Station 2 Montesano

Main Headquarters

Location. Montesano is the first station south of Brady Junction. 

 

History

Montesano is a freelanced station on the WWSL. The area was originally high ground bounded by the NP main line to the north, a platted residential area to the west, flood plane/slough formed by the Chehelis river to the east, and the Chehelis River itself to the south. An existing Schafer Brothers Logging Company spur line ran from Brady to a two track log dump on the Chehelis River.

In the alternate history Montesano became the Headquarters for the railroad when it was established in 1935. As a common carrier with an increased interchange with the NP, it built an interchange yard at Brady. When the WWSL acquired trackage south of the Chehelis River from the Saganaw Timber Company, the WWSL built the Demaine Yard. The WWSL headquarters building is mileage 0.0 on the timetable.

Design Considerations.

I saw the Brady Junction - Montesano - Demaine Yard modules to be what a Class 1 railroad would consider to be a Division Point, that is all operations start at this location and extend outward. As a result, we have a major junction, an administrative building/passenger station, an interchange yard and a classification yard in easy communications reach of headquarters. 

The Montesano module ties everything together. One track (normally called the main track) extends north and east to the NP Junction at Brady and WWSL Subdivision 1and south and west to Demaine Yard and the Second Subdivision. It also acts as the station track for passenger operations, and has a turnout that provides passenger car movement from the coach yard to the station.

A second track acts as a the interchange yard lead track. It has turnouts supporting two MOW spurs.

Roadway. 

• WWSL main track - Class B standard
• WWSL interchange lead track - Class B standard
• 2 spur tracks - Class C standard

Catenary/Signaling

• (C) Main track and coach yard lead are wired.
• (C) Interchange lead track is not wired.
  

 Scenery.

• Background is ground level sparse near treeline.
  
• Midground is Headquarters Building
• Foreground is spur tracks with MOW storage areas.

Rolling Stock 

The option to locate a passenger station to the layout would then entail the acquisition of passenger coaches. See Passenger Car history for additional details.

Structures. Structures located at this station will be: 

• Headquarters building is home to WWSL corporate functions. The building also functions as the passsenger station. A building that caught my interest years ago is a C&O Railway building in Thurman WV.
• A rail and tie storage yard.
• A bridge parts yard.