The Cumberland Coal & Coke Co. is an HO scale "micro layout" that features a 30" industrial railroad, a narrow gauge connecting line and an interchange with a standard gauge railroad... Not bad for an area that is only two feet by eight feet! The minimum space requirements should allow even the most space starved railroader to build a working layout. As time and space permit, the CC&C can become part of a larger layout or be added to a modular set up.

Building the Cumberland Coal & Coke Co.:
A Micro-Layout in HO scale

By George Riley/Photos by the author

In the past several years I have assembled a pretty respectable roster of HOn3 rolling stock and locomotives both ready to run as well as built from kits offered by various manufacturers. Therefore I was taken aback at the last National Narrow Gauge Convention when several of the attendees asked about my HO narrow gauge layout. The questions should not have come as a surprise since one of the defining elements of model railroading is having a place to operate our prized equipment in a representative real world environment. The feedback from the convention made me take a hard look at what my actual goal in narrow gauge modeling is and to clearly define these goals in my own mind.

When the term "layout" is used, what is its definition? To some, a layout is a large area in which model trains are continuously run in unending circles, while to others a layout is a place to display their models. To the more thoughtful and sophisticated the layout is designed to represent a location or series of locations on which model railroad equipment is operated in a representative and realistic manner that represents the prototype. As long as the trains are realistically operated through a sceniced environment the layout's size does not matter.

One early revelation that offered itself in my quest for truth is that more than any other model railroad category, narrow gauge modeling regardless of the scale, lends itself to the small or mini-layout. Smaller equipment, shorter trains and condensed facilities make this fact obvious. In HO scale, all but the largest facilities can be built in total in a very small space, usually in little more than an area of 2 feet by 8 feet. By carefully choosing one's prototype and using a little selective compression a reasonable layout can be constructed in even less space.

Mini layouts have a triple advantage. They take up less space, use fewer materials, cost less money and are usually quick to build. Since currently space and time are at a premium, I decided to see what could be built in a very short time in a minimum of space using an experimental spar and rib bench work that had been constructed for another article in the HOn3 annual.

The bench work measures a nominal 12" by 48" so the next decision in designing this layout was in how to shoe horn in the features that I would want into the space with out cluttering up the area. At this point a compromise needs to be reached between operation and presentation. Every layout must have at its core a basic operational scheme. Too complex a scheme and it will be inoperable, while if it is too simple the layout will not hold either the viewer's or the builder's interest. When designing a track plan and its supporting scenery, view the layout from trackside rather than overhead. This technique will greatly aid in composing the scene making it more believable. Another consideration is to consider what is happening off-stage. While not frequently used by narrow gauge modelers, fiddle yards, traversers or cassettes can be used to good effect to funnel trains on stage where they go about their paces much as the wings in a theatre are used to keep actors and props out of sight until they are needed. These "off world" items can do a lot to expand the perception of space in a small area and connect the model railroad to the outside world. This will greatly aid in designing a track plan. One does not have to see a specific turnout or section of track for it to be implied out of sight of the viewer or operator.

Since my interests lie in the eastern part of the country, I decided to design the layout around a free lanced location in the Appalachian coal country drawing on the overall look of the thee-foot gauge East Broad Top in central Pennsylvania. The EBT, as were many of the eastern mountain lines, was tied into the coal and steel industries both for the delivery of raw materials and for the transportation of finished products. One common, yet infrequently modeled, industry in the region was the production of coke. Created by heating coal in ovens to burn off the impurities to yield almost pure carbon, coke is a critical component of steel manufacturing. Coking coal was a value added procedure that increased the unit value of the end product and since it was lighter per volume than coal it was less expensive to ship. Therefore profits were better than those obtained solely from the mining and delivery of raw coal. Often coal mine operators would have their own proprietary ovens on site adjacent to the mines. Most small mine operators would not have had the facilities to process their own coke and coal would have been consolidated at a third party plant where the processing occurred.

Well into the 1960s in the Appalachians, coke facilities were rudimentary affairs consisting of banks of hand worked masonry Belgium Ovens placed adjacent to a railroad spur. However, coke production was not limited to the eastern mountains. Any where that iron and steel manufacturing occurred, one could find coke ovens. Notably, Colorado still has the remains of beehive coke ovens located around the state.

Raw coal would be delivered in either gondolas or hoppers from off site and stock piled. The coal would then be loaded into the ovens from a dedicated "larry" car or some other type of dump car. Once the coking process was complete the ovens would be emptied and the coke quenched before being loaded for out bound delivery into empty hoppers, gondolas, box cars or specially designed coke cars. In addition the railroad would frequently provide an abbreviated passenger consist to transport the workers to and from their work. The diversity of rolling stock used in the prototype operation provides a lot of choices for the layout's roster as well as many operational possibilities.

With the bench work ready and a general idea of the focus of the layout defined, it is time to solidify our concept and begin designing the operating scheme, track plan and roster. One simple decision that helps to define our goal is picking a name for the project. As basic as it may seem, this simple act will go a long way in conveying the layout's identity as well as its location, era and purpose. When coming up with a name, try to avoid humorous titles and puns since they will instantly negate the prototype concepts that we are trying to represent in miniature. The name chosen for the layout is the "Cumberland Coal & Coke Company." It places the layout somewhere in the Appalachians in the mid-twentieth century without being too specific and gives a clue as to the kind of operation portrayed. For all I know there may even be a real operation by that name.

At this point the task at hand is developing a viable track plan based around operations. Frequently modelers will over use turnouts in the belief that they alone will create more operating options. Not only can this be expensive and add unneeded complexity, but also will add unnecessary clutter to an otherwise elegant plan. Bear in mind that a feature does not have to be in front of you to be implied. To this end, the decision to use only two turnouts on the visible portion of the HOn3 part of the layout was made. Off stage several cassettes are used to feed trains onto and off of the layout. These will allow for the turning of trains, "switching" from one track lead to the next and running trains off the sceniced stage.

The plan developed has one half of a passing siding off of the main that runs the length of the layout. The other end of the passing siding uses a cassette to shunt trains from the main to the passing track all out of sight of the viewer. This siding also serves as the unloading point for inbound coal. A section of track can and often is used for more than one purpose. The second turnout off the passing siding is connected to a spur running in front of the coke ovens. This spur serves as a loading track for the out bound finished coke. The oven spur is dual gauged to allow standard gauge cars to be loaded with coke as well.

A 30" gauge line set on a scenic riser above and behind the mainline services the coke ovens. This section again uses only a pair of left hand turnouts in its design. In operation this line moves between the coal stores and charges the coke ovens. The 30" line is operated by a reversing unit that allows a train of dump cars to shuttle back and forth continuously. This feature provides additional animation to the layout.

In operation the task at the coke plant is to drop loaded cars of coal off at the unloading point. Then move empty hoppers from the unloading track either to the ovens for loading or move them off line empty in the out bound train. Next cars loaded with coke are moved from the ovens and added to the outbound consist. While this may sound simple, I guarantee that it will keep and operator busy for a reasonable length of time. Schedule a couple of trips to the coke plant, a through freight both ways and a employee train at shift change and you have at least a solid hour of operation on the three foot line.

Before the first rail is laid on the bench work, scenery was planned and started. Too often scenic concerns are the last item considered in layout construction. Scenery in the glue that binds our layout together; done well it makes a good plan great, done poorly it will detract from the finished project. Begin by looking at the prototype. Coke facilities are notoriously environmentally unfriendly and carbon positive. Coal findings, cinders, dust and debris mar the landscape leaving swaths of blackened raw earth. The escaping gasses will kill most vegetation near to the ovens denuding the surrounding area of any greenery. With the overall view in mind we can proceed.

The construction began by giving the entire bench work a smooth coat of white primer. This coat of paint provides better adhesion and wear of the color coats that follow as well as allowing blemishes in our bench work to be easily spotted and repaired. If a lot of filling is needed in joints re-prime once these are sanded smooth. The painted layout was the set aside and allowed to completely dry hard. This is an important step since subsequent paint coats may react with the primer causing blistering and crazing if not totally cured.

I worked from the back to the front when painting the layout. The sky was painted on the back drop using spray cans of Sky Blue and Larkspur Blue available in the floral department of both A. C. Moore and Michaels. This is a dead flat lacquer based spray designed to color silk flowers, however, all of the colors in the series have use in model railroading. The lighter Sky Blue was sprayed along the horizon line and the darker Larkspur Blue above the lighter blue on the back drop. Since one of the advantages of small layouts and modules is their transportability, I usually take them out side for painting. This minimizes any over spray around the work shop and layout area. Additionally, some of the paint fumes can be unpleasant or potentially dangerous to you health. Painting in the open eliminates any potential issues with ventilation.

With the blue sky dry to touch, I misted on the clouds with flat white spray paint using Model Railroad University's Cloud Templates. While there is a tendency to spray the clouds with a heavy coat of paint, I have found that the results are more realistic if the white is applied sparingly. Once the sky and clouds were dry, the back drop was masked off with painter's tape and news paper.

Leaving the backdrop masked, I then masked the fascia in preparation for painting the sub road bed area and scenic risers of the layout. The first coat of paint was sprayed on using Krylon's Camouflage Tan paint. Over this several coats of Rustoleum tan and gray Fleck-Stone spatter paint were applied to add texture to the base. These coats were allowed to dry hard and then sealed with a clear flat spray. When dry, the scenic area was masked off. The masking on the fascia was then removed in preparation for painting.

A lot of module builders paint their fascias with flat black paint. Sadly, this color does little to complement their work. The flat black quickly becomes soiled and distressed during normal movement. The fascia and exposed bench work is the frame around the models and should enhance rather than detract from the display. Cumberland Coal and Coke's fascia was painted with a semi-gloss dark olive green. This green is one of several colors that I use regularly for painting fascias. The other colors that I have regularly used with good results are a blue-gray, rich medium brown, cream and dark tan. All really complement the finished project. Semi-gloss or gloss paint is not usually used in the hobby. The strength of this type of finish is that it is more durable and wears better than flat finishes. An added bonus is that this type of paint is easy to freshen up with a damp cloth and some all purpose cleaner.

With the masking removed from the bench work and the paint dry, the CC&C was ready to move towards completion. With track in hand and structures at the ready, the track work was laid out and checked for clearances before fastening it down and installing the electrical feeders. At this point during construction it is always beneficial the have any structures finished and ready to install. This will assure that all of the elements fit properly on the layout. The added bonus is that all of the elements can be moved around to make for better composition of the scene before they are finalized. Often our visualization of how things will look does not stand up to their appearance in three dimensions.

It is also a good idea to hook a power supply to the rails and test run the layout before the track is permanently fastened down. Do not over look turnout controls, uncoupling ramps or other specialized right of way features. The HOn3 section uses Micro Engineering code 70 HOn3 flex track and Shinohara #6 turnouts. There is a slight difference in tie sizes between the two different brands of HOn3 track, the Shinohara has slightly broader ties and different tie spacing than the Micro Engineering flex-track, however, once ballasted the difference is hardly noticeable and there are numerous precedents for using heavier ties on turnouts. The HOn30 line uses Peco HOe turnouts. The Peco turnouts have a spring loaded throw bar that locks the closure rails in place when the points are thrown while the Shinohara turnouts will require either a locking ground throw or an under the table mounted turnout throw such as the Blue Point. These are manually thrown by a brass wire rod connected to each turnout from underneath the road bed through a ¼" hole. These throw rods exit from the rear of the layout where the operator is positioned.

With the track secured and wiring in place and tested, scenic terrain features can now be added. The base for the hill side began with a base of white Styrofoam packing glued in place and then carved with a Tippee hot tool. To get the final shape of the hill side and smooth out some of the contours, an 80 grit sanding block was used. This base was coated with carpenter's glue and strips of plaster cloth laid down, sprayed with a "wet water" solution (water with a few drops of detergent added to break the water tension so that it doesn't puddle up on your layout surface) and smoothed by hand. While the hill side dried for several days a wooden retaining wall was constructed from a scrap of scribed siding reinforced with 1/8" square strip wood. An oven face was also carved from balsa wood using a wood burning pin (For more details on this project see the side bar "Building Coke Ovens and Retaining Walls").

The dry plaster work was now ready to paint. The track, back drop and fascia were masked off with tape to protect them from over spray. The hill side then received several coats of flat tan, dark brown and Flec-Stone spatter paint to match the rest of the scenic paint work. The back wall for the coke oven face was given a coat of flat black. In addition a ridge line was masked off on the back drop to represent low rolling hills. This was then painted using the flat tan, brown and white spray paints.

The last bit of scenic painting required before the ground cover and ballast was applied was to paint the track. With its covering masking tape removed the track was given a coat of Floquil Rail and Tie Brown using an airbrush. Either a spray can of flat dark brown or a brush coating of a similar color will work as well. With the rails painted the scenery painting was complete.

With the paint dry and masking tape removed both the wooden retaining wall and oven faces were glued in place. Loose Scenic Express fine dirt blend was applied over a slurry of white glue forming the scenic base. Over the dirt, Scenic Express fine light cinders, limestone ballast mixed with dirt and coal was added' affixed with dilute white glue. The loose materials were then sprayed with ‘wet' water to distribute the glue evenly. Obviously, matte medium can also be used to attach the loose scenery. Either adhesive works well. Their use is a matter of the builder's preference.

After an over night dry, static grass was applied to several areas using a Noch Grass Master. Since the gases and other wastes usually kill most of the vegetation around coke manufacturing facilities, the grass was applied selectively and sparingly. I usually make up my own mix of static grass by blending several colors together to get the right shade for the area on which it will be applied.

The Grass Master has become one of my most often used scenery tools, being used on at least twenty of my own and friends layouts. The tool generates a static electrical field that causes the static grass fibers to be electrically charged making them stand up vertically. While this tool may seem pricey to some, it costs roughly the same as a premium HO scale diesel locomotive and you will get a lot more use from the tool than the locomotive, in addition its use will dramatically improve the realism of you scenery. When you purchase a static grass applicator make sure that you purchase one made by a reputable hobby manufacturer rather than using a set of plans off the web and a static generator of dubious pedigree. The hobby applicator has been tested and proven safe for consumer use, is insured, carries a warranty and most importantly, works.

With the dirt, cinders, grass and coal now in place, the CC&C layout was now in its final stages of completion. The structures were added and blended into the scenery base leaving only hooking up the power supplies, picking ballast from the track work, cleaning the railheads and loosening one or two turnout throw bars that have accidentally been glued in place.

All that now remained was adding the rolling stock and locomotives. Since this is a very small layout a great deal of consideration was given to choosing the right mix of equipment. Too many cars would over power the available trackage and render the layout inoperable. The right number for the HOn3 section seems to be six cars and one or two locomotive on stage at any one time.

The era modeled is also a major consideration. The CC&C is set in the mid 1950s just prior to the end of operations. This time period allows for both steam and internal combustion locomotives to be operated jointly. This era is very popular among model railroad modelers for just this reason. Ironically, following the First World War along with surplus FWD and Liberty Trucks the government sold off a large number of 60 cm gauge gas-mechanical locomotives and rolling stock at bargain basement prices. These were quickly purchased by a number of narrow gauge industrial lines. Consequently this equipment and support from at least a half dozen locomotive manufacturers helped in the early adoption of internal combustion operations on narrow gauge lines. To mirror this trend, the home road is powered by some of these small industrial locomotives.

The operating roster was assembled consisting of four EBT hoppers, a Grandt Line 23 ton box cab with Swiss instrument motor, a EBT box car and flat on the three foot gauge section. Occasionally a visiting Rio Grande "Galloping Goose" or K-27 steam locomotive may grace the rails. A Bowser Pennsy standard gauge coke hopper inhabits the dual gauge section adding a bit of contrast and serving as a scenic bumper at the end of the track. A 14 ton Plymouth switcher and a half a dozen dump cars from Minitrains provide service to the company ovens over the 30" gauge line.

By building a mini layout I have been able to go from the start of construction to an operating railroad in less than two weeks. Its minimum space requirements should allow even the most space starved railroader to build a working layout. As time, space and interest allows the CC&C can become part of a larger layout or be added to a modular set up so there are no real limitations to its potential.