Reinhard Pratt's LVRR Central Jersey Mainline


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Lehigh Valley Railroad – Central Jersey Main Line
By: Reinhard Pratt


East Portal - Close Up

My Central Jersey Main Line layout is set in the 60’s to pre-Conrail and designed to run the trains I 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.  A train of the Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railway) makes an occasional cameo appearance.

 My modeling philosophy is prototypical.  Since the layout is small though, I’ve allowed myself significant flexibility.  No type of formalized operation is planned.

Scenes
 Trains will come into view emerging from the eastern portal of the Musconnetcong Tunnel in Pattenburg, NJ.  The next scene will be the Raritan River’s South Branch crossing in Neshanic Station.  The Jersey Central makes an appearance in this scene also.  Next along the line will be Hillsborough featuring the Valley Road crossing, my childhood home and industries such as Stewart Oil and Aeropres.  The final scene will be Bound Brook, featuring the convergence of the Lehigh Valley, CNJ and Reading Railroads.

 Technical Information
 The layout uses cab control to basically operate one train at a time, though two can operate with some dexterity at the controls.  A plug in “guest throttle” mounted opposite the main control area is a big hit with visitors.  Track is Atlas Code 100 with Peco #6 and #4 turnouts.  Visible mainline radius is 24”.  The reverse loop is 18” radius.  A speed restriction is in place on this line not only because of the radius, but because this line is the CNJ Flemington Branch, which by the 1970’s was dilapidated.

 Current Status
The track work is complete with the exception of two spurs.  Scenery at the Musconnetcong tunnel is almost complete.  Scenery at Neshanic Station is about 50%.  I hope to complete this area including structures during 2004.

Future Plans
My goal is to achieve a very detailed, polished look similar to George Sellios’ in detail but on a much smaller scale.  I look forward to attempting some scratch build structures to recreate my childhood home and others “landmark” buildings in the area.

Lessons Learned
My first layout, begun in 1999, was dismantled after two years when it became apparent I was squeezing way too much in the space.  I have a large collection of German trains which I wanted to run in addition to the LV.  I also wanted overhead power lines not only for my European equipment but for my GG1.  Two years into my current layout and I am satisfied with my decision to go for more prototypical accuracy. 

 This layout features a six track staging area  - I highly recommend staging.

 The layout floor was assumed to be flat.  It is not!  Level your bench work before commencing trackwork.

 Another lesson, which we’ve all heard before, is simply to begin!  Don’t be a perfectionist and try to plan every step.  It’s impossible to do and there is no substitute for hands on experience in scenery, weathering, track laying, etc., etc.
 

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This page last updated on 01/11/2005 .