Share Your Freelanced Layout Themes

dak94dav May 2, 2016

  1. dak94dav

    dak94dav TrainBoard Member

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    image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg View attachment 171736 image.jpeg I've found recently that one of my favorite parts of the hobby is creating freelanced layout themes and ideas. This has kept me involved and interested the last few years while I've been in between layouts. I really enjoy sharing ideas on the forum to get opinions, suggestions, and other ideas from other folks. My favorite layout themes are the "what if" scenarios. Here are some of my favorites:

    1. Pacific Midland Rail System
    A large merger between the Milwaukee Road and Rock Island that was proposed, but never happened.
    Layout would represent a freelanced stretch of the Milwaukee Road's Pacific Coast Extension in Montana. Era would be the late 1980s-early 1990s. (this is my current interest)

    2. Cotton Belt
    The St. Louis Southwestern as its own independent company, not associated with the Southern Pacific or any other railroad. The SSW remains competitive by offering aggressive freight and intermodal schedules between Chicago and the Gulf Coast via trackage rights with C&NW and SP. Layout's setting would be the Cotton Belt's mainline through rural eastern Missouri in 1986.

    3. Texas & Pacific
    The Texas & Pacific survives in the present day as a successful regional railroad. The T&P retains its original lines and gains a few additional secondary routes spun off by Class 1s. The railroad specializes in regional intermodal service between New Orleans, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Oklahoma City, and El Paso. Layout would represent the T&P mainline east of Abilene, Texas.

    4. Western Pacific Lines
    The Western Pacific fears its only chance to survive into the future is to become larger and more developed, and thus merges with the Rio Grande. The Western Pacific name, along with their paint scheme, is kept to represent a larger western system. In 1980, the WP purchases the failed Rock Island's Denver to Chicago line, effectively giving the railroad a direct line from Chicago to the Pacific Coast. Layout would be set somewhere in Colorado in the 1980s.

    Please share your ideas for freelanced railroads, or info and pics of yours if you model one!
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2016
  2. GSEC

    GSEC TrainBoard Member

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    Just starting back in after a 25 year layoff from model railroading. No photos of scheme, but it's in my head with a little bit on paper. Received my first model train set for Christmas, 1986. Decided shortly after to create the TeaKettle Line (T&KL after the initials of our two kids - Tony & Keely. Had to put things away for several years, but tried again in early 90's. Work again interfered, but now I'm retired! 100% "freelance" Otherwise I'd get lost in details of a real prototype.
     
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  3. Mr. SP

    Mr. SP Passed away August 5, 2016 In Memoriam

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    The railroad here is the late Southern Pacific. My railroad is based on a make believe SP branch line set in the 1070's. Power is EMD GP-9's Alco RS-32's and a Baldwin S--12 for yard duty A GE 70 Tonner is used for switching the industrial park and pulling the tourist train. The railroad is a shelf layout sixteen inches deep around all four walls of a room thirteen feet square.
     
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  4. J911

    J911 TrainBoard Member

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    Would love to see some pictures if you got any

    Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
     
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  5. acptulsa

    acptulsa TrainBoard Member

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    Missouri Pacific Santa Fe.

    It would have been an outstanding road. The managements of both roads wanted it to happen in the 1960s. But there were two problems--the Missouri Pacific had a bunch of stockholders who couldn't agree on the relative values of common and preferred stock, and the federal government can't recognize something as good for Americans without a bribe or two to help them clear the fog away.

    But if it had happened, three railroads would connect the Mississippi and the Pacific today, not just two.
     
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  6. dak94dav

    dak94dav TrainBoard Member

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    Glad you're able to get back in the hobby. What's your era and locale?
     
  7. dak94dav

    dak94dav TrainBoard Member

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    Sounds like my style of railroading (y). You have any motive power pics? I'd like to see the paint scheme.
     
  8. montanan

    montanan TrainBoard Member

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    My layout is also a freelance railroad set in southwestern Montana in 1957. It is a point to point layout with the capability for continuous running with the use of hidden staging tracks. It connects to both the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee Road. I wanted a simple paint scheme that had a family look. When it was started, over 30 years ago, Athearn was probably the best bang for the buck until Atlas came out with their Alco units. They still run like a Swiss Watch. I quickly got a bunch of them and painted them for the Logan Valley.

    [​IMG]

    The Layout was built mainly for switching with many of the industries on the layout supplying other industries on the layout, besides ones at points beyond.

    The layout is still DC only. I am a lone operator and rarely have the need to run more than one locomotive at a time so I did choose not to go DCC.
     
  9. Mr. SP

    Mr. SP Passed away August 5, 2016 In Memoriam

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    For some reason the photos I have won't upload on Trainboard. I have some on "The Railroad Forum"(www.forum.railroadforum.com) Go there and when the page loads up there will be a box marked "Gallery". Click there and two windows should come up. Click right on the words "Members Gallery" and a bunch of squares will come up. Find the one with Mr. SP in the middle of it and click on Mr. SP My albums should come up. Look for "Espee in the Basement" for the photos of my railroad.
     
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  10. Mr. SP

    Mr. SP Passed away August 5, 2016 In Memoriam

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    Like them Alcos there Chet. Good job!!
     
  11. dak94dav

    dak94dav TrainBoard Member

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    Good looking layout. The autos really give the 1970s look and feel, too.
     
  12. dak94dav

    dak94dav TrainBoard Member

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    Being in the same area, a 1980s-90s version of your line would probably interchange with my Pacific Midland (y)
     
  13. J911

    J911 TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks! Nice looking tourist operation you got going on lol I needed some inspiration. Mine is based off Southern California 1950s SP and SF citrus operations. The hard part im having is finding color photos from that era. I will get pictures up soon. It's a around the room/modular type layout 10x10

    Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
     
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  14. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    This in essence the fictional route of my free lance system that's currently in my head and on a few engines. The difference is that in my scenario, thewhat if happens in 96. What if, the UP-SP merger happened more like the conrail breakup. So CP and KCS form a joint venture to counter the purchase. STB approves UP, but they must give up routes to the new entity. They give up the DRGW, WP, Portions of the mopac, SP coast line, Siskiyous and the west Valley line from Davis to Red Bluff. I then armwave some of the Rock Island abandonments and pretend a route to Chicago can be repatriated. Much trackage around LA, the Bay is SP shared assets and trackage rights bridges gaps.
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2016
  15. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    I should say that the name of my line is the CD&CP. Chicago, Denver and Central Pacific, but I'm under pressure to change the name to by the Kid's initials which are C,J,E.
     
  16. dak94dav

    dak94dav TrainBoard Member

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    Sounds like a powerful system! Do you have a paint scheme developed yet? If so, would love to see it
     
  17. acptulsa

    acptulsa TrainBoard Member

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    No, I do a real prototype. But a warbonnet with MP blue replacing the silver and white lettering would look mighty good. And patriotic too.
     
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  18. dak94dav

    dak94dav TrainBoard Member

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    Another interesting concept that I failed to mention would be a version of Tony Koestor's famous Allegheny Midland, or "Midland Road." I would do one of two things:

    1. The Midland Road in the late 1960s. I would keep the Nickel Plate black and yellow scheme, as if the NKP had survived into the late 60s and still owned the Allegheny Midland. I would slightly venture from the original by adding some different motive power that I favor, including units like SD35s, SD40s, and SD45s. Those second generation units would look sharp in the black and yellow ;)

    -OR-

    2. The Midland Road during the Appalachian Lines era, set in the 1970s. I'd include Virginian & Ohio and Virginia Midland units for lots of color and variety.
     
  19. Mr. SP

    Mr. SP Passed away August 5, 2016 In Memoriam

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    IMG_7817.JPG Went to see my computer guy. He found the problem with loading photos to Trainboard so here are some photos of the railroad IMG_7372.JPG IMG_7360.JPG IMG_7376.JPG IMG_7395.JPG
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2016
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  20. Mr. SP

    Mr. SP Passed away August 5, 2016 In Memoriam

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    There is also my shortline the Oregon Central & Pacific. The road is mostly powered by ten GE B Boats with two chopnose GP-9's and a SW-1500 IMG_0151.JPG IMG_0154.JPG IMG_0163.JPG IMG_0194.JPG
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2016
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