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Featuring the "Standard Railroad of the World" circa 1950 with heavy-duty mainline passenger and freight operation.  This HO-scale railroad measures 36 by 48 feet and depicts the PRR four-track mainline from Mt. Union to Pittsburgh.  Forty-four (count 'em!) trains are run, passenger, freight, and commuter (through trains a specialty), with several freights in a 12 hour session, on a 4:1 clock ratio.  Dispatching is by timetable and track warrant, and the railroad is fully signalled with Pennsy-style position lights.  Crew size is 12, with a dispatcher, 2 tower operators, a station master, 2 helper crews, and 6 road crews.  Radio communication and CTC-80 carrier control.

The East Broad Top Railroad is a 3 foot narrow gauge coal hauling railroad in South Central Pennsylvania.  This modern, steam-powered railroad runs south from the dual gauge interchange with the Pennsylvania at Mount Union, through the shop and headquarters town of Orbisonia, the ganister rock quarry town of Saltillo, and terminates at the mines of Robertsdale.   The point-to-point system features coal trains, rock trains, mixed freight, passenger and gas electric operations with modern steel equipment.  Crew requirements are a dispatcher, Orbisonia yardmaster, Mount Union yardmaster, and 4 road crews.  Communications is by vintage telephones.

Division or location:  Western Pennsylvania, Horseshoe Curve 
Interchange Railroads:  None
Owner:  Doug Taylor
Size of Railroad:  36’ by 48’
Scale:  HO and Hon3
Era:  Early 1950’s
Throttle system:  CTC-80
Scale Clock Speed:   4:1
Length of Session:  12 fast hours
Number of Crew:  21
Train Control:  Timetable and track warrant.  Pennsy-style position lights.  Radio’s required

Doug's layouts were featured in the May 1998 and July 2001 issues of the Railmodel Journal.

About the layout host:

Doug Taylor has been fascinated by trains all his life.  His modeling started with a used Lionel set in World War II, and grew to a good-sized layout by his high school years.  A switch to HO happened in college, and he paid for graduate school by working as a steam engineer on the Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire during the 60's.  Now after a 40-year career as Professor of Theatre Technology, he enjoys continued refinement, and operations on his version of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Middle and Pittsburgh Divisions, circa 1952, and the entire East Broad Top.

Layout photos (click on thumbnail to enlarge):