The layout was adapted from a track plan that originally appeared in the September 1998 issue of
Model Railroader called the "Pike City Beltline". It was flipped and altered to fit my waterfront layout criteria.

Name: Washington Northern - Port Andrews Tideflats District
Scale: HO
Size: 8 x 12 feet
Style: shelf
Minimum radius: 18"
Maximum grade: None
Roadbed: 3/4" plywood sub roadbed with cork roadbed on mainline
Mainline run: 17 feet including staging
Track: Atlas code 83 flex
Turnouts: Peco & Atlas with Tortoise switch machines equipped with Hare™ & Lenz stationary decoders
Minimum turnout: Peco #5
Track: Code 83
Car forwarding system: car cards & waybills with Dallas Modelworks Waybill Generator program
Control: NCE Pro cab DCC

The layout shares a 11' x 12' room with our exercise equipment. (I'm thinking of getting fat and lazy so I can expand the layout!) The layout was built in 3 separate "domino" shelf style sections which should the opportunity arise to acquire a larger space in the future, could be disassembled and moved without destroying it. The layout features Atlas code 83 flex track which was salvaged from my earlier larger layout. As tempting as it was to get the new, highly detailed, Micro-Engineering code 83 and 70 track, budget considerations led me to stick with what I had. I am still pleased with the look and performance of the trackwork. As mentioned above, the layout is running a NCE DCC system with tethered throttles which have jacks at three different locations on the fascia. Several of the locomotives have sound decoders in them. Eventually all will be equipped with sound.(After the daughters are out of college.)

The unmodeled Washington Northern system includes the Coast Subdivision which runs south (timetable westbound), traveling along the Washington coast, through Hoquim and Aberdeen, to tap into the large amount of lumber traffic. Then runs along the north bank of the Columbia River to Longview. At Longview it interchanges with the Burlington Northern. There is also a branchline that runs south from the Coast Subdivision to Long Beach. A once a week local serves the few industries along the branch. The Canal Subdivision skirts Hood Canal (timetable eastbound), down into Olympia, Washington, where it makes connections with the BN & Union Pacific. The WN also has negotiated trackage rights over the Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad (PS&P) from Aberdeen to Elma, before home rails again take it to Olympia. And with the PS&P at Shelton to handle traffic bound for Bremerton and the naval shipyards there.

The Tideflats District sees almost exclusively four-axle 1st and 2nd generation power. Although other power can occasionally be seen bringing trains into the district including SD70s, the newest locomotives in the fleet. But because of light rail sizes and tight radii in the industrial trackage, they are forced to stick to the mainline.
Below is a complete listing of my motive power.
To view details of my locomotives currently in service on the WN Tideflats District CLICK HERE.

* Awaiting DDC decoder installation
** Sound equipped