ok another Zombie thread, but I'll contribute I am doing the NP's tacoma division, 4th sub, with was called the prarie line, it ran between Tenino Junction (Tenino, Wa.) and Tacoma Wa. bteween 1940 and 1956. why the odd years? well....... NP durring this time shared track rights on this branch with GN and UP, and very rarely the MILW. so I can run all 4 if I want, at least 4 passenger trains made the sprint through daily, with 2 actually making stops. lots of freight, well in my world, I am goin gto use the industrys and customers list from 1920, witch will give me LOTS of switching possibility in each town. interchanging in the next town south is Mutual lumber co of Bucoda, in my world they built a branch to Tenino, and interchange there, because of the ficticous yard that is going to be there. witch gives me a excuse to build my climax's AND the kicker and the main reason for building the center cab switchers, Ft. Lewis is served by the line, so WWII Switching and freights, comming and going not to mention the troop trains . it is going to be a big and fun layout, if I ever start it, I don't have the room right now, but we are blanning aon building a new house one of these days, and my wife has already agreed to a fully finished basement, so just a matter of waiting now.
I model ATSF in the '80s on the raton sub. I have a 1 x 6 layout based in the area around Lamy. I model the 80s because you can see a wide selection of diesels, its before the wide cabs came in and you see plenty of kadachromes.
i model N scale SP of the 1970's...my dad worked in Eaglewood yard and i grew up about 4 blocks from the yard....
I model Southern Pacific; the time frame is 1986-1996 the last ten years of SP. Southwest Corridor is where I model Arizona to be exact. As far as I run I keep that fairly loose I would say. I try and stay fairly close to what was used by SP during that time, however if something is out that I like and they didn' t run it Oh Well guess I will have to purchase an Undec, and pull out the old MicroScale Decals and model my own. :tb-cool:
I am just about set to start a new layout...finally have determined the size of the benchwork...and will be freelancing a hybrid of the Chicago & Northwestern and the Bangor & Aroostook set in the late 50's to mid 60's. Why? Grew up in and just outside of Chicago (love the looks of the C&NW) and I now live in northern Maine. Mainetrains:cat::cat2:
I model the modern SP in the desert southwest but I'll run anything and everything that interests me.
I model the Milwaukee Road from Ottumwa,Iowa to Savanna,Illinois from 1981-1985.I will be using SD40-2's for mainline freights and MP15AC's for the yard classification,locals and industry switching,
Railroad: Reading. With B&O and other eastern roads mixed in. Era: 1964-1975. Before the government screwed everything up! :thumbs_down:
I am modeling the Chesapeake & Ohio as of 1963 in the New River & Kanawha Districts in a modular type layout so it can be moved and used in shows when completed. The only drawback IS I am not going to utilize N Trak standards in as far as using 3 tracks and the spacing of the tracks that is not to me prototypical...mainline and especially in yards. Why...I grew up in a C&O railroad family and was around the C&O as far back as 5 years old that I can recall. Why the year 1963, I was born in 1963 but that has nothing to do with it. The New River and Kanawha Districts were the two districts I had a lot of exposure too thus the reason for this area. My era being the year 1963 was the year when the C&O began retiring and selling off F7A & B's, with the FP7As beginning to be retired and sold off from 1964 to 1967 which was not an issue in 1963. Not growing up with the F Units I liked them from the first time I saw one, so I wanted to model the C&O with F units still in service and this way I can also utilize the newest rolling stock that the C&O had during that year. I also grew up with Geeps, so GP7's and GP9's is the motive power I most remember being used on any train or in any yard...they were everywhere...in any kind of servie, kinda like wide body power is today...they dominated. So Geeps will be the power of choice. Dave
It's cool to see some old threads revived. I'm modeling the AT&SF, mid-1950's, in central California, in the foothills northeast of Modesto. (Sounds very exact and prototypical, but it's not - just a feel of the place.) I grew up in Stockton, CA (possibly the sub-prime motgage capitol of the world) and our family took the San Francisco Chief to Chicago (and then the NYC to Buffalo, NY) in 1954, so I was hooked on Santa Fe at an early age. Also, a good friend of my dad was a dispatcher for the Santa Fe in Stockton. I'm a relative newbie to model railroading (but an oldie in most other categories) and this is my first layout. It's not a big one, just one hollow core door, but I'm having a great time with it. Remember Rule #1.
Great thread to resurect. I model the SP from about 1950 to 1955. I was going to model the Tehachapi's. I have since changed my mind. I will be modelling a section of the Coast Line.
I like the SF, UP, SP and my layout will be freelanced and beings i like all trains i may even run Pennsy every now and then. I have never seen SF,SP,or UP in real life but i have seen many many GG1's so that is why pennsy will make onto my layout. The SF warbonnets are my favorites though. Just having fun in N scale does it for me. Dave
Modeling the ATSF in the American west, circa 1972. I'm also thinking of becoming bi-era'd: May be adding the BNSF present day.
Wowwa, another of those ressurected threads. Not bad. Who has the disinterment permit? Grin! I was sure I had signed off somewhere in this thread. I breezed through it to double check and apparently not...so here is my two or three cents worth. I have a layout that is a work in progress and moving along painfully slow. Still in the Presswood and Plywood Central stage. I'm building a freelanced layout somewhat era specific, only in the sense of capturing memories I have of certain times and trains that I've seen in my life time. For the most part this allows me the freedom to run, pretty much, anything I want. Era: The layout is set in a time era of the 60's and 70's with some flash back's to the 40's included. My collection of rail equipment starts in the 40's and continues into the 90's stopping short of the mega merger era. The exception being, to include SPSF merger equipment. On a recent inventory I also discovered some BNSF freight cars and a caboose. What the heck was I thinking? Then I remembered this is part of someone else's collection purchased sometime back. Scenery! The location of the layout is a snap shot of a non-specific location to resemble the Verde Valley Canyon in Arizona. A freelanced railroad pass owned by the Santa Fe where the UP, WP, SP, D&RGW and Santa Fe merge to make the hill. Bearing the name of "Williams and Ashfork Division" of the ATSF Railway. You'd think that had something to do with Williams, AZ.. Nope not at all. You see we have a number of Williams in the family who love railroading, thus the name "Williams" to imply ownership. Ashfork, perhaps implying something drastic. My dad said of the name, "What we Williams are all going to hell"? My response, I hope not. It just has a nice ring to it. Ding a ling? I heard that. Admittedly, this isn't prototype. I'm enjoying operating trains over the pass and benefiting from a six track, hidden staging yard. If I tried to model all the places I like...well...I'd need a friends barn and if money flowed like a flash flood.... I'd fill it with multiple layers of track. Such is not the case. I recently purchased a collection of equipment and to my surprise a portion of this gentleman's layout came along with it. On his layout was a station that resembles the ATSF Passenger Station, San Bernardino, CA. What a gift! I recently added that to my layout. You can see pictures of this addition on my RailImages. Check out the invitation extended to you below in my signature. Enjoy your layout however you wish to interpret your joy of railroading. .
I model the Illinois Central Gulf's Kentucky Division... target era is approximately 1982... this allows me to run ICG orange/gray units (new SD20s, GP11's, etc.) and also allows me to model another unique aspect of this line: Roadrailers. ICG ran Roadrailers in regular service for a little over a year between Memphis and Louisville. Tonnage is dominated by coal, crushed limestone extras, chemical traffic, as well as a twice-weekly Wisconsin Electric unit coal train. Cabooses galore (with the distinctive long porches). Foreign road units include: BN, SP, RI in addition to various other roadnames destined for shopping at Paducah ( ex-SOU, ex-RDG, ex-SLSF, etc). Lots of kitbashing: GP8s, GP10s, GP11's, GP26's, GP28's, SD20's, SD40A's, etc. The Kentucky Division also has distinctive scenery elements: Kentucky Dam and Barkley Dam (the mainline crosses on the main causeways), a tunnel at Dawson Springs, high trestles at Muldraugh and Big Clifty. Interchanges with SCL/L&N, CR, BN, SOU, and Chessie. Can also move the timeframe up to model the Paducah and Louisville (who bought the line in 1986 from ICG). Chad
I Protolance the Missouri Pacific, as if, back in 1980, the MOPAC became the dominate partner in the UP merger. (Actually, the MOPAC had more miles of tracks, a main North/South corridor, a newer and better maintained loco fleet, and was a more profitable road.) It is a perfect fit for me, as I grew up in St. Louis, and now live in Western Kansas, so I can salute my heritage as well as the future. My layout models from St. Louis in the East to Denver in the West, and the layout reflects Western Kansas. I have older UP locos in "transition scheme" (yellow & gray with Missouri Pacific lettering), as well as a fleet of newer locos (SD90MAC's, AC4400's, SD60's) in MOPAC "Double Eagle" paint (with the large, white screaming eagle on the long hood). I also have examples of other roads we merged with: CNW, DRGW, WP, SP/CB, modeled in transition schemes. I model modern times or "today", so my layout and fleet are always changing.
I'm modeling the 50's to 59, thats my cutoff date. Anything beyond gets sold or stored. New York Central (with alot of leeway on what runs where and when) Rob
Hello What a great idea, for me it is as per the avatar, Santa Fe in the 1949/1952 timeframe. Where 1st district, of the Los Angeles Division, in other words the line between San Bernardino and Barstow, the modelled section will be from SB to Summit and on to Frost, with Victorville being in staging as will L.A. Why, Ok I admit it one reason and one only, Warbonnets and the unique style Steam loco's on the A.T.S.F. Since then of course I have come to love the whole style of the road, the steam, the blue and yellow cats wiskers scheme, the map and logo style on the boxcars and reefers and of course those magnificent Red and Silver Passenger loco's, not to mention the FT's that I love. In short a Santa Fe, nut going all the way. Now where can I get N scale A.T.S.F. steamers?
This is a good thread. Well, I model a few for different reasons. 1st) Rock Island, because my mother in law worked for them many years ago, told me stories of some of their history and I was fascinated by RI, and the mid-west. 2nd) Seaboard Air Line, because my mother used to be a secretary for the train master in Columbus Georgia, told me many horror stories of train accidents. she used to have to take statements from the engineers, and RR workers 1st response accounts. She used to take short hand notes and take the statements from big manly rail workers blubbering like children as they spoke of what they saw. Some of her stories are riviting, and I started collecting SAL stuff, in honor of her work, and the work on those guys. I model transition era (mid 1950s), simply because I want best of both worlds. I LOVE the charm of steam era, but also love the dirty, black smoke belching early ALCOs. I love the "simpler" time, and the innosence of it. I love dusty dirty, sleepy little mid western towns. I model a ficticious mid western town. I do not concentrate so much on "prototypical" however I DO like realism. I don't care if a rail road had a specific type of equipment I have decorated for it, as long as it is feasable that it "could have been" that way. I will pull some heavyweights, and smoothsides with steam, when typically F units may have really been used, just because I like the looks of it. I weather most anything, and everything, simply because I love the grime of the industry. I love dirt, rust, clutter, and grime, even in my dirty little town. Anyway.. If I like it, I run it, even if it wasn't correct.
