Bob Stafford
Erie Lackawanna Memories Branchline
Theme: Operations based on branch line operations of various EL lines Northeastern Pennsylvania and Northwestern New Jersey. Layout consists of a main line based on the EL Old Road Main that feeds traffic from Port Morris Yard in New Jersey and from Taylor Yard in Scranton, PA to the branch line at Lime Junction. Lime Junction is a small 4 track yard with a spur to a crushed limestone loader and a small engine facility for the branch. The branch extends from Line Junction to Bath where it connects with the Lehigh and New England and the Northampton and Bath. En-route the branch passes though the towns of Prosperity, Harmony, and Pen Argyl.
Prosperity is a typical north Jersey industrial town with brick industrial builds and brick tenement buildings. It has several industries that receive and ship by rail. It is also the destination for the milk cars on the daily milk train to supply milk to the Borden's Dairy.
Harmony represents a typical north Jersey town with its coal dealer, freight house and meat packing plants. It also has the duplex and two story houses typical of the region.
Pen Argyl is a slate quarrying town, as the real Pen Argyl was on the Bangor and Portland Branch of the EL. It has a high slate waste bank beside the loading and receiving tracks of the Stoddard Slate Quarry.
Bath is based on the location where the EL, LNE and N&B all came together and interchanged in the heart of the Cement Belt. The main yard is based upon the N&B yard and the support yard is based on the EL yard. Bath also has 2 cement mills. Keystone Cement and Penn Dixie Cement Mill No 6. Penn Dixie is served by both the EL and the LNE.
Basic information:
A. Scale: HO
B. DC or DCC: DCC (Digitrax)
C. Dispatching/control method: Rule 93 Yard Limits under the direction of General Yard Master
D. Car control: color tabs
E. Mainline: single track branchline with two sidings, point to point
F. Room size: 10' x 18'
G. Percent sceniced: 85%
H. Handicap accessibility: full
I. Maximum number of guest operators: 4
J. Minimum number of guest operators: 4
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