Chessie System: Pittsburgh to Cumberland (Early 80s)


Page updated on Friday, October 17, 2025

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HOPPERSD50LSD50R

 
Latest work completed:

Finished laying the cork roadbed on the mainline.
Started laying track and soldering all the rail joints on the east end of Cumberland Yard.
All blocks and interlockings defined and named.

 
Next work to do:

Order more rail joiners.
Get a count of how much flex track to order.


Overview of the Layout after roadbed in place.



Switches on the East end of Cumberland Yard soldered and nailed in place.



Laying the cork roadbed on the subroadbed.  Bricks were used to hold it in place while the glue dried.







The High Line and Low Grade roadbed between Brook Jct and Confluence.



Laughlin Junction





Specifications:

Mainline Length:
Track 1: 177.5 ft (2.93 scale miles)
Track 2: 181.5 ft (2.99 scale miles)

Minimum Walkway Width: 35"
Minimum Subroadbed Height: 44.5"
Maximum Subroadbed Height: 48.75"

Minimum Radius: 30"
Curve Easements: 18" transition, 0.5" offset
Super Elevation: 0.030"

Atlas Code 100 Flex Track and Switches
Tangent Track Center to Center: 2"
Curved Track Center to Center 2.25"
Yard Track Center to Center: 2"

Mainline Maximum Grade: 1.5%

Mainline Crossovers: #8
Spurs off of the Mainline: #6
Yard/Industrial Switches: #4

DCC: NCE Powerhouse Pro System with 3 power districts
JMRI Software



Track charts showing the location of switches, tunnels, bridges, elevation, grade, and the interlockings and blocks.
Some of the track is not totally accurate due to space, but all the tunnels and bridges are properly located.














Train room dimensions along with the approximate dimensions of the layout.
The size changed a bit as I was laying out the track.  The room is approximately 755 sqft.






A photo from my old layout in Maryland (2001 - 2019).