Description

by Jim LaBaugh

A few years back, a few members of NVNTRAK who were appropriately narrow-minded decided it would be fun to have narrow-gauge equipment running on NTRAK modules as part of some of our shows. We consulted the How-To book and decided that the NTRAK standards for Nn3 track would not give the look we wanted for narrow gauge in the mountains, where many such lines were located. Matt Schaefer was interested in having us connect with one of his New River Gorge modules that had a standard-gauge highline at 8” above the NTRAK standard-gauge mains, but that Matt planned to make narrow gauge. The thought was that we could build some modules in time for the Richmond 1999 uNcoNveNtion that would join together for interesting highline action.

Armed with information from Ted Brandon’s article in an issue of Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette, which noted minimum radius for turns (7”) and other hints, Noll Horan and I constructed two modules, each with a self contained loop with 4% grades and 7” minimum radius curves. The two modules were also designed to link together to form a larger loop. After gaining much experience laying track, and drawing blood while doing so, the modules were road-tested with narrow motive power before scenery was applied. Noll’s module (Broad Top Transfer) featured switchbacks and a coal transfer to a spur off the standard-gauge blue line, along with two impressive trestles. A kitbashed East Broad Top 2-8-0 pulls award-winning coal hoppers and varnish along the rails of the Broad Top Transfer module at club shows. Noll also converted a Bachman 4-4-0 to narrow gauge that is a wonder to see.

The Shadow Mountain Mine module features a hypothetical setting in the southwestern mountains of Colorado. There was no Shadow Mountain Mine, but Jim LaBaugh spent many a fine high-country day at Shadow Mountain on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park when he was a resident of the Centennial State and that served as the inspiration for the module's name and scenery. The scene is complete with a mine (Silver Creek Mine kit from N-Scale Supply) in the background on the hill on the left side of the module and a Stamp Mill (Campbell Craftsman model) in the foreground on the right side of the module. While the long-range plan is to have more mining-related buildings served by a spur behind the stamp mill, at Richmond and subsequent shows, a Laserkit Engine House has covered the end of the spur. Due to space limitations, the entire narrow-gauge loop was built on a thin piece of plywood that attaches to the NTRAK module frame. The addition of the loop makes the module 30” wide, too large for transport in the MTV if the entire frame had been that large. This detachable feature makes it possible to add another scene on the top of Shadow Mountain module, which also has the standard NTRAK mountain line built in, entirely beneath the mountain.

As the time for the Richmond show drew near, Steve Zutter (another narrow-minded club member)  built a module to fit between Broad Top Transfer and Shadow Mountain Mine. Steve's module, loosely based on the Mann’s Creek, WV line, has an Nn3 line in front of and in back of a nice hill. Each line connects to the loops on the adjacent module and allowed for continuous running of his triple-headed Moguls during the Richmond show over more than 24 feet of Nn3 track (loop across 3 four-foot NTRAK modules). At Richmond, we found that trains could make it up the 6% grade between Noll’s module and Steve’s but to save on coal and water, Steve has since added another 2 feet to drop the grade to 4%. As luck would have it, during the Richmond show, the three Nn3 modules were in the layout directly opposite the TexNrails booth ­ TexNrails is an importer of Lok 14 Nn3 engines. Buyers had the opportunity to purchase engines and then run them on the NVNTRAK HighliNn3 route during the show. 

Marc Sisk, Bill Rutherford, and Bill Redfearn have joined the NVNTRAK narrow-gauge crowd and at the Chantilly show in January 2001, Marc double-headed his RGS 461 K-27 with Jim LaBaugh’s D&RGW 454 K-27 to make the long run between Shadow Mountain Mine and Broad Top Transfer. Recent motive power sightings on the Mine module have included an Aspenmodel RGS Number 3 Goose. More modules are in the construction phase to go to the National Meet in St. Louis in July 2001.