Well, I've finally made up my mind about where my Santa Fe Railway will be located, between Ancona and Cameron, IL. Time frame, 1975-1980-ish. This way, I can interchange with the Burlington Northern at Galesburg and the Rock Island at Chillicothe. Although this is a Prototype mainline, it will have free-lance tendencies. The Old TP&W cut off at Ancona will also be used, in real life, it's been gone for years just as the Rock interchange. This is really starting to get fun. I went through my rolling stock today and found most of my stock is still within the time frame. That which isn't, is getting sold off, this will include my double stacks. So, it will be mostly TFOC "Pigs", boxcars, grain, dry commodities and Amtrak. Coal will be exchanged at Galesburg and Earthmoving equipment will be picked up at Chilli westbound and at Ancona eastbound from Peoria. I still have some things to work out but I'm glad to take a step back. I still LOVE modern railroading, but it's cool to model an era that not everyone does, the late 70's, aka: The Dark Years of Railroading. At least the Santa Fe stayed healthy during this time. One thing that won't change, my N-Trak Module. It will still be Gridley, TX., time frame..today! [ 11 March 2001: Message edited by: Maxwell Plant ]
Hey Brent, A good time and location, but why stop at Ancona? A few miles up the track at South Streator, Santa Fe had/has a very busy interchange with the then new Conrail. Santa Fe had itself had a good size yard just north of main street in Streator. I think 25 years ago the roundhouse and turntable still there, pretty bad shape but still there. Man, 1975 doesn't seem like 26 years ago but if I remember right BN came in from the north, N&W came up from the south, GM&O/ICG went through east and west and Conrail ran from Hennepin to the east. I know I'm forgeting a couple. Oh, Streator, the town of hundred grade crossing (most rough I do remember). Bill Webb
Brent, As long as it is PRE BNSF and Santa Fe war bonnets are still alive, you could model outter Mongolia and I would be happy!! Good luck with all the "new" changes and send us some pics!! Long Live Santa Fe, and Happy Modeling!! John
Bill, Good point, but you have to stop somewhere. I could go "all the way" from Chicago to LA. but who has the room to do that? You'll notice, Ancona and Cameron are small towns. So I'm going from open space to open space with a small yard in the middle at Chillicothe. Chicago/Streator will be a staging area just as LA/Kansas City/Ft. Madison. I kind of like the idea of going from small town to small town, it's not done very often. Like I said, I'm Proto-Freelancing this line so some things that aren't there will be and some things that are, won't. Thanks for the input! [ 11 March 2001: Message edited by: Maxwell Plant ]
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JCater: Brent, As long as it is PRE BNSF and Santa Fe war bonnets are still alive, you could model outter Mongolia and I would be happy!! Good luck with all the "new" changes and send us some pics!! Long Live Santa Fe, and Happy Modeling!! John<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> It will be a while before I even have any bench work constructed. Where I currently live, I don't have the room to build a layout, let alone the MOOLAA!$! I'll be concentrating on my loco and car fleet for now. I have to get some Amtrak locos, my three LL F40PH's have had the guts run out of them. I may try a repowering job on them if I can get them to look right. Sure would be easier if LIFE-LIKE or someone else would make a new drive F40PH, wouldn't it! Anyway, thanks for all the comments guys. Now I have to figure out where the nearest NARA Family Railline hooks in! Keep the comments coming gang, it will help keep me motivated!
Okay Brent, I see what your typing, I'm thinking yard to yard, you're putting the yard in the middle. Took me awhile to find Cameron in the Il. Atlas & Gazetteer but I knew of Ancona which is just a grain elevator and a few houses. Are you going with hidden staging at each end? P.s. on the north end still south of South Streator is a little know country cemetery on a "dead" end road called Moon Creek Cemetery. Maybe one or two burial a year but the funeral procession is always caught by a Santa Fe train waiting to get on the Conrail or who ever owns it now. Would make a neat mini scene. Bill Webb
Yes, hidden staging is the plan I have in my head right now. Only time will tell if this is how it will actually come out. Thanks for the info about the cemetary, I'll have to look for it next time I'm up that way Rail Fanning the line. The Yard and interchange at Streator has crossed my mind, the old GM&O (as you probably know) goes through Lincoln so that line has a warm spot in my heart. But I'm a Santa Fe Modeler and fan from way back. When my family would go to Peru, IL. to visit, we would pass under the Santa Fe on US 51 near Tonica and Minonk, IL. Many Times we would see the Super Chief, or Amtrak's incarnation of it, pass overhead. Other times a long Freight or two would pass over. This really got me to be a Santa Fe Fan, not the Lionel Train Set unlike many I know. Anyway, I look forward to deciding which portions of this fast Double-track main to model. Should I do Hoolihan's Curve? Edelstine the town or the Hill? Should I model Ft. Madison and the lift bridge on the Mississippi? What about the Illinois River Bridge at Chilli? So many choices to make...this will not take a little time, but a lot.
Brent, Since you don't currently have the space or the $$$ (sadly, I'm in the same situation ), don't start tying yourself down to certain things and eliminating others. That said, here are my suggestions . Definitely do Edelstein Hill (isn't Hoolihan's Curve at the base of the grade?). When did the Santa Fe stop using helpers on the Hill (or are they still used?) That would be an interesting operation, even if you have to use a little modeler's license for your time frame. The Illinois River crossing is a must, especially if you like bridges. How could you just leave out a major water crossing in the middle of the line you're modeling? Also, if you end up with enough depth with this scene, be sure to include the old roadbed. Personally, I think modeling a realignment is a nice touch that is too often overlooked. How about extending both ends of the Rock Island line into staging and have the Peoria Rocket go through at the appropriate times? If you include the bridge over "Old Man River," how far west would you go? To the Fort Madison station? All the way to Shopton? Just a few thoughts I had on modeling the "airline." Dwight
Oh no, nothing set in stone yet. I have plenty of time yet. I have been concidering having a little more to the Rock interchange than just a short bit of track, but this is all a long way off. To do either river crossing right, I'll need lots of room, even in N-Scale. Nope, the helpers are gone from The Hill, have been for a long time. But this will be a Proto-FreeLance layout so who knows, we might keep the helpers if I do The Hill. Yes, Hoolihan's is at the base of the grade. Great spot to take pictures, if the owner of the property doesn't run you off. Again, to do it right, I'll need lots of room. I plan on moveing to Bloomington-Normal soon and I doubt I'll have a house to live in for a while, probably an apartment. The space to do this layout will come in time, something I have to look forward to!
I saw the earlier post about those worn out LL F40's. Go the easy way, put Atlas GP35 power under them. See the link below: Life-Like F40PH Conversion
With the Illinois River, Houlihan's Curve, and Edelstein Hill all close together, might as well do them all together. There's also a nice bridge at Dahinda over the Spoon River. Everything else in between is classic flat Illinois prarie. Funny seeing this as I was just fanning here today. Saw a EB double stack with nine units on the point. I couldn't out pace it to get a nice picture, so I hope the pictures from about 1/4 mile turn out half way decent. Eric
See guys? This the problem I'm having. There are many cool places to model on this line, I'm going to have to leave something out! Even though this will be a N-Scale layout, I won't have room to do all the neat places, I'm going to have to be selective. If I were to model the Illinois River Bridge, the Yard and Rock Island interchange at Chillicothe, Houlihan's Curve and Edilstein Hill, that would be almost half the layout! And that's with compression! That whole streach is almost 20 miles in real life. Nope, I'm going to have to leave something out and that's why I'm glad it's going to be a long planning session before I even build anything. Keep the idea's coming guys, it's a big help. But remember this, the section I'm talking about modeling is almost 100 miles end to end in the real world, somethings gonna' be left out.
NO, but I can say...go broke! I think a Double Deck plan is alright, but I don't know about Triple Deck. A rich man I'm not, at least right now. No, I take that back! I am a rich man, I have all the TrainBoard membership as my friends. If the counter is right, I have over 1500 friends besides what I have off the boards. This make me one of the richest persons on the planet!
WARNING WARNING. DANGER DANGER. Beware Brent! The more research you do, the more you may find yourself wanting to model things a bit more like the prototype. I beg you to stop now! Do not look at any old maps. Do not look at any old pictures. Close your eyes and start building now! Else the dark side of "prototype" may soon seduce your freelance tendencies. Beware the dark side. The "emperor" may temp you with old track diagrams, pictures from the late 70s, or former employee's stories. Be strong. Speaking from experience - "Forever will it dominate your destiny Luke." There is no hope for me, but perhaps you can be saved. Heed my warning... With sarcasm and stuff! Bill Selleck
So Brent, for your fourth deck, I'll slip you some really spicey pics from the 1930's that you are going to want a ladder to get up on to model! Small donations on the side respectfully accepted toward the building fund of course! (Just mount a small can for donations at the doorway.)
"Oh, Lt. Steve! Ho Ho Ho! Oh, Frenchy! Ho Ho Ho!" You guys are KILLING ME! Don't worry Bill, I'm keeping it Proto Free-Lance, just a little more to the Proto side this time around. Washie! I'll expect your donation in the mail tomorrow! CASH ONLY!
Sending a courier with coin of the Realm! Could you nix the flat lands and just have a mountain at each end?
OH NO YOU DON'T! NO WOODEN NICKELS! US CURRENCY PLEASE, NO COIN...unless it's Five Dollor Golden Eagles! I'll take a whole sack of them! Now, about them mountains...I guess you've never been on "THE HILL"! It's were the Illinois Plains act like Mountains! Once was a helper district, of course Rudolph Diesel took care of that problem years ago! [ 15 March 2001: Message edited by: Maxwell Plant ]
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by galesburghead: WARNING WARNING. DANGER DANGER. Beware Brent! The more research you do, the more you may find yourself wanting to model things a bit more like the prototype. I beg you to stop now! Do not look at any old maps. Do not look at any old pictures. Close your eyes and start building now! Else the dark side of "prototype" may soon seduce your freelance tendencies. Beware the dark side. The "emperor" may temp you with old track diagrams, pictures from the late 70s, or former employee's stories. Be strong. Speaking from experience - "Forever will it dominate your destiny Luke." There is no hope for me, but perhaps you can be saved. Heed my warning... With sarcasm and stuff! Bill Selleck<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Can you say "layout design elements"? I knew that you could.....heeheeheeheehee...
