Along the RC&G

In this section will be featured structures used on the RC&G. Many of the structures used on the RC&G will be based on actual prototype structures, many of which were native to the East Broad Top Railroad in Pennsylvania. In some cases the structures may be modified to fit the space available or to accommodate available building materials. In all cases I have tried to convey the spirit or feeling of the prototype. In most cases I will provide a photo of the prototype so you can judge for yourself how successful I was. All structures that I build are in 1/24 scale.

Many of the structures were built using plans listed in the Helper District page. If you don't have access to the periodicals in which the plans were originally published, E-mail me and I will arrange to forward them to you either by E-mail or hard copy.

Eventually all of the structures will arranged as they would be seen on a trip down the line from Summit to the load out point on the Ohio River. However not all structures will be built in that order so initially they will be shown pretty much in the order that they were built.

The Station at Summit is located at the high point of the line which I consider to be the beginning of the line as well. The structure is based on a station that was located on the Pennsylvania Railroad at Mt. Union, Pennsylvania, the northern terminus of the East Broad Top. A single photo was all I had to work with so the first task was to draw up a set of plans. Using common sizes for doors I created a a drawing in 1/24 scale. Obviously I had to do some guess work as you can see in the photo below one can only make out the front and one end. I made both ends the same and if you look closely you can see clear through the structure so the rear window pattern apparently was mirrored on the back. Once the drawing was done I did some selective compression. Not that the structure was all that large but I wanted to minimize the number of joints I would need using Precision Panels sheets. The building itself is constructed from corroplast sheets and covered with Precision Panels sheets. I don't do interiors for most buildings as they stay out all the time but the number of windows in this one combined with my desire to light it resulted in my lining the interior with scribed wood and staining it.

The freight office is located at the Summit yard and is a close representation of the freight office located on the EBT at Rockhill, Pennsylvania. No plans were available for this structure so on one of my trips there I took the time to make enough measurements to allow me to make a drawing. I did some juxtaposing of the track side and business side with it becoming the track side on the RC&G as it is more interesting. The following photos show the prototype.

The power house was actually one of the first structures I built for the line. It is intended to be totally generic and it's function for the railroad is to supply electric power, steam and compressed air for use at the engine facility. It actually serves a functional purpose as well as hidden below the foundation is a compartment that serves as a junction box for electrical and air supplies that originate in the garage. There is also some circuitry located there that controls the signaling system. The building itself was rather heavily built utilizing pressure treated plywood which is covered with individual board siding. The windows and doors are commercially available items and the roof is covered with Precision Plastics corrugated roofing. The stone foundation was originally made from cast concrete pieces made from Jigstone molds. As one of my oldest buildings it has been renewed several times. The roof material has been replaced several times due to UV deterioration. Eventually the Jigstone foundation crumbled away. In 2016 the structure was given a major facelift, the Jigstones were replaced with natural stone tile material and a new paint job. Photos below were taken following the upgrade.

My model was built from plans published in the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. It is a foam core building. I decided to go with that because I could easily cut all of the required angles on my table saw. The foam was sheathed with Precision Plastics sheets. Below are photos of the finish structure on the layout.

My model was built from plans published in the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. It is another foam core building sheathed with Precision Plastics sheets. The next three photos show it in place at the engine facilities next to the tank house.

The coal cleaning plant while not intended to be a replica or even a compressed version it was designed to look enough like the coal cleaning plant on the East Broad Top Railroad so that anyone familiar with it would recognize it. The two photos below show the actual plant. To see some photos of this during construction check out the Articles Page.