The Mon Valley Railroad Club of West Virginia

Mountaineer Week 2007

The HO scale layout was set up in the Shenandoah Room of the Mountainlair on the campus of West Virginia University. The room had ample space for the 12' x 24' layout, the 2' x 8' switching layout, and many visitors. We began moving the pieces of the modular layout into place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 1st. Trains were running by 9:00 p.m.

During our time at Mountaineer Week, club members demonstrated how to clean and lubricate locomotives; how to build freight car kits; how to build and detail structures; how to operate a freight yard; and how to switch freight cars to specific industries in a small town. Hundreds of visitors stopped by to see the display and many participated in the demonstrations and asked many questions.

We look forward to appearing at future Mountaineer Week events. See you there!

Scott and Shelly Chervenick's family stopped by to see the trains and get a few pointers for their home empire. Gary Deavers is in the background explaining another aspect of the layout to a captive visitor.

An HO scale model of the depot at Cass, W. Va.

Our club members are inspired by many of the structures and scenes from West Virginia's past. Frank Benders built this replica of the depot at Cass, W. Va. from measurements and photos he took on site. He used sheet styrene to make the walls and trim. Frank's efforts look most impressive up close at trackside.

Members often bring projects to work on during our Mountaineer Week stay. Steve Raque is working on an HO scale kit made by B.T.S. of Elkins, W. Va. He has the walls of a small freight depot painted and ready for assembly. Some extra light and the right tools assist in Steve's efforts.

A Western Maryland loco pulls loaded hopper from the coal tipple.

A once common site in West Virginia was a small coal tipple at trackside that loaded a few cars a day. Gary Deavers created this scene based on old photos and memories. It's hard to believe it fits into a space less than five feet long.

Special thanks to Frank Benders, Auggie Brignardello, Ken Colvin, Gary Deavers, Keith DeVault, Jon Fleming, Dave Hines, Mike Hohn, Bill Hudak, Sr., Eric Johnson, Steve Kite, Jim Kubanick, Lou Lemelle, Lew Matt, Steve Raque and the Tokarcik Crew (Bob, Chris and Andrew) for their efforts in making the 2007 Mountaineer Week festivities a success for our group.