Ralph Heiss

Prototype: Lehigh Valley RR Jersey City Yard & Car float operation, Lehigh Valley RR Grand Street Yard LCL transfer station, Lehigh Valley RR Edgewater Branch, Central RR of New Jersey Henderson St. Branch
Layout: The Lehigh Valley Harbor Terminal Railway
Scale: HO
Era: 1951

Mainline run: 2 scale miles, all industrial switching
Control system: NCE DCC with radio throttles
Dispatching method: Yard Limits
Communications: Verbal Authority
Car Routing: Car Tagging System (Not CC&WB’s) and switchlists
Crew size: 9 to 16
Operating positions:
- Car float staging/switcher (1)
- Washington St. switcher (1-2)
- Washington St. Yard General Yardmaster (1)
- West Yard General Yardmaster (1)
- West Yard Switcher (1)
- Grand St. LCL Transfer Agent/Switcher (1)
- Edgewater Branch Switcher (1)
- Oak Island/East Claremont Active Staging Manager (1)
- CNJ Henderson St. Branch Freight Agent (1)
- CNJ Henderson St. Branch (1)
- Yard Transfer Road Crew (1)

Description:

The Lehigh Valley Harbor Terminal RR is based on prototype operations of two railroads that operated on the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City, NJ.  The Lehigh Valley (LVRR) portion of the layout is the focus of the layout and is represented by the carfloat and pier operations, along with the adjoining LCL transfer house and industrial branch operations. The Central RR of New Jersey (CNJ) portion of the layout is represented by a medium sized industrial branch with eight industries. The layout is staged by way of an active staging yard that represents Oak Island Yard and East Claremont Yard and all points north and west on the LVRR and CNJ, and an active staging yard utilizing carfloats to represent all interchange across NY Harbor to the east.  Highlights of the layout are the switching of four float bridges and four piers in the main yard, the eight at-grade crossing diamonds of the CNJ and LV trackage, the TOFC and LCL operations in the LVRR’s Grand St. support yard adjoining the main yard, and the LVRR and CNJ industrial branches serving a total of fifteen medium to large industries.  The layout, operated completely under yard limits, sees a mix of freight transfers along with two milk, two commuter, and two mail and express trains each, with approximately fifteen scheduled transfer trains and approximately twenty carfloat arrival/departures, averaging twelve cars each. Operations are in real-time,  sequence-dispatched operation which will eventually be expanded into a scheduled 2:1 hr. fast clock operation.

Motive Power:

HH660, S-2, S-4, VO-1000, RS-11, RS-2, SW-9, SW-7, NW-2, PA-1,
RS-3, Gas Electric, RS-1, S-1, H-16-24, SW-1, 0-6-0 switcher.

Ralph Heiss' The Lehigh Valley Harbor Terminal Railway

Last Updated: January 6, 2013 7:22 PM

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