Manns Creek

Scale: On3

The Manns Creek Railway operated 9 miles of track from Clifftop and Sewell West Virginia from 1886 to 1955. The railway’s primary function was to haul coal down from Clifftop to Sewell and convert it into Coke. Logging was also done in the area around Clifftop. Logs were cut and hauled to a sawmill in Landisburg then shipped down to Sewell to be reloaded into Standard gauge C&O cars. At its peak, the line operated eight geared locomotives, five Shays and three Climax locomotives. All of its rolling stock was built by the railway in their Manns Creek shops. Keeping in the spirit of the prototype; All locomotives and rolling stock on the layout are scratch built from strip wood, brass and 3D printed components from original prints. All of the track is hand-laid and structures are scratch built to follow the prototype photos. This masterfully crafted On3 layout also features live coal operations that include loading and unloading. Coal is loaded at five locations around Clifftop and hauled down the 5.25% grade to a switch back. The trains then reverse direction and travel down the lower switch back to Sewell, where the coal is unloaded from the hopper cars on an unloading trestle. Each hopper car has a small motor that opens and closes the hopper car doors. The steep grades and heavy trains add a lot of drama to the operations.

Era/Locale: Virginia
Size: 20′ x 20′
Benchwork: 100%
Track: 100%
Scenery: 50%

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From Minnesota Digital Library:

“The growth of Minnesota can be tied directly to the growth of railroads. The railroads supported farmers, millers, miners, and loggers by moving the raw materials they produced to sell at markets. In turn, the railroads brought other goods and products to the people to build their homes, businesses, and towns. Railroads also brought immigrants to settle the land and provided jobs and income to laborers and investors.

Three of Minnesota’s major railroads were the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Soo Line. While these three were not the only railroads that operated in Minnesota, they had a major impact on the state.

The U.S. Congress chartered the Northern Pacific Railway in 1864 to build a transcontinental railroad from Lake Superior to the Pacific coast. When it was completed in 1883, the railroad had laid nearly 6,800 miles of track through Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Its headquarters were in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

From ThievesRiver.com:

1) Uff da

Background: A Scandinavian import, particularly from Norwegian, “uff da” is widely used to express dismay, exhaustion or sometimes even relief. It embodies the stoic yet expressive nature of Minnesotans.

Example: “Uff da! I forgot my wallet at the cabin. Now I can’t pay for the meat raffle tickets, gosh darn it!”

2) You Betcha

Background: This phrase epitomizes the friendly and positive attitude of Minnesotans. It’s often said with enthusiasm and is used to mean “absolutely” or “you can count on it.”

Example: “Do you want to come to the hockey game this weekend? Grain Belts are on me!” – “You betcha!”

Read more at ThievesRiver.com