Because of the recent article in MRR about the classic “Deta Lines” I thought I’d post this. I’m a partner in a 3 rail “0” scale Hi-Rail display layout. The Layout is in the Schuylkill Mall in Frackville PA at the intersection of Interstate 81 and State route 61. The origionator of the layout, Dr. Joseph Weber collected as much of Frank Ellisons rolling stock as he could. We have on display some prime examples of his engines. You can come and see them and our display layout on Sundays from 12-5pm. Our Layout is 24’ x 55’ multi-level. It is based on the local Anthracite Coal region in the Steam Era Circa 1925-45. We model the Reading and Pennsylvania railroads. Come see mighty T-1’s, Camelbacks, 2-8-0’s and others running. We also have other classic 2 rail scale engines and rolling stock. Thanks, Dave
Ps Traffic has been slow this summer. To avoid any unfortunate surprises please email me before traveling to confirm we are open that Sunday. Chances are high that we will be, and we are open every Sunday Fall - Spring.
What’s the chance of seeing some photos of Frank’s locos.
Pennsylvania is just too far to visit.
I never got to see the layout personally, but a freind of mine when I lived in Mobile, AL was a regular operator on the Delta Lines.
He told me a lot about Frank and the Delta Lines, some were comical. The layout was located, IIRC, in one of the few basements in NO. Long before MR printed the story about it, Roy, my friend, told me about the night the NO Police “raided” Frank’s house. Neighbors had called the Police because “some very shady characters had gone into the house by the basement door”, and they were convinced it was either a gambling den, or a nest of communist spies.
The Police got quite a surprise when they saw it was just a bunch of Model Railroaders! Roy told me that 2 of the officiers on the “raid”, became good friends and regular Delta Lines operators.
If one is chronically short of operators, the above story suggests one solution. (Cartoon magpies Heckle and Jeckle did like to say: "Call the cops! Call the cops!)
Sometimes Pennsylvania is too far to visit even if you live in Pennsylvania, as the commonwealth is defined by its rivers & mountain ranges, plus getting to the Interstates or the Pennsylvania Turnpike System.
For example, Frackville is a good 3-hour drive from Westcentral Pennsylvania, let alone adding another 3-hours if you live in Erie, PA.
A superb 6-page article with full trackplan is in the 1980 “Classic Articles from Model Railroader” titled “Frank Ellison’s Delta Lines” from 1955.
Many of us didn’t have the opportunity to see any of the classic railroads like Frabk Ellison’s because we either not involved in the hobby or weren’t alive at the time he ran his. At most we have gotten to read about them or see pictures. But photographs and words aren’t sufficient to describe what it must have been like to see these layouts in actual use.
Allen Keller has done a great job in documenting many of the great layouts of today, but no one did it in earlier times and that is a great loss to all of us. Even the Dream Plan Build series, while certainly showing alot of techniques and actual layouts, doesn’t go far enough in showing actual operating sessions or providing rationale’s for how operations on the layouts depicted are run.
Sure we all know what railroads do and how and possibly why they do it, but I have y
In all probability you will be very disappointed with Ellisons rolling stock. 1935-1950 vintage with marginal cast on details. He had trouble with one of his engines derailing so he removed the lead truck. His was one of the first operated like a railroad and it was so unique that most operators were concentrating on the operation and not the detail of the trains (which is as it should be). I recall an MR article probably in the late 60’s or 70s with pictures and somehwere along the line the trackplan was published.
Well, I dug deep into my library and came up with the 144 page soft cover book I purchased many moons ago entitled “Frank Ellison on Model Rairoads” a Fawcett book number 242. How many years ago, I am not sure because the cover was missing and there was no other date inside. It looks pretty neat and I intend to reread it at least in part.
I took advantage of the “Free Weekend” to download the Frank Ellison series. I first ran into that reading the reprints done starting in the August 1964 isssue of MR (which was the 2nd issue of MR that my parents had bought for me) and looking forward to seeing the following installments. Unfortunately, I was only able to get a couple of the installments (Oct and Nov '64 issues) and had been looking around for back issues since then.
Forty-four years later, I finally get to read the entire series of articles…
Not really. My friend, who was an operator on the Delta Lines, had a O-scale kit from 1937. Can’t remember who made it, Alexander, maybe even Varney? There was absolutely NO detail with it. The sides and ends were lithographed, embossed cardboard, the roof and floor were plain pieces of wood, and the “brake gear” were lumps of lead that resembled brake gear. Considering the years Frank was active, I would be surprised if his equipment had anything more than very rudimentary detail. I’m sure most of the equipment he ran was similiar to most of the O-scale made prior to WWII, alot of wood, cardboard, and metal. He did consider operations more important than detail, and anything that interfered with it, I’m sure was either quickly repaired, or quickly dumped if he couldn’t repair it.