Model Railroad Track Plan for a Coal Industry!! ANY SCALE!!!

[@RWSBaden]

Hi DJ, Technically Colona Transfer is in Colona, PA which is a very tiny community on the (Railroad East) side of Monaca. Colona does not have a post office, so Colona Transfer has a Monaca mailing address. There is a very neat history of why the P&LE built the original facility at Colona and it deals with Jones & Laughlin Steel. J&L wanted the Army Corps of Engineers to make the Beaver river navigable, so the J&L Aliquippa Works could receive coal and ore via lake boats. A few other rivers would be involved as well, but you get the idea. The P&LE pledged to move ore and coal traffic at river rates to J&L Aliquippa Works and built Colona River Rail Transfer as part of the deal with J&L Steel. The factory buildings located beside Colona Transfer was not associated with J&L Steel, it was called Colona Steel Company. The yard that you call Aliquippa yard, was known as Blacks Run yard on the P&LE. P&LE Aliquippa yard was located were the QA yard office was once located along side the West Aliquippa Bridge (P&LE CP 20). A very nice video DJ, I love the drone footage. It looks like the covered hoppers on the new track might be delivering cement as that is definitely a concrete batch plant and you can even see some concrete mixers sitting near the plant. A few of the mixers are painted "Beaver Concrete" yellow while the others are painted "Frank Bryan Concrete" Orange and Green? I agree, Colona Transfer would be a neat switching layout or a nice industrial area on a larger layout. Cheers, Rich S.

[@metalhead_modellerm4804]

A GP9rm is a Canadian National Rebuilt gp9, they're pretty common in Canada. Most are yard or local power, many are slug mothers and/or can be operated with a remote control.

[@danielc7964]

Man this video makes me nostalgic from all the railfanning done around here

[@austinyingst5902]

Very interesting. The video not only "does" the track, it clearly shows scenery. Nicely done. This big piles of graded coal makes them look like a broker. More modeling interest.

[@brenmayhugh]

Perfect timing - the current idea for my railroad is to have a rail/river transfer as I’m freelancing in or around southern Indiana. This is an amazing video to start me working towards that.

[@MichaelMiller-od6pu]

Really great video. Totally informative and your drone footage is most enjoyable! Thanks DJ!!

[@kamala2111]

Cool drone footage

[@JoeG-firehousewhiskey]

This is great, Thanks for the tour of the facility. I like the idea of modeling from rail to river!

[@jolliemark6294]

Cool idea as always.... thanks for sharing Jack

[@georgiasunbelt]

Thanks DJ. That was a very interesting video of an industry I never thought to model

[@nathandelay]

Very awesome DJ

[@hansfehlow9657]

I enjoyed this video especially for the method you used to create a picture of what could be created on our layouts. Thank you for sharing. Happy Modelling. Hans ...

[@randellevans6102]

Nice job with the video, showing great views of the landscape and track.

[@markarnold8160]

Many thanks DJ. A good transfer set up there.

[@wolfpack4694]

Great video and narrative DJ. Love the schematic also. Good for model rr ideas.

[@joeraderblackrockcentralrr]

would like to see more of the cement operation thats next to the coal works. great video. thanks

[@djstrains]

a mile away is Phoenix Glass but about 4 miles away is the cement plant. aliquippa southern works that and I haven't been down that way by rail or drone. They get our cars at the A&S yard part of aliquippa yard.

[@Mercatoyd]

DJ.. its great having a current engineer doing video.. The New Castle Industrial GP-9RM #4032.. that paint scheme looks a lot like the Florida Central scheme that I've seen around the Ocala area near the CSX "S" line.. The difference is the way the colors go..the FC is mainly Orange with the black stripe edged in yellow..

[@JoeyBPhotography]

Very informative and awesome video! This has even given me ideas about a completely different industry I want to model, as well.

[@ThomasKlimoski]

Hi DJ, Excellent video! Lots of great modeling ideas from your video can be applied to our model railroads. Colona Transfer would be a fantastic candidate for a small switching layout.-Tom

[@vincentvanpaepeghem4844]

Great video!

[@conecuhvalleyttrak]

Good information. We have some rail-barge facilities like that in Alabama. Thanks for sharing! - John

[@elsdp-4560]

THANK YOU...for sharing.

[@douglaskirk2543]

Used to live in that area, always wondered what that COMPLEX was all about. Now I know

[@dwighthitchens9838]

Great video. I appreciate it.

[@jerrysmith1929]

Having fun with that drone.

[@djstrains]

Too much! I check the weather everyday, lol

[@N-Scale]

Thanks for the info , Mike

[@thomassalerno5203]

Wow Deege! We got lots in common. I also model Colona Transfer in H0 as part of my PTD Pittsburgh Terminal District. I service Colona yard with a PLE MP-15. You confirmed coal rail to barge traffic there plus other new traffic (frac sand and cement). Do you know if Colona services Alicia Transfer which ships metallurgical grade coal from the Cumberland mine X-US Steel via barge (which has no rail interchange) up to Colona for rail load out ? Maybe to Gary which just re-opened. Most guys who watch have no idea the value of your real life real railroad customer videos. Since I’m retired down here in The Villages FL it’s great that you keep us up to date on the Pittsburgh area railroad scene. Thanks a million !

[@djstrains]

ironically, I passed Alicia for the first time this weekend while working newell to Grafton. No activity there. I can't say what goes where since it keeps changing.

[@thomassalerno5203]

@@djstrains So you used track rights on (X-PLE) NS at the Brownsvillle Wye (your video) down to your CSX interchange? One of the branches would get you over Loveridge Mine also yes?

[@jamessutton9319]

It appears the covered hoppers service a "Beaver Concrete & Supply Co.".

[@1tombensky]

The drone footage is so stable! Have you done a video showing the drone and camera set up you are using? Good choice for a potential model. Great video.

[@djstrains]

prefer not to. I have seen some youtube videos of people being assholes with drones, so the less out there the better.

[@NScaleRailroad]

DJ, How do you find the time working for CSX? When I worked for CNW wasn't much time, 8-10 Hrs off, back to work till I finally worked up to the "Hot Shots", then we had days off. Great vid by the way, sure like what you've been doing. Keep up the good work..

[@djstrains]

I had just got off work but had the drone with me, and since no crew was working, I flew it for 20 minutes.

[@dannyholt105]

Great video DJ! Are they actually using covered hoppers for coal? I hadn't seen that before. Cheers, Dan

[@waltersobchek2465]

Awesome!!

[@charlesseale7885]

Great Video. Excellent ideas for modeling there. Which Railroad owned that line before CSX took it over??

[@djstrains]

Pittsburgh & Lake Erie

[@PittsburghAndLakeErie9405]

I pass by Colona Transfer going to my friends house :D

[@tripleheart2970]

Another great video, congratulations! Your drone stuff continues to be fantastic. There’s a similar transloading operation in West Elizabeth called Riverlift Industries, but they are served by the evil Norfolk Southern.

[@BlackMan614]

"evil" NS?? Trust me... post-Hunter Harrison... CSX is the dark side.

[@EmPtySworld1]

Very nice.. Thank you

[@keithstrassner465]

Great video, anyone know a good source of HO scale river barges, river towboats?

[@djstrains]

I did a video on how to make them (N scale, but you can do HO same way). kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5S7XoqQatCHl9U

[@leehuff2330]

4032 looks just like one of Youngstown and Southeastern's units.

[@southjersey10]

The 4032 reminds me of the KCS color scheme. Very pronounced. Your drone technique has to put you into the top 10% of modeling videographers. Until I “ever” get a drone google maps is still a great source to learn about a prototypical operation. You blend actual maps with your overhead runs beautifully. Lunch and learn has morphed into Watch and learn. Thx.

[@djstrains]

Hope you are doing well, my friend!

[@southjersey10]

Playing 👨🏾‍⚕️; but these videos are a nice break from the action.

[@leehuff2330]

The Y&S has one just like it based at North Lima.

[@RocktCityTim]

That white load-out? Model Railroading plaster, of course!

[@djstrains]

you made me bust out laughing

[@clearingbaffles]

I have 4 Air Force bases and Army Depot near me 2 are closed lots of tracks on those

[@ErikVince]

Does Amtrak run through there?

[@djstrains]

no, they go from cumberland to braddock on our main, then up the P&W branch, and over to NS at Bloomfield to Pittsburgh

[@ErikVince]

@@djstrains that was helpful

[@jonglass]

Didn't there used to be a steel mill in this location?

[@djstrains]

J&L Aliquippa works is south of this. Massive plant when it was operating.

[@leehuff2330]

@@djstrains Closed in 1984. We had a few family friends who worked there.

[@winjama8266]

Hi DJ, Thanks for a very interesting modeling idea. I guess I’m what you would call a ‘virtual model railroader.’ I’m a 70 YO retired expat, living in Belize, Central America. Our humidity seldom is below 70%, which pretty much precludes actual modeling. Corrosion on metal and electrical components, as well as moisture affecting all aspects of scenery dictates the necessity for a virtual empire. I went to Colonnade Transfer’s website, which is very well laid out and informative. After about five minutes of surfing their site, I am now locked out of the entire site, which is a bummer. I’ll pursue getting access to their site. I don’t know if it’s because of a foreign IP address or some other cause. Anyway, that’s not your problem. I would like to ask if it would be possible to get a .jpg copy of the yellow, black, and red loco, and a copy of the map you showed in your video. So, anyway, thanks again for a very informative video. I enjoy your postings very much. You are quite a good drone pilot, which really helps with understanding what I’m seeing in the videos. Keep up the good work. Thanks.

[@djstrains]

email me: [e-mail]

[@TruckinGoat]

This is an affiliate of McClymonds Inc.

[@lornperkins4270]

Haha..he said "dumper". Then he said *covered* dumper...if I didn't know any better I would think that he was talking about my butt..lol