October 2019 33However, I wasn’t sure how I was going
to build the upper level.
I read about modelers having good
results using 2" thick extruded-foam
insulation board as a scenery base. For
my layout I used 2 x 8-foot tongue-and-
groove sheets of this material purchased
at my local home improvement store.
Then I built a test section on the wall
using heavy-duty shelving brackets.
I screwed a 1 x 2 to each bracket to pro-
vide a gluing surface, then attached the
foam with Liquid Nails for Projects, a
latex-based adhesive that won’t dissolve
foam. I set a few bricks on the foam to
hold it in place while the adhesive dried.
After a few days of drying, I put some
track down and tested it. It was great.
Satisfied with the results, I marked the
outline of the track with a marker and
installed Homabed on the main line and
cork roadbed on the sidings, both of
which I also attached with Liquid Nails
for Projects. I used track nails to secure
the track to the roadbed.
Keeping up with the times
My layout was doing well, but the real
CSX was changing. I came to the conclu-
sion that I wanted to stay current and
thus started a cycle that continues today.
As full-size locomotives and freight cars
are repainted or retired, I make those
changes on my layout. The same goes for
operations and industries. As prototype
trains are added or deleted and rail-
served businesses open or close, I modify
the layout accordingly. Rarely are two
operating sessions the same.
The CSX Philadelphia Subdivision is a
single-track line with five sidings. I mod-
eled all of the sidings, the majority of
which can hold at least 40-car trains.
CSX has been aggressively adding
more online customers along the Philly
Sub. I’ve tried to keep up, but due to
space constraints only have 14 indus-
tries. However, this is more than enough
to keep my operating crew busy.
My favorite industry is the Twin Oaks
auto ramp. The full-size auto ramp has
10 tracks. My version has eight and can
hold 40 auto racks.
Twin Oaks receives one loaded train
per day and ships one empty train. The
local spots the loads and pulls the emp-
ties to build a westbound unit train.
I use a card system copied from Ted
Wilk’s Chesapeake & Ohio HO scale lay-
out to route cars. Every car has a waybill
that dictates its route and destination.
Dave Sommers wrote a program that
searches a database of all the cars on my
layout. I enter the car data, select a route
based on full-size car movements, and
print the cards on 3 x 5 cardstock.
Once a crew is assigned to a train,
they receive the waybills. In yards, the
waybills are given to the yardmaster; at
industries, there are hooks on the fascia
so the waybills can be left with the cars.Signaling the layout, twice
When I started the layout, I knew
I wanted to include B&O’s distinct Color
Position Light (CPL) signals. Once thetrack plan was complete, I visited each
real signal location and photographed
the type of signal used.
I contacted Integrated Signal Systems
(www.integratedsignalsystems.com). The
company produces stock B&O signals
and custom signals. Based on my photos,
I determined that about 80 percent of the
signals were stock ISS B&O CPL and
dwarf signals. There were a few locations
that required custom signals.
I had no plans to light the signals.
Then I visited Fran Giacoma’s B&O
layout. As I was walking down the stairs,Contemporary freight cars
When I started work on the CSX Philadelphia Subdivision, I did minimal
weathering to my freight cars. But when I stood trackside, it became apparent
that my shiny ready-to-run cars didn’t match what I was seeing.
At first I weathered the trucks. Then I started painting wheelsets and add-
ing graffiti to a few cars. Once friend Lenny Harlos finished a few custom-
weathered freight cars with graffiti, I was convinced.
Since then, I’ve weathered hundreds of freight cars, many of which have
graffiti. Other talented friends have contributed weathered and tagged roll-
ing stock.
In 2004, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) mandated that
freight cars and locomotives have reflective striping applied. The policy
went into effect on Jan. 1, 2005, with a 10-year period to bring equipment
into compliance.
I made an effort to buy new cars with factory-applied FRA striping. As the
deadline was fast approaching, I took an inventory of my freight cars and
found approximately 200 of the 800-plus cars were in compliance.
I accumulated the supplies necessary to bring the remaining 600 cars into
compliance – Microscale decals, gloss coat, and Dullcote – and began work in
September 2014. I worked on the cars 20 at a time in assembly line fashion. In
April 2015, I finished the last car.
If I buy a car today that needs striping, I add it right away. And if decals
aren’t your thing, you can use peel-and-stick striping from Smokebox Graphics
that’s actually reflective. What a hobby! – Bruce Friedman