PRR Allegheny Subdivision

[Kiasutha]

The height of trees is an interesting topic.  Both areas were heavy duty mainlines and both areas saw extensive use of helpers in the steam era.  If you look at pictures of the Curve in the 50's and early 60's, the hillsides are almost devoid of vegetation.  I assume that this was due to the cinders coming from the steam plumes.  

Much like the part of PA. I/my family is from. But not so much caused by just the locomotives themselves...
Logging-by the 1940's,most of the state had been cut "bare" of anything big enough for a "2X4". Takes a long time to grow back...
Pulp and chemical,& to a lesser extent fire-wood cutting-that got most of the stuff not big enough for the loggers to take...
Coke ovens-the smoke and fumes from these played hell on the vegetation and killed a lot of regrowth before it really got started.
Looking up into the curve, you see a valley on the left;there's a road goes under the curve there now,and long ago a rail spurr went up it.
The valley was lined with coke ovens;the ruins are still there.(or were last time I visited some years ago. So much for the greenery "back in the day", and all together it slowed recovery for a long time to come...

Man, that is some layout! I live just across the border near Niagara Falls now;I'd love to see it some day!

[shark_jj]

kiasutha, anytime you want to make trip north, drop me a note and we will make arrangements.  If you are near Niagara Falls its only about an hour for you.

[Kiasutha]

kiasutha, anytime you want to make trip north, drop me a note and we will make arrangements.  If you are near Niagara Falls its only about an hour for you.

Thanks very much.
I'm kinda tied down right now & recovering from some health problems, but I hope someday I can come see it. At least I have my new "enhanced" drivers license now, so they will let me back in country...

[shark_jj]

Hi guys, I haven't disappeared, just been really busy with nothing of photographic value to report on the Allegheny Division.  I've been keeping up with Sunday Photo Fun and some of the incredible modelling that is being done.  The 20X40 HO Scale Modular layout my N Scale Group is building is coming together with all of the modules constructed, track laid, wiring done, and the basic scenery starting to go in.  Justin's 4 level layout is coming along and I must take some photos to post at some point. 

Progress is being made on the Allegheny Division and after a year I am almost back to where I started with trains running on the layout.  The Benchwork has been rebuilt.  Most of the track was lifted, and has since been relaid in a new configuration which more accurately reflects Altoona in 1964.  Lifting the track of course meant I had to rewire everything and that is 90% complete.  The big job has been the transition to Tortoise's from manual turnout throws.  I underestimated how much work and how expensive that was going to be.  70 of the 110 tortoise are now installed and work is continuing on the others.  The good news for me is that I am down to about 2 dozen on the mainline.  Here is a shot of some of that work.



I did have an interesting summer with trips to Strasburg (met Ed K), a trip to Rochelle where me and the guys visited with Daryl Kruse who was very hospitable and we operated on his Rochelle Sub.  Justin is currently drafting up Daryl's new trackplan for him.  Went to Altoona and Bedford and ran into Todd who gave me some good info about PP&L Hoppers.  The old "Kilowatt" hoppers from the 60's had been rebuilt into new hoppers but they had left the top panels intact and you can still the PENNSYLVANIA on them.  Sure enough the next day, a PP&L unit train came through with some of those on it. 

Anyway some of my external activities are starting to slow down so I hope to get more active on the Forum.