Article by Nick Wilson

Hello all, my name is Nick Wilson and I will be writing Fresh Tracks, a column about youths who enjoy railroading. Let me tell you a little about myself and my interests. I have been into railroading for as long as I can remember. I developed the interest on my own. I don't think I was influenced by any adults who were already in the hobby. A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon the Teen Association of Model Railroaders while reading a Model Railroader one day. I logged onto their web site, emailed the director, and the next thing I new, I was a member. I am also the founder of the Western New York Division.

I model the transition period of Conrail and CSX in N scale. I like the transition because I can model the later years of Conrail, my favorite railroad, while modeling the latest CSX equipment. My layout is currently not up and running, but I am helping to get a room prepared for it. Besides the layout, I am planning to start working on an NTRAK module based on Voorheesville, New York, otherwise known as CP (Controlled Point) VO. This was a major railroad junction and diamond crossing between CSX's Chicago Line (Chicago, IL - Albany, NY) and CP Rail/Delaware & Hudson (Albany, NY - Delanson, NY). I like this spot over many others because it is near where I grew up and it hosted my favorite railroad, Conrail. CP VO is part of CSX's Selkirk Branch, a line that departs the Chicago Line at Rotterdam Junction, NY and travels 41 miles to CSX's Selkirk Yard. The only deviation from reality is that I will model the diamond as if it were still in place (it was recently removed) and it will be triple track. The triple track is a necessity on my module, in order to meet NTRAK standards.

Another module I would like to build is a representation of Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. Hell Gate spans the junction of the East and Harlem Rivers. It boasts four tracks; one has since been removed, one is for freight, and the other two are part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. I think this would make an interesting and fun project that would be a real crowd pleaser. I also like this landmark because it represents a huge piece of New York City's railroad history; and is a piece of marvelous architecture built by the famous bridge engineer Gustav Lindenthal.

You might be wondering how I got involved in N scale. I was originally intending to get into HO scale. I had even started plans to build an HO layout. However, my dad wanted to get a pre-built 4x8 HO layout, so we were always checking the local newspaper for people getting rid of layouts. One day, we came upon an ad for a "large HO scale model railroad". Large indeed, it was approximately 65x20! We then saw a 4x8 N scale layout that I really liked. The guy was offering it cheap, so we purchased it. My dad presented me with the layout, as well as an assortment of freight cars, a locomotive, and some other supplies as a birthday present. I was from then on hooked on N scale.

I would like to work in a field somehow relating to railroading when I get older. Hopefully, I will be able to fulfill my dream of becoming an electrical or mechanical engineer and design new locomotives. While I would love to work for a railroad as an operator, I think I would enjoy designing the locomotives better. While some dream of rolling down the high iron of Union Pacific, my dream is to work for EMD, whom I always preferred over General Electric.

Happy Railroading!