Chestnut Hill & Frost River Railroad (CHFR)

Introduction
The Chestnut Hill & Frost River Railroad (CH&FR) is a regional / short line situated in Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. The line extends from Chestnut Hill, WV along the New River, where it connects to the CSX New River Sub, through Glover's Bend, WV along the Tug Fork River, connecting with Norfolk Southern at WIlliamson, WV, and extending to Frost River, KY in the vicinity of Pikeville. There is a planned extension to connect with CSX at Corbin, KY and NS at Danville, KY but the line has not been built.

The CH&FR's mission is to provide world class freight and passenger service to the businesses and residents of the rural areas through which its line runs, while helping to preserve the legacy and heritage of railroading in the region. Founded on the day of West Virginia's statehood (June 20, 1863), the CH&FR is the second oldest continuously operating independent railroad, behind the Union Pacific.

Primary traffic along the line is, of course, "black gold", but the CH&FR also serves a variety of businesses in and around all of its major stations, giving a worldwide presence to local firms including NSN Scientific, Inc., Loscher Marbles & Glass Works, North Fork Lumber Co., Mountaineer Propane, and a variety of smaller businesses through its network of freight depots.

Passenger service is provided through daily commuter service to both Charleston and Huntington, WV, daily "employee runs" to area mines, and regular excursions for tourists and railfans.

The CH&FR mainly employs 2nd generation EMD Diesel power, but also rosters two preserved steam engines which are used for excursions and occasionally on revenue freight when needed.

More information about the railroad, its activities, and its model can be found on the CH&FR Railroad Blog.

Interchanges

 * CSX: Russell KY, Thurmond WV, Corbin KY (planned)
 * Norfolk Southern: Williamson WV, Danville KY (planned)

Fiction vs. Reality

 * Chestnut Hill, WV : Fictional (though there was a real Chestnut Hill on the B&O Ohio River line)
 * Frost River, KY : Fictional
 * Glover's Bend, WV : Fictional (inspired by the real Glover's Gap, WV)
 * Nolan, WV : Real (though there's no rail yard there)
 * Williamson and Huntington, WV : Real
 * Russell, Corbin and Danville, KY : Real

Modeling Info
The current model of the CH&FR is the town of Glover's Bend, WV and the adjacent Nolan Yard, along with a branch line to the nearby LaVere Mining Company #3 Tipple. The town of Glover's Bend includes a main street, passenger and freight depots, the NSN Scientific chemical plant, and the Mountaineer Propane LPG dealer. Nolan Yard includes a yard tower, MOW equipment, 5 tracks for classification, and a modest engine service facility.

The layout is a 38x80 "hollow core door" or "HCD" style design, built on a frame of 1x3s with a layer of extruded polystyrene foam ranging from 2" to 4" thick, and resting on a base that provides storage and wheels. The layout is as portable as a fifty pound wooden rectangle can be, in that the only external wiring connections are a single power cord and a USB connection to the layout computer.