Livingston Manor, or "The Manor" for short, was for many years a hot spot on the O&W. In steam days the local freights originated here, heading both north and south from this central locations. It was also a helper base in steam days, a location where locomotives were added to trains to help push them up the steep grades in the area.
When the diesels came the Manor became a shadow of its former self. The helpers were no longer needed, and the local freights ran out of Middletown and Cadosia on alternate days - one up, one back. Still, there is enough local industry left for the switch crews to get truly bogged down if they are not careful!
The signature scene on the lower level is Upper Liberty Trestles, and so we'll begin the tour here.
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A North bound train entering the layout first crosses the Upper Liberty Trestle. This location was actually a few mile south of Livingston Manor, but I wanted to include at least one major trestle on the layout. My model is nearly six feet long and is built from modified Micro-Engineering trestle kits. This is one of the favorite spots to"rail fan" on the layout.
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After crossing the trestle the train then proceeds through a backdrop which serves as a scene divider and enters Livingston Manor yard. The yard at Livingston Manor has been curved to allow it to wrap around the corner and it had to be reduced to three tracks (from four) in order to fit, but the basic layout is correct. Once through the yard the train then passes the station. The station is scratchbuilt based on the original plans. |
There are several industries in town that provide plenty of activity for the local freight crew. Sherwood's Ten Pin Mill (far right - they made bowling pins and Spalding baseball bats) and the Livingston Manor Lumber Company both shipped on the O&W, as did two retail coal dealers - DuBois Coal and Rockland Fuels. Several stores in town also received goods by rail that were unloaded on the team track. |
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| Just north of the station is the Main Street grade crossing. On the left is the old A.P. Dubois house. Across the street partially hidden in the trees is the old Dubois store, now occupied by Fuhrer's pharmacy. (Both of these buildings are now available from Branchline Trains). Beyond is the Livingston Manor Times building, Livingston Manor Lumber Company and the Sherwood Ten Pin Mill. The crossing shanty is a laser kit from The Old and Weary Car Shop. The crossing also makes a great place to watch trains.... |  |
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Another industry in town with a railroad connection was the Wilfred Smith Feed Store. This enterprise was housed in the old O&W freight house just north of the station. As of 2010 this structure was still standing on the Manor, but time may be short. The water tower behind is a true Houckenschneider creation! For more details click here. |
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On its way out of "The Manor" our train passes the CTC (Central Traffic Control) signals at the north end of the station. Installation of these signals after WWII allowed the O&W to go from double to single track, thus reducing maintenance costs. The models are built from Oregon Rail Supply kits and powered by a manual circuit designed for me by a fellow O&W enthusiast in Florida! A four position rotary switch is used to clear one block at a time. On an operating night the dispatcher (me) uses this set of signals to give clearance out of the Manor. Once past these signals the train curves around and enters the helix leading to the upper level and Roscoe. |
