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Ben
Sullivan's Baltimore & Ohio RR: Georgetown Branch
Layout
at a glance:
Subject: B&O RR, Georgetown Branch
Era: 1948-1949
Room: 22' x 10''
Layout Height: n/a
Style: Point to point operation only (no provision
for continuous running)
Control: Digitrax DCC
Track: n/a
Operation: n/a
The
Branch
My interest in the Georgetown Branch (GB) began back in the
early 1990's when a high school friend and I hiked from the
Dalecarlia Tunnel down to the bridges over the C&O Canal
and back along the right-of-way. At that time the tracks were
still there but a train hadn't passed by since 1985 and it
was only a matter of a few years before the tracks would be
pulled up and replaced with tarmac to be a bike path.
The
GB history is quite interesting. Back in the late 19th century
the merchants of Georgetown in Washington DC saw that the
world commercial markets were opening wide. They had the C&O
Canal, but realized that due to natural disasters and speed
issues the Canal wasn't the most effective means of growing
an industrial area. After lobbying the B&O, a branch line
was finally completed into Georgetown in 1910. Perhaps too
late in the game, Georgetown as an industrial area never really
expanded past the waterfront area.
Traffic
on the GB was laid back. Never have I heard of more than 2
trains a day going down the branch, perhaps more occasionally
during the WWII years. Commodities shipped via the GB included
coal, stone, cement, coffee, flour, grains, oil, lumber and
various other items. The terrain is a mish-mash of typical
railroad structures. You have a mainline junction, coal trestles,
grade crossings, team tracks, a long high wood trestle, a
tunnel, street running, large steel/iron bridges and even
track laid along side the C&O Canal. All in all the GB
was a neat line.
I
chose to model the GB because it's easily accessible and most
of it can be modeled relatively well in a small space, which
is what I have. My layout room is less than ideal, being the
room that houses the HVAC, water heater, electrical cabinet,
and gas meter. The layout will be built in 2 levels with a
helix (beneath some stairs) connecting them. I hope to be
able to have 2-3 operators on the line at once. The room is
small, so more just wouldn't work. Right now the room is still
being finished and I have yet to begin the benchwork. Please
visit my own personal site for more info on the project, up-to-date
status reports, prototype info (maps, photos, diagrams, etc.)
and more.
http://bsulliva.oozy.ws/rr/georgetown_branch/index.html
- Ben Sullivan
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