Lehigh Valley Layouts on the Web
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Brian Petroziello's HO
Wyoming
Division
layout models the main line from Wilkes-Barre to Athens, with Coxton Yard
as its centerpiece. Sayre and points west, Allentown and points east, and
Wilkes-Barre area interchange are represented by hidden staging
yards. Brian is modeling the geographic area of the old Wyoming
Division, although it had been divided between the New York and Buffalo
Divisions long before 1975, the year he has chosen to model because of his interest
in the locomotives of that period.
"I grew up in the Pittston Junction and my grandfather was a hostler at Coxton Yard. - Brian Petroziello" (Received 1/31/2001) |
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"By the way, if you're ever in Rochester check out Dine-a-saur BBQ downtown. Its in the old LV freighthouse. - Alfred Olsen" (1/20/2001) |
The
Rochester Model Railroad Club's Seneca Valley Lines
layout is loosely modeling the LV from Jersey
City to Buffalo. Although Rochester Jct is represented, the city of
Rochester is not. Time period is the 1950s. Like most clubs, members run
their own equipment, and it's not all LV. Member Alfred Olsen promises to
try to get more LV equipment on the web site.
Update on 3/8/2003 by Alfred Olsen: This year a lot of progress is being made building the Lehigh Gap. Tons of trees were planted in the past year in this area. At the other end a lot of progress has been made building downtown Buffalo's station that was served by the Lehigh Valley. We are always open on Monday nights for work and visitors are always welcome. Due to projects we can't always be running the trains on those nights but do have operating nights at least once a month. Contact: Dave Mitchell (mdbmitch at frontiernet dot net) |
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Don DeWitt's S
Scale Grand
Arbor module is all that exists so far of his Great Lakes &
Atlantic Railroad, which will be based on the LV and ERIE.
"No... you can't visit this layout, ... because most of it only exists in my mind, and now yours... so keep dreamin'. ... only my 26 ft Grand Arbor module exists and it has not been used since the Pittsburgh NASG/NMRA convention in 1989... sigh ...sigh!" |
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Chuck Huthmaker's Lehigh
and Susquehanna Division has been located in New York, Saudi Arabia,
and north Texas, where it was last reincarnated as a point-to-point
layout in an 11'6"x11'6" room. Chuck is now moving to
Washington DC, so these are probably the only photos of his Texas layout we will see.
He is planning a new, expanded version in the large walk-out basement of
his new home!
Priorities were a fair sized steel mill with inter-plant trackage and large structures, and an interchange with Bethlehem Steel’s PB&NE. Second, a cement mill and an anthracite colliery (breaker) had to be large enough to provide adequate traffic. |
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Ian
Metcalfe's Beaver Meadow layout, in
England, is based on the Lehigh Valley Railroad in the Hazelton area
during the 1970's.
Ian has tried to capture the real flavour of the railroad and the times, with accurate paint schemes and creative weathering. |
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Jim Dalberg's New Jersey Northern is an operations-oriented layout based on the LV & CNJ from Oak Island to just west of Coxton Yard, with staging for the Buffalo Division. |
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New York Division - Mark Nolan |
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Ralph DeBlasi's LVRR Wyoming Division models the LV and CNJ from Northampton to Solomon's Gap in the period between 1960 and 1976. Equipment will be changed for operating sessions to reflect specific time periods. Hidden staging represents the NY Division on the east end, and Coxton Yard on the west end. Visible track is handlaid code 83 and 70, with a 34" minimum radius. Control is by Digitrax DCC, with a Chief radio control system. Ralph has enough track laid now to begin formal operating sessions. |
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Stirling Woodin's HO scale East Penn Junction |
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Reinhard
Pratt's
LVRR Central Jersey Mainline Reinhard's Central Jersey Main Line layout is set in the 60’s to pre-Conrail and designed to run the trains he viewed as a boy trackside in Hillsborough, New Jersey. The layout features trains of up to 15 cars being pulled by Lehigh Valley, CNJ and Pennsylvania locomotives. |
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New Woodstock, NY
- Phil Lord's HO
diorama and
historical pages Phil Lord is recreating a prototype area at New Woodstock, NY (Madison County) on the Cortland Branch as it was in 1945. His motivation is a memory of living in the house beside the tracks near the depot in that year, when he was only 3 years old. Every detail of his 4x14 foot layout is an "archeologically exact" replica of the track, industries and other structures that existed in the 2,000 x 500 foot prototype area, with a 4x4 foot generic staging area attached as a dogleg at one end. |
| New York Division, circa 1972-76, HO - Ed Schaller | |
| Appalachian & Atlantic Nor'easter - Glen Larimer | |
| Easton-Phillipsburg Bridges - John Pursell | |
| New York, Vermont & Northern Rwy - Bernd Fanghanel's HO layout is a free lance model railroad that is based on the LV's Rochester and Hemlock branch with Rochester Jct being the focal point. | |
Lehigh Valley Layouts in the Model Railroad Magazines
Lehigh Valley & Reading Lines - Doug
& Steve Kley's HO layout has three levels and fills a 16 x 36 ft room. The
Lehigh Valley portion models the area from Easton to Laurel Run on the
Gracedale Secondary Track, and to Solomons Gap on the L&S main line. (Railmodel Journal, 12/1990, p. 6)
"...Just an update... For simplicity we use the CNJ
tracks from Easton to JU. The LV lead from JU to Bethlehem is only used by
Reading trains going to Saucon Yard which is the Eastern end of the Reading RR.
Both Reading and LV trains operate out of Allentown Yard. The LV uses the old
CNJ tracks (now LV as its 1974) to reach Lehighton, then follow the trackage as
you identified. We operate in the time zone of Sept/Oct 1974. We were at
Sept/Oct 1972 but shifted upwards when Atlas produced the U-23B's. I ll keep
this short by ending with - we have been operating for 16 years.
Thanks again for the press. - Doug Kley"
(Received 1/23/2001)
Calypso
Yard - Phil
Baggley's HO
layout is loosely based on Lehigh Valley operations at Calypso Yard and
Bethlehem Steel (Railmodel Journal, 3/1997, p. 33).
"...I sold Calypso Yard to the Falkirk model
railway club in Scotland and hear that it is still in use on the exhibition
circuit up there, though they use it more as a generic layout to run all manner
of club member's stock. I am currently working on a modest home layout more
closely based on Bethlehem Steel in my 13ft x 15ft railway room up on the top
floor. It is still a long way from completion - I keep getting sidetracked to
other modeling projects!
Kind regards and best wishes for the web site. - Phil"
(Received 1/18/2001)
Lehigh Valley Railroad - Bill McChesney's HO layout has Allentown Yard as its centerpiece, with staging yards representing Oak Island, Sayre, and Tifft Teminal/Suspension Bridge. It fills a 16 x 31 ft room. (Railroad Model Craftsman, 3/1998, p. 52) Photos of Bill's layout are on the web at Grant Knowles' NER 2001 convention site.
Other layouts inspired by the Lehigh Valley
These layouts incorporate elements of LVRR operations or locations, but do not run LVRR trains.
Schuylkill Haven and Lehigh River Railroad - Jim Hamilton's 3' x 5' N scale SH&LR is a fictitious road that follows the old ROW of LVRR Pottsville Branch (Bowmans to Blackwood) and People's Railway (to Pottsville), set in the mid-1960s. Modeled towns include Bowmans (Lizard Creek Jct), Orwigsburg, and Pottsville. Operations include local and interchange freight, passenger railfan excursions. Jim started construction in November 2000 and is already 100% operational, with about 30% of the scenery done.
If you are modeling the Lehigh Valley railroad, I'd be glad to include info about your layout, too. Just send me an e-mail note! - Ed Schaller
This page last updated on 12/25/2006 .