The layout
at a glance:
Name of Railroad:
Hudson Point & Hawthorne RR
Scale: HO (1:87)
Size: 21 x 35 feet
Prototype: Freelance
Locale: The city,
Eastern Seaboard United States
Period: September, 1956
Layout style: linear walkaround
Layout height: 46" to 58"
Benchwork: open grid
Roadbed: Homasote over pine splines
Track: Code 83 flextrack
Turnouts: All no. 6 except wyes.
Minimum curve radius: 24" on main. 18" sidings
Maximum grade: 4 percent
Scenery construction: plaster over cardboard webbing
Control: Radio (wireless) DCC
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The Hudson Point and Hawthorne Railroad is designed for "Point to Point"
Operation with optional "continuous running." Hudson Point Yard represents the
Eastern terminus of the railroad. Trains arrive here from other points of the compass
bearing goods for the City of Hawthorne. Goods leaving Hawthorne head out for
points West, North and South. These trains depart the yard near Jumpers Perch
heading Westbound. You can follow the double mainline through Arcadia,
past Prospect and Friendship Heights. At Crows Nest, the double
mainline enters a tunnel under a mountain range. Trains Westbound emerge from
under the mountains near Blessing and continue on to Lourdes
where they again cut through a large mountain range to points farther West.
The track plan shows track in light blue beyond Lourdes.
This color indicates that this is a hidden loop and staging yard. Trains
"out west" are staged here. The outer loop remains a mainline for
through running of trains. Trains emerging from the Tunnel near Lourdes
are Eastbound. They continue along the main line until they reach Arcadia.
Just East of Arcadia, the Derry Branch line heads into the mountains, up
to the stone quarry at Derry.
At Arcadia, trains
may continue Eastbound into Hudson Point Yards or take the Northern Branch Line.
The light blue track heading "Northbound" is also a hidden loop and staging yard.
Trains emerge from the hidden loop on a "Southbound" track at Jumpers Perch
where the line rejoins the mainline now heading West. The Northern Branch Line
also has a secondary branch line shown in light blue that heads into a stub end
yard (workshop and rip track). This is where REAL repairs are made to the trains.
NONE of the light blue track below the City of Hawthorne connects to
the black (visible) track above, in the city. The ONLY access by rail to the
City of Hawthorne is via floats and barges at the waterfronts.
All of the track within the City of Hawthorne is a separately operated railroad.
The city railroad is largely a switching operation. Real estate
on the city side is at a premium so the yard is small. It takes very sharp railroaders
to keep traffic flowing in the city! A real challenge for operations.
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