The Vaig and Faughee Railroad
The Vaig and Faughee Railroad is not modelled after any prototype railroad, area, or era, real or fictional. We just wanted to build a simple layout first, and worry about focusing on a prototype subject on future layout(s). But one priority in the design was to allow for some operations. And since then, a lot has been learned about operations on different railroads (model and prototype).
The layout is a simple twice-around design, with staging and an industrial park in a separate room (see below). Track is a combination of Atlas code 100 flex & turnouts, with code 70 flex & handlaid turnouts in some spurs. Train control is Digitrax DCC, with both Simplex (compatible w/“R” throttles) and Duplex (compatible w/“D” throttles) radio receivers. Turnout control is done by a combination of ground throws and micro-controlled Tortoise powered turnouts.
Having no prototype (real or fictional) to follow allows us to choose what we want to replicate in operations, and having a (relatively) small layout makes it feasible to change between different operating schemes (with different traffic control methods, different schedules, different trains, etc.) from time to time. And it allows us to run whatever cars and locomotives that we desire (i.e. there may be times that a Berkshire will share mainline duties with a SD70MAC). For all operating schemes, we use the “Rockford Standard” type of car cards.
Switcher Scheme: The third operating scheme devised for this layout (but the first one we will have for open sessions) is referred to as the “switcher scheme”, as the “work” on the layout has been separated into smaller, short jobs that will usually be handled by a cab-end switcher. Initially, traffic control will be through verbal warrants, but TT&TO will be developed for this scheme later on. This scheme takes four operators
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