NEB&W Layout Guide - Tahawus & North Creek, NY

Last Update: 2008-11-11

Layout Guide Table of Contents

More on Tahawus in our Photo Gallery. Also at NYS Ghost Towns.

More on North Creek in our Photo Gallery.

Tahawus and North Creek 1951 Traffic Report.

Branch Line

This section of the layout is the first you see upon entering. It is based on scenes on the Delaware & Hudson RR's North Creek branch. It connects to our mainline through the backdrop by Tahawus and terminates in North Creek. Generally during open houses we only run trains on the mainline, as too much time would be taken up by having to turn the train in North Creek.

Tahawus

Tahawus ("cloud-splitter") was the Indian name for Mount Marcy, the tallest peak in New York State. In the 19th century, the Adirondac(k) Company was formed to mine iron ore, but the unwanted titanium was a hindrance, as was lack of transportation, so the company failed. All that is left of this early attempt are the remains of a stone blast furnace, half hidden in the trees. Only the urgency of WWII allowed a massive titanium and iron plant to be built in the high peaks of the Adirondack Park, which was supposed to remain "forever wild."

The iron and titanium mine in Tahawus was built in WWII by National Lead Co. under a defense contract. Titanium was important for light weight aircraft alloys. Before the invention of radar, titanium was even more important as the principal ingredient in naval smoke screens. National Lead Company probably received the contract because as a pigment manufacturer, they had expertise with titanium dioxide. Titanium dioxide is used in white paint, which is the whitest (and non-yellowing) substance known.

North Creek

North Creek, NY, is a town on the Delaware & Hudson RR. In 1922, it had a population of just 800. We are modeling the scene as its mirror image. The small iron ore loader was a temporary affair, built to transfer ore from highway trucks to hopper cars until the Tahawus plant was finished.

The town's namesake creek flows under the railroad bridge. The streambed is made from kitty litter. The water is polyester, a soft casting resin that cures with a natural ripple on the surface, but scratches easily. The green building next to the creek is all that remains of a company that made "excelsior," a packing material made from wood shavings.

Barton Mines Corporation has been mining garnet on the top of nearby Gore Mountain since 1924, producing what is known as "Adirondack Crystal Garnet." Barton Mines was and is one of the few domestic sources of garnet. Garnet is a semi-precious stone, used mainly for its abrasive qualities. It was trucked down from the huge mining complex to a small pair of sheds, to be loaded into box cars. It would be shipped to such firms as Behr-Manning in Watervliet, to be made into sandpaper.

On September 6, 1901, President McKinley was shot in Buffalo. Vice-President Teddy Roosevelt went to spend a few days with him, until he was assured the President would recover. He then went to join his family and friends at the Tahawus Club, when word was sent to him that McKinley had been taken a turn for the worse. Roosevelt was rushed by buckboard to North Creek, the nearest station, in the middle of night, bouncing over unlit dirt roads. As he crossed the platform to board the special train to race him to Washington, D.C., the station agent handed him the telegram that said McKinley had since died, and Roosevelt was now President.

The North Creek station was the destination of the first ski trains, run by the D&H in the 1930's. The engine servicing area was rebuilt in WWII, as part of the upgrading of the line to handle the new ore traffic. This included a new turntable and enginehouse. (In recent times, the area is being restored and a tourist line is being set up. For more information: North Creek Rail Depot.)

Pine Trees

The large pine trees in this and other scenes are made from the limbs of artificial Christmas trees. They are cut to length, trimmed to an irregular conical shape, dipped in diluted white glue and sprinkled with a dark green ground foam rubber. This technique is demonstrated in Allen Keller's video on the layout, Great Model RR's, Volume I and in Kalmbach's Scenery Tips & Techniques. More on scenery construction.