Members of the Prince William County Model Railroad Club recently visited the Southern Railway "Rathole" Division as modeled by J.D. Smith.  The layout depicts the Second District of the Kentucky Division of Southern Railway between Danville, Kentucky and Oakdale, Tennessee (138 miles) and a portion of the Third District between Oakdale, Tennessee and Emory Gap, Tennessee. There were originally 27 tunnels on the Division (23 of which were on the Second District), providing the moniker of "the Rathole," but in the 1976-1982 time period that J. D. models, only four relatively new and modern tunnels remain, each of which is modeled on the layout. Extensive staging on the layout generates traffic from the north and south and to and from the Tennessee Division out of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The layout room fills the 2900 sq. ft. basement and includes elevated dispatching stations, a crew lounge, various displays and the workshop.  The benchwork is finished along with almost all of the trackwork.  Scenery is progressing rapidly, with approximately 20% completely finished.  Good planning and construction combined with a desire to remain faithful to the prototype results in a layout that is an overwhelming experience for the visitor.  With an uncanny combination of scope and detail, "the Rathole" by JD Smith is one of America's great model railroads.

Click on any photo to enlarge

Graphic by Amy Smith

Graphic by JD Smith

A lifetime love of trains combined with  his ability to think and plan big and get everything just right is what  makes the masterpiece "Rathole" by J.D. Smith

 

Photo by Jim Connal
Photo by Jim Connal With mountains that dwarf the trains and curves everywhere you look...you need power and plenty of it.  With full digital control and sound you hear the long freights approaching before you see them.
The distinctive green livery was just part of the charm that was passenger service on the Southern, in this case, the "Kentucky Derby Special" carrying stockholders and important customers north to Louisville, for the "Run for the Roses." Photo by Jim Connal
Photo by Jim Connal With 4 tunnels, operational signals, twisting "S" curves and 1.5% grades, "the Rathole" is always busy, transiting through the Cumberland Mountains with heavy priority freight and coal traffic directed both north and southward. Photo by Jim Connal
Photo by Jim Connal With trackage rights you even see an occasional L & N on the Rathole. Photo by Jim Connal
 

Photos by Jim Connal

  
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