April 2007: East Mifflin gets a makeover on the N Scale Middle Division!
East Mifflin, and M Interlocking, are fictional. The passenger shelter (A PRR Plan B shelter for “unimportant” stations) represents one of many found at spots like Millerstown on the Middle Division. The interlocking tower is a standard Atlas tower without a PRR prototype. This is how the scene looked from when the layout was first finished until now:
Several features of this scene bothered me. First and foremost was that the tower, although a very nicely detailed kit, didn’t resemble anything I’d seen on the PRR in Pennsylvania. Not to say it couldn’t happen, but it seemed unlikely. The second issue was that the platform was wrong. This is a PA Heritage Models PRR shelter, and it comes with a small wooden platform that protrudes out past the shelter sides. I put a nice brick platform in based on the eastbound platforms at Lewistown, PA. Problem is, Lewistown is a far more important stop than I imagine East Mifflin to be. According to photographs like the one of Highland on the Chestnut Hill Branch in Bill Volkmer’s Pennsy Electric Years and PRR standard plans in Jeff Scherb’s Trackside on the Pennsylvania plan book, the platform should be screened stone or cinder. Lastly, I was never quite satisfied with my choice of PRR station colors. The PolyScale Earth was too dark for the lighter color.
Now it looks like:
Now the interlocking tower has been replaced with the Dimi Trains (now offered by Tichy Train Group) interlocking tower kit. It’s also not a true PRR prototype, but it shares some common architectural features with PRR towers. It reminds me very much of LEMO Tower at Lemoyne, PA (which was moved and restored as "