P&LE has a logo

The Paducah & Lake Erie has a logo. The original artwork was done by Ray Jones of the Gateway Division of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). A set of decals for rolling stock and structures has been commercially produced. I am nearing the start of scenery and looking forward to it.

Freytag Engine House

This is the Freytag Engine House, kit bashed by the late Master Modeler Dean Freytag explicitly for the P&LE. After determining that space limitations made a turntable problematic, we decided to make entrance to the facility via turnouts, which is prototypical of the large facility in Paducah. Routing to each of the engine house bays is being done by a series of Digitrax DS 64's. The installation is bring done by Brian Post, who has done a lion's share of the electronic work on the railroad's turnout motors.

Staging / Storage Yard

I've added a 12-track, staging/storage stub yard on the lower level of the 16-feet long peninsula. You will note there are no escape tracks at the far end, but in view of the fact that entrance to the yard is from a "Y", I felt I could get along with no escape tracks. To date, there are no switch motors on the turnouts; I'll wait a while to see if I feel they are needed. The yard is accessible from either side. On each side, there is an unfinished extension coming towards the viewer on the outside track; one side will be an engine fueling and sanding island, the opposite will probably be a small industry.

A brief look back

Briefly below are five photos to bring you up to date. This is the third iteration of the P&LE, the first in St. Louis. Nearly all the track work is done, and most of the turnouts are installed. I use Digitrax controls, and both Tortoise and SwitchMaster slow motion switch motors. The track is Code 100 flex track, the turnouts are Peco. The roadbed is Woodland Scenics foam roadbed - 5mm HO-scale for the mainline and passing sidings, 3mm N-scale for yards and industrial sidings. The road bed is glued with DAP clear drying caulk to either 1x4's or 3/4" plywood; the track is glued to the roadbed with the same material. I have found it holds well, is forgiving when changes are necessary, and easy to work with. The layout is open grid, with basically a series of 2'x8' sections joined together. Buss wire is 16 gauge, and feeder wires are 22 gauge.

It started with a room ...

It all started with an unfinished room. Drywall was added, and then I had substantial lighting installed. It still needs more light, and advice to those just starting, considerable thought as to placement and future function(s) to electrical outlets.

Benchwork came first ...

Here is a portion of the benchwork. The railroad is of two-level construction; the lower level is 30" from the floor, the upper level 48" high. To the left above is Paducah, on a  6' x 8' section; then an 8' run to the back wall. The run along the back wall is 14', and then the longest run (out of sight on the right) is 27'. In view is a 16' long peninsula. The layout is then complete with a 16' run from the right to a 6' square that  holds the helix. The width of the entire railroad is 2' from the wall. Ken Heyl and Bob Gouirand were great help in getting the benchwork completed.

The helix was a weekend project

The addition of a helix was a weekend project that ultimately required five sets of hands, and the expertise of model railroader David James (for whom the James Creek Railway branch line is named) before it ran properly. Helping were Ken Heyl of Ashland, Ohio, and Bob Gouirand of St. Louis; Russ Hachtel, also from Ashland, even got involved when he stopped briefly on the way to an Arizona vacation.The helix is a product of EasyHelix of Milwaukee, WI, and comes in 9-inch sections that have to be assembled; assembly was a bear, outdone only by the adjustments to the tracks. The friendships survived, although strained at times. It runs well.

Heyl Interlocking was a day long project

It took the better part of a day to add Heyl Interlocking, a brainstorm of Ken Heyl, a long-time model railroad friend from Ashland, Ohio, and the owner of the large HO-scale "Cincinnati Southern" railroad. The interlocking, through a series of nine turnouts, allows trains to enter from any of four tracks, and leave by any of those same four tracks. The interlocking plant's Tower Operator will probably be a one-person position on operating sessions.

Attica Yard was added

Attica Yard, a four-track, 16-feet long yard was added on the lower level. This will be a classification yard, with  the P&LE Maintenance building and an engine servicing facility. Ken Heyl did a lot of the track work.