The East Bend and Northern On30 Railroad

Last Updated: 6/20/2007

--- Assorted Details about the EB&N ---

The East Bend & Northern is a fictious 30" narrow gauge line serving small townships in the Sierra foothills. It serves to transport a variety of goods from the Central Valley into the mountains. Fortunately, the EB&N has never been highly dependent on one specific material for its revenue. This has allowed it to survive the shifts in demand for lumber, ore, produce and so forth. Founded in the late 1880's, it survived into the first third of the 1900's. Ultimately, the economic downturn of the 1930's coupled with improved roadways lead to the demise of the line.

The EB&N has an eclectic collection of rolling stock and motive power. Much of the equipment was purchased second hand. Shay #1 and Porter #5 saw service on the Yaquina Bay Railroad in western Oregon. The YBR&R was a short branch line that served to transfer goods between the port at Yaquina Bay and Corvalis. When the YBR&R was abandoned, the EB&N salvaged rail over a portion of the right-of-way as well as aquiring the two locomotives.

The diagram above shows the modules that make up the EB&N. These all utilize light weight, foam board and ridged light weight frames. The first module built was originally intended to be a dual use module - at home and with the California Central Coast On30 module group. This first module spawned three more. To better utilize these and to make future transport easier, the older 1x4 framed sections of the EB&N were retired.

Since the modules all use a standardize interface, there is a degree of flexibility in how they are arranged. This will allow some modules' positions to be shifted giving the layout a new look without a full rebuild. The current point-to-point distance is roughly 1/3 scale mile.

The track and switches for the modules are Peco On30. Peco was selected primarily because flex track and switches are available from numerous sources. This eliminates the need to hand spike switches. The switches are operated by a mix of hand throws and machines. The minimum radius is 22" though most are 24" or larger.

The equipment roster includes: a circa 1980's Grandtline Saddletank Porter and MDC HO Shay bash; from Bachmann a pair of 2-6-0's, a pair of 0-4-0 Porters, an 0-4-2 Porter, a Climax, a Shay, a Forney, some railtrucks, and a 2-8-0 and an assortment of boxcars, gondolas, flatcars and cabooses; a Foothills Model Works sand and gravel car; a Backwoods Miniatures Railtruck, 2-6-0 Porter, and a Climax; a Train & Trooper inspection car, and a bench full of kits that I haven't started yet. Where it's practical to do so, the powered equipment is being converted to DCC.