroad in earnest.

BACKGROUND

The Chesapeake, Wheeling & Erie Railroad is a proto free-lanced line depicting a small class 1 railroad that runs from Erie, PA to coal docks on the Chesapeake Bay. The railroad was designed primarily as a coal hauler to take coal from the mines in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to the Great Lakes and Tidewater ports. The line runs south from Erie, PA, has a branch that heads west to Wheeling, WV and east to Pittsburgh, PA and then heads into West Virginia. The layout represents a portion of the main line that runs from approximately Thomas, WV to an area just east of the West Virginia/Virginia border. The main line then runs through Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to the influence of the Utah Belt, the Central Belt logo references the geographic location of the railroad across the east central part of the country. The layout is set in the summer of 1976 just after the Conrail merger. I picked this timeframe because of the variety of rolling stock that could still be seen and the fact that the Conrail merger wouldn’t yet have a significant impact on bridge traffic on the railroad.

CONNECTIONS

Major interchange partners on the west end of the railroad include Penn Central and Norfolk and Western in Erie, PA and Erie Lackawanna in Meadville, PA. Further south, the railroad has a major classification yard and shops at Morgantown, WV. This is also an important interchange point with the Kanawha & Lake Erie. On the east end of the railroad, important interchange partners are the Chessie System and Southern Railroad at Culpeper, VA and the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad in Fredericksburg, VA. The railroad also hosts unit train coal movements for Detroit Edison which include Detroit Edison power and gondolas along with CWE power.

A TRIP OVER THE ROAD

The modeled portion of the line begins with a 12-track staging yard that represents all points east of the fictitious town of Nelsonville, VA. The east end staging consists of two six-track yards stacked on top of each other. Leaving staging westbound, the first town we come to is Nelsonville, where there is a small yard and engine service facilities. There are two branch lines that leave the main at Nelsonville and go into staging. Moving west from Nelsonville, we climb the 2.0% grade up to Summit Springs, VA. This represents the highest location on the line. At Summit Springs there are two coal tipples- the large Laurel Ridge Coal preparation plant and Dry Creek Coal Tipple #2. After crossing the Virginia/West Virginia border in Tunnel #12, the main line begins to descend the 2.5% grade to Big Chimney, West Virginia. Just past the tunnel the Sand Fork Branch leaves the main and heads up to Dry Fork and Irma, WV to serve several tipples and mines. After descending the grade, the line enters Big Chimney, WV where there are several truck dump tipples and a few small industries. The Elkwater Branch leaves the main here and heads to a two-track staging yard that re-emerges across the aisle as the Purgettsville Branch. There is a long passing siding at Big Chimney and there are frequently meets at this location.

After leaving Big Chimney, the main line moves west to Petersburg Junction where the Purgettsville connects to the main from staging. Once past Petersburg Junction the main moves through the small town of Logan just before entering Hollister Yard.

Hollister Yard is located at North Pierce, WV and consists of a coal marshaling yard for all of the various branches in the area and a small freight yard. There is also a modest engine service facility for the many branch runs that originate and terminate here along with a RIP track facility. At the west end of the yard are several small industries and another truck dump tipple. After leaving North Pierce, the railroad enters a 12-track staging yard that represents all points west.

THE FUTURE

The modeled portion of the railroad is now 98% complete, with only a couple of structures left to build. The railroad is fully signaled and controlled by a replica Union Switch & Signal dispatcher’s panel. The focus now is on upgrading rolling stock and adding additional locomotives. I have also been adding small details and replacing some of the older details with some of the more recent, high-quality 3D printed accessories. Benchwork has begun on a small branch line in the crew lounge, but I’m not sure what this may develop into, if it develops at all. The operating scheme is tweaked on a regular basis, and this keeps the crews engaged and interested. It certainly seems as though there will always be something to add or change on the railroad.

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