Version One (1996-2008)
Version One of the CR&E was a double-deck N Scale model railroad occupying a
16X16 foot room. The railroad was of around-the-walls linear design with
a center L-shaped peninsula that connected the two levels of the
railroad. A duckunder (an unfortunate compromise) allowed entrance to
the layout room. Layout construction began in March 1996, with operations beginning in April 1997. Operations continued until the layout was dismantled on June 21, 2008, in preparation for a move to a new home.
The CR&E’s route runs from Charleston, WV,
to Danville, VA, via Roanoke, VA. The modeled portion represented the
railroad between Lewisburg, WV, and Roanoke, VA.
Three staging
yards, plus several other staging tracks on branch lines, represented
connections to the outside world. The West Yard at Lewisburg was the
staging yard for traffic to and from Charleston and other points west.
The Roanoke staging yard represented eastern NS destinations such as
Roanoke, Hagerstown, and Linwood. The Salem staging yard was on CSX’s
route that runs parallel to a portion of the CR&E and represented
CSX destinations south of Salem on friend Bruce Faulkner’s CSXT Shenandoah Division.
A
classification yard was located at Lewisburg, the west end of the
modeled portion of the railroad. The railroad also featured several
industries for local switching.
The railroad was single track
with passing sidings located at Lewisburg (two main tracks), Glace,
Paint Bank, New Castle, and Abbott.
Digitrax DCC was used to operate the layout.
West Yard
The West Yard was the west end staging yard for the railroad. It represented the unmodeled world west of Lewisburg, WV. In theory, NS trains from Charleston, WV, changed crews here and then continued east over the modeled portion to Roanoke, VA. CSX trains from Rainelle, WV, did the same, continuing east and then south to Salem, VA.
The staging yard was visible but existed under the town of Paint Bank, VA. The Laurel Creek Branch was also constructed on a shelf in front of the staging yard, making its presence a little less obvious.
Lewisburg Yard
Lewisburg was the main classification yard on the layout. Here a yardmaster was kept busy classifying inbound and outbound trains. Several road freights had intermediate work at Lewisburg. In addition, there was one originating and one terminating road freight along with local traffic. The yardmaster was responsible for moving traffic through the yard limits in addition to classifying cars and working the local industries.
Here is the main classification yard at Lewisburg. The engine terminal is in the foreground and the classification tracks curve alongside the mainline, which goes from single to double track through the yard limits. Above Lewisburg is the remote location of McFalls, VA, which mostly hides the Roanoke and Salem (east end/south end) staging yards behind it.
The yard limits end at Lewisburg East on the mainline, which is the area obscured by the unfinished pink foam scenic base. In the foreground is the Hopper Yard, where coal shifters pick up and set off cars for their mine runs. Additionally, the Brushy Mountain Railroad, a short-line spinoff, works at the Hopper Yard. This small yard is located on the Old Main Line, which feeds both the Laurel Creek Branch and the Brushy Mountain Railroad. Above this location is the town of New Castle, VA.
Caldwell
Caldwell was the location of a coal loader that loaded several carloads of raw coal each day. A mine run worked the loadout and took the raw loads up to Paint Bank, VA, where another mine run took them up the Potts Creek Branch to a prep plant. Pushers for the grade up to Paint Bank and McFalls, VA, were also based at Caldwell. Just east of Caldwell was a location known as Archer Fork, where a lime facility shipped covered hoppers loaded with lime and received coal for a small power plant.
This view of Caldwell is looking west toward Lewisburg. The loadout in the background ships raw coal. Another industry track, known as the Powder Track, diverges on the other side of the mainline. The pushers usually tie up here unless there is blasting powder being delivered to the Powder Track for use at the mine. The Old Main Line pokes through the rock tunnel portal below the mainline.
The Loops
A series of mountain-climbing loops connected the two levels of the CR&E. One example of this type of railroad engineering can be found on Norfolk Southern's former Southern Railway line between Salisbury and Asheville, NC, where the "Southern Loops" carry the route over Blue Ridge Mountain between Old Fort and Ridgecrest, NC. Another more famous eastern example is that of CSX Transportation's former Clinchfield Railroad loops, which descend from Altapass, NC, to Sevier, NC. A lesser-publicized example can be found not far from the CR&E territory on CSX's former Nicholas, Fayette & Greenbrier. On that line, the Claypool Loops make for some steep railroading.
Glace
The small town of Glace, WV, had the first passing siding east of Lewisburg. It was home to a woodchip loader and a cement distribution center, both of which were worked by a local out of Lewisburg. Glace was also the location at the bottom of the looping grade to Paint Bank. Above Glace were two timetable locations known as Camp Two and Ridge.
A CSX coal train holds the main at Glace, stopped short of the Glace-Tuckahoe Road crossing, while a westbound with Conrail power descends through Camp Two. Above the Conrail power to the right (out of sight) is the third tier of the looping grade above Glace.
Amtrak 51 descends the Loops through Camp Two. Just below the train is the town of Glace, and just above it is the upper level of the Loops approaching Ridge.
CSX empties are desceding past Ridge on the high fill that is above the east end of Glace. The cars on the straight track are crossing the Cove Creek Viaduct. The shelf at McFalls can be seen in the background.
The newest NS power currently operating on railroad are the 7100-series GP60's. Here three of them bring westbound intermodal train 233 downgrade at Cove Creek Viaduct. The green building in the background is the "Cove Creek Training Camp," a railfan hangout based on the "Mance Training Camp" on CSX's former B&O Sand Patch Grade.
Forester
Forester, VA, was nothing more than a location on the railroad where pulpwood was loaded onto flat cars. Trains climbing east out of Lewisburg and Glace finally passed into Virginia after emerging from State Line Tunnel at Forester.
Eastbound loads struggle through Forester. A pusher is hard at work on the rear of the train, and will cut off after the heavy coal train crests the grade at McFalls, VA, east of Paint Bank.
More of an overall view of Forester shows a pusher set shoving on a coal train. The cars curving off to the right are approaching the west end of Paint Bank on the long side of the peninsula. Soon this train will be completely on the upper level at Paint Bank, VA.
Paint Bank
Essentially Paint Bank, VA, was the top of the grade that started in Lewisburg and increased east of Glace. The railroad flattened out here and then climbed again briefly to McFalls, VA, just east of Paint Bank. This was a very busy place on the railroad, with a passing siding, two branch line junctions, storage tracks for coal off the branches, and a brick yard and house track. It was not uncommon for everything on the railroad to be converging on Paint Bank at once. The Potts Creek Branch headed northward to a coal prep plant, while the South Fork Branch continued just south of town to a small loadout.
McFalls
McFalls, VA, was nothing more than a location of a lumber yard. The location got its inspiration from the McClure Lumber Company on the Clinchfield Railroad, which was another remote lumber operation. McFalls was named for retired Southern Railway/Norfolk Southern dispatcher J.B. (Jack) McFalls, who built a log home high atop a mountain. The lumber company here would bear his name. In the railroad room, McFalls was located directly above Lewisburg and also obscured the upper level staging yards at Roanoke and Salem. Just to the left of this location was the upper level duckunder at the room entrance.
McFalls Lumber Company is in the foreground of this shot. The ridge line hides the Roanoke and Salem staging yards behind McFalls. Lewisburg Yard is directly below McFalls.
New Castle
New Castle, VA, was a small town located northwest of Roanoke. On the CR&E, several industries were located here that support a local switcher. A textile mill, oil and propane dealer, and large Appalachian Electric Power plant were among the industries assigned to jobs working at New Castle. A couple of storage tracks were used here for setout and pickup for the job based in town. New Castle was directly above the eastern portion of Lewisburg, including Lewisburg's Hopper Yard.
This view shows the east end of the town of New Castle. The homes that line the (future) street through town were at one time owned by workers at the large textile mill here. I have designed portions of New Castle to represent the town of Kannapolis, NC. The locomotives and coal gons in the the background are spotted at AEP's New Castle power plant. The covered hopper and ballast empties in the foreground are awaiting delivery by tomorrow's New Castle Switcher.
Shenandoah Jct
The rails of the Norfolk Southern CR&E Division and CSXT Shenandoah Division (owned by friend Bruce Faulkner) crossed at Shenandoah Jct., VA, a point just east of New Castle. Since our railroads run roughly parallel to each other through New Castle, Abbott, and Catawba, VA, before arriving in the Roanoke/Salem area, we have active joint trackage operations. Shenandoah Jct was located directly above the lower level town of Caldwell.
In this view of Shenandoah Jct., an NS local out of New Castle is on the CR&E trackage that runs straight through the junction. The CSXT Shenandoah Division crosses via two turnouts, similar to the Norfolk & Western/Clinchfield crossing at St. Paul, VA. The old tower still stands at Shenandoah Jct, and CSXT uses the old Clinchfield boxcar here for equipment storage.
Abbott
Abbott, VA, like many other towns on the CR&E, was a small village without much population. A rock quarry here was the sole industry on the railroad. A passing siding here provided the dispatcher with one more option for meets before trains arrived at Roanoke. The CSXT Shenandoah Division paralleled the CR&E through town.
The west end of Abbott is shown in this photo, in which a westbound train is on the CR&E main track. The rock quarry is out of sight just to the left of the locomotives. Ballast is loaded here and picked up by the New Castle Switcher. The CSXT Shenandoah Division is the lower track in the foreground. This location is just above the west end of Glace on the lower level.
Catawba
Catawba, VA, was the last town on the modeled portion of the CR&E before entering the staging yard at Roanoke. A grain elevator here provided traffic for the New Castle Switcher. After passing through Catawba, the tracks went across the upper level duckunder at the room entrance and entered the staging yard.
Roanoke/Salem
The NS Roanoke and CSXT Salem staging yards occupied shelves directly behind McFalls and above Lewisburg Yard. The ladders on both of the staging yards were on the upper level duckunder at the room entrance and were the first thing crews saw when preparing to enter the room. Each of the two yards had five tracks representing points east (Roanoke) and south (Salem) of the modeled portion of the railroad. Crews began and ended their runs here.
The Roanoke staging yard represents points east on the NS system. It is the five track yard in the foreground. The Salem staging yard represents points south on the CSXT system. It is the five track yard in the background. Crews go and off duty here. McFalls is on the other side of the tree-covered ridge, and New Castle can be seen in the background along the wall.
Layout at a glance
| Name | Norfolk Southern CR&E Division (Charleston, Roanoke & Eastern Railway) |
| Scale | N (1:160) |
| Size | 16' X 16' approximate |
| Prototype | Proto-freelanced
with influences from NS Salisbury to Asheville (NC) "S Line," as well
as the Clinchfield Railroad, Norfolk & Western Pocahontas Division,
and others. |
| Locale | Eastern West Virginia and western Virginia (Greenbrier Valley to Roanoke Valley) |
| Period | Late 1980's to early 1990's |
| Layout style | Double-deck around the walls with center peninsula connecting the two decks |
| Benchwork | Open-grid |
| Roadbed | Cork roadbed on plywood subroadbed |
| Track | Atlas Code 80, with limited Micro-Engineering Code 55 on peninsula |
| Turnouts | Peco Code 55 Electrofrog medium and large radius |
| Minimum radii | Mainline (visible) 18 inch. Mainline (hidden) 15 inch. Branchline (hidden) 12 inch. |
| Maximum grade | 2.5% overall between Glace and McFalls. Some spots may approach 3%. |
| Scenery Construction | Plaster impregnated cloth over cardboard strips, extruded plastic foam board, hydrocal, Sculptamold, other. |
| Control | Digitrax DCC ("Chief" system) with radio throttle capability |