AM FORUM

[Jack Bartman]

Jerry,

Thanks for bringing this back.

Jack Bartman
Walden NY

[jbritton]

Now we just have to find everyone that wandered off!

[Jack Bartman]

Jerry,

I visited Tony about a month ago,and shot about 75 pics. When this list takes off, I'll post them then.

BTW, how is the PRR layput going?

Jack Bartman
Walden NY

[Jim MacKnight]

Hello AM fans: Would anyone be interested in HO-scale triple hopper cars, custom-painted for the AM by Accurail? If so, Division 7, Mid-Central Region, NMRA, offers single cars or four-car sets at a reasonable price. For a photo and more information, see our web page at www.cincy-div7.org Tony worked with me on the design and lettering style of these cars. We even have a "history" of the cars, approved by Tony. thanks, Jim MacKnight

[jbritton]

Hello AM fans: Would anyone be interested in HO-scale triple hopper cars, custom-painted for the AM by Accurail? If so, Division 7, Mid-Central Region, NMRA, offers single cars or four-car sets at a reasonable price. For a photo and more information, see our web page at http://www.cincy-div7.org Tony worked with me on the design and lettering style of these cars. We even have a "history" of the cars, approved by Tony. thanks, Jim MacKnight

Thanks for posting this. I saw the ad in MR a few months ago and wanted to order some, but forgot!

[Jim MacKnight]

Thanks for posting the link to our web site and AM car photo. Sales have lagged since the MR announcement, either from the economy or just lack of exposure in the hobby press. We expect an announcement to appear in RMC next month. Our V&O box cars sold out rapidly last year, so we expected cars from Tony's railroad to sell almost as well.

An interesting fact regarding these AM hopper cars. The last three digits of each car number represent road numbers of NKP Berkshire locomotives still existing today. Tony picked the four numbers.

Jim MacKnight

[Olsmilined]

Not to get away from the AM Hopper cars, but just a comment on the AM in general and the return of this forum. I just re watched Great Model Railroads Vol 14 (which is on the Allegheny Midland should anyone wonder why I mention it!). The AM was an excellent model railroad! While the Nickle Plate layout will be great simply because Tony is building it and he does that sort of thing VERY well, I still miss the AM and his commentary about it every month in Trains of Thought. At least we have the old videos and magazine articles and websites like this one!

Cheers,

Ed Briley
Independence, MO

[WVM Man]

Interestingly enough, does anyone know which narrow gauge railroad the AM interchanged with? There was a narrow gauge turnout buried in the middle of a grade crossing, but Tony never mentioned which NG road it was. Since one of my interests is WV narrow gauge, I'm just curious.

[jbritton]

Interestingly enough, does anyone know which narrow gauge railroad the AM interchanged with? There was a narrow gauge turnout buried in the middle of a grade crossing, but Tony never mentioned which NG road it was. Since one of my interests is WV narrow gauge, I'm just curious.

Tony's been in Florida at the Cocoa Beach RPM, but I caught up with him via e-mail. Here is his response...

Regarding the question about narrow-gauge connections to the Allegheny Midland: There were originally at least two. On the unmodeled northern half of the railroad (Wheeling Div.), the AM crossed the three-foot-gauge Waynesburg & Washington (part of the PRR after 1921 or so) at Amity, Pa. I'd have to re-read one of the two major books on the W&W to see when narrow-gauge operations ceased and it was standard-gauged, the latter an experiment that really didn't pan out. The W&W was an extremely interesting Eastern narrow gauge railroad, one well worthy of being modeled.

The narrow-gauge turnout in the street pavement at South Fork (essentially a suburb of Midland, W.Va.) was part of an elaborate ruse to explain why a short line could afford to have a tunnel through a high ridge. The Ridgeley & Midland County (whose reporting marks were derived from RMC, which I edited at the time), poked through the ridges along both sides of the Cheat River to reach a hidden staging yard, but Jim Boyd questioned how it could afford to do that.

I therefore created a scenario to explain those tunnels. First, I built an abandoned narrow-gauge right-of-way along the east bank of the Cheat River plus a spur that served some abandoned coke ovens. The abutments and pier in the river were also modeled. Second, I concocted the idea that the AM had embarked on a major curve and grade reduction program south out of South Fork up to Big Springs Jct. and on to Glady, where it joined Western Maryland rails through North Durbin on trackage rights. All of the new line's tunnels, culverts, abutments, etc., were of modern concrete construction.

The existing R&MC standard-gauge right-of-way was then backdated with stone portals, culverts, etc., to represent the original AM main line. The story was that the R&MC took over parts of the abandoned AM old main, which accounts for the tunnels and substantial through-truss bridge across the Cheat River.

Testifying to the R&MC's former narrow-gauge days were the turnout in the street, which more or less pointed toward the old bridge alignment, and narrow-gauge boxcar and caboose carbodies in a local coal yard between the old and new R&MC main lines.

I never did pin down a date when the R&MC shifted over to the old AM alignment and was standard gauged, but a good guess would be late 1930s to early 1940s.

Hope this helps. Additional information will be found in my new Kalmbach book, "Allegheny Midland: Lessons Learned," of course.

Tony Koester

[WVM Man]

Ah, I thought it might have been the old Valley River RR (out of Huttonsville). The Pickens and Webster Springs was in the area, but too far north and west, near Buckhannon. It wasn't the Shady Grove and Sherrill (it's 30" gauge, but has an AM connection), nor was it my West Virginia Midland (we're out of Webster Springs, so our AM connection is via WM at North Durbin.)