Koala Creek

Just read your article in the September issue of Continental Modeller. Great article and fantastic photos! In the article you mention that you had a look at a nice laser-cut kit for a large sugar mill, but that it would need quite some adjustment for your layout. Which kit is that?

The info can be found in Railroad Magazine (which is a reliable source), Volumes 104-105 from 1978. See: https://books.google.nl/books?id=_UxYAAAAMAAJ&q=Hershey+cuba+whitcomb&dq=Hershey+cuba+whitcomb&hl=nl&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiP95GHq735AhUuwQIHHW8yDKUQ6AF6BAgKEAM It basically states that Potomac Edison Co. was sold to the Hershey Chocolate Co. In 1958 and shipped to Cuba. As everything else, it was confiscated by the Cuban government after the revolution. Not trying to force you in buying a Whitcomb 😉 Just wanted to make you aware, as this fact is not widely known.

Great layout! Just some info which might be useful. While investigating 65-DE-19A Whitcomb locomotives, which were used by the US Army Transportation Corps during the Second World War in Europe, Potomac Edison Co. sold their № 1 to the Hershey Chocolate Co. They shipped it to Cuba, probably for use at the Hershey Sugar Mill & Refinery. Here is a photo of their № 1: ... and a colour photo of their № 2 for reference: Piko issued a great model of the USATC version of this locomotive last year and will issue a US version this month. Might be a great add to your locomotive roster.

@GW Jim - did they ever receive a response from Rapido?

First try, to make a mock-up in 3D. Agree that it helps to get a better idea of the layout and what is good ... and what not. For example, I am starting with a main street on the left, but narrower street would probably be a better idea.

Great info & advice here. Helped answer a couple of question I had as well ... as I am also a US layout noob https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/166552-south-side-flats-having-a-go-at-an-h0-scale-shelf-layout/ This is my current trackplan

Yes, that is what I have in mind as well. Will see if I can draw something in 3D or make a small model of the layout to see if it meets my expectations.

@stivesnick - Nick, thanks for your input, very helpful. Had a go at it myself this evening, but took a bit of a different approach. I concluded as well that the main streets were 100 yards apart, which is 105 cm in H0 scale. Looking at the available space, I decided to reduce it to 1.00 meters, allowing me to have two blocks on my layout. My main aim is to recreate the atmosphere from the photos and to ensure interesting switching possibilities at the same time, so I took a look at Google Streetview and the old photos from the 1950s to see what I really wanted to have on to the layout. As it is going to be an alternative reality anyway, with the A&SS servicing the businesses on South 21st Street, I decide to reshuffle them a bit and came up with the below (link for larger image). The layout will have buildings at the back and at the front, so that it is clear that it is located in a city. There will however be no building in middel at the front of the layout, to ensure better visibility. In my reality, there used to be a building there, but was recently demolished. There will be a fiddle yard on both sides of the layout and the Swift & Co siding will continue a bit on the fiddle yard on the righthand side, allowing it to take 2 cars instead of one. Might do the same for the sidings of Levinson steel and Gimble Brothers, as they both continue in their respective buildings. I ran into the same switching issue as Nick, with sidings going in both directions, so thought it might be wise to add a runaround track. Looking at the photos, there would have been just enough space available in the middle. So added it to my design below (link for larger image). Any thoughts or suggestions?

@Johann Marsbar - Yep, same here. I discovered that the house on the righthand side of this photo is quite famous even ... It featured in the well known 1980s movie "Flashdance" ... Quite helpful, as it give the right colours of the house.

Thanks for the suggestions and luckily I have been able to find a map at Historic Pittsburgh. It's from 1935 by the the department of city planning of Pittsburgh and shows the most eastern part of the Whitehall Branch of the PRR including South 21st Street ... although it states the railroad names of predecessors of the PRR branches. From the top left of the map the Whitehall Branch runs parallel to the Monongahela River and the tracks of the P&LE. Just before making a turn to the south onto South 21st Street, it passes the PRR interchange yard (which is known as 21st Street Yard). The photo below from 1938, also from he Historic Pittsburgh site, shows this location. The 21st Street Yard is located behind the P&LE tracks and Whitehall track. The Gimbel Bothers storage warehouse, located at the corner of South 21st Street and Wharton Street, is visible in the background. It then passes further along South 21st Street, with serval sidings for the local businesses, and crosses the double track streetcar line of the Pittsburgh Railways Company (which I do not intend to model) at East Carson Street. Finally it turns to the east again on Mary Street at the Duquesne brewery and runs parallel to the PRR Monongahela Branch, until it joins it near the 30th Street Yard. Below a more detailed overview of the northern part of the Whitehall tracks and sidings on South 21st Street. Via Twitter, I found somebody who had more information about the Allegheny & South Side Railway and photos from the late 1950s of this part of the Whitehall branch on South 21st Street. Malone Plumbing Supply Co., on the corner of South 21st Street and Wharton Street. Looking north towards the Monongahela River. At the back on the right, the Gimel Brothers warehouse, which had a siding going into it. At the back on the left, Levinson Steel with a siding going into the plant. Photo taken at the crossing of South 21st Street and East Carson Street. Photo taken around the same place, but a bit more to the east. In front of Malone Plumbing Supply Co. is B.M. Kramers & Co. Inc. - Pipe, Valves & Fittings. Not quite sure yet what business was located in the building with the bay window. The building on he right housed Jersey Farm Products Co., a food distributor. Photo taken on the corner of South 21st Street and Wrights Way, showing the same buildings on the righthand side of the street and houses on the lefthand side. Same place, but then facing north. On the left Jersey Farm Products Co. and a shop on the other corner of South 21st Street and East Carson Street. On the right hand side the Swift & Co. meet packing house. Further to the back more houses. Photo taken at about he same location, but the from the middle of the street. Same buildings and a better view of the Duquesne brewery with its huge clock. The above is a great starting point, but how best to fit this in a 240 x 60 cm layout and have some interesting switching possibilities as well?

During the 1950s, the Allegheny & South Side Railway ran switching services from South 3rd Street to South 21st Street, along the south bank of the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. Besides performing these services for its main share holder, the Oliver Iron & Steel Company, it also performed switching services on behalf of the of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE), respectively on the tracks between the mentioned streets which were owned by the PRR as their Whitehall Branch, and on side tracks of the P&LE between those same streets. The great Wiki page about the A&SS shows its extensive list of customers between these streets and I realize that it will be hard to model this on the available space. The PRR Whitehall Branch and South 21st Street however rang a bell with me and some further digging shows that John Wright based a Proto 87 layout on the Whitehall Branch. A great series of articles about his "Federal Street" layout can be found in the Railmodel Journal of July, August & September 2005. The below photo shows the track of the Whitehall Branch on South 21st Street. I love the atmosphere and looking at the cars the photo must have been taken during the second half of the 1950. The A&SS was still operational at that time and in my alternative reality, it might have serviced the businesses on South 21st Street as well, together with the PRR. Digging further to see if I can find a track plan of South 21st Street, ...

More than a decade ago, while I was still modelling in N scale and researching the Dutch NS 600/2000 series, I ran into the below photo of a 65-DE-19A Whitcomb locomotive during the 1950s. I just loved the atmosphere and and setting, so I stored it in my archive for possible future use ... like many of us, I have a huge archive with these type of photos ... Although I got sidetracked to HOn30 and 009 narrow gauge for a while, I bumped into this humpback locomotive again at the beginning of this year, when PIKO announced that they would be producing a model of the 65-DE-19A Whitcomb. These locomotives were built for the US Army Transportation Corps (USATC) during 1943/44 and were extensively used on the continent after the invasion in Normandy. After the Second World War in Europe had ended, the majority of the 65-DE-19A Whitcombs were shipped back the US, where they were sold through brokers to industrial operators or short lines. About 20 of them remained in Europe , when they were bought by the Dutch Railways. PIKO announced in Nürnberg, that they would be issuing H0 scale models of both the Dutch Railways and USATC versions. As I had done some research on these locomotives already, I reached out to the PIKO's to see if I could assist them in any way and was asked if I could work on the paint scheme & lettering of the USATC version. I happily agreed, as I had gained experience by doing a similar job for the N scale model of the Dutch NS 1300 series by Startrain. Diving into the history of certain locomotives and railways is a great part of the hobby for me. After several iterations with PIKO's design department, the design was finalized and to be honest I am quite happy with the result. They have not been delivered yet, but looking at the first review , it's going to be a fantastic model. I am now waiting for the model to become available in Europe by the end of August or beginning of September. PIKO's model of the 65-DE-19A Whitcomb also received its fair share of attention at the other side of the Atlantic and they have announced that they will also come US versions of the 65-DE-19A Whitcomb by the end of this year. These will not have buffer and the necessary details like pilot steps and uncoupling levers will be added. Depending on the prototype, the side skirt will also be remove, showing the fuel tanks and air reservoirs. This got me thinking and brought me back to that picture of the 65-DE-19A Whitcomb during the 1950s. I did some further digging and it turns out that this is locomotive № 100 of the Allegheny & South Side Railway in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The A&SS operated on an industrial area extending from South 3rd Street to South 21st Street, along the south bank of the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. The Oliver Iron & Steel Company was the main shareholder of this short line, with a total trackage of about 8.5 miles. Besides operating for its parent company, the A&SS performed switching services for other big industries like Levinson Steel, the Mackintosh-Hemphill Co. - Garrison Works, and the Republic Steel Dilworth-Porter Division. These services were performed on the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad. Allegheny & South Side Railway № 100 was built by Whitcomb in March 1944 and served with the USATC as № 8405. After its return to the U.S., the 65-DE19A Whitcomb was acquired by the Lancaster & Chester Railway, where it served as locomotive № 51 until 1950. Via the Mississippi Valley Equipment Co., a dealer, it ended-up with the A&SS as locomotive № 100. The A&SS was dissolved in August 1959, and the line became jointly operated by the PRR and the P&LE. Whether the 65-DE-19A Whitcomb was sold or scrapped is unknown. Looks like I am hooked now and am looking at the possibility of building a shelf layout based on this US prototype ... a first for me. I only have limited space available (not much more than 240 x 60 cm), so the layout will only be based on the A&SS, the PRR and the P&LE operations in the South Side Flats of Pittsburgh. So let's see which part here would give the best possibilities ...