The Train Room

The N-scale CSX Clinchfield Division layout will occupy a basement room that is 18’-2” long by 9’-2” wide, or roughly 162 square feet in area. This room, which has no windows and a single 36” wide opening (with no door) along one of the long walls, was finished along with most of the basement in the spring of 2002. The floor is covered with padded, commercial grade carpeting and the ceiling features a 2’ x 2’ suspended ceiling grid hung at 9’ above floor level. There are three commercial grade 2’ x 4’ fluorescent lighting fixtures recessed into the ceiling and abundant electrical outlets. This room is wired on an independent 15 amp branch circuit. The entire basement is climate controlled with regards to heating & air conditioning and humidity.

There is really only one hard political constraint with regards to the layout: it must fit entirely in this single room. This includes all mainline, branchline and staging areas. While future expansion may reach into adjoining rooms, I have decided that setting the political boundary to the confines of this single room is the best way to get started and will discourage me from biting off more than I can chew (as if I haven't done this already!). This also means that there will be no carpentry involved with the room itself other than attaching benchwork to the walls as needed. Most importantly, none of my beautiful drywall will need to be punched through!

Photos

Here is a diagram of the room that will house the CSX Clinchfield Division layout (click any picture for larger version):



Here is a view looking away from the entrance. The helix will be in the distance at the end of the peninsula that runs down the middle of the long axis of the room:



Here is a view looking back the other way towards the entrance. The peninsula will attach to the middle of the short wall, or just behind where my current test layout is:



Here is my current test layout and a small 2' x 4' layout:

The test layout is built on a hollow core interior door mounted on folding banquet table legs. I believe it uses the same track plan that Dave Vollmer's N Scale Pennsy Middle Division layout is based on. I hope to have just a bit of the same success that Dave has had with his impressive layout!

Construction Log

This page includes links to all of the individual Layout Progress posts:

• Layout Progress as of June 27, 2008

Layout Progress as of 6/27/2008

The first official benchwork materials for the CSX Clinchfield Division were purchased from The Home Depot in Lilburn, Georgia on Friday 6/27/2008. Although nothing yet has been assembled, I consider this a significant milestone that represents the first tangible evidence of a layout after 15 years of dreaming and about a year of serious planning.

The lumber shown below is two 15-piece bundles of 1" x 2" x 8' that were acquired for $0.69 a piece or about $21.00 total. The benchwork for all of the shelves and the peninsula--basically everything except the helix--will be constructed with this material.


The first lumber purchase for the CSX Clinchfield Division benchwork is sitting in the corner under the areas labelled Scene "B" and Scene "G" on version 1.0 of the track plan.

Track Plan

These are the current track plan diagrams for the N-scale CSX Clinchfield Division layout. For previous versions of the track plan, click one of the following links:

• Track Plan v1.0

Track Plan at a Glance

Name: CSX Clinchfield Division
Scale: N (1:160) Size: 18'-2" x 9'-2"
Prototype: CSX former Clinchfield route
Period: Modern
Style: Multi-deck, around the walls with peninsula
Mainline run: 132 feet (not including staging or helix)
Minimum radius: 15"
Minimum turnout: no. 10 on mainline, no. 5 branch & staging
Maximum grade: 2.7 percent in helix

Track Plan v1.0

The track plan for the N-scale CSX Clinchfield Division layout is shown in the diagrams below. It should be noted that this is merely the first version of the track plan and as with all model railroads, many revisions and variations can be expected over time. Also, I have only roughed in the general path of the mainline--there are no sidings, spurs or branches on the plan at this time. In general I plan to have two usable passing sidings on each level to accommodate operational requirements such as meets and helper service.

You will also notice that there are no specific towns or stations on the track plan at this time. Instead, I have roughed in several locations for "scenes" which will eventually be replaced by towns, stations and industries once I have settled on the specific section of the prototype I will model. As it is, I have placed five potential scenes on each level along the straightaways. This provides for 10 individual scenes, which have been labelled using the letters "A" through "J." If you follow a southbound train out of the north staging yard, you will traverse the layout in alphabetical order starting with scene "A" and ending with scene "J" before ending up in the south staging yard. As the plan evolves, I will begin replacing these lettered scenes with the names of the actual locations to be modeled.

Track Plan at a Glance

Name: CSX Clinchfield Division
Scale: N (1:160)
Size: 18'-2" x 9'-2"
Prototype: CSX former Clinchfield route
Period: Modern
Style: Multi-deck, around the walls with peninsula
Mainline run: 132 feet (not including staging or helix)
Minimum radius: 15"
Minimum turnout: no. 10 on mainline, no. 5 branch & staging
Maximum grade: 2.7 percent in helix

Pros

• Layout fits into one room This satisfies the primary political restriction imposed on the layout. Negotiations for right-of-way into other rooms can be deferred until necessary.
• Long length of mainline run Despite the single room restriction, the multiple deck design allows for 132 feet of mainline track, or roughly four scale miles (two miles per deck). This comes out to about 66 feet of track per deck and when you factor in a maximum train length of around 10 feet, it means each deck can have about six blocks. This will allow room for two passing sidings plus four other blocks, with a goal of having two blocks between the passing sidings.
• Plenty of staging There are two staging yards on the upper deck of the layout (north and south) that represent the unseen points beyond the "end" of the visible track. Both staging yards have six double ended tracks that have enough length to hold the longest trains that will run on the layout. In fact, the longest tracks have the ability to hold more than one train to allow for serialized staging if desired. There is also ample space to lengthen one of the staging yards as needed.
• Hidden staging above the layout I originally had this feature in the "cons" section below, but upon further review I have decided this is most definitely a "pro." By placing the staging on top of the layout, I feel I am taking advantage of the fact that this space is readily available on top of the valance for the middle deck and also that a simple extension of the helix allows this space to be reached fairly easily. I plan on having the staging yard "accessible" via the use video cameras and monitors, although time will tell if this feature actually comes to fruition or is simply pie in the sky. In lieu of cameras and monitors, the old reliable combination of mirrors and step ladders should do just fine in providing access to the staging yards.
• Directional continuity On this track plan north is always to the left and south is always to the right no matter which part of the layout is being viewed. This means engineers following their trains will not be confronted with confusing reversals of direction along their route.
• Continuous running A northbound train exiting the layout on the north end will eventually re-enter the layout on the south end, and vice-versa for northbound trains. I believe this is a very important feature when planning a layout that could be operated by a single operator, since you can put one (or more depending on how lucky you feel!) trains into motion in one direction and let them orbit the layout while the operator runs his train in the opposite direction and tries to keep out of the path of the oncoming traffic. This will also be a useful feature when showing the layout to others.
• Build in phases Another important feature of the multi-deck arrangement is that the layout can be built in phases, allowing me to build as little or as much layout as time and resources allow. For example, the first phase to be built will be the lower level. When this is done, only a small portion of the helix will need to be built to function as a return loop at the end of the peninsula. I can then move on to the middle deck and eventually the top staging deck, expanding the helix as necessary as I go.

Cons

• The insatiable appetite of the helix Each turn of the helix gains 2.5 inches of elevation and takes about eight feet of track. There are 6 turns of the helix between the lower and middle decks and 4 turns between the middle and upper decks. This means that a train traversing the entire helix from the lower deck to the upper (staging) deck will require 10 turns, which is about 80 feet of track, which is about 2 1/2 scale miles! However, I feel this part of the design is a necessary evil and is a acceptable trade off for many of the advantages that this track plan offers. Additionally, there are several well known layouts that successfully employ a similar helix strategy. By placing the helix at the end of the peninsula, I have also provided ready access to the helix from outside or inside. The helix will be hidden from view by use of either a curtain or a removable hardboard fascia.
• Narrow aisles The track plan as designed uses a standard aisle width of 30", which is about 6 inches narrower than what is preferred. However, since the layout is planned for only one or two operators, this should not pose much of a problem. It is also the widest aisles I could accommodate while still allowing for the peninsula in the middle of the room. Controls will be minimized along the layout fascia to reduce the risk of operators getting snagged on switches and indicators.
• Long, straight scenes While this may be preferred for Midwest Granger layouts, it is going to be tricky to represent a twisting route through the Appalachians on a shelf that in some places is one foot wide by 18 feet long! However, I believe I can mitigate this by keeping straight track to a minimum and using abundant view blocks to trick the eye into not seeing a straight line. I also plan to keep as much curved track out in the open while any hidden track (such as in tunnels) is on tangent sections.

Welcome to the CSX Clinchfield Division

Welcome to the CSX Clinchfield Division, a railroad that exists only in my imagination. I conjured up this fantasy to allow me to build an N scale model railroad based on a prototypical operation while at the same time allowing me to take some modeling liberties without sacrificing realism. My creation started off based entirely on the former Clinchfield Railroad (now part of CSX), but I ended up making some notable historical revisions that allow me to model features that don't exist in real life. For example, traffic on the actual CSX edition of the former Clinchfield is limited mostly to unit coal trains. However, while coal trains also dominate my CSX Clinchfield Division, intermodal and automotive traffic can readily be found as well. How can this be? Well, it's all because of a series of events that never really happened.

Fact...

Construction began on the Carolina Clinchfield and Ohio Railway (CC&O) at the end of the 19th century. The railroad was built to haul coal out of the fields of western Virginia to the markets in the south, primarily the textile mills in the Carolinas. There was already plenty of competition in the area at the time, and numerous failed efforts almost doomed the fledgling railroad before it ever really got going. Ironically, these false starts turned out to be quite advantageous—by the time work resumed under new ownership at the start of the 20th century, the railroad was able to take advantage of many technological advancements in construction that were not available to the competition when they were built decades earlier. Additionally, the railroad was constructed to very high standards for the era which resulted in a straighter, more level and most importantly faster route to deliver goods to market. While this made the Clinchfield the "costliest railroad to cross the Blue Ridge," current operator CSX has not had to improve curves, grades or clearances due to the introduction of heavier and larger modern day equipment. Finally, a northern extension connected the Clinchfield to the Chesapeake & Ohio at Elkhorn City, Ky. This critical link established the line as a major bridge route between the southeast and the midwest and cemented the Clinchfield's prominence in eastern railroading lore. In 1972, the Clinchfield came under the umbrella of the Family Lines System, which then became Seaboard System and eventually today's CSX.

...and Fiction

As I mentioned in the introduction to this article, I have revised history somewhat so that my N scale representation of the modern Clinchfield contains some elements that I would like to model but do not exist in real life. For example, while I am a big fan of the ubiquitous coal trains that dominate the line, I want to include intermodal and automotive trains on my layout as well. However, there is no reason for such traffic to exist on the real modern era Clinchfield. To make this plausible, I have concocted the following story:

When the new owners stepped in to finish construction of the Clinchfield in the early 1900's, their dream was to have a railroad to connect the coalfields of Kentucky and Virginia with the Ohio River ports to the north and the Atlantic ports to the south. Although the Clinchfield did indirectly reach the Ohio River via the connection to the C&O, the connection to the Atlantic ports never materialized as the line only reached as far south as Spartanburg in the upstate part of South Carolina. Meanwhile, in the mid 1920's, the C&O was looking for access to additional ports along the Atlantic coast to meet the exploding demand for export coal. The C&O already had a port facility in the Tidewater area, but the rail lines to reach this port and the facility itself were quickly reaching capacity. Rather than expand capacity at the existing Tidewater port, the C&O entered into a partnership with the Clinchfield where the rail line would be extended from the current terminus in Spartanburg all the way to the Atlantic coast port city of Charleston, SC. The C&O would build this “Clinchfield Extension” and in return would receive trackage rights over the "old" Clinchfield via the connection at Elkhorn City. Of course the Clinchfield received reciprocal trackage rights over the new line and also used the new Charleston port facility. Under this arrangement, the export coal on the C&O from West Virginia continued to use the Tidewater port while export coal from Kentucky flowed southward over the new Clinchfield Extension to the port at Charleston. This project turned out to be a financial boom for both railroads for nearly three decades until the export coal business dropped off significantly in the mid 1950's. In later years, the Clinchfield Extension saw less and less coal traffic and more and more freight traffic as the volume of imported containerized merchandise skyrocketed. Eventually the Clinchfield and C&O came together as CSX via the Family Lines/Seaboard System lineage that we all know. The South Carolina Ports Authority opened the new state-of-the-art Wando Terminal in the late 1980's adjacent to the coal docks, and today CSX enjoys exclusive rail access to this port for intermodal traffic (although the Norfolk Southern does have limited trackage rights). Containers coming in to the Port of Charleston reach the heartland of the USA swiftly thanks to the outstanding engineering effort put forth when constructing the Clinchfield almost 100 years earlier. This port is also used for export grain and import automotive business, making the former Clinchfield route and the Clinchfield Extension one of the most vital links in the CSX transportation network. The former C&O Big Sandy subdivision, the former Clinchfield Railroad and the C&O Clinchfield Extension now make up the CSX Clinchfield Division, with division headquarters in Erwin, TN.

A Freelanced Prototype

I envision my CSX Clinchfield Division almost as an east coast version of the UP (former WP) Feather River Canyon route. All of these handy dandy changes allow me to model the modern day Clinchfield with features that I enjoy. And when I finally get trains rolling and you see intermodals, autoracks, and even some C&O signal bridges in Clinchfield country, you'll know exactly why they are there too!