Op. session at Dale Latham's Piedmont Southern

Norm Wolf and myself traveled over to southern Maryland yesterday and operated on Dale Latham's Piedmont Southern Railroad.  Seeing pics of it in MR's Great Model Railroads, I knew I was in for a treat.  It had changed some since that issue of GMR in 2009 but it was one of the nicest layouts I have visited.  It is a proto-freelanced layout based in western Virginia in the early 1950's.   My pictures don't do it justice.  I thank Dale for letting me have the chance to operate on his sensational layout.

Bob Sprague gets ready to make a cut in the yard.

Yard ladder track.

The many industries of the Piedmont area.

One of the yard switchers

This is Piedmont, my switching job consisted of jobs in this switching puzzle.

Another view Piedmont, my switching job consisted of jobs in this switching puzzle.

Norm Wolf poises with his train by the only tiny unfinished area on the layout.

A run through freight flies by the yard.

Like the Midland Coal sign by the station

Piedmont Station on the bluff.

Smaller tipples always seem to me to really stand out.  This one is no different.

Dixie Grocery Distributors

A RF&P boxcar is spotted.  Dale is a RF&P historical member so you will see some RF&P cars scattered on the layout.

In the distance is the largest coal mine on the layout,

What a great home by the tracks!

Details are a big part of the layout.  Here are two structures on the PS.

A log loading spur.

A neat scene of a log truck crossing a river.

The latest scheme on the Piedmont Southern is shown on this geep.

Norm continuing on his long trek throughout the layout.  To the left is part of a cement facility.

Another part of the cement facility in the hills.

Most of my switching and run-arounding was done in this area.

A view of Buckingham Box and Crate