| Alden Smith |
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| Alden Smith |
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Alden Smith is from Wayne, Pennsylvania. Trips to Cumberland Maryland, and rides on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad gave Alden inspiration to model first the C&P, and then later the WM, both in separate rooms and connected together. Below are photos of Alden's layout. We hope you enjoy "The Western Maryland C&PA Division".
| Layout at a glance | ||
| Name | WM - C & PA Div | |
| Size | Two rooms - 18 x 23 and 26 x 8 | |
| Scale | HO ( 1:87) | |
| Locale | Cumberland and Frostburg MD, Chaffee and Pierce W VA -- Connellsville PA | |
| Period | 1950 - 1954 | |
| Layout style | Point to point - around the walls | |
| Layout Height | 41 - 48 in. | |
| Track | Atlas code 83 and code 100 - weathered rail | |
| Turnouts | Most No. 6 - some No. 4 | |
| Minimum Radius | 36 in. | |
| Mainline run | 116 ft. | |
| Max Grade | 4% | |
| Engine power | First generation WM diesels - 3 steam- total 22 | |
| Roadbed | Homasote over 1/4 plywood | |
| Scenery construction | Foam, plaster cloth | |
| Backdrops | Printed scenes and painted | |
| Control | Digitrax DCC | |
| Operations | 3 to 5 operators - car card and work order system | |
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This layout is an around the room point to point style, set in the 1950-1954 era when steam was in its final days. Trains operate from Cumberland Maryland, Chaffee and Pierce West Virginia, Mt. Savage, Barton and Eckhart Maryland, with a B&O interchange. The WM connected with the P&LE, B&O, and P&WVA in Connellsville PA, for access to Pittsburgh markets and beyond. The WM acquired the Cumberland and Pennsylvania short line in 1944. Coal is the primary focus as WM revenue was 42% as a coal hauler. This layout has 116 feet of mainline running. It contains a 38 foot hidden reversing loop/staging. Services 3 coal mines, a power plant, 7 industries and features 3 yards, 4 service facilites and 2 turntables with roundhouses, the largest with 8 stalls. Digitrax DCC allows between 3 to 5 persons to operate the railroad. A car card system controls all movements. Sixteen work orders provide many hours of operating time.