Since i can't do any actual layout building right now, i'm taking pictures and studying the shortline and it's customers that runs near where i live [working in Tennessee right now]. The workers tell me they have 8 locomotives, but i've only seen one with the RRs logo on it. The latest addition is an old GP10 with Respondek RR markings. Since i'm a modern times freelancer, i decided not to follow any prototype, but creat my own RR with the theme of "we did it right", and give it a 10 year history of operation in the mountains of Arizina and beyond. It is very helpful talking to people that have worked on these lines for 8 or 10 years-they have lots of ideas about how to "do it right". Spending a lot of money on painting locos does NOT seem to be a priority, which leaves room for lots of interesting locos showing up on a short line. Anybody else working freelance in the present? curt
For a while before I decided to stick more with Frisco, I was modeling a "What-if" version of the Paris & Mt. Pleasant. I had two chosposed Athearn GP7s painted maroon with yellow striping and lettering, one chopnose GP7 with a modified CF7 cab to make the unit more like an ex-Santa Fe Geep, and a GP20 shell from Mantua I did some extensive work on to make it a GP20M (new fans, reworked the nose, new front & rear ends, no turbo exhaust, four non-turbo exhaust stakcs and a paper air filter on the top). Still have 'em in fact- I'm gonna add a couple of CF7s to the mix. Even today, shortlines run a wide variety of secondhand diesels (mostly EMD). I chose to do a brace of first-generation Geeps, but it's conceivable I could run two or three GP38s as well.
If you're a GEEP fan, you'll get a kick out of knowing this line i watch just got themselves a "new" GP10 with a black paint job lettered Respondek Railroad! Gotta be thirty years old, right? I've found out where they're main facility is, and will go there for some pictures-bet they have a big variety of motive power from what the engineer told me. curt
I started with just a freelanced shortline but the concept snowballed and has grown to a much bigger opperation. Originally, the Arizona Central would handle passengers, and the BALOU LINE would handle frieght as a north/south bridge line in Az. As I learned of the real short lines (including: Ariz Eastern, Ariz and Calif, Apache Railway, Grand Canyon Railway, ect...) I began incorperating them into my "parent company" with the slogan Uniting the Shortlines of Arizona . Add to this mix the mainline haulers, ATSF, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific (all pre merger) and I can run everything from 2-8-0 steam right up to dash 8s! I haven't created a complete history but the story has become quite involved. I look foward to the potential for exspansion from my current 18" X 6' industrial swithching shelf layout.
Wow, all that Arizona interest from a guy who lives in New York! You may have heard of some of my towns i'll model: Superior and Globe/Miami for copper; Snowflake for cattle; Pinetop/Showlow area for timber; edges of the Phoenix area [east valley, Mesa probably]for cotton; coal off the one Reservation whose name i can't think of. I have a rather unusual layout design that will allow a number of seperate areas. It will be built in a mobile office to allow for frequent maves. curt
I may live in NY now but I'm from Flagstaff, Az. Grew up along the rails of Santa Fe and Route 66. Unfortunately for me my (now X) wife relocated me here. Since I can't get back to Az right now (my daughter is here) I'll model my home and learn about the history of railroading where it all began.
I'm from Vernon, which is close to Showlow/Pinetop. There is , as you know, the Apache RR, but i also got to see a lot of the old RR that was actually on the Apache reservation when i worked there. No actual track left, but some cool old buildings and a few cars and a lot of right-a-way to get an idea of what it was like. I'm working in Tennessee right now and mightly miss my mountains, but there's a lot of railroading to see. curt
I am pretty familiar with your area, I have a good freind living in St. Johns. I lived in the Mesa/Tempe area for a few years also. Here zis a couple picture of my race track (double loop on a 32"x41") through "Red Rock Canyon". This is were I can run trains while the real layout is under construction. Here the BALOU LINE and the NON-SPECIFIC Meet just as the sun peeks over the horizon.
