The "W"s

[Anonymous]

Not Shrub, but where? what? when? and why? I just thought it might be neat (and might help some new people) to hear the rationale and stories behind some of our layouts. I know that in the smaller scales the miniature worlds are often planned out almost right down to the minute, and garden RR's are often more relaxed, but we all still made choices of what to buy and run.

Parts of my empire were planned and others "reverse engineered" from what I already had before I ever really thought much about it.  When the dust settled I ended up with a story...I think. The layout centerpiece is an ex coal mine "company town" (after the mine went bust). The place is somewhere along the Allegheny Valley branch of the Pennsy (except in MY little world it was never absorbed but remained an independent company) between Kittanning and Parker Pa. in the early June of 1959....

The 'Whys' are manifold. To start with the cheap Piko "Pleasantown" buildings I have look like company cottages after you gable the false fronts (reverse engineering). Then add in that I spent more than a few years in that area a decade or so back -- We lived in a little bump OFF the road called Conneration, which was up over the hill from the ghost village of Catfish. A place of old family farms, woodlands, rolling hills (and more than a few old company towns, some turned into summer church camps) as yet mostly un-mangled by developers and yuppies. (Don't bother looking for those place names on a map either, lol... The closest ones that you MIGHT find are East Brady and Rimersburg) Early June because I wanted to have kids in the school playground. 1959 because I can run steam or diesels as the mood suits, the clothes on the Preiser and Lemax figures look about right, and the "newest" vehicle that I had already bought and put on the layout was a '57 Bel Air (more reverse engineering, lol) This framework helps me to resist buying stuff that catches my eye, but doesn't really "fit" with the rest.

As for why Pooh, Tigger, some giant gnomes and a brontosaurus are there? ah, 'cause life is full of mysteries?.....

[hoofe116]

El,

I had to grin when I noted your statement "...most layouts are planned down to the minute..." or thereabouts. Not exact quote.

Pig River SL is not built yet. Not even sure how wide the benchwork is going to be. One thing about it: it will not be planned. Not even to the day, let alone the minute. I'll make it fit or rework it as I go.

After spending a good many years in jobs that had to be 'precise', I'm not going to relive it.

When? & Why? Specifically, it'll be before 1900 and after 1830. A backwoods shebang serving a lumber outfit and a mining company, plus whatever else I can think to shoehorn in. It'll run home-built equipment like many of the western logging outfits did.

I've found I like the mechanical, electrical, and construction 'problem solving' aspects best. That scratch/bashing is my meat and drink. When I can't sleep, I lay and turn potential problems over in my head, or imagine just how I'm going to make everything work together.

For instance, I found there are air-operated switchmotors. I concluded those wouldn't be difficult to scratchbuild up, and then found myself wondering why no one used vacuum switchmotors. I did some checking with a PE (Mech) who's a friend of mine, and he gave me a quick overview of some inherent problems with that method.

Where? Somewhere in the Ozarks of Missouri, specifically the St. Francois mountains, where I grew up in the 50s. They mined lead in that area, and although it was 'timbered out' by my day, old guys and those who couldn't farm or stand working in the City (St. Louis) hauled prop timber for use in mining. That finished the ruination of the timber crop, mainly hardwoods, some cedar and pine.

I've probably built that RR a thousand times in my head over the years, and those are the unalterable elements it's boiled down to.

Les

[Ray Dunakin]

What: The In-kopah Railroad is a fictious desert narrow gauge line serving mines and mining towns.

Where: The In-ko-pah Railroad is set in a rocky, mountainous region of the desert in Southern CA. It is named for the In-ko-pah Mountains and In-ko-pah Gorge of San Diego and Imperial counties. (The place name itself is an Indian word meaning "east people" and was used to describe the tribe which inhabited the area.)

When: Present day, mostly. However, I'm trying to avoid the use of modern structures or vehicles, so that the layout would fit just as well in an earlier era. And I'll be running mostly steam, as a "preserved, working" heritage railroad.

Why: I've always loved the desert, especially the Anza-Borrego region in eastern San Diego County. The flora and fauna are more varied than in the Mojave desert. So I've always wanted to have a model railroad set in that type of desert environment.

I also like the old mines, mining camps, and ghost towns that I've visited during my many trips in the Southern Ca deserts and Nevada. Some of those old mines were in mind-boggling locations, high on the sides of steep, jagged mountains.

One reason I chose to model it as "present day" is because I want to have some ghost town structures and abandoned mines, just like those places I've explored in real life.

I like all kinds of trains. I wish had enough room to operate some big standard gauge trains along with a narrow gauge branch line. But I have very little room, just 19x50 feet (including the pathways and stairs), on a very steep slope. I knew from the start that this would limit me to tight curves and small rolling stock -- thus I stuck with narrow gauge. But that's ok, funky little NG trains are cool!

The steep slope was a challenge but it also made it possible to build the dramatic "vertical scenery" I'm most interested in.

That's the "real life" reason that my railroad is what it is. I've also created a brief fictional history which can be found on my website. And that brings me to, "Who cares". Well, I find that having a theme and history help me create a more cohesive and believable model railroad.

[tangerine-jack]

What: The Dixie D short line is a fictitious tourist railway that also serves mom and pop small industry with an "on call" timetable.

Where: The DDSL is set in a rocky, mountainous and very sandy flat region of the mid Atlantic near Oregon, about 30 miles south of Coon Rapids Iowa. It is named for my daughter's first Seeing Eye dog, Dixie (D batch).

When: About 4:30 in the afternoon, usually around the last run of the day when every body is thinking about dinner and getting home. Big plans are always being made for the weekends and the big decisions are about whether to BBQ or get Chinese take out.

Why: If I didn't have this I would be up on the roof with a sniper rifle.  It allows me to decompress and live in a fantasy world for a few hours a week.  And the plants are pretty too.

So that is my planning on the DDSL.  Sometimes I design it, sometimes it does me.  Either way, it a great thing.