St Paul, VA--20'x20' Track Plan

Scale: HO
Minimum Radius: 30"
Minimum Aisle Width: 30"
Designed by Dan Bourque

St Paul, Virginia, was a unique piece of railroad. The N&W, travelling from East to West, and the Clinchfield, travelling from North to South, intersect and run parallel through the town with wyes at either end. The CRR and N&W interchanged at Boody, and there were a few small industries in town. St Paul offers a lot of variety in operation depending on the time period modeled. Up to the 60s, the N&W and CRR were the only game in town--each going about its own business. Beginning in 1973 until 1986, the L&N was exercising trackage rights over the N&W from Norton to interchange with the CRR at Castle Yard (a glorified passing siding). L&N crews would bring a loaded coal train down the wye to the west of town, drop off the hoppers at Castle, and then layover the engines and caboose at a spur in town until an empty train was dropped-off by the CRR. After 1986, both CSX and Norfolk Southern trains would travel down the ex-Clinchfield towards destinations in the South due to a cooperative trackage agreement between the two roads. Some N&W trains still went to Norton, but the majority took the CRR shortcut.