Do you run "local" railroads?

I model

Well, I model whatever I can get cheap :D

I have a story about a small branch line in the early 70s that bought leftover power from all over (so I have 4 operational diesels right now) that one day, when I get the courage, I'll repaint into Seaboard Coast Line stuff, circa 1971-77
 

TinGoat

Ignorant know it all
The answer is 2 and 4, but I voted #4

I started out in HO with Canadian Pacific F-Units, but now I'm doing On30 totally freelance...

HV&S = Humber Valley & Simcoe.

This is a modern fictitious Narrow Gauge Line. It is a common carrier, if you could call it that.

A Couple of years ago, there was a brue-ha-ha here in Ontario, Canada over truck safety on the highways. Transport trucks were not being maintained properly and they were causing accidents on the highways. Retreads, or whole tires were coming off trucks and a few people were killed.

This was happening about the same time that the trucking industry was asking that they be allowed to pull multiple trailers.

So the idea is that the transport-trucks were pulled off the expressways. In order to move bulk goods in LTCL (Less than car load) containers, narrow guage rails were put down either in the middle of, or to the side of expressways and all trailers were converted to road-railers.

It was done as narrow gauge to keep it seperate from standard railroads and to allow them to operate under trucking industry labour and practice rules.

A couple of depots are set up so that the trains can interchange and loads can be hauled by secondary roadways to the customers without materials travelling on the expressways. Like how prototype roadrailers work.

I am doing this in On30....
 

McFortner

Member
I do a little of all 4. My NSR is set in a Universe Next Door and 20 Minutes Into the Future. The location is where I live, but a little different circumstances. Plus, my NSR is running what power it can find and afford, which is 1st and 2nd generation diesel power. But what the hey, I enjoy it.

Michael
 

interurban

Active Member
What I model you can only find in Traction Books:( and museums
I am at the point of having my own road name.
Then I can scatch build and run anything Traction:D
 

Drew1125

Active Member
I grew up in Ky, & the railroads I remember from my childhood...L&N, C&O, B&O, Monon, PRR, IC, & the SOU Ry...are the ones that I have a soft spot in my heart for.
Since modeling all these RR's would be a much bigger bite than I could chew, I decided to create a fictional RR serving the Ohio Valley, a region where I've spent most of my life, & where all of the above mentioned roads appeared.
So what I came up with was the Kentucky & Indiana RR, a fictional Class 1, circa late 50's-early 60's, straddling the Ohio River from Pittsburgh, to St. Louis, interchanging with all these RR's along the way.
So operating under this premise, in addition to the freelance home road equipment, all kinds of roadnames, from a vast region of North America could show up on my layout, even though the layout itself, only represents a small urban branch of the K&I.
Another thing that I've had great fun with is running cars from a couple of my Gauge friends' freelance roads...
Here's a couple of boxcars...one from Catt's Grande Valley RR, set in MI, & one from Tyson Rayles' Nantahala Midland, set in NC...both htese cars have racked up a lot of miles on K&I trackage! :cool:
 

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txcavgr

New Member
I am modeling the St. Lawrence & Atlantic, from Danville Jct. Maine to Island Pond, Vermont - the old CN Grand Trunk line to Portland. Modern day, so LLPX lease power, double stacks, spine cars, all stuff that is new to me. The SLR shops are about a mile from my house, so its definitely local.

My last layout was a combination of the MEC Mountain Division and the freelanced White Mountain Central in the 70's, but I learned that I really wanted to copy prototype operations and model modern day for once! (The first time for me).
 

McFortner

Member
Here is the map of the NSR. It is a combination of current NS tracks, abandoned right-of-way, and outright ficitional trackage that was lost by NS from the Government's Anti-Trust lawsuit against them.

Michael
 

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Bob Collins

Active Member
How about adding a spur into Fort Benning from Columbus? Then you could also move some military hardware along the line. Long consists of tanks on flat cars.....................

Bob
 

train1

Member
My layout is (as well as myself) outta my head. It does however have 99% CN power with a cornucopia of rolling stock. It's running mainline only but still a long way to go for everything else.
I just enjoy the trains running for now.
 

Will_annand

Active Member
Actually, if I was 105 years old, and lived 150 miles south of where I now live, I would be able to see the trains run.

My layout is of an historical shortline that was merged into the Canadian Pacific way back in 1885. My "proto-lanced" line is a "What if the Credit Valley Railway was still around in 1900?" layout.
 

ausien

Active Member
There was once a Feather River Rail Route, and it may still exsist, as I dont live in the area, or even the same country, it would be hard for me to see the trains that I run, even if they did do run.... so I take liberal modelers licence, and hhave fun anyway...have a good one..steve
 

CalFlash

Member
My road (Missouri Pacific) was around when I first started modeling. Although I had been stationed in Missouri I didn't start following it until I had moved to California. Now I'm in Florida and still modeling it.
 

Pitchwife

Dreamer
I marked no... but the right answer would have been 2 and 4. There isn't a railroad in 70 miles, :( so I'm planning a ficticious RR that interchanges locally with the UP, which is nowhere in the area, so I guess that would make it ficticious too. :confused: :confused:
 

Chessie6459

Gauge Oldtimer
Well the railroad I model is the Chessie System. The closest chessie line was only 20 miles from my home. They had a line going through Johnstown PA and my dad used to work for the chessie so I guess that explains why I model Chessie. You can see some of my work here on this thread: http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?p=171943#post171943
My railroad will interchange with Conrail on some point of the layout when it is completed.
 

Tad

Member
I model 4 railroads. They were local to where I grew up. They are all fallen flags now.

My home road is the Ashley Drew & Northern.

I also model the Missouri Pacific, the Rock Island, and the Arkansas & Louisiana Missouri.

If I ever get to build the "Dream Layout" I will add three more roads. They will be the Cotton Belt, the Illinois Central Gulf, and the Louisiana Midland.
 

ross31r

Member
which line do you want to know about???

The N VBTC interchanges with the parent SPSF
The HO East Surrey Traction line has a connection to the Pennsylvania`s New England Division
The HO New Hampshire RR is a regional that connects to the Pennsy NE Division, but further towards New York than the traction line!
 

b28_82

Member
I will be creating the line that went by the house where my parents live now except during the Conrail Era. The closest railroad to where I'm at now is a half hr away.
 
L

lester perry

I started modeling C&O 1940 up to modern CSX which ever I chose to run that day. Now I am pre 1970. Sometimes steam, sometimes early diesel, Sometimes SD 40s. But no chessie or CSX anymore.
Les
 

shaygetz

Active Member
I do a bit of all four myself. I run mine as a shortline between the Pennsy and the B&O that runs steam extras during the summer for the tourist trade that travels between the various beaches and their homes in DC, Baltimore and Philly. It justifies my large steam fleet that shows few signs of weathering. A 30" gauge subsidiary, the Ocean City and Cape Charles, runs a mythical route between all the small crabbing and fishing communities that dot Maryland's Eastern Shore and the B&MC mainline. By the mid 70s, the timeline in which I run, it has been reduced to a second grade tourist line, destined for the scrapper's torch by the early 80s. My only credibility dilemma right now is the influx of large Espee and CSX diesels seen around my shops lately (sigh).

BTW, B&MC is for mine and my beloved's initials---or---the Basic and Mostly Credible Railroad, my prefered name in honor of all the goofy names we used to call our pikes years ago---or---the Baltimore and Mount Claire for the rivet counter crowd.:thumb:
 
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