Working Local A lone Baldwin AS-16, common throughout the coal regions, drills the Malho Coal Company trackage at Lavelle.
the division’s namesake town of Shamokin hosted a modest yard and a basic engine facility. Sham- okin was also the westbound ter- minus for all passenger trains. In addition to a handful of mine runs and helper assignments, Sham- okin weighed and dispatched westbound coal extras. The Read- ing also interchanged cars with Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). Modeling five yards on any lay- out can be overwhelming; howev- er, it works quite well on my lay- out. A yardmaster and yard drill crew staff the three primary yards at Tamaqua, Gordon, and Sham- okin. Helper crews are based at Gordon and Shamokin, with only a couple of trains getting a help- er shove west out of Tamaqua.
Road crews from specific sym- bol freights and several mine run crews work the unmanned coal marshaling yards at St. Nicholas and Locust Summit.
Train Operation
A typical operating session lasts about four hours and re- quires the joint effort of 18 crew- members. Thirty-nine trains (36 Reading and three LNE) are run in a specific sequence with provi- sion for some extra movements. Cordless phones, acting as in- tercoms, are used to connect the dispatcher’s office with the three yardmasters, while road crews use FRS radios. Labeled magnet- ic strips are moved along a track schematic found on the DS board.
Crews are required to call clear of the two single-track tunnels (Tamaqua Tunnel and Mahanoy Tunnel). This mountain railroad with two distinct helper grades keeps the pace slow and deliber- ate. Lenz DCC is employed, with the layout divided into four power districts. Six passenger trains are in charge of the remaining passenger service. Fourteen symbol freights are scheduled, and eleven trains are dedicated mine runs, which help keep things quite busy. A few extra movements, two locals, and an LNE transfer run fill out the schedule. A couple of trains generally receive a power change, usually a steam-to-diesel swap, at Tamaqua and Shamokin. Gor-
54 RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
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