A freight works the main on Jonathan Harger's Central Vermont.
The following is an article by Jonathan Harger about his HO scale Connecticut Division of the Central Vermont at his home. His layout was included in the home layout tours during the 2009 NMRA National Convention in Hartford. Jonathan graciously opens his layout to club members for operating sessions a couple of times a year. All photos are from Jonathan.
This layout is budget variety designed to operate in both point to point and circular running. It was originally a generic transition era Connecticut layout designed to connect New London, Connecticut with Palmer, Mass. and thus have some locomotive power from Central Vermont, Boston & Albany, New Haven, and Central Connecticut. When a waybill system was planned for operation, the benchwork for the railroad needed to be scened for more specific areas. The Main Yard became New London from which the train moves up through an Avalonian Gneiss cut to Montville where the transition occurs to Iapetus Schist type bedrock.
The train then moves through an igneous cut in Norwich onto the glacial flood plain of Willimantic where the second yard and planned service area are located. From here, the circular form of the layout takes the train over the Thames (and the New London Yard!) to head up into the Eastern Highlands of Connecticut with a siding in Tolland if running CV – Pomfret if running NH and out under a narrow gauge lumber road to the upper staging yard representing Palmer, White River Junction, or Montreal on the CV and Putnam or Boston if on the NH. There is also a lower staging yard representing New Haven and New York.
An overview of New London.
It is a basement layout using gridwork construction of several tables hooked together, but designed to be able to be taken out separately if needed. The trackwork is on Homosote with plywood support underneath. The track itself is 90% brass ripped up from other layouts that were going to nickel-silver. Some areas have been replaced with Peco flex-track. The yards are all hand thrown turnouts with some electric Atlas or solenoid turnouts on hard to reach areas of the main line. The two control panels – one for New London Yard and one for main line operation, are scrap plywood with an assortment of Radio Shack 6-way, toggle, and momentary contact switches controlling a traditional block system.
The structures on the layout are a blend of cast-offs from club members or train show and eBay pickups with more specific buildings being constructed to fit specific areas. So far the Norwich Thermos Co. and shoe factory are complete and a scratch built New London Station is under construction. Willimantic has some buildings complete, but is mostly incomplete. The background scenery is Faller southern Germany (I had bought my father-in-law more than he could use on his Marklin layout) with some New England farms pasted in. Pictures from plastic kit boxes have also been liberally used.
The power is a blend of old Athearn, AHM, and Train Miniature, with newer Spectrum and Proto power added as the others feel their age. Many of the engines have been modified to be close to the power used by the Central Vermont in particular. The rolling stock is also a blend of cars from 45 years ago and my first layout in Willimantic to more recent purchases.
