New York Central System Mohawk Division - Capital District

Prototype modeling and operation of the New York Central System mainline in upstate New York, between Rensselaer and Schenectady. Circa 1948-1952 the Greet Steel Fleet passenger service traverses the tracks in and out of Albany's Union Station. Operations also include LCL Pacemaker freight , mail and express, milk service, and merchandise freight routing through the Capital District. Car movements include interchange with the Boston & Albany and Delaware & Hudson railroads. The layout features hand laid track, incorporating selective compression of the key NYCS trackage. Tower operation with signal indication govern the movement of traffic across the double-deck layout. The layout is DCC, utilizing Lenz. Eight operator positions featuring tower operators (2 positions) yardmaster/hostler (1 position), stationmaster (1 position), and C&E crews (4 positions) are needed to run an operating session. Additional information describing the layout may be obtained by reading "Intense Passenger Operations" published in The Dispatcher's Office, October 2008.

Layout Owner

Alan Bell

Location

Ft. Wayne, IN

Scale

HO

Layout Size

23 ft x 25 ft

Mainline Size

240 ft

Era

1948-1952

Crew Complement

6 - 8

Completion

Track: 100%
Scenery: 25%
Electrical: 75%

Control System

Lenz Digital

Communications System

Wayside phones

Dispatching Method

Sequential based on NYCS timetable no. 69 and tower operations

Car Forwarding

Car card/waybills and switch lists

Fast Clock

2:1

Pets

None