Jim EuDaly’s Chesapeake and Ohio, Hinton Division in O Scale
This Layout was featured in the February 2017 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman*
* Permission to use images obtained by publisher
The O Scale Hinton Division is located in a Butler building in our back yard. I’ve modeled several of my favorite locations in the New River Subdivision west of Hinton and the Alleghany Subdivision east of Hinton with the Hinton Yards as the centerpiece.
The scenery is 100 percent complete. All structures are scratch-built and are full scale models. All mainline curves have easements and super-elevation. The operating schedule is for 1949 when passenger trains were still in the WWII mode of second sections on the mainline trains. Passenger trains range from 2 to 16 cars and the longest freight trains are 40’ long hopper trains. Thirty-four steam engines and 24 diesel units handle the traffic.
The railroad is fully signaled and operates with a US&S CTC machine that was rebuilt from an SP machine used in Oregon. The dispatchers wear telephone headsets and crews use telephones to communicate with them.
The scenery is 100 percent complete. All structures are scratch-built and are full scale models. All mainline curves have easements and super-elevation. The operating schedule is for 1949 when passenger trains were still in the WWII mode of second sections on the mainline trains. Passenger trains range from 2 to 16 cars and the longest freight trains are 40’ long hopper trains. Thirty-four steam engines and 24 diesel units handle the traffic.
The railroad is fully signaled and operates with a US&S CTC machine that was rebuilt from an SP machine used in Oregon. The dispatchers wear telephone headsets and crews use telephones to communicate with them.
Jim’s C&O, Hinton Division was featured in:
- Railroad Model Craftsman February 2017 "O Scale C&O Pacific's"
- NMRA Magazine May 2014 "O Scale Decoder Issues"
- Great Model Railroads 2017
Layout at a Glance
Layout at a glance
- O Scale
- Size: 35 ft x 50 ft with add-on 9 ft x 12 ft Dispatcher’s Office
- 3,200 ft of track, 132 switches
- Mainline run 775 ft (7 scale miles)
- Minimum radius 60 inches
- Turnouts #6
- Maximum grade: eastbound 2 percent, westbound 3 percent
- Three hour operating session
- Fast clock ratio: 2:1
- NCE DCC with sound in all engines
- All wireless throttes
- Time frame: October 1949
Jobs on the Layout
Jobs on the Layout
Crew size - 10-12; two dispatchers, two hostlers. 6-8 road crews
2 dispatchers - because of the volume of trains we usually operate with our local dispatchers although we can use one visitor as a "cub" under supervision. The "cub" could dispatch half time and run trains half the session if he prefers.
2 hostlers - on the C&O road crews terminated at the station and hostlers moved the train to the yard and engines to the engine terminal. In addition they move engines to the ready tracks for outbound crews, and remove engines from arriving passenger trains. The action is non-stop!
5-8 road crews - dispatchers line routes and clear signals, and crews run on signal indication.
A typical 3-hour session will see 25-30 trains cross the railroad.
2 dispatchers - because of the volume of trains we usually operate with our local dispatchers although we can use one visitor as a "cub" under supervision. The "cub" could dispatch half time and run trains half the session if he prefers.
2 hostlers - on the C&O road crews terminated at the station and hostlers moved the train to the yard and engines to the engine terminal. In addition they move engines to the ready tracks for outbound crews, and remove engines from arriving passenger trains. The action is non-stop!
5-8 road crews - dispatchers line routes and clear signals, and crews run on signal indication.
A typical 3-hour session will see 25-30 trains cross the railroad.
About the Layout Owner
About the Layout Owner
By the late 1950's I had decided to model the C&O in the steam/diesel transition era in O Scale. I selected the division point of Hinton and some of my favorite locations east and west of there. I visited many times and took slides of structures, track work, signals, and even rock strata in the cuts. I planned the layout for walk-around control with signals before those were available. However, by the time I built the layout both were possible. Since it is my first layout I built it by myself except for a little help with benchwork.
The layout was supported by a career in Optometry from which I retired in 1995 and by Ruth, to whom I've been married for 65 years.
The layout was supported by a career in Optometry from which I retired in 1995 and by Ruth, to whom I've been married for 65 years.
More about the Layout
More About the Layout
The layout building is handicapped accessible and has a restroom.
Photo Gallery
Allegheny #1601 at Coal Bin in West Yard
Class F-19 Pacific #492 westbound at White Sulphur Springs, WV
Westbound passenger train arriving at White Sulphur Springs, WV
Three H-8 Alleghenies at Mallet House in West Yard
Class F-15 Pacific #447 on east bound local passenger train at Sewell, WV
Class F-18 Pacific on turntable at Hinton h
New River local passenger train #7 ready to leave Hinton
F-7 A-B-A set led by #7036 on west bound New River manifest
West bound passenger train arriving at White Sulphur Springs, WV
F-7 A-B-A set led by #7036 on Alleghany S.D. manifest at Tuckahoe, WV
Class K-4 2-8-4 #2755 near Hawk’s Nest WV
CTC machine in Dispatcher’s Office
Five Geep 7 and 9s on east bound coal loads at Sewell Bridge, WV