The Dambridge Loop

The Dambridge Loop is the CRMHA’s small, portable HO layout, and it is designed to be displayed and operated as an interactive ambassador for our great hobby. It will look every bit as good as our “hands-off,” large portable layout, but available for the public to twist a throttle. Little kids enjoy our large-scale Thomas trains, so this intermediate display will be fun for everyone else. Measuring slightly less than 4-feet by 7-feet, it is big enough to provide plenty of running action yet small enough for two people to transport in a typical, covered pickup truck or SUV. Two people can carry the layout by the drop-handles on the side, and set it onto a typical folding table. It only needs one person to either operate or to supervise guest operators from the public.

The control system will be old-fashioned DC, with manual, rod-activated switches for durability and dependability. A simple loop of track allows for continuous running with an interchange track, run-around track, and four sidings for switching fun. Buildings are a combination of styles from Model Power and Life- Like to Walthers and Woodland Scenics.

Scenery will be typical materials we use, plus Hobby Lobby and “bottle brush” trees that can hold up to the bumps and dings that occur with public access.

Locale History: The fictional town of Dambridge is located in northwest New Jersey. Its origins date back to 1841 when businessman Benjamin Clifton set up shop and developed a thriving lumber business. The headwaters of the Raritan River appealed to Clifton as a potential power source, which soon proved favorable. It was not long after that when Clifton’s business associate, George Stickler, moved his small furniture building operation (Stickler-- for Detail) adjacent to the mill, and the village began to thrive. For the first few years the village was called Clifton Mills (Clifton, for short), until the Elizabethtown & Somerville Railroad came to town in 1858. Not to be confused with the nearly town of Clinton, NJ, the officially recorded map declared the new name of the town to be Dambridge, in honor of Clifton’s millworks and the many bridges that span the river. Dambridge was located at the end of the railroad’s Clinton Branch and thus a loop track was built as a means of turning trains. Today, Dambridge is a pleasant village town somewhat quieter than in its 1940’s heyday. It is located at the intersection of NJ Hwy 31 and Hunterdon County 513 between Clinton and High Bridge. The Clifton Mill no longer saws lumber but still houses the Clifton Supply Company. The Stickler Company still produces fine furniture for exclusive markets, but most of the town’s residents commute to work in offices eastward. On weekends, however, the town’s small shops benefit from a brisk tourist trade in rare books, gifts, antiques, and boutique clothing.


By Rob Seel