The Pennsylvania Railroad
Northern Division
An HO Scale Model Railroad by Mark Frysztacki
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Welcome to the homepage of my Pennsylvania Railroad Northern Division as modeled in HO Scale. Like the layout, this site is always in development with more to come as time goes by. I plan to be adding to this site on a regular basis, so check back frequently to see the additions.
I have designed this site so that I may share with you my experiences in the design, construction and operation of a PRR based model railroad in HO Scale. Contained are different sections that detail the designing stages, planning, construction and operations.
One purpose of this site is to meet new people and gather more information. As much research as I have done, there is still so much more to do. The area that I have chosen to model is rich in history, and I know I have only scratched the surface. If during your visit to this site, you notice an error in my observations, or would like to add your thoughts, your input is more than welcome. I am always seeking information, particularly as it concerns the history of the areas modeled, or information about the trains operated. Please feel free to contact me via email at MarkCFry@comcast.net
January, 2009 - An Update on the NEW Northern Division
As some of you may recall, I tore down my old layout about two years ago when I decided it was time to sell my old home and move into a smaller house. As painful a decision as that was, luck was with me down the road as I found a new house with a larger basement! I drove my real estate agent nuts as I was very insistent that the new house have a large, deep, dry basement! This limited my choices to some extent, but the search was well worth it! And oh, by the way, I do love the house that sits atop this basement!
The new basement is 32’ by 24’. A newly built walled off area will conceal the heater/AC unit and hot water heater, and will create a storage room that will also house the staging yard. This will still leave a 32’ by 18’ area dedicated to the layout itself! Best of all, the basement is deep; the finished suspended ceiling will be 6’10” off the floor, a luxury to us taller railroaders!
Although this layout will be larger, it will incorporate the same elements as the old layout; the PRR Northern Division mainline, but this time from Selinsgrove Junction to just north of Northumberland Yard, as well as the three branch lines; the Wilkes-Barre line, the Shamokin Secondary track and the Selinsgrove Secondary track. It will feature interchanges with the Reading RR in Shamokin, the Lehigh Valley RR in Mount Carmel, Pa., and Wilkes-Barre, Pa., along with the Delaware & Hudson and CNJ, also in Wilkes-Barre. The biggest difference is that in addition to the foot print of the layout being nearly 50% bigger, this layout will also be double decked, so in essence, it will be almost three times the size of the last layout! While I am an operations nut and the layout is planned for operations, I plan to better utilize that additional space for scenery and structures and avoid crowding the layout with too much track, thus leaving longer runs between towns.
The lower level will be dedicated to the mainline run from north of Northumberland Yard to Selinsgrove Jct., as well as the Selinsgrove Secondary track. The second level will be dedicated to the two other branch lines; the Shamokin Secondary and the Wilkes-Barre branch, including Buttonwood Yard. Each branch line will emerge from the helix (located approximately mid-way around the layout) and run in opposing directions. Therefore, no two tracks will share the same scene. No, I do not have a ‘track plan’ other than the one in my head. I’m great at doodling, but when it comes to an actual scale plan, well, it’s in my head! Eventually I will most likely do one, and will definitely sketch areas such as the yard as I go. This is the way I build! Sorry guys, I know I’m breaking some rules here, but it’s worked for me in the past so I’m going with it this time around too!
My first priority is to finish the basement by sheet rocking the walls of the basement and installing a suspended ceiling. I want to create a nice atmosphere for the railroad, myself and my fellow operators. A new workbench will be installed in an alcove area. So there is a lot of grunt work to be done before the first piece of benchwork goes in.
I have added a page dedicated to the construction of the new layout. See the progress on the new Northern Division layout on the
The rest of this site will remain the same for the time being so you can enjoy the design concepts that went into both the old layout and the new layout.
The Original PRR Northern Division
I captured some pictures of the layout just before the tearing down of the railroad.
Enjoy these pictures of The Last Days on the Northern Division.
Layout Concept and Design
Since I wanted this to be my 'dream' layout, early on I made the commitment to approach this layout with the right attitude. This meant taking my time with the planning and design. To see what steps I took, and how well it worked, see Layout Concept and Design page.
A Brief History of the Prototype Northern Division
When I became interested in the area I was planning to model, I began to research the area to learn more about it. For some interesting facts about the Northern Division, see the page entitled A Brief History of the Northern Division
The Layout - Room Preparation and Layout Construction
I have detailed a lot of information about the construction of the layout, with some tips and tricks I've learned along the way. For more information about the construction of the layout, see The Layout page.
Operations
Operation is one of my main interests in the hobby. I have spent many hours learning various operating methods from other model railroads and the operations of the PRR. For more information on how I developed the operating plan and how we operate the railroad, see the Operations page.
Car Cards and Waybills
I have developed a variation of the commonly used car-card waybill system, which allows for a more prototypical movement of freight traffic on and off the modeled portion of the railroad. For more information on setting up this system, see the How to Set Up Car Card and Waybill Operations page.
Miscellaneous Modeling Tricks and Tips
Over the years, every modeler stumbles onto some neat tricks and tips of his or her own. Some are unique, while others may be common. As people visit my layout, many comment on various things that I have done and asked how I did them. I created this page so that I may share some of these 'tricks' with you. See the Miscellaneous Modeling Tricks and Tips page.
DCC Tricks and Tips
I have been using the Digitrax system for years now, and as my layout grew, so did my system...and my problems! To read about some of the problems that I have encountered along with thier solutions, see the D.C.C. Tricks and TipsSome of my Favorite Links
Like most of you, I enjoy surfing the web when I'm not down in the railroad room. I've collected a lot of links to some great sites, including other model railroads and clubs, prototype railroad sites, manufacturers and more! See my Web Site Links page.
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