Model Railroader – October 2019

October 2019 35

members of my crew to operate on a full-
size CSX road freight or local during the
day and run the same train on my layout
that evening.

Making the connections

CSX interchanges with the East Penn
RR (ESPN) at Wilsmere Yard in
Wilmington, Del. The short line is based
in Kennett Square, Pa. The railroad typi-
cally runs down and interchanges into
CSX’s yard two days a week. It has rights
to enter the yard (with dispatcher per-
mission and signal indication) to set out
and pick up cars.
On my layout, the ESPN goes west to
Avondale, Pa., and north to Chadds
Ford, Pa. Don Richard designed the
ESPN for me and helped build it.
Possible expansion of the modeled
portion of the line to Coatesville, Pa.,
may happen in the future.
I have four of the ESPN’s Electro-
Motive Division GP38-3 diesels. During
operating sessions, we run the job to
Wilsmere Yard and back. The ESPN
also serves several industries on my
layout. Fans of shortline railroading
like this job.
I also model a CSX local that goes
down to the former Reading Co./B&O
West Yard via Amtrak’s busy Northeast
Corridor. This is a joint yard where CSX
and Norfolk Southern interchange cars
once or twice per week.

Staging solutions

My first staging yard worked well, but
after a few years it also started to fill up.
This proved problematic, as I wanted to
add more trains to the Philly Sub.
Staging yard 1 has 17 tracks and holds
588 cars. Staging yard 2, a stub-ended
yard, has six tracks and can hold 198
cars. Then I installed a running track
through Staging 2 and built Staging 3.
The new stub-ended yard has eight
tracks and a 277-car capacity.
Am I done with staging? I can’t say
for sure. But with the ability to stage
more than 1,000 cars, I’m able to run
long trains, which is what I love to do.

Friends and family

The HO scale CSX Philadelphia
Subdivision has been a big part of my
life. I couldn’t have built a 42 x 56-foot
multi-deck model railroad without the
help of many friends, including Mark
Sakely, Joe Sakely, Tom Gears, Wil
Jamison, Jon Lassahn, Bob Garner, Don

Richard, Jesse Cloud, Mike Minatelli,

and Dave Sommers.

Family has also played a big part in

my enjoyment of the hobby. My dad,

Stuart, introduced me to model railroad-

ing as a teenager. My wife, Marla, and

children, Ellie and Elana, have provided

support and encouragement as I’ve built

the CSX Philadelphia Subdivision.

My CSX Subdivision is constantly

evolving to keep up with changes on the

prototype. I’ve become comfortable with

the constant change, as it keeps the lay-

out fresh. You can keep up with my ever-

changing model railroad on YouTube

(brfriedm) and Facebook.

Bruce Friedman has worked for

Cisco for the past 20 years. He and

his wife, Marla, both University of

Delaware graduates, have two

children, Elana and Ellie. Bruce’s

other interests include railfanning,

photography, and Israel.

Meet Bruce Friedman

❻ A Southeastern Pennsylvania

Transportation Authority Kawasaki light

rail vehicle waits for CSX train Q371 to

pass. This at-grade crossing is based on a

prototype location in Darby, Pa.

❺ CSX General Electric ET44AH no. 3367 leads westbound train Q301 over the

Brandywine River viaduct in Wilmington, Del. The viaduct, which still stands, was

originally built by the Baltimore & Ohio.