Trolleys: Altoona & Logan Valley

A&LV #177 1940s

There was a time when Altoona, like most American cities, enjoyed a flourishing rapid transit system. Typical of the breed the system started out with horse-drawn cars. By the "Gay 90's" electricity and traction motors replaced the animals. Around the turn of the 20th Century trolley lines came into their own. They plied their right of way with no competition from auto or bus. It was THE way to get around any city.

A&LV #72 and Sister June 1954

The Altoona & Logan Valley moved almost 12 million passengers over 2 million miles a year. As automobiles and buses became more common the fortunes of the company began a long slide downhill. Two consecutive World Wars saw a reverse in fortune, but like every other traction line in the country the A&LV was on borrowed time. In the mid 1950's the ride came to end. The last trolley ran in August of 1954. The streetcars were replaced, as in other cities, by diesel buses.

PTC #2590 at 40th and Woodland

On the Allegheny Eastern, the Altoona and Logan Valley still serves the citizens of the area. Unlike the real A&LV, which ran unique Osgood Bradley cars, the trolleys on the layout are PCC cars. These cars were designed by the Presidents Conference Committee in 1929 as the "ultimate" streetcar. They were supposed to fend off the competition from the cars and buses. Their streamlined design and newer, quieter equipment made them popular with riders. I have an affinity for the PCC, having ridden a few as a boy in Philadelphia. Of course, by the time I rode them they weren't quite as quiet, but I didn't care about any noise they made. They were trolleys! They also ran undergrouund in some parts of Philadelphia. These undeground sections were next to the subway portion of the elevated. You could transfer from the el to the trolley without ever leaving the tunnels. I can still remember standing on the platform with my mom and the way those tunnels sounded, felt and smelled.

Bachmann N scale PCC Streetcar

So it's no wonder that all the trolleys purchased for the Allegheny Eastern are marked for the  Philadelphia Transportation Company. The A&LV trolley's were all white over orange and distinct difference from the PTC cream over green. Since I first saw articles in Model Railroader about model trolleys I always thought I would have orange trolleys like the ones in the photos. They were so different! Now I find myself attracted to the "plain old" green and cream colors of my youth. The trolleys are all Bachmann models purchased second hand on E-Bay. While this makes them affordable, it also means they have major problems with split gears. Fortunately Bachmann sells replacements with better gears. Just make sure you ask for them specifically when ordering. The fact that I now have a boatload of "bad" trucks for these little models turned out to be a blessing. 

3" Radius Test Curve

Because streetcars operate on much tighter turns than the typical Pennsylvania Railroad train can negotiate, all the curves on the model A&LV will be approximately 3" radius. I had heard that these little Bachmann cars would need to be modified to take such curves. I could test any modifications using the old trucks before I had to ruin the good ones. I tried a few different configurations on a test curve I built on a piece of styrofoam using Code 55 flex track. Then just for comparison I ran a trolley refitted with the new trucks. To my surprise it made the curve! Should have tried the working trolley first. I wasted a lot of time trying to find a solution for something that wasn't really a problem.

Micro Motor and Trolley Truck

I even played with the idea of building a N scale traction truck using a vibrator motor from a cell phone. These motors are so small you could almost mount them parallel to the axles, just like real traction motors. I'm sure this could be done in TT or HO scale, but in N scale it's a bit of a stretch. Instead I had planned to mount one in each truck. It occurred to me this might not be enough torque. Not a problem. there's enough room to mount two motors on each truck! Of course I no longer need to do this, but the idea has merit. Think of the applications for real miniature traction motors!

Stock Height (left) Modified (right)

It seems to me that the stock Bachmann car has the same huge overhang seen when a real trolley rounds a street corner. The ground clearance is way more than I would like to see. PCC cars ride low and almost appear to be sitting on the ground. By eliminating material from the top of the cast frame I was able to reduce the ride height without wrecking the mechanism. Shaving as little as 1/16th makes a visible difference in the overall appearance. I used a hand saw to cut the white metal casting. It took about two hours. Next time around I'll use my Dremel.

I'd also like to play around with live overhead. I've seen it done by other modelers. Building catenary in N scale, however, might be too great a challenge for these tired old eyes of mine. Just laying these tight turns through the streets of Altoona may be more than enough challenge for one lifetime.

Allegheny Eastern Track Plan

Not sure yet how the Altoona and Logan Valley tracks will be routed. East of Altoona, between the yard and the new helix the space is alloted for the Altoona & Northern / Glen White trackage. There is room on the track plan for some urban scenery including streets in west Altoona. The passenger depot and freight house are located in this "downtown" area which is about 3 feet deep and 4 feet long.

The new helix is being built with broad curves. The innermost track has a minimum radius of 18". The track plan shown uses that minimum in general. The actual curves are tighter, but I may realign the right of way. Currently I'm not happy with the overhang of 80 foot passenger cars on the tighter radus (about 14-15 inches). This would also male it easier to operate the longer J1a and T1 class steamers. You never know, I may hit the lottery and be able to afford one or two.