Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Disclaimer - Most towns and locations are fictional, and this system does not exactly match the "real" AM/V&O/VM system.

Formed in 1975 to pool their resources and maintain a strong marketing system, the Allegheny Midland, Virginian & Ohio, and Virginia Midland combined forces to form the Appalachian Lines. While under the same parent company, the three systems retained their individual images and operation systems, while working together at the same time. Through the years, the combination proved successful as the AM and V&O continued to prosper. The Virginia Midland faired well until the mid-80's, until it could no longer keep up due to their small size and strong competition in the coal business from CSX and Norfolk Southern. By 1992, the Virginia Midland had been sold off to a private holding company, and by 1996 the entire VM was abandoned due to its redundancy.

The 1990's was a much better time for the AM and V&O, as each system continued to do well hauling coal, forest products and general merchandise. The V&O faired extremely well as a bridge route connecting western West Virginia to points east in partnership with both CSX and NS. Meanwhile, the Allegheny Midland continued to thrive on coal traffic between Pittsburgh, PA, and points south, including the connection to the V&O in Indian Hill, WV.

As time has gone on, traffic levels have taken a hit on the AM and V&O just like every other railroad in America, but each system continues to operate in tandem and, as a team, the partnership is one of the most successful regional operations in North America.

Today, each system has one "mainline" with several branchlines, as both still serve several coal mines throughout the Appalachian Mountains. The main artery of the Allegheny Midland is the 126 mile line connecting the yard in Clairton, PA, to Santel Yard in Indian Hill, WV. Santel Yard is jointly owned and operated by the AM and V&O and is the main classification yard on both systems. Aside from the 126 mile "Central Division" of the Appalachian Lines, the Allegheny Midland also operates around 60 miles of branchlines serving coal mines and other customers. The Virginian & Ohio is the larger operation, operating over 400 miles of track in Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

Up until the early 1990's, the V&O was still a stronghold for vintage ALCO locomotives, working alongside mostly EMD products. Today, all but two ALCO model engines have been retired from the V&O roster. The railroad kept two C424's to power the business train, and while the pair is usually kept in the shops at Jennison Yard in Staunton, VA, they are occasionally used in revenue service. Aside from he two C424's, the V&O retains an all EMD roster including GP38's, GP40's, SD40's, SD40T-2's and SD60's. The Allegheny Midland roster is slightly more diverse, and includes GE products such as B36-7's and B40-8's. The individual rosters will be detailed in their own posts.

Allegheny Midland Interchange Points
Clairton, PA - Norfolk Southern, Union RR, Wheeling & Lake Erie (via NS)
Indian Hill, WV - Virginian & Ohio
Kinsman, WV - Ohio Valley & Eastern RR
Malloy, PA - CSX
Monroe, WV - Norfolk Southern

Virginian & Ohio Interchange Points
Charleston, WV - CSX
Indian Hill, WV - Allegheny Midland
Jimtown, VA - CSX
Limedale, VA - Norfolk Southern
Staunton, VA - Buckingham Branch RR, Durbin & Greenbrier Valley RR
Wellston, OH - US Rail

More to follow.
Last edited by Y@ on Tue Jan 22, 2013 2:53 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Allegheny Midland Locomotive Roster
EMD SW1500 - 200, 202, 204, 206
EMD YDSLUG - 201, 203, 205, 207
EMD SD40T-2 - 5200-5209
EMD SD40-2 - 5210-5224
GE B36-7 - 5901, 5904, 5907 - See note 1
GE B40-8 - 5920-5923, 5925-5926, 5928-5929 - See note 2
EMD GP38-2 - 6300-6314
EMD GP40-2 - 6330-6339

Virginian & Ohio Locomotive Roster
ALCO C424 - 420-421
EMD GP38AC - 800-803
EMD GP38-2 - 804-817
EMD GP30M - 840, 844 - See note 3
EMD SD40 - 1601, 1606, 1611, 1613 - See note 4
EMD SD40-2 - 1615-1621, 1623-1629 - See note 5
EMD GP40-2 - 3550-3555, 3557-3559 - See note 6
EMD SD60 - 6000-6005
EMD SW1200 - 9913, 9919, 9925 - See note 7
EMD SW1500 - 9930-9936

Notes
1.) Final three remaining of original 5900-5914 batch
2.) 5924 and 5927 retired and scrapped following 2001 derailment
3.) Final two remaining of 840-845 batch, former Virginia Midland
4.) Final four remaining of 1600-1614 batch, 11 others stored awaiting rebuild to SD40-3
5.) 1622 retired and scrapped following 2005 derailment
6.) 3556 retired and scrapped following 2005 derailment
7.) Final three remaining of 9910-9929 batch, former Virginia Midland
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Nicely done
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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I know Allen McClelland, he shows up at our MCR Division 3 meetings from time to time, I'll have to tell him about your fictional "electronic" version of his railroad sometime.
Chris Howe
Fairborn, OH

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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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conrailman75 wrote:I know Allen McClelland, he shows up at our MCR Division 3 meetings from time to time, I'll have to tell him about your fictional "electronic" version of his railroad sometime.
I've always wanted to see more of his V&O Afton Division, but with it being torn down and gone I doubt I'll get the chance. He's an outstanding modeler and definitely an inspiration for me whenever I get around to my layout.
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Allegheny Midland Train Symbols
CAIH-300 - Clairton Morris Yard to Indian Hill Yard - Manifest - Tue-Thu-Sat
IHCA-301 - Indian Hill Yard to Clairton Morris Yard - Manifest - Mon-Wed-Fri
Z-NSVO-323 - NS Roanoke to NS Pittsburgh - Manifest - Daily - See note 2
Z-VONS-324 - NS Pittsburgh to NS Roanoke - Manifest - Daily - See note 2
C-SONS-516 - Solomon Mine to Norfolk Southern (Clairton) Coal Loads
E-NSSO-517 - Empties for Solomon Mine from Norfolk Southern
C-ERCS-523 - Erton Mine to CSX Coal Loads (Runs thru on V&O between Indian Hill and Jimtown)
E-CSER-524 - Empties for Erton Mine from CSX
C-ERNS-529 - Erton Mine to Norfolk Southern (Clairton) Coal Loads
E-NSER-530 - Empties for Erton Mine from Norfolk Southern
L-CLA-140 - Clairton Mine Run Local
L-INH-154 - Indian Hill Mine Run Local
L-MAR-161 - Marceline Yard Local
L-CLA-166 - Clairton Yard Local
L-INH-175 - Indian Hill Yard Local

Virginian & Ohio Train Symbols
184 - Jimtown Yard to Norfolk Southern - Turn Job - Sunday through Thursday - 13:00 call time
196 - Gauley Yard to CSX Charleston - Turn Job - Monday through Friday - 05:00 call time
235 - Gauley Yard to Wellston - Manifest - Wednesday & Friday - 13:30 call time
236 - Wellston to Gauley Yard - Manifest - Thursday & Saturday - 18:00 call time
240 - Gauley Yard to Afton Yard - Manifest - Daily - 05:30 call time
241 - Afton Yard to Gauley Yard - Manifest - Daily - 12:00 call time
248 - Gauley Yard to Santel Yard (Indian Hill) - Manifest - Monday through Friday - 04:00 call time
249 - Santel Yard (Indian Hill) to Gauley Yard - Manifest - Tuesday through Saturday - 22:00 call time
260 - Santel Yard (Indian Hill) to Afton Yard - Manifest - Daily - 06:30 call time
261 - Afton Yard to Santel Yard (Indian Hill) - Manifest - Daily - 13:00 call time
262 - Afton Yard to Jimtown Yard - Manifest - Mon/Wed/Fri - 03:00 call time
263 - Jimtown Yard to Afton Yard - Manifest - Tue/Thu/Sat - 15:00 call time
285 - Jimtown Yard to Jennison Yard (Staunton) - Manifest - Mon/Wed/Fri - 16:20 call time
286 - Jennison Yard (Staunton) to Jimtown Yard - Manifest - Tue/Thu/Sat - 05:30 call time
314 - CSX Cincinnati to CSX Richmond - Run Through Manifest - Daily - See note 1
315 - CSX Richmond to CSX Cincinnati - Run Through Manifest - Daily - See note 1
323 - NS Roanoke to NS Pittsburgh - Run Through Manifest - Daily - See note 2
324 - NS Pittsburgh to NS Roanoke - Run Through Manifest - Daily - See note 2
500 - Gauley East Local - Mon/Wed/Sat - 11:00 call time
501 - Gauley West Local - Tue/Thu/Fri - 11:00 call time
502 - Indian Hill East Local - Tuesday & Thursday - 13:00 call time
503 - Indian Hill West Local - Monday & Friday - 13:00 call time
510 - Indian Hill "Ridge Run" Local - Wednesday & Saturday - 13:00 call time - See note 3
513 - Afton West Local - Mon/Wed/Fri - 08:30 call time
518 - Alta Local - Monday through Friday - 19:00 call time - See note 4
523 - Jimtown Local - Monday through Friday - 06:00 call time - See note 5

Notes
1.) Utilizes trackage rights over the V&O between Jimtown and Charleston
2.) Utilizes trackage rights over the V&O between Limedale and Indian Hill, and AM between Indian Hill and Clairton
3.) Runs east of Indian Hill to Dawson Spring
4.) Works the Limedale Branch between Alta and Limedale, based in Afton
5.) Works the Southern Branch between Jimtown and Alta, based in Jimtown
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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See the above posts for revised train symbols.
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Updated system map for the Appalachian Lines.

Image

Revised details on the V&O system will follow.
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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V&O Details

As a whole, the Virginian & Ohio has continued to do well in competition with larger railroads in the region due to its competitive route and strong online customer base. Coal, forest products, general merchandise and grain make up 97% of the traffic base, with the other 3% being miscellaneous odd commodities. Because of the way the V&O was constructed between Gauley and Afton, it has always been utilized by other railroads as a bridge route. Throughout the 60's and 70's, the B&O, C&O, N&W, Seaboard Coast Line and Southern Railway all used the V&O as a bridge route for traffic between western and southern terminals. Over the years, the amount of bridge traffic shrank as major mergers took place, but today both CSX and NS still run over the trackage rights on the V&O and AM.

From west to east, the line is divided into three subdivisions and four branchlines. The "West End" (Wellston Sub) is the line connecting Gauley to the former B&O in Wellston. The B&O is now operated by US Rail, and interchange traffic is made up by both US Rail and CSX traffic, as US Rail interchanges with CSX in Vauces, OH. Gauley is home to a decent sized yard and the only car repair shop on the Appalachian Lines system, which handles work with the V&O and AM, as well as contract work with several freight car leasing companies. The Charleston Branch splits away from the Gauley Subdivison at GA Tower and runs south to the CSX interchange in Charleston, roughly 25 miles away. GA Tower is also the west end of CTC territory on the V&O. The Gauley Subdivison connects Gauley with the large Santel Yard in Indian Hill. This yard is jointly operated by the V&O and Allegheny Midland. The AM mainline from Clairton runs around the yard and crosses the V&O at AG Tower before continuing south into the Scipio coal mine region. AG Tower is also where the Afton Subdivision begins for eastbounds.

Continuing east on the V&O, the Afton Subdivision runs through the mountains of northern West Virginia. At Dawson Spring, the line cuts through the 6,132 ft. long Dawson Spring tunnel, which is the longest tunnel on the V&O. The line continues into Afton, which is the largest yard on the east end. This is also home to the Appalachian Lines paint booth and the large diesel shop covering all heavy repair on AM and V&O engines. At AJ Tower, the Staunton Branch splits off the Afton Branch for the 37 mile run to Staunton where interchange is done with the Buckingham Branch RR and the Durbin & Greenbrier RR. At the west end of the yard, VO Tower still stands and is the dispatching center for the V&O. The Afton Subdivision continues 10 miles east to Alta, the site of ALTA Tower and the east end of the Afton Sub. Here, the branchlines to Limedale and Jimtown split in their respective directions. Jimtown is the eastern terminus of V&O operation, which is also the east end of CTC on the V&O.

In regards to signaling on the V&O, CTC was once installed on the entire system, but sections were removed to cut costs in the early 2000's. Today, the mainline between Gauley and Jimtown and the Limedale Branch are still signaled with CTC. Signals were deactivated along the Staunton and Charleston branches in 2001 and 2002, and the signals on the Wellston Sub were deactivated in 2003. Despite being inactive for 10+ years, hardly any of the signals were ever fully removed and can still be found standing (or laying!) trackside. When CTC was installed in the 1950's, the V&O chose to use US&S H-2 searchlight signals, all of which are still in use with the exception of those that are deactivated. Along the Gauley and Afton subdivisions, intermediate signals are generally placed every four to six miles, with approach signals located between one and two miles from the control points. On the lines where CTC was removed, distant signals were kept in service along with signals at interlockings.

Staunton and Limedale were also once connections with the Virginia Midland. Prior to the sale and abandonment of the VM, the V&O also owned and operated the Middle Subdivision between Indian Hill and Caledonia, WV, where the VM continued south to their southern terminus at Crown Point, VA. The majority of the Middle Sub was embargoed and abandoned in 1995 and has not been used since. Sections of track between Blackwater and Caledonia have been removed, but the Allegheny Midland still operates the line between Scipio and Blackwater, as well as the former V&O Monroe Branch between Scipio and Monroe.
Last edited by Y@ on Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Its easier for me to read when you include a map. Nicely done.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Here's a look at the modern V&O paint scheme on SD40-2 1620: http://www.flickr.com/photos/Y@_heil ... otostream/

And also one of the V&O's fleet of covered hoppers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/Y@_heil ... otostream/
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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When I click on the links it says I need a Yahoo password, I am not a member. Is there another way I can look?
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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AARR wrote:When I click on the links it says I need a Yahoo password, I am not a member. Is there another way I can look?
Try again Don, should be fixed now.
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Re: Appalachian Lines (The AM and V&O)

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Y@ wrote:
AARR wrote:When I click on the links it says I need a Yahoo password, I am not a member. Is there another way I can look?
Try again Don, should be fixed now.
Yes, they work now. I like it because I am a fan of conservative and simple paint schemes.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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