The East Penn Traction Club The East Penn Traction ClubB-W 60 ton Type A motor 5/1/2020
Steeplecab #40 6/1/2020
85-ton GE 8/19/2020
The following photos are of Tom Piccirillo's new O scale traction layout. When Tom moved, he had to abandon his previous layout (see here). This new one is even more exceptional both in terms of scope and scenery! Check back here for more photos as the layout nears completion. (All photos are © copyright 2001-2015 by Tom Piccirillo. Do not use without permission.)
Click here for a short video (6MB .mov file) taken during the October 12, 2006, operations session on the Somerset County Traction System.
Click here for a video from when Model Railroader magazine visited the layout.
Click here for a video of a ride on the layout produced by Model Railroader magazine.
Click here to see the track plan to Tom's new layout (144KB).
3D Trackplan Diagrams:
Golden Spike Ceremony Participants June 19, 2004
Front two rows (left to right): Irv Gundersen, TJ (Tom) Nolz, Gary Reighn, Dave Gairo, Dick Cudd, Tom Piccirillo, Russ Kress
Back two rows (left to right): By Brucker, Bob Dietrich, Tony Koester, Pete Trunk, Bob Smith, Chris Bond, Gary Madlinger, Frank Verrico, Andrew Brusgard, Adam Madlinger
Photo Gallery: Operations on the Somerset County Traction System.
 | January 2011 In Neshanic, car-loads of granite are transfered from narrow gauge Harter Felsen Quarry Company cars to standard gauge cars of the Somerset County Traction System. Tom scratch-built the structure and all its loading chutes. |
 | January 2011 Warren Consolidated Industries is plenty busy. |
 | January 2011 There's plenty of activity at the Warrenville station. The tower is no longer needed and is boarded up. |
 | January 2011 A local freight prepares to depart Warrenville. |
 | January 2011 Motor 695 departs Warrenville with cars bound for Martinsville and Calco. On the hill in the distance is the President's Mansion. |
 | January 2011 Round Top businesses are in full swing. |
 | January 2011 Freight Motor 695 with train at Round Top. |
 | January 2011 Freight Motor 695 arrives at Martinsville. |
 | January 2011 A Car Works Marion Shovel, painted and weathered by Ray Buteux, is hard at work at the Chimney Rock Quarry. |
 | January 2011 Elizabethport has been revised, and the new float bridge is under construction. |
 | January 2011 This is where the dispatcher keeps track of trains and issues instructions to prevent them from bumping into each other. |
 | November 2008 The transfer table in Lambertville has been superdetailed with new deck boards, wheel covers and other around-the-shop junk. |
 | November 2008 The Fanwood turntable has received a supedetailing treatment, complete with litter in the pit, weathered deck boards and railings. |
 | November 2008 The pile trestle at Three bridges originally carried the mainline into Lambertville, but, after a new tunnel was bored, it has been relegated to yard lead service and has been recently superdetailed. |
 | August 2008 No. 653 tiptoes across the high trestle at Ray's Butte (named for Tom's friend Ray Buteux) located between Fanwood and Warrenville. |
 | May 2008 SCTS No. 98 lowers a freight around Deadman's Curve on its way east to Martinsville. |
 | April 2008 Tom points out some of the layout features to ProRail operators during their 2007 tour of Delaware Valley model railroads. Although Tom's layout technically is not located in that area, it was close-enough to be included in the event. |
 | March 2008 The platform lamps at Bound Brook have just snapped on to protect E&A customers from stumbling in the dark. |
 | January 2008 Plenty of railroad and traction action at the east end of Raritan. |
 | January 2008 Its the evening hour, and the SCTS is picking up cars from the Lambertville pier. |
 | January 2008 The SCTS and the E&A run through parallel tunnels just west of Raritan station. |
 | January 2007 SCTS No. 98 crosses the arch bridge over Chimney Rock Creek just West of Martinsville |
 | January 2007 An overall view of many of the industries in Martinsville. |
 | January 2007 Interurban no. 580 approaches Martinsville Station. |
 | January 2007 Nolz Oil in Martinsville. |
 | January 2007 The Warrenville Power Station is roughed in. |
 | January 2007 Tom is hard at work constructing the trestle for the gorge at Ray's Butte (between Warrenville and Fanwood). |
 | January 2007 Here's the finished trestle over the gorge at Ray's Butte. |
 | January 2007 This is Gundersen Lumber in Calco. |
 | January 2007 Here is Robinson Coal in Calco. |
 | January 2007 A mockup of the float bridge hoist in Elizabethport. |
 | January 2007 A mockup of the proposed roundhouse in Fanwood. |
 | January 2007 A mockup of the gravel transfer station in Neshanic. Hoppers on the narrow gauge Harter Felsen Quarry Company track are dumped into the station, which then transfers the loads into waiting standard gauge hoppers on the SCTS. |
 | January 2007 The Harter Felsen rock crusher loader and shovel were built by Tom's friend, Ray Buteux. |
 | January 2007 The car barn in Lambertville was moved (brick-by-brick) from Manville. The sign has yet to be changed. |
 | March 12, 2006 Milk Car no. 52 ties up at Lambertville in the early evening. I'll bet I know where the crew is headed. |
 | March 12, 2006 No. 194 takes a train of cars to the Lambertville pier. |
 | March 12, 2006 Here is an overview of the Lambertville and Neshanic branch areas. |
 | March 12, 2006 Rahway Valley No. 17 makes the scene in Aldene as a double-door box makes its way to Fanwood. |
 | March 12, 2006 A couple of cars are being unloaded at Aldene. |
 | March 12, 2006 The backdrop in E'Port is being roughed-in. A large brick warehouse building-front will occupy the front of the backdrop, obscuring most of the lower edge of the painting. |
 | March 12, 2006 A big red interurban makes its way across the brick arch bridge in Three Bridges. (Any wonder about the town name?). |
 | March 12, 2006 There's a bustle of activity in Lambertville. |
 | March 12, 2006 The narrow-gauge Harter Felsen Shay backs away from the water tank above Neshanic with a load of gravel from the crusher. |
 | March 12, 2006 No. 98 arrives light at Neshanic, ready to pick up cars bound for Lambertville. |
 | September 18, 2005 Construction of the branch to Neshanic can be seen in the distant background behind Lambertville. |
 | September 18, 2005 The low track is the branch to Neshanic and is comprised of a scissors wye (see track plan). The middle track is the Easton & Amboy. The upper track is the Harter Felsen Quarry track (On30). |
 | September 18, 2005 Behind the barn in Lambertville. |
 | September 18, 2005 This is the West end of Neshanic The transfer facility for getting gravel out of the Harter Felsen cars and into the SCTS hoppers is under construction. The small station will be replaced by a scale model of the CNJ Neshanic Station (a modification of the Micro-Mark Fanwood Station kit). |
 | September 18, 2005 Neshanic track is under construction on the plateau adjacent to the retaining wall (to be covered by Random Stone building paper later on). The track includes a double-slip switch rescued by Jack Shawde from the old Westfield O scale club. |
 | February 27, 2005 The Lambertville pontoon float bridge has been installed at the end of a stone jetty. Next to be constructed will be the pilings to guide the car float into position, plus rock outcroppings, vegetation and trees. The water was fabricated following a suggestion by Dave Frary: Stipple blue, white and green colors on the Masonite river bottom, then apply coat after coat of acrylic gloss medium. Use acrylic gel to form some waves and dry brush them with white paint, then add more coats of gloss medium. Really looks wet, doesn't it? |
 | December 1, 2004 The scenery at Three Bridges is roughed in. The Pratt Truss on the E&A is from an Atlas kit with added details, and the brick viaduct is under construction from scratch using Micro-Mark O-scale brick texture paper. In front (on the Lambertville yard lead), a pile trestle will be built. The rock work is cast in Hydrocal in aluminum foil molds. Vegetation has yet to sprout. |
 | November 7, 2004 Raritan gets its backdrop painting. |
 | November 7, 2004 Martinsville and Round Top see paint applied for their backdrop. That's Washington Rock on the right (between Fanwood and Warrenville) roughed in with plaster cloth. |
 | June 19, 2004 Today we celebrated the completion of the SCTS mainline. On hand for the Golden Spike festivities were Dick Cudd, Gary and Adam Madlinger - NJLS; Frank Verrico - MRC; Tony Koester - MR; Gary Reighn and Bob Dietrich - EPTC; By Brucker, Russ Kress, Chris Bond, TJ Nolz, Andrew Brusgard, Bob Smith, Irv Gundersen and Pete Trunk - SCSME; Dave Gairo and Tom Piccirillo - EPTC/SCSME. Photo by Bob Dietrich. |
 | February 22, 2004 The scenery at the East portal of Bellwood Tunnel has been completed. |
 | February 16, 2004 The scenery at Raritan has been roughed in. The stone portal for the traction line is a commercial product; the portal for the E&A was scratchbuilt from a pine board and Micro-Mark brick paper with cardstock masonry. Stones were cast in rubber molds and secured to the hydrocal-over-plaster-cloth-over-corrugated-strips with Structolite, then a layer of Structolite was trowelled over the entire surface. Next comes earth, grass and bushes, plus coloring of the rockwork. Then track painting, ballast... |
 | February 16, 2004 Fanwood yard is in operation. For the first time, we are able to flip waybills without worrying about clogging the East end during an op session. The Golden Spike Celebration isn't too far away! |
 | January 4, 2004 Fanwood terminal takes shape. View looks East. |
 | January 4, 2004 Fanwood turntable. |
 | January 4, 2004 Here's the Fanwood yard throat looking East. |
 | January 4, 2004 And a look at Fanwood towards the West. |
 | January 4, 2004 Here's how Fanwood looks from the workshop. The track in front belongs to the pier at Lambertville. |
 | January 4, 2004 Chimney Rock starts taking shape. |
 | January 4, 2004 Scenery around the Chimney Rock Quarry is roughed in. |
 | October 1, 2003 The name of Flemington has been eradicated. The West terminal of Lambertville encompasses the entire peninsula, including the yard, the cardbarn facilities and the pier. This view looks from the future pier across the peninsula in the Eastbound direction. Note: The track plan here has been drastically changed from what was shown on the original plan. |
 | October 1, 2003 Another view of Lambertville yard looking Eastward from the end of the yard tracks. |
 | October 1, 2003 Here's what Lambertville looks like from the entrance stairway. Behind LV and to the right is the future site of Neshanic. |
 | October 1, 2003 Here's a "man-on-the-ground" view of the yard throat in Lambertville. |
 | April 13, 2003 View across future curved timber trestle at Watchung towards Martinsville. |
 | April 13, 2003 Martinsville has fascia installed and some rock faces roughed in. |
 | April 13, 2003 View down canyon has Martinsville on left, Round Top in rear, and Warrenville (now operational) on the right side. |
 | April 13, 2003 Another view of Warrenville looking towards the West. |
 | April 13, 2003 Warrenville looking towards the East. |
 | April 13, 2003 Looking West towards Martinsville from Round Top. |
 | December 8, 2002 Martinsville is now in full operation. |
 | December 8, 2002 Calco scenery begins to take shape. |
 | December 8, 2002 Chimney Rock is roughed out, but fully operational. |
 | December 8, 2002 Raritan scenery begins to take shape. |
 | December 8, 2002 View down the canyon, with Bound Brook on the left and Calco on the right. |
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February 25, 2002 The Somerset County Traction System and the Easton & Amboy run parallel through Bound Brook. Here, an SCTS steeple cab of Sacramento Northern heritage (Car Works) runs astride an E&A freight powered by an A-A combo of EMD F9s (Atlas) leased from Pete Trunk's Philadelphia & Erie Railroad. |
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February 25, 2002 This is the West end of Bound Brook trackage. |
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February 25, 2002 This is Bound Brook Station (a Micro-Mark Fanwood Station kit) with the pedestrian overpass to the E&A Eastbound platform shared with the SCTS. |
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February 25, 2002 This is the East end of Bound Brook trackage showing the switches of the interchange yard. |
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December 8, 2001 View from West Portal looking towards Fanwood. |
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December 8, 2001 View from Bellwood Park looking towards Martinsville on the left, Round Top in the distant center, and Warrenville on the right. |
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December 8, 2001 View from Chimney Rock, with Bound Brook on the left and Calco in the distant right. |
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December 8, 2001 View from Calco, with Bound Brook on the right and Chimney Rock in the distant left. |
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December 8, 2001 View from Round Top (not on plan, but between Martinsville and Warrenville), with Warrenville on the left and Martinsville in the distant right. |
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December 8, 2001 View from Elizabethport, with Watchung on the right and West Portal in the distant left. The dispatcher's office will be located behind West Portal. |
 | September 16, 2001 View from entry staircase shows backdrop installed behind Bound Brook with back side of Calco passing siding at right. After backdrop is installed behind Calco, you won't be able to see Bound Brook from here. Martinsville will occupy the area at the front of the peninsula. |
 | September 16, 2001 View from Bound Brook shows roadbed at Calco. Notice that track plan differs from conceptual sketch. Switchback has steep grades to tax the power of the steeplecabs that'll deliver cars to the industries to be located here. |
 | September 16, 2001 View from Bound Brook shows Chimney Rock Quarry roadbed and main line curve down (2%) toward Martinsville. In rear can be seen backdrop behind Bellwood Park. More industry will be located here. Musconetcong Tunnel pierces the space behind the staircase. |
 | September 16, 2001 Another view of Calco roadbed taken from E&A Interchange Yard. A long zig-zagging passing siding will be located here. Station will be located inside the broad curve. |
 | July 15, 2001 View from Elizabethport looking Northeast across the main part of the layout room. Once the sky backdrops are installed, the view across the room will be blocked. |
 | July 15, 2001 Looking North with Warrenville on the left side of the aisle and Martinsville on the right. Bound Brook is on the far right. Bellwood Park is located along the North wall to the right of the entry staircase. |
 | July 15, 2001 View from the entry stairway near Bellwood Park looking South, with Calco in the back left and E'port in the back right. The large black hole through the rear wall behind Calco leads to the E&A turn-back loop in the crawl space. |
