Tuscarora Railroad

The Tuscarora Railroad is a 1:20.3 garden railroad located in suburban Denver, Colorado. The railroad is based on the East Broad Top RR which still operates today as a tourist line in Orbisonia, PA (south-central PA). Be sure to check out Garden Railway Basics , Kevin's book on building and maintaining garden railroads for information on how the TRR was built.

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Location: Denver, CO

Monday, May 23, 2011

A Little Press in the Gazette

The Tuscarora Railroad was featured in the June/July 2011 issue of the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette. For those unfamiliar with this publication, it is arguably the premiere publication for narrow gauge model railroad enthusiasts, and features some of the highest-quality modeling you'll ever find in model railroading. I consider it quite an honor for the TRR to be featured in its pages.

Of course, print has its limitations--the most pressing one being space. I compiled over 50 photos for consideration when I put my article together, and pared that down to around 30 or so when I finally submitted it. The article pulled around a dozen of those shots, leaving many left "on the cutting room floor" as they say in my business. (I'm really not sure what the print equivalent of the cutting room floor is, come to think of it...)

Fortunately, I'm not so limited here, so without further ado, I swept up the proverbial cutting room floor, and present to you the photos that didn't "make the cut."

Tuscarora RR 2-8-0 #3 leads a short train into Blacklog



EBT Caboose #26 was built by the railroad from a surplus flat car in 1905. Newspaper accounts allude to it being quite a rough ride, and at some point in its life, it was fitted with surplus passenger trucks presumably in an attempt to smooth out the ride. It would be rebuilt--possibly at the same time--with a round roof and no center cupola, and would last in work service until the early 1950s.



Somewhat uneven and weed-grown tracks are the norm for the TRR's right of way. Speeds are low anyway, so this typically isn't too much of an issue. Here, TRR #3 brings its train into Neelyton. The bridges in the foreground cross Trout Run.



EBT caboose #26 brings up the rear on a train of empty hoppers being returned to Rockhill Furnace, so they can be filled once again at the mines in Robertsdale.



TRR 2-8-0 #3 running extra through the woods between Shade Gap and Neeleyton.



East Broad Top 2-6-0 #1--the EBT's first loco--prepares to leave Blacklog with a short passenger train.



This time, it's Tuscarora Valley 4-4-0 #5's turn on the daily passenger run.



Tuscarora Timber Co. #4, a Heisler, pulls into Blacklog late one evening. Usually the Heisler works the logging lines which feed into the TRR along the trunk route from Blair's Mills to Burnt Cabins, so its appearance on the Shade Gap Branch is a bit of a rarity.



TRR #3 has just spotted a flat car with fresh-cut timbers for the Beers & Green Woodworking shop at Blacklog. Beers & Green is primarily a pin mill, making small pins and dowels, but also turns out other finished wood products as demand warrants. A Wesley's Creamery truck waits at the Blacklog Depot to pick up a delivery of fresh cream.



East Broad Top 2-8-0 #3 pulls some empty wood hoppers west out of Neelyton, bound for the EBT. These hoppers are near at the end of their careers, as the EBT is busy replacing them with modern steel hoppers.


EBT #3 continues westbound, approaching Three Lick Creek before stopping at Shade Gap.


Fast forward a few years to 1927, and a rebuilt TRR #2 pulls its freight into Shade Gap. TRR #2 had just been in a wreck and was sent back to Baldwin for an overhaul.


TRR #2 leaves Blacklog.


There are also two videos I've posted on YouTube which I haven't mentioned here yet:

A Trip on the Tuscarora Railroad

Morning Mail on the Tuscarora Railroad