Western and Terminal Railroad and Navigation Co.

Layout Concept:

Set in 1955, the HOn3 Western and Terminal RR and Navigation Co. is conceptually based on a central California coastal town with a port operation and connection to a narrow-gauge short line railroad into the hills of the Coast Range using Hon3 steam for motive power.

The small port town of Terminal has a 20-car dual gauge yard which serves several industries in town, and contains an interchange with the narrow gauge short-line. A coastal freighter moves cattle and other resources between the coastal islands and the port. This makes for three-way traffic between the port, the narrow-gauge line and the standard gauge freight. The narrow-gauge line has mining, smelting, crude oil, logging, and livestock as primary industries. There is a 3’ long pier and two small wharfs served by rail. Passenger service is by NG in town and through to the hills.



Layout Description:

Located in a dedicated room on the up the stairs of the house with an adjacent crew lounge, this 11.5’ x 22’ double deck layout features scenery which is 99% complete. The layout depicts a small industrial area at the port town and ship to port transfer yard with 10 industries using dual gauge trackage. Narrow Gauge track services 15 customers in the “up-country” portions of the layout, climbing to the upper level using a 70’ “no-lix” around the walls and the long center peninsula. The layout operates “point to point” but also provides a loop on the lower level, providing “point to loop” operation as well. This area is single track “dark territory”. The train room holds 3 comfortably and the crew lounge is designed for 4 max. There is no wheelchair access.

Operations Description:

Operation sessions begin with the first interchange train already arrived in the Terminal yard, which provides interchange with all industries. Jobs consist of the port transfers with an in-town sweeper crew, and a 2-person crew works the “up-country” trains. All freight trains are extras, using steam locomotives and include a local switch job working the yard, town and port area and mixed narrow gauge short-line local which carries empty log cars and ore cars to the logging camp and mine. Two dedicated downhill trains pick up the logging and ore traffic for delivery to the sawmill and port. Passenger service is provided by combines and a scheduled run up and down the hill between Terminal and the upper terminus of Alta. Car Cards and Waybills are used primarily, but switch-lists are used periodically. Dispatching is through “Mother May I” (MMI). All lower turnouts are hand thrown, with upper-level turnouts using tortoise switch machines. The layout uses Digitrax duplex and plug in control.

Layout Owner

Lloyd Lehrer

Location

Manhattan Beach, CA

Scale

hon3/dual ga

Layout Size

22 ft x 12 ft

Mainline Size

200 ft

Era

1955

Crew Complement

1 - 4

Completion

Track: 100%
Scenery: 99%
Electrical: 100%

Control System

Digitrax

Wi-Fi Throttles

Yes

Communications System

written and verbal

Dispatching Method

Verbal/Mother-May-I

Car Forwarding

Car Cards/Waybills

Pets

None