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Scotts-dale Division Site
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Yadkin is an old crossroads in the northwestern portion of Chesapeake,
VA. It is the location of an abandon station on the old N&W Mainline. It is located
approximately at mile N10.5.
The significance of this location as a modeling element is three fold. First, it is a location where the history and longevity of the NS is visible and model-able. Second, it is a transition Layout Design Element (LDE), which is useful in shifting locales. Third, it can be small LDE or a larger one providing a break between operational LDEs. The history of Yadkin. Transition area To the East of Yadkin is the Norfolk Terminal, the vast collection of tracks and yards that service the Port of Norfolk and operate as their own district. To the West is Virginia Division, the long ex-N&W mainline running to the coalfields of West Virginia. While Gilmerton, not Yadkin is the official dividing point, Visually the overpasses of US17 and I-64/664 just East of Yadkin feel more like the division between these sections of the NS. In addition, geographically Yakin is more related to the Norfolk Terminal because of the Great Dismal Swamp. Yakin is the western-most station before the NS mainline enters the famous swamp area. There is no public access to the mainline as it runs through the swamp. Instead, railfans must drive around the swamp and return to following the mainline just East of Suffolk, 11.5 miles to the west. |
Layout Design Element.
The area around Yadkin is a simple scene that provides visual interest between operations focused LDEs. The goal of my Yadkin LDE is to provide a flexible LDE to transition between larger LDEs, by providing a distinct scene.
The focal point of the Yadkin LDE is the small building along side the tracks. To make the LDE work, I would scratch build this building to match the photographs as closely as possible. The old house across the tracks is also a key element of the LDE. Likewise it should be scratch built to match the original. The newer split level house in the foreground, along with the Interstate overpass show that this is a modern era scene.
My Yadkin LDE, captures the visual feel of the area, while provide flexibility in the amount of space used. For this LDE, I compressed all distances about 50%, except for the distance between the mainline and Yadkin Road, which parallels the mainline. Visually the key distances are the spacing between the tracks, roads and structures. Other distances can be compressed more or less to make the LDE fit a specific layout. Also, the tangent tracks through the scene are important to persevere as this portion of the N&W is famous for its many miles of tangent track. (The stretch of tangent track from Suffolk to Poe is much longer at 54 miles.) All of the structures are actual scale size.
Because Yadkin is designed to also serve as a transition LDE, the visual breaks at each end are a key element. The Interstate overpass is designed to be a key transition. Since one overpass is pretty much like another this allows a geographic "jump" of many miles without being visually disconcerting. The trees to the west also provide a visual break. Depending on how large a "jump" I would take between one and four feet to transition the trees and geography .
On way to make Yadkin an effective transition would be to set in near a turn-back curve. Yadkin would be modeled as straight tracks. West of Yadkin the tracks would enter the woods simulating the Great Dismal Swamp. In the swamp area, the tracks could curve into a turn-back area. Also the woods could transition from the swamp land to woods else, allowing transition of significant distances. For one of my layout designs, I used Yakdin and a turnback loop to jump from Norfolk to West Virginia over a distance of about 10 feet of track, which was sized to be longer than my longest train.
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Yadkin, VA LDE Prototype: NS (Old N&W Mainline) Dimensions: 4 feet x 2 feet, 12" Grid Scale: N Track work: Atlas Code 55 Flex track & Click here to download LDE as 3rd Plan It file.
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Pictures - May 2007
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| North and West faces of Yadkin Station | South and West faces of Yadkin station | |
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| North and East faces of Yadkin Station | SD70M locomotive with load of autoracks eastbound for Norfolk just before RR crossing at Yadkin. | |
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| View to the East of Yadkin, the near bridges are I-64/664 and the far bridge is US17. | View to the West of Yadkin looking into the Great Dismal Swamp. | |
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| Old house in Northwest quadrant of the road and railroad crossing at Yadkin. House was being restored in 2007. | Horse paddock in Northeast quadrant of road and railroad crossing at Yadkin. |
References
1. Google Earth - Yadkin, VA
2. Microsoft Virtual Earth - Yadkin, VA