Model Railroader – October 2019

32 http://www.ModelRailroader.com

My solution was to model the three

large classification yards that anchor the

Philly Sub: East Side Yard in Phila-

delphia; Wilsmere Yard in Wilmington,

Del.; and Bayview Yard in Baltimore.

Though these yards could hold between

150 and 300 cars, they filled up fast, act-

ing more like staging yards. Clearly, this

wasn’t a long-term solution.

In 2001, I was considering how to

solve both my continuous running prob-

lem and the need for staging. I had two

levels on the layout at the time, con-

nected by a helix with a 2.25 percent

grade and 42" radius curves.

Then, as I was staring at the East Side

Yard, it dawned on me I could add stag-

ing below, accessed via another helix.

But the helix wouldn’t be easy to build,

as it had to serve three levels and allow

for continuous running.

The new helix leaves the main level

near East Side Yard, heads down to the

new staging level below, runs around the

yard, and climbs back up, emerging near

Bayview Yard on the upper level.

My friend Dave Sommers, a technical

guy with a good mind for these things,

designed the helix in CAD. My good

friend John Lassahn, a retired Conrail

employee, helped design the staging

yard. The 16-track yard can hold 400

cars. The seven-track engine terminal

can support 30 locomotives. The layout

now spanned four levels (upper, lower,

staging, and the East Penn RR).

Fast forward to 2004. My wife and

I had been talking about adding a sun-

room to the back of the house. We

originally wanted to put the addition

on footers, but I inquired about putting

a basement under the room. This

16 x 30-foot addition lengthened the

mainline run and provided space for

new industries. I also built a room spe-

cifically for the dispatcher’s office just off

the crew lounge.

Building benchwork

I built the lower level with traditional

L-girder benchwork. Once the lower

level was finished, I built the helix next.

❸ Though Bruce’s layout is set between Philadelphia and Baltimore, it’s not all

big-city scenery. CSX local D757, lead by GP40 road slug no. 2374, passes a farm as it

pulls loaded auto racks from the ramp at Twin Oaks, Pa.

❷ This overall view shows how Bruce’s

layout fits in his basement. In the

foreground is the CSX East Side Yard,

which handles diesel servicing and

freight car classification.