operators were part of the regular crew on Allen McClelland’s
Virginian & Ohio RR.
The third group is based around five operating layouts and we
host monthly round-robin sessions on Saturdays. Several of
the operators in this group come from out of town. It’s great
to have so many people enjoying the Pennsylvania & Western,
and their frequent visits also keep me motivated to work on
new scenery, weathering, or whatever to show them.
Work Ethic and Help
I’ve done the majority of the layout building, wiring and detail-
ing work myself. I try to spend an hour a day working on the
layout. Many days I feel like nothing was accomplished, but
gradually progress is made. Others have helped in various
stages of construction.
My late father helped me with the benchwork, and a local
round-robin work group has helped with some ballasting,
scenery work, and pulling long wire runs. Another friend, Bob
Chapman, helped me install the hardshell, and has also helped
out with scenery work and structure kitbashing.
Bob’s wife Sharlain taught me how to make trees and paint
realistic rocks using inexpensive craft paints. My wife Ann
painted most of the figures in Annville.
Mike Havron has provided a wealth of PRR prototype informa-
tion, and also built several of the PRR-owned structures. Two
members of my operating crew, Paul Miklos and Ed Swain, also
have done some nice work on structures.
Future Plans
My current staging and train schedule supports an operat-
ing session that lasts about four hours. Many of my operators
Pennsylvania &Western RR - 1
MRH-Mar 2013
