The world of railroading is full of interesting operations. Industrial railroads, tourist railroads, Class I mainlines, and shortline freight haulers are among the many that we love to watch, photograph, and in some cases, replicate through model railroading. The challenge becomes that most of us only have one basement that we can dedicate to the hobby.
If you’ve followed me since the days of “At The Railyard“, you know that I’m a huge proponent of virtual railroading with train simulators. Most of my time with them has been behind the throttle operating trains on routes recreated from actual locations. Earlier this year, however, I had an experience that shifted my present focus.
What I enjoy most about model railroading is participating in operating sessions, where multiple people meet at one layout and run the railroad as if it were the real thing. I was invited to be an engineer on Mike Hauk’s Susquehanna & New York Railroad. In real life, The Susquehanna & New York Railroad was a short-line railroad connecting the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Towanda, Pennsylvania with the Pennsylvania Railroad at Marsh Hill Junction. The railroad carried freight and passengers between Williamsport and Towanda. Mike has extensively researched the prototype and found methods of compressing it to fit within his basement.
Train #5 departs Tamaqua PA. The track is in place for this area, and the scenery is under development. 
Our train heads over the bridge between Laquin and Wheelerville. 
The train passes Masten station. Note the train order boards, which are fully functional and allows the dispatcher to stop a train to provide trainorders.
Any day that I receive an email in my inbox announcing a new operating session here is a good day. An operating session lasts for three hours and provides a highly interactive environment for glorious steam railroading!
Mike Hauk is pictured at his dispatching desk. 
Car cards, timetable, and trainorders are in hand. Who knew paperwork could be so fun! 
Train #5 crosses a bridge before entering Marsh Hill Yard.
The first session was a remarkable experience. In fact, it was so enjoyable that I wanted to take Mike’s layout home with me… so that is what I did.
I used Mike’s track plan and imported it into Trainz: A New Era. This simulator is the one that I find easiest to work with when it comes to building routes, especially a model railroad with its tight bends.
Once I had laid the track, it was then a matter of forming the terrain, painting the terrain textures, and placing buildings and scenery items. While the program does have items to make your route look like a train layout (walls, floor, fascia, etc), my goal was to create each scene as realistically as possible. Eliminating the aisles provided additional room, and carefully placed trees and hills ensured that each scene was naturally separated from one another.
In two months, Mike’s layout was recreated in the train simulator. It is now available for download on the Trainz Download Station.
Locomotives are waiting for duty at the water tower in Towanda, PA. 
A freight train passes by the S&NY passenger station and freight depot in Towanda.
It was fun to try route building, and having the unlimited space that a digital environment offers is a treat. Mike’s help throughout the route building was invaluable, and I encourage you to visit his website that covers both the real Susquehanna & New York and his layout.