Twin
Baldwins A pair of Baldwin AS- 16s shove hard on a westbound freight as it passes through East Ma- hanoy Junction. A main- tenance-of-way track is in the background; the team track is in the fore- ground.
old LNE equipment from the pre- vious layout, albeit in interchange service and for a short main line run.
Yards and Junctions The inspiration for my new layout came from several sourc- es. Books, magazines, and vid- eos provided excellent insight into daily operations, as well as site visits and talking with former em- ployees. It did not take me long to decide the 40-mile section of rail- road from Tamaqua to Shamokin would be an excellent candidate to model. The double-tracked main line, known as the Maha- noy & Shamokin Branch (M&S), ran through the heart of the coal regions and featured several grades requiring helper service (“push up duty” in Reading par-
50 RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
lance). It also included five sepa- rate yards, each having different roles. The M&S also had junc- tions with several other Reading branches, such as the Catawissa, Tamanend, Frackville, Ashland Upper Route, Mount Carmel, and Herndon branches.
The division point town of
Tamaqua was the center of opera- tions and was considered the gate- way to the coal regions. Located mid-point of the 202-mile main- line run between Philadelphia and Newberry Junction, Tamaqua was home to a large yard and en- gine servicing area. A three-story freight house located across the tracks from the downtown pas- senger station also housed the di- vision headquarters. The Reading also maintained an interchange with the coal-hauling Lehigh &
New England. Reading also served several local businesses. St. Nicholas Yard, located about 14 miles west of Tamaqua, served as a large coal gathering and storage location. The yard sat adjacent to the St. Nicholas colliery — one of the larger coal breakers in the area. Loaded hop- pers of processed coal traveled to Tamaqua, St. Clair, or Shamokin for weighing. The yard also served as a consolidation point for previ- ously weighed coal brought in by other mine runs. Only rudimen- tary engine service was available with the motive power serviced and dispatched from Gordon. My layout’s operations replicate all these important duties. Gordon Yard is required mod- eling for anyone considering the coal regions. Although Gordon
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