by Joe Green/photos by the authorFreelanced prototype railroads, such as my HO scale Chesapeake & Ohio Ryder Gap Subdivision, can benefit from a plausible, well-defined backstory. EMD GP7s and GP9s were ubiquitous on the C&O, and they are on the Ryder Gap Sub as well. Back Creek Paper is the largest customer on the Ryder Gap Sub, shipping 250 tons of paper per day. I based the Ryder Gap Subdivision on a route that the C&O Engineering Department recommended for the Greenbrier Subdivision, but that was rejected by the board in favor of a different proposal. The Ryder Gap Sub’s future is in question…Per your request, please find attached the review of the Ryder Gap Subdivision for the upcoming regional operations planning cycle.