Description

The New River and Hawks Nest

by Matt Schaefer

In 1970 I got into N Scale and wondered why all NTRAKers didn’t add a few offsets in modules to have natural curves in NTRAK layouts. To get the ball rolling, I made two modules in 1983 each about 3 x 6 feet for examples and called them the New River Subdivision (NRSD), now called Hawks Nest. See the adjacent pictures. They are built to NTRAK specs except between the two modules where the modules are dedicated to each other.

The two modules were intended to give the feel and romance of the New River Gorge and are made up of ideas taken from several different places along the New River.

Local N scale friends were attracted to the modules and built simple end turn lolly-pop modules so they could get continuous running through the gorge. We were small enough that we could set up in garages or anywhere and yet we could run through typical gorge scenery. Also we could invite out-of-towners and flatlanders to clamp on with us and during 1983 -84 we took the New River to Cherry Hill, NJ and Greensboro, NC NMRA conventions.

The point was proven that you can start a club anywhere if you just build a module that is fun for everybody to run on. Jim FitzGerald included a spread on the NRSD modules on page 44 of his 1984 "The NTRAK How To Book". See this for more information on the NRSD.

The group members gradually moved away and about 1990 another local upstart group with 6 members called asked me to join based on the article in the book.

Bernie Kempinski’s was just getting into model railroading and when I took him through the gorge he was easily persuaded to build Quinnimont. Then others jumped on the bandwagon building New River type modules such as Thurmond, Sewell, Prince, Gauley Bridge, Hinton, CW Cabin, Allegheny, and a second, larger Sewell measuring 4 x 10 feet. When clamped together, the whole section or subdivision is now called NRSD, It is similar to the Columbia River layout, except that all NRSD modules do not have to be present and do not really have to be in any certain order except to replicate the run down the river on the C&O’s NRSD. Sections as long as 50 feet have been taken as far as Madison, WI in 1997 and to Orlando, FL in 1998. Four more NRSD modules are in the works in 1998. Some of the modules were built by members of distant clubs because of the fun of participating in a large scenic subdivision like this. Bernie has been publishing the "NRSD Dispatch" newsletter quarterly to exchange member's information on related subjects.

The Hawks Nest modules have held up over the years since 1983 and the 1" x 4" frame and track is as good as ever. The hardshell is hydracal on ¼ inch wire screen which is a natural for steep high standing scenery and is light, resists dings and doesn't delaminate or separate but I like foam too. No Homasoat was used to avoid moisture absorption and to reduce that extra height and weight. The ends of the modules are rounded and even the top of the skyboard is scalloped to add to the free form curves. Being my first modules the weight on the heavier 3 x 6 x 18" high module is 70 pounds mainly due to an excess of rocks and outcrops.

The NRSD and Hawks Nest have accomplished their goals, that is showing that if you provide modules that are fun to run on and operate on it will keep the members involved, draw a crowd and may develop into bigger and better things. There are many other exciting theme subdivisions like harbors and switching districts that could be built to attract groups together with similar interests. If the modules remain compatible with NTRAK the project is available to that large population of N scalers and it draws NTRAKers closer together. It's fun and it just takes one person to start that freight train rolling.