By David Vaughn

The Nickel Plate Road, Kentucky Western District is my home layout. It is a scale O two-rail (O5W) layout which depicts NKP mainline and branchline operations on a mythical component of NKP in southern Ohio and Indiana. The layout is set in June of 1958, during the last month of regular NKP steam operation.

Equipment used on the mainline includes NKP berkshires, Geeps and PA's. Some equipment is DCC (Digitrax) and sound equipped (Soundtraxx). Some passenger service is operated. C&O Geeps represent the leased units which allowed NKP to dieselize. Additional berkshires, H-5 and H-6 mikes are on the roster. RS-3s and RSD-12s are added for mainline and branchline work. Diesel (SW-8s, S-3) and steam switchers (U-2, U-3) work the yard. Some equipment described is not yet DCC/ sound equipped, but will be on display and is slated for conversion. Rolling stock is a mixture of brass, plastic and kit-built cars. All cars on the layout are painted; many are weathered.

The layout is approximately 16 ½ feet by 48 feet. The main line is double track. The route is a two-level “folded dogbone” with off-scene staging tracks at each end loop. The layout is constructed partially on two levels, with one staging loop stacked atop the other. The run includes both hills and flat running. There is a good-sized yard and engine terminal. A branch line contains a small yard, coal and water facilities and a wye. The branch services two coal mines. Other on-line industries include a coal-fired electrical generating station (in place) and a river barge coal transloading facility (not yet constructed).

Several major components of the layout, including the main yard and engine terminal and portions of both the main line and branch line were obtained and adapted from the Pennsylvania Railroad Schuykill Division layout of the late Ted Stepek, located in Rockville, Maryland, which was designed by John Armstrong and featured in two of his books (Creative Layout Design and Classic Layout Designs, both published by Kalmbach).

The layout is a “work in progress”. The main line is operational, as is the main yard and the engine terminal. The track is in place except for a steel mill complex. Scenery is approximately half in place as this is written. The layout has been tweaked for reliability of track and equipment; but if unfinished layouts are not your thing, the tour is not recommended at this time.

The layout is located in the basement of a residence. It is accessible only by an “L” shaped stairway with a landing. In order to see the entire layout, it is necessary to navigate one duck-under with approximately 4 ½ feet clearance.

Photos to follow.

Please write me about your O Scale layout.

Nickel Plate/48 at TrainResource.com

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