My HO Scale CSX New River Subdivision

One of my passions has always been model railroading. I realize that this is not a super common interest for many people my age, but the hobby has always brought me a lot of joy and given me a great outlet when I need a break from life. My model railroad passion project is a layout depicting CSX's New River Subdivision in Central West Virginia. 

I am basing the era between 1990 and 1998. My reason for this location an era is all based on my favorite video since I was a toddler, America by Rail-Winter Wonderland produced by Greg Scholl Video Productions and Railway Productions. If you are a railroad enthusiast and haven't seen this video, I highly recommend it. I have even included a link to it below (yes, it still comes as a DVD!) The video depicts a ride on Amtrak's Cardinal through a snow-covered Northern Kentucky and West Virginia featuring, you guessed it, the CSX New River Subdivision. It was filmed in either the winter of 1995 or 1996, I'm still not quite sure as to which. The video features classic Amtrak F40PH locomotives and "side trip" clips showcasing steam locomotives pulling the annual New River Train excursions through the area. The filmography and especially amazing music that this video features made it my instant favorite and continues to be my favorite to this day. 

I have made a few trips to West Virginia to visit the region and take some photos of the railroad. The layout will be as close to the prototype as possible and model the section of mainline from Thurmond, WV to Hinton, WV. Working from a great track plan designed by the amazingly talented Robert Sprague (Bob's Track Plans ) is making the process so much easier from a design standpoint. I have posted the track plan and a few equipment photos here, but the best way to follow the progress on the layout is to follow the Instagram account for it which is linked below! I am hoping to have trains running and the mainline complete by July of 2023.