What railroad do you model, why, and what era?

What RR do I model??

My layouts have alway been called Wisconsin Central since 1969.
I am now building probably my last 8,5 by 3 foot layout called the
New Lacachore (Lakeshore) RR. WC steam power runs there, and
some odd stuff, like a shorty Cab Forward (2-6-4) services the Turtle Creek central branch.

Yes, I run some diesels, from Trainmaster to RSD 4/5 all in WC paint.
So it must be late 1950's to say about 1975. But then, there are many freelance projects that will be out of timescale, but included.

 

I model the PRR in the mid-50s. Why? When I got back in model railraoding in 1972, I visited a shop in Wellesley, MA that had three choices in N scale: B&M, Santa Fe, and PRR. I knew very little about real railroads and still don't. I wanted an eastern road that tackled some tough mountains. So PRR it was.

 

Well I really took to heart the saying "you tend to model what you grew up with." As a young boy, say approximately 1947 to 1960, that was two short blocks from the Seaboard Air Lines' Charleston-Savannah main line. During those years, locals claimed that this area, just south or west of Charleston, was the beginning of the "Cabbage Capital of the World", which extended down to around Beaufort, S.C.

Also, Seaboard ran almost all of their fast freights through this area - and, they were fast, very fast freights. While I saw, and remember these freights with one or two Q-3 Mikados up front, it was the diesels that really captivated me, first the four or so FT's up front, and later mixed with various GP's, and every once in a while, an Alco RS unit.

And, to the best of my knowledge, no road other than Seaboard was prone to put E-units on their freights so frequently, that is - the fast through freights.

The only local work for five miles in either direction was the packing shed, again - two short blocks from "my" house. From June through August, mostly local freights, would switch this packing shed almost every day, up to 7 FGEX reefers of various metal and wood types being spotted or picked-up.

Right up against our property line ran what I consider one of the finest examples of branch line railroading in the country, the ACL's "Croghan's Branch." Light rail, some of it from 1893, serving a potato washing shed, a grist mill, packing shed (very small), a team track for a lumber yard, an insulation company, a concrete block plant, a Nabisco warehouse and in later years, a prestress concrete plant, and oh yes, a box making (later team track) plant.

Monday trough Friday, one or two GP-7's and a caboose with none to six or seven cars would rock and roll down the nine miles of the branch to serve all of those very modelable small industries.

This has gotten totally out of hand word-wise, so I'll leave an explanation of my attachment to Southern Railway for a later time.

Absolutely no way, this boy/man would or could be other than a railfan and modeler.

 

I model the Southern Pacific in the early 1990's. Why? beacuse my Dad and his Dad both worked for the SP and I grew up hanging out in the yard office in Englewood yard and in the locomotive with my Dad. When I eventually get a larger place I want to model the "The Rabit" line which runs b/w Houston, TX and Shreveport, LA thru the piney wood in east Texas. It might not be mountianous, but its sure is hilly. Some train have to double the hill more than once along the line! My Dad once described the line as a rollercoaster designed by drunks. lol That's because its curvy and up 'n down.

 

Missouri Pacific: Route of the Eagles

I just happen to model the Missouri Pacific's largest subsidiary, the International-Great Northern, Austin Subdivision.

The MoP has always been part of my consciousness, for most of my life I've known that Austin's MoPac Blvd. (Loop 1) was named after a fallen flag railroad. Its line through Austin (now UP) being the only Class I in the area probably helped a little, too. Also, the MP has always been one of the easier Midwest roads to find in N-scale, unlike the Katy, Frisco, Louisville and Nashville, etc :teeth: .

My layout is set during the steam-to-diesel transition year of 1950. By 1955, all MoP had been silenced, and 1950 is one of the latest years steam could still be easily spotted on the route .

The downtown Austin street trackage was another draw to model this particular prototype, it was very unique in a city of its size, or for any in the state at that time. The other main point-of-interest in the modeled area is McNeil, the company town for Austin White Lime Co., where a large limestone quarry and many lime kilns were located. A T&NO/I-GN Junction is also located just south of the main plant.

Here ends the bombardment of information and reasoning! :shade:

 

I model the line that I grew up with (it ran through my backyard), the Western Allegheny, a shortline coal/limestone hauler in western Pennsylvania. It was originally an independent road, then controlled by the PRR from 1926-1968, then by the Bessemer & Lake Erie until the line's abandonment in the mid-1990's. My modeling focuses on the end of their steam era in the mid 50's, but I have a few earlier and later lashups as well. :teeth:

Ray

 

I got to know Northwest railroading when i played ball in Bellingham, Washington. So, when i was looking for layout ideas, I wanted a place to include as much NW railroading as possible. Spokane, Wash. was perfect. The Great northern, Spokane Division was the result.
I love the era of transition from steam to colorful F Units, cabooses and 40 and 50 foot cars. I like the idea of merchandise freight, less than carload and mixed freights. The last 40's and early 50's became the era.

 

I model the DRGW after the SP was bought by them, my layout Minty Colorado is freelance but has several DRGW features such as the Moffat Tunnel East Portal, Denver North Yard control tower. Lots of tunnels and mounatins for those coal trains to get lost in.
Motive power is mainly DRGW of course with a fair number of SP / SSW units along with BN, ATSF and UP. I have modern Amtrak loco's and coaches but am in the process of making an accurate Rio Grande Zephyr consist.
The layout will be at the NMRA Seaboard Southern exhibition in November.

 

Hey,
For the most part Erie Lackawanna (along with some DL&W-Erie ). Northeast roads,like LV,D&H,CNJ,N&W,etc.& run through power,BN,CB&Q,GN.
Then I can do modern. NS,Conrail,Santa Fe ( yes JD,I have alot of them :teeth: ),BNSF, NJ Transit ( my employeer),Metro North (west of Hudson ),NYS&W/CSX.
Man,,looking at this,reminds me if I had stayed just EL,I'd have alot more money .Oh well,at least I have a nice collection for someone when I die:shade:

 

I bet you all can guess it might be the C&O. Mainly that but if the spirit moves me I will throw anything on the rail from CSX on back.And that includes steam back to the mid 1880s. My goal is to have one of every piece of power the C&O ever had. A couple have never been made so that may be interesting. The C&O line from Chicago to Richmond Indiana ran by our farm. Amtrak ran on it also. My next project will be to model that crazy SD40 still running around with "C&O" on the side and "CSX" on the nose.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=27541

 

I model the Denver & Rio Grande "northern route" which is my Denver Red Feather and Western From West of Ft Collins over the mountains, through the woods, and down the western slope to Grand Junction. Love the mountains, steam and early diesel.

 

I model my first career employer, the Pennsylvania Railroad, but at an earlier time. I originally modeled 1953, then Atlas came out with the RS11, so I pushed it to 1956, then I bought a Kato GP38 cheap and got more flexible.

More recently, with the availability of the MDC Roundhouse 2-8-0's and 2-6-0's I've pushed my era back to the all steam era, possibly around 1940 or earlier. But, I'm really not too rigid about dates. Oh, I'll get rid of my Diesels and shadow Keystone stuff, but if it's steam era I'll run it.

 

Modeling the fictitious merger of the CB&Q, D&RGW, WP, SP known as the BRG&P (Burlington RIo Grande & Pacific) railway. The road was formed to compete against the UP and the roads which it had absorbed in the 1960's (except WP of-course). Additionally, trackage rights were extended to the Northern Pacific and Great Northern as well as the Santa Fe. The setting is the Colorado Rockies in the 1950's to 1970.

I chose western roads despite never have traveled west of Cleveland Ohio. From 1960 til 1971 I lived in Maryland and loved the family trips into the mountains to visit the the Luray & Shenandoah caverns. The scenic vistas of the Blue Ridge Parkway were probably another reason for the love of the mountains. Why I chose the west versus the [more logical] east... I can't really understand. It was probably because the western roads, such as Santa Fe and Union Pacific were more widely, distributed and more well known. I also got a Northern Pacific HO set when I was a kid. I've lived in the 'flatlands of Florida' since 1971 and really miss the mountains.

 

I'm modeling my fictional Kisatchie, Gulf & Northern in 1979. It runs from Central Louisiana, to the Gulf coast, then northward a la the Illinois Central or MoPac.

Since I like so many railroads, I'm also going to model the Port of New Orleans with its many roads: SP, UP, KCS, IC, MP, Southern, L&N/Family Lines, T&NO, Cotton Belt, etc. - all selectively compressed, for sure! I hope there's a pot of gold at the end of this :rainbow:

 

Having spent many of my early years in Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota and a few years in the Rockys in Western Montana starting off with NP and Milwaukee was a given. Since I was out there in the steam era and the advent of the F units I have stayed in that era of the 1950s. Time and tastes change and I gradually became more interested in the GN and finally SP&S but the era stays fixed. Logging and all the various critters and equipment of that industry caught my attention and I finally settled on the SP&S through Lyle, Washington because of the logging there in the area. Thus I am gradually building up a logging road with the SP&S running through it.

 

I'm modeling the BN in the mid '70's, I'm building a variation of the MR series modeling the Burlington Northern published in the late 80's.

 

I primarily model C&O in the mid-fifties. On my N layout, the track curves out of Holland, MI directly into the New River area of West Viginia. BL2s and Pere Marquette E7's used to run through my backyard running north to Muskegon hauling the Budd cars of the ex-Chessie. Having grown up in Garrett, Ind., I also model B&O. When I was a kid, my dad took us through the Cumberland Narrows where I saw FA2's hauling a train - that picture stuck in my mind ever since. Just like my dad, I always loved B&O steam. I have a small HO layout that was designed primarily for my 1900 era B&O steam engines and 36 foot boxcars.

 

In N scale I model Conrail in Jersey. During my childhood I enjoyed watching Pensy and NYC. Then, Penn Central, and Erie Lackawanna. I moved away just prior to the Conrail creation. I model 1976-1982. This was a period of transition, and lends itself to many modeling paint schemes, PC, EL, CNJ, Reading, LV, L&NH.

I also model On30 based on the Colorado Southern, although, my railroad is freelanced, and is a tourist railroad in today's era, going back in time.