Path Valley Lines

[PRR Modeler]

The layout looks awesome Vagel.

[VagelK]

Thanks, Curt.  Wifey mentioned the other day that I seem to be more motivated to spend time at the layout, because it's become such a pleasant environment after almost two years of 1-2 hours a day of "work."  There's something to be said for that.

This segment will follow the B&SGE's Buchanan Branch to its terminus in the real-world place called Cowans Gap.  Emerging from behind the blast furnace complex the branch climbs a 3% grade on a sweeping curve butting up against the backdrop.  B.S. (before scenery) the clearance diagram allowed the largest loco's (K27 2-8-2's) to pass, but the addition of a 1/2" thick foam shale cut above the overpasses reduced that to the little C19 2-8-0's.  Fortunately they are powerful enough to haul the empty ore cars and other local traffic up the grade - but no continuous runs for anything bigger during open houses.



The track comes off the curve to pass behind a mountainside that is only about 3" deep but is designed to give the impression that the branch dives into the mountains.  The section with hand carved rockface is removable for track cleaning.  I promise to someday continue the rock work on the rest of the mountainside... honest.

That crazy train on the PRR, by the way, is not something that gets run during ops sessions; it's my NMRA collectibles train run for visitors from time to time.  The caboose is a Western Maryland prototype in 1970s Chessie livery; it reminded me of my days as a kid waiting for the morning drag out of Hagerstown, MD to pass thru Chambersburg on my way to high school ... which meant that I would be late for homeroom!



The tall trestle and the road overpasses below it are the work of the late-Don Reed.



Not far above the trestle the branch enters the village of Buchanan, which exists because of the So. Penn Furnace Co's iron ore mine and processing plant.  The village, itself, is represented by the dome of the Russian Orthodox church poking above the woodline (based on the one in the former coal company town of Woodvale on the E.B.T.) and a printed image of company houses pasted to the backdrop visible through the draw behind the mule barn.



That little red barn is a basswood kit by Webster Classic Models, and the tipple/processing plant is the Walthers Glacier Gravel kit, with conveyors repurposed somewhat.  The depot is a kit for the E.B.T.'s long-gone depot at Coles, while the enclosed water tank across the tracks is another Tom Middleton scratchbuild of the one at the same location on the E.B.T.

The two tracks converge just beyond the waste conveyor to pass through a hole in the wall disguised by a deep rock cut and tree tunnel ...



... to emerge at Cowans Gap, the end of the branch and site of another, smaller iron ore mine.

By the way, Buchanan gets its name from the PA state forest of the same name, which in this era (1930s) is being planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps - one of whose camps is just off-scene to the right of the ore tipple.  From left to right, the covered bridge is the snap-fit Walthers offering, the store is another of those structures scratch-built by someone else for sale at a train show in the misty past, the depot is a JL Innovative Designs McDougall Telegraph Office that I modified with wooden shingles, brick chimney, and other details, and the tipple is cobbled together from pieces left over from the Glacier Gravel kit and Evergreen styrene siding, with scratch-built walkway and railing.



Camp S-54 houses the young men who are planting in this area and building the future Cowans Gap State Park.  It receives occasional shipments via the stub of the Kalbach Branch (a remnant of the logging RR of the Kalbach Lumber Co. that clear-cut this area in the early-1900s, thus the CCC being here); the Kalbach Branch passes through another hole in the wall to enter hidden trackage that reappears at the other end of the modeled B&SGE (Tuscarora Valley Jct).

That's it for this entry.  Next time I'll backtrack to the Richmond Furnace area and the PRR's piece of the operation there.

[deemery]

The covered bridge works great as a view block, it fits the location.  

dave

[PRR Modeler]

Great layout shots Vagel. You've done an excellent job on the backdrop. It has a great depth of view to it.

[VagelK]

Thanks, Dave and Curt.  I got the backdrop technique from a series of posts on RR-line; the guy was building a layout set in West Virginia during Autumn, and he had developed a pallet list of the tube acrylic paint colors that matched the shades of Woodland Scenics coarse ground foams.  He also had in-progress pictures and how-to's on how to use sea sponges to dab on the paint.  It was a revelation!  I painted my backdrops about 3-4 linear feet at a time.  I should look thru my archived posts from way back then to try and find the "recipe" ...

[Philip]

Thanks, Dave and Curt.  I got the backdrop technique from a series of posts on RR-line; the guy was building a layout set in West Virginia during Autumn, and he had developed a pallet list of the tube acrylic paint colors that matched the shades of Woodland Scenics coarse ground foams.  He also had in-progress pictures and how-to's on how to use sea sponges to dab on the paint.  It was a revelation!  I painted my backdrops about 3-4 linear feet at a time.  I should look thru my archived posts from way back then to try and find the "recipe" ...

Was that Coaltrain who your speaking of? Great layout you have!

[VagelK]

Was that Coaltrain who your speaking of? Great layout you have!

I don't recall, Philip.  It was so long ago, and he just dropped out.

[Philip]

Yeah it has been awhile.
Philip

[Jerry]

I don't know how I keep missing your updates?

That is a fine looking layout you have there!

Jerry

[VagelK]

I don't know how I keep missing your updates?

That is a fine looking layout you have there!

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry.  I've been quiet for several weeks; camping trip, other stuff.  Probably be early Dec. before I can get back at working on the RR.

[ACL1504]

Vagel,

The scenery is blended very well with the backdrop. The layout looks very nice as well.

Tom

[friscomike]

Howdy, Vagel. The backdrop looks terrific and blends well with the foreground.  Excellent work.  Have fun, mike

[Michael Hohn]

I've enjoyed the tour, Vagel and look forward to seeing it in person again some day.

Mike

[VagelK]

It has been a while, so I hope folks are still watching.  We're just getting settled in after a 5-week sojourn in Sicily and environs.

As promised at the end of the last entry from atop the Buchanan Branch at Cowans Gap, this episode backtracks to the Richmond Furnace area but on the PRR side of operations there (SEE Schematic). 





This picture has been used in an earlier post.  It shows what I call "the alcove" and was taken during our open house for the 44th National Narrow Gauge Convention in Sep. 2024; it's where the two gauges come together at Richmond Furnace. The PRR tracks come into the scene in front of the visitor on the right.

On second thought, it might be worthwhile to show you how the PRR gets here, so I'll go back to Chambersburg Yard where I started this tour to put things into perspective.  "The alcove" is behind the backdrop under the arrow.



A bit of history to go with this panoramic view:  In 1930s timeframe of the Path Valley Lines layout, Chambersburg was the operating center of the PRR's Cumberland Valley (CV) Branch, running from Harrisburg, PA and Enola Yard (beyond the layout, stage right) in the northeast and southwest (beyond the layout, stage left) to Hagerstown, MD (Western MD & N&W); Martinsburg, WV (B&O); and on to Winchester, VA (B&O).  Two sub-branches fed the CV to the north and south of Chambersburg; the Mont Alto Branch diverged just north (RR east) of Chambersburg Yard and ran southeast to Waynesboro, PA, while the South Penn Branch headed west from Marion Jct. a few miles south (RR west) of town.  Richmond Furnace was at the end of the South Penn Branch.

On the layout, two trains a day run between Chambersburg and Richmond Furnace via the South Penn Branch; they leave the yard to pass under the massive Cold Storage that hides an equally massive hole in the wall and follow a 200-degree 24" radius curve under Cowans Gap and Buchanan on the B&SGE and magically switch on to the South Penn Branch somewhere under there. 

OK, we're going to go through that arched doorway next to the Cold Storage and around the corner to get to "the alcove."



By the way, the big brick and windows warehouse to the right of the Cold Storage only recently took on that look.  For years it was a blank concrete wall, and – unhappy with the results of my clumsy attempts with printed paper – I was at a loss.  So, in desperation on the eve of the Narrow Gauge convention I hung this sheet that probably scales out at the size of HMS Victory's mainsail.  It got a few laughs.  Then, in March 2025 a vendor at the Mid-West Narrow Gauge Show in Salem, OH had some great printed backdrop building flats glued on black foamcore, et voila!



Now, finally, we arrive at Tascott on the South Penn Branch.  Tascott is named for early PRR president Thomas A. Scott, who was born nearby.  It was just a flagstop station on the historic branch, but on the Path Valley Lines it is a junction and classification yard serving the South Penn Furnace Co's Richmond Furnace plant and the Furnace Co's subsidiary West Conococheague & Potomac RR. 



And at this point I must pause, as I've reached the max allowed limit on pictures I may post at one time.  We'll continue the tour after someone has had time to reply.  Stay tuned!

[elwoodblues]

Vagel,

Really glad you're continuing the layout build here, I really enjoyed you build on the RR-line forum and it's nice to see pictures of the layout.