After about five years of collecting motive power and rolling stock and about six months of actual construction, I figured the time has come to announce my forthcoming model railroad to my fellow hobbyists.
I’m modeling the PRR and CNJ jointly-owned New York and Long Branch line along the New Jersey Shore during the period between 1953 and 1958. I know this is a rather broad time frame to model, but it will allow me to operate a variety of operating scenarios using a pretty wide range of motive power. The rolling stock and the adjacent ROW and scenery on the NY&LB changed little during this time period, so I think I’m safe.
I’m lucky to have at my disposal [:)] a dry basement about 25x27 feet. Since the NY&LB was a double track commuter line with a modest amount of freight traffic, I decided to build a double-deck shelf layout to maximize the linear footage. This is being done as LDEs of the more interesting and operationally important portions of the line, including the balloon track and yard at Bay Head Junction, the junctions at Sea Girt, Red Bank, Matawan and South Amboy, and the three Scherzer rolling lift bridges at Manasquan, Belmar and Morgan. Two helixes are planned to connect the lower and upper levels.
I also set up a web site detailing the construction of the layout which you can find here.
This is the first layout I’ve built since about 1975 and I’m having a blast. Since I’m also the local historian for my hometown, this project has been a very satisfying challenge. I’m hoping this will be a very accurate representation of this important commuter line and I already have a growing list of scratch-build projects. Construction of the layout has begun at the southern terminus at Bay Head.
If anyone has modeled this line already or has any comments, I’d love to
Nice to hear from a fellow PRR NJ model railroader. I live not too far away in Monmouth County.
I model the PRR with a time stamp of 1968. This way I can include everything the PRR had.
My latest project is the South Amboy yard. I don’t stay strictly to prototype since I added a turntable. Some of my stations are true to prototype. I also have a Rockville bridge and Horseshoe curve.
First off welcome, nice to see another Jersey guy here.One of my favorite parts of the PRR for many reasons but mainly because it’s almost in my back yard. Not as close as you are over in point but it’s still home turf. Nice to have you aboard and keep the pictures coming.
I set up the web site to kind of maintain a person log of the project while keeping the site itself as simple as possible. By the way, the K4s images on the home page were taken on my layout as it is right now, so that kind of gives a clue as to where I really am at with construction.
Even though I’m trying to be as faithful as possible to the trackwork of the NY&LB, I have already had to make some compromises. For instance, at the Bay Head loop, I had to reduce the number of engine servicing tracks from three to two, while the coach yard shrank from 15 tracks to six. But it appears to still be functional and really does capture the feel of the area. My model of the loop contains 18 motorized turnouts and six electromagnetic uncouplers. The loop running track is a tight 26 inch radius which is banked slightly. That’s the tightest radius I plan for the layout. Below is a photo of the Bay Head Junction control panel which is still under construction…
I’ll be updating my web site every few days with construction photos till I reach the point where I’m presently at.
Doc…sounds like your layout is pretty far-reaching! The South Amboy yard and engine house will be at the opposite end of my layout. I’m figuring your modeling the PRR Camden and Amboy route into SA?
Great to here there are fellow modelers nearby. I’ll keep in touch.
Welcome aboard! Be sure to keep us updated on your progress. Your website is great, and your pics really left me wanting more. As a transplanted Monmouth County boy, I toyed with modeling the CNJ myself, but went in a different direction. A brother of mine worked for the railroad, in Long Branch and South Amboy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve crossed those tracks…Red Bank, Middletown, Matawan. I miss the Jersey Shore. I had quite a few libations in Jenkinson’s over the years!
As the Holiday weekend winds down, I thought I’d add some more details about the NY&LB in my basement…
The lower deck height is generally 38 inches above the floor. The upper deck is running about 57 inches above floor level. Since I’m rather tall (6’4"), these heights work for me, while keeping in mind that most people that might view or operate the layout in the future will be shorter than me.
The benchwork consists of 1x4 pine stringers glued and screwed together, topped with 3/4 inch birch plywood. I’m using various thicknesses of foam board to build the landforms adjacent to the r.o.w., while the mainline is being laid on a layer of camper foam tape topped with cork roadbed using Atlas code 83 flex track. The sidings are ME code 70 which drop down to just cork for the roadbed.
For dcc, I’m using the Prodigy Wireless system. Most of my turnouts are going to be manually operated using Blue Point and fascia-mounted knobs, but the busy yards will have tortoise switch machines.
I’m also using Hex Frog Juicers to power my turnouts, which have worked out really well so far.
Again, click here to go to my web site documenting the construction of my layout.
more later…hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!
Started posting my track laying efforts on my web site for anyone who’s interested. It’s interesting that the original contruction of the NY&LB in the 1870s began at the northern end in Perth Amboy and finished at Bay Head in 1881, while my version is being built just the opposite. The actual loop at Bay Head wasn’t constructed until 1918.
I’m also occasionally throwing in some prototype photos of what I’m trying to model so to give some perspective to what I’m doing.
The bottom line is … I’m having a ball building this layout!
Actually, I plan to run the GG1s into the other end of my layout at South Amboy. I came across a guy who had several boxes of brass PRR catenary poles made by Friedlein’s Rail Replicas (#03000) that are right on the money. They’ll come in handy.
I presently have a stable of impaitent BLI G’s waiting for me to build their short domain on the line between South Amboy and my imaginary connection with the NE Corridor.
In the meantime, I have been satisfying them by running the G’s around the BH yard testing the track. But they’ll eventually have a good home under the wires at South Amboy when I get to the other side of my basement. (wife permitting)[:)]
You’ll get a prototype kick out of the 4-part GG1 An American Classic at YouTube! The 1/2-hour documentary highlights the last run of NJT’s – GG1 #4877 – Big Red – including a stop at South Amboy.
Thanks for the compliments everyone. I’ll have to admit that the pics on my construction page show the progress a little faster than it really is. In so many words, I’m “catching up” with the documented construction compared to where I’m presently at, since I put my web site online a little over a month ago. Once I catch up with the photos, you’ll most likely see a marked slowdown in progress, since I do work a full time job and have a wife and her agenda to share as well. By the way, she’s been 100 percent supportive of my basement empire while keeping me in check in time and $ spent (as far as she knows[;)]).
Right now, the track plan is in my head, on a bunch of scrap papers, and scribbled on plywood and foam sub roadbed. I will eventually get it down on official scale paper, but probably as a finished product after the fact. Modeling a main line such as the NY&LB, it’s not as much a head scratcher as most model RR plans, since it is depicting a linear double track commuter line with various freight sidings, yards and interchanges.
Think of Tony Koester’s new Nickel Plate layout set at the Jersey Shore with the PRR and CNJ as the players. When I can get around to it, I’ll try to put some kind of plan on the site.
Right now I’m dealing with choosing real-photo background scenery for a portion of the second level between Asbury Park and Long Branch. (A hint as to where my progress is really at)
Wow! That’s a great map of the NY&LB juction with the CNJ Southern in Red Bank. It’s pre-1950 but it has already answered a few lingering questions I had about the junction. Even though the turntable was decommissioned by 1953, I’m planning to leave it on my layout since it was the only one on the line by the 1950s and I do like turntables. I’m modeling the junction with the Raritan River RR at South Amboy as well, but I don’t plan to include the engine facility and turntable on the RRRR there.
Have started the early scenery phase of my layout using your everyday run-of-the-mill pink construction foam and a hot blade. Click here to see the progress.
In addition, I have begun using the foam camper tape as a sub-roadbed on the mainline. So far, I am very happy with the results. Also, construction of the engine staging on the PRR Atlantic Division spur south of Bay Head has begun and details will appear in the next week.
Just an update here…I have uploaded photos detailing the construction of the six track staging/fiddle yard off the Bay Head loop on my NY&LB layout. You can find them here.
This was my first foray into using construction foamboard for the layout base and it turned out to be an interesting alternative to plywood. I will be using it again in upcoming construction segments.
The second level is under construction as well as lower level benchwork as far as the Manasquan River. These projects will appear over the next few weeks. The Manasquan was bridged by the NY&LB on a long, low steel girder span set on concrete piers. A small wood trestle was at the Point Pleasant end of the bridge. A double track Shertzer Rolling Lift Bridge crosses the river channel, which I have started scratch-building on the work bench using various brass and plastic parts. I hope to make it operational if I can keep the tolerances tight. That bascule really gets a workout during the busy summer boating season!
Great pictures of your construction. Wish that other modelers were as through as you were. Wonderful bench work and nice layout room. Keep up the god work! Dick Foster Sonoma CA
