The Lehigh and Hudson River in N Scale
After several attempts to model the PRR's Panhandle across Ohio, I decided to rethink my choice of prototype given my limited space. With only 92 square feet available for the layout, I realized I was going to be extremely frustrated with my attempts at capturing the spirit of the Panhandle's traffic volume. In looking for a new prototype I began thinking about the types of traffic I enjoyed running and settled on the Lehigh and Hudson River.
The Lehigh and Hudson River enjoyed a bizarre quirk in the railroad industry and made a place for itself next to giants. At just over 87 miles in length, the L&H was mainly bridge route, linking New England with the Mid-Atlantic region. The bulk of the traffic was eastward, including soft coal from the mines of West Virginia bound for power plants in the Northeast.
The Lehigh and Hudson River - A Brief History
The Pittsburgh and Steubenville Railroad was chartered in 1849 to build west from the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh to the Virginia state line. In April 1852, the line was granted rights to cross the Monongahela and enter Pittsburgh. The Western Transportation Company was setup by the Pennsylvania Railroad in March 1856 to build and operate the Pittsburgh and Steubenville. The president of the Steubenville and Indiana deeded right-of-way purchased from landowners to the Pittsburgh and Steubenville across the Virginia panhandle. This enabled the Pittsburgh and Steubenville to build without a charter to by-pass the opposition to the line from the city of Wheeling.