Your interest level

Narrow gauges in different regions seem to take on a flavor all their own. What is your interest level in each (American) region both for the history and for modeling?

-Colorado
-California & Nevada
-Pacific NW
-Alaska
-Hawaii
-The South
-Maine
-Appalachia
-Midwest

If you do not have an interest in an area, do you have knowledge of it?
For example: A couple years ago I had no interest in Hawaiian ng...but I didn't know anything about the common carriers of Hawaii...and now they rank near the top for me. After devouring several books...I have far more interest in the Hawaiian roads than knowledge.

I know relatively little about the Southern NG roads...and have little interest in them. On the other hand, I am quite interested in midwestern NG roads...especially the numerous 3' roads in the Cincinnati area. I have moderate knowledge and interest in Alaskan NG. I have more knowledge than interest in Maine.

What about you?

Michael

 

I am interested in all narrow gauge. My main interest probably lies with Sumpter Valley and other Pacific Northwest roads, simply because they're geographically close and I can more readily visit them or their remains. I am also a White Pass & Yukon fan, and I love all the Colorado action. Who doesn't.

I would LOVE to know more about some of the narrow gauge logging roads that I can see marked out as long ago ripped out in my railroad atlas, but it seems that there is very little information out there on them as many pre-dated a lot of the usual sources in the Pacific NW - logger recollections, Labbe, Goe, Holbrook, the photos of the Kinseys, etc.

I am interested in all narrow gauge. If I had the opportunity to go see the EBT I would in a minute. Same with Maine. Same with anything in the South.

 

I don't know how many of you are interested in Midwest narrow gauge lines. While I may not replace my N scale Midwest shortline layout with a narrow gauge layout, I have more than passing interest in a Midwest narrow gauge that was owned by the Milwaukee Road: the Bellevue & Cascade in NE Iowa. I grew up near Bellevue but, unfortunately, not at the time of the B&C.

I am putting together a collection of B&C photos, drawings of locos, boxcars and the right-of-way, and one book on the railroad. My father, the late John R. Adney of Miles, Iowa, was an MILW and C&NW employee at Marquette and Clinton, Iowa, and photographed MILW steam locos (he never met a diesel he liked). He collected a lot of mechanical drawings for steam engines from three railroads, drawings of the location of B&C tracks including turnouts, and miscellaneous items such as, for example, a spike from a long-abandoned line that he spied in the weeds while hiking the right-of-way. He also had books about Midwest roads, but only the B&C book covered his interest in narrow gauge. My father died in December at the age of 97 1/2 and left all of his railroad items to me because I, too, am a railroad addict. I grew up with steam but like the diesels as well.

So let's hear it for the Bellevue and Cascade!

 

I too am a fan of any train with 2 rails. However, for my modeling purposes I only concentrate on the D&RGW NG.

For the fans of the Bellvue and Cascade, here's a bit of trivia if you're not already aware of it. The Midcontinent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin has a C&NW 3' NG boxcar on display. It sits on a pair of B&C trucks from a scrapped snowplow.

http://www.midcontinent.org/collectn/woodfrt/cnw10.html

 

Here at FREMO is a group building narrow gauge in CO, NM. Roadnames are DRGW, RGS, C&S. And I like trackwork. So I took the chance to build a wye station, Silver Creek.

Wolfgang

 

I like almost all narrow gauge as well. Narrow gauge railroad history is an interest of mine. There are cool narrow gauges in every state (were, I should say). I model Appalachian narrow gauge but have dabled with Neveda, Maine and Colorado in the past.

As for Mid-West, how about the C&NW narrow gauge in Wisconsin. You could model the entire line easily. Woodman to Fennimore with one passing siding in between! Short cars and small locomotives. Great stuff. www.fennimore.com/railmuseum/trains.html

As for Alaska, check out this Klondike Mines model RR. Cool stuff.
www3.telus.net/KMR/

 

I would like to not be stereotypical and say I don't have much interest in the Colorado narrow gauges, but I can't. I suppose the easy availability of information got me into them pretty young. I don't try to fight it.

My most important narrow gauge interests, though, are Newfoundland and the White Pass.

As for other regions:

West Coast - not so much interest.

South - not enough knowledge to know if I'd be interested.

Maine - some knowledge, but not really my type.

East - About the only one I know of here is the EBT; a little interest.

Midwest - little knowledge of the B&C, next to none of the Q in south Dakota or the CNW narrow gauge, but oh, I want to know more.

Hawaii - It's only from a couple online modellers (including you) that I would even think of Hawaiian railways at all. The most neglected state in the USA, and naturally I want to learn about it.

I have other narrow gauge interests beyond the US and Canada. Some probably wouldn't count, being the predominant gauge in their respective countries. I'll try and go on:

Mexico - Like all aspects of Mexican railroading, my interest outstrips my limited knowledge.

Europe

Saxony/East Germany - My main European focus.

Yugoslavia - Not much knowledge, but what I have really draws me in.

Portugal - some interest.

Switzerland - not really interested.

Ireland - not much knowledge, some interest.

Elsewhere

Brazil - Overall (not just in narrow gauge contexts), the country outside North America I'm most interested in. Yes, metre gauge is more common than 5'3" here. I still count Brazil because, for the metre gauge lines, the fact that they are less than standard gauge is an attraction. EFVM. FCA metre gauge. Metre gauge electrification.

Australia - A contrast. I am interested in Australia - but, though there's still almost as much 3'6" as standard gauge, my interest is concentrated in the standard. The only case here where narrow gauge helps are the 2' sugar lines of Queensland, a mild interest.

Indonesia - Here, 3'6" is "standard gauge". I'm not talking about that. The main use of smaller gauges is by non-common-carrier sugar mill operations. Everyone knows why these are appealing.

 

As a Swiss railroad buff I wonder how much you actually know about our NG systems. So for starters, I recommend a look at the following site:

http://www.rail-info.ch/schmalspur.en.html

And there, among others, the RhB pages. Many of our NG railroads are mainly catering to tourists, but some have the function of modern mass transit systems in the mountainous parts of the country. So there is a bit for every taste.


Austria has some fine NG as well, among those my favorite is the Achensee Bahn starting from Jenbach in Tirol.

But one thing is for sure, we don't have anything like those NG outside frame giants, the K mikados. That, and the mostly unspoiled landscape is the reason I call the C&TSR my absolute favorite. Sorry for being part of the masses here.

 

Most all my interests are standard gauge trains, but I do enjoy a bit of narrow gauge. Colorado ng is really cool, mostly due to the Durango and Silverton. I have also spent time camping around parts of the RGS over Lizard Head Pass. My interest level is high, but my knowledge is still very lacking. On the flip side, I know quite a bit about the Slim Princess (Carson and Colorado), but my interest level has dropped a bit. As for the rest, I have really no interest in them. If I ever had to get rid of my N scale, then I'd probably go with an Sn3 RGS or an On3 C&C.

Mike

 

Of course I like Colorado narrow gauge being a former citizen of Georgetown on Clear Creek. Heck, when I started dating my future wife, she lived at the last house on the way to the Georgetown Loop Depot. There were several mornings that we were woken up by the whistle of its beautiful Shays.

But one area of narrow gauge that I am really interested in is Irish narrow gauge. I bought a book about the Dingle and Tralee Railway and am completely fascinated by it. The line screams, "MODEL ME, MODEL ME." Maybe someday I can build a couple of wagons and maybe a loco but my skills and knowledge aren't there yet. I also want to do more research on the line. Of course this has to be done on the line itself. Okay, thats just another excuse to enjoy some more Guiness and boxties.

Eric

 

We have some really nice answers here! Interesting at how much interest there is in foreign narrow gauge. Since the topic has been expanded beyond the US/Canada...

I love Austrian narrow gauges. The Swiss and Germans aren't too shabby either. The British/Irish stuff isn't too bad, nor the Sardinian and Greek, but I really like the Austrian stuff.

For Robert, here's a not so hot picture I took from that Jenbach operation which is north of the OBB...I love the operation, the Zillertalbahn, which is south of the OBB...


Michael

 

Thanks Michael, here are some from 2005. The first one shows the close proximity of the Achenseebahn and the SG main line you mentioned. The second picture reveals some details of the cog-wheel engine, and the last picture shows a small steam engine of the Zillertalbahn on the other side of the SG. Really a fine place.

To connect with the forum title: I don't think any of these NG engines have ever been offered as models. But I'm not that familiar with Austrian models.