I was looking through the layouts posted in SpaceMouse's H0 small town module in 2x8 feet contest.
I got curious about one of the layouts - Corydon, Indiana. Original poster of that layout proposal mentioned that Corydon had an interesting small 4-track yard (which he had not modelled) with a engine barn and a depot, among some local industries.
So I went to look at the prototype on maps.live.com: http://tinyurl.com/23tmp6 (right click, chose "open in new window" to spin off as separate browser window - at least in IE - scroll right to see more of prototype).
Looks more like a pretty good starting point for a small industry LDE. I wonder if this little yard/depot/engine house could be modelled okay in 2x8 feet without totally dominating the whole 2x8 module ?
Would something like this work for a 2x8 end of branchline module - connecting to the rest of the layout on the right (labelled "east to Corydon Junction") ?
Anyone else have suggestions for improvements or changes to improve operations or make it more like the prototype ?
Smile, Stein
A few years back my layout was Corydon Indiana to Corydon JCT. based in 1952 ,. My layout included the 4 track yard and engine terminal , I also modeled the branch line that forded the river to a quarry . I had planned to update the layout to the 1980's and include the industrial park and the scenic railroad operations , but a move to a new house with less room killed that plan , but some day I plan to try again . The railroad has alot of potential , for many years their lone diesel a 44 ton switcher swithched 86 foot auto parts box cars . A real case of the little engine that could . As business grew the railroad added some Alco engines , s-2 , rs11 and a sw7 painted for the GTW and RDC's used for the tourist line .
The scenery in that part of Indiana is very hilly and the railroad is a steady grade up to Corydon JCT . and follows the valley that Indian creek runs through .
You are right in that it has great LDE potenial .
carknocker1 wrote: A few years back my layout was Corydon Indiana to Corydon JCT. based in 1952 ,. My layout included the 4 track yard and engine terminal , I also modeled the branch line that forded the river to a quarry .
A few years back my layout was Corydon Indiana to Corydon JCT. based in 1952 ,. My layout included the 4 track yard and engine terminal , I also modeled the branch line that forded the river to a quarry .
I wasn't able to locate the quarry, but I have been looking all over overhead pix of this railroad on http://maps.live.com/, switching back and forth between road view (map view) and hybrid view (overhead pix with road names superimposed on terrain pix).
Is the branch line you are referring to above the track that goes south on the east side of Indiana 135 from roughly the junction of Indiana 135 and old Indiana 135 ?
Closeup overhead pix: http://tinyurl.com/2cua8p (all links - right click and chose "open in new window" in your browser to spin off a second window showing the overhead pictures I am referring to).
Just south of the branchline junction, the branchline south crosses Sky park Drive NE at grade. There is some kind of industry between the track and Indiana 135 here:
http://tinyurl.com/28cpgo
Doesn't appear to be a siding for this industry - at least not now ? Trucks parked west of track in a place where there may at some stage have been a double ended siding.
Then the track appears to cross Interstate 64 (even number, so the interstate goes east-west) on a single track curved bridge bridge and run south along Landmark Avenue, through a wooded area.
Roughly across from Federal Drive there appears to be a trailing spur (when coming south) curving east to an industry of some kind: http://tinyurl.com/3c8jjq
South of that industry the track appears to continue in a curve SE, between Old Indiana 135 and a creek or river, and then passes something that might be a quarry, near Old North Bridge Road. Hmm - not! What is this ? 5 things that look like a 1/4 pie slice out of a circle. Sports facility - baseball park ? http://tinyurl.com/2vlanx
By old North Bridge road track passes what appears to be some kind of light manufacturing industries or storage sheds of some kind, before passing under a bridge carrying North Capital Avenue over the river/creek: http://tinyurl.com/2ushnj
Aha! I think I see that non-bridge crossing you are referring to. Railroad crosses river/creek south of the North capital Avenue bridge, and there appears to be is no bridge under the track:
http://tinyurl.com/yu76zp
Very cool!
South of this crossing there appears to be a quite largish industry of some kind between North Capital Avenue and North Water Street.
One of the streets leading into this factory appears to be named Cedar Glade Avenue. Would this (http://tinyurl.com/2awc6p) be the furniture plant in your 2x8 plan ?
Looks like there might be a trailing siding or a double ended siding west of the main track through this industry, with a turnout on the south side of Hurst road ? It would make sense to have a runaround/passing siding somewhere around here, since we appear to be getting close to the end of the branch line.
Tail end track down along N Water street. At some time there might have been a facing spur going up to or into some sort of light manufacturing style building with a green roof ?
Branch appears to terminate just south of Walnut Street.
carknocker1 wrote: I had planned to update the layout to the 1980's and include the industrial park and the scenic railroad operations , but a move to a new house with less room killed that plan , but some day I plan to try again .
I had planned to update the layout to the 1980's and include the industrial park and the scenic railroad operations , but a move to a new house with less room killed that plan , but some day I plan to try again .
That is a pity. I can totally sympatize with not having a lot of modelling space - the layout I am building is located on a 24" deep and 8" deep L-shaped shelf in a room that is 6.5 x 11.5 feet. It would have been nice to have a little more space available.
Btw - the industrial park you are referring to is the stuff north of the small yard/engine house, by Cline Road ?
That is a very interesting looking industry spur branching off north of the track leading to the yard, roughly by Harrison Way, and looping northwest through 360 degrees before ending up parallell to the track to the yard.
There appears to be several rail served industries along this "loop industrial spur" (for lack of a better name) : http://tinyurl.com/2xr94d
Loop spur appears to be fairly new (or at least well maintained) - ballast looks nice and white, well defined right of way.
From Harrison Way towards the end of this spur there appears to be the following sidings: 1) Double ended siding big enough for 4-5 longish RR cars west of the loop spur, serving a medium sized manufacturing plant of some kind. Still has RR service - cars at plant. Hmm - 89' cars with auto parts, perhaps ?
2) Facing single ended siding big enough for 5-6 RR cars east of the loop spur. RR car at plant. Also longish boxcars, it appears ?
3) Pretty large industry (for Corydon) with several sidings
3a) Facing siding south of the main spur, north of industry. Room for maybe 4-5 cars - appears to be gons or flatcars of some kind. Loads appear to be sort of shaped like a double smokestack seen from above - ie two squares of some kind - could be a company that makes some kind of steel or concrete structures.
3b) short runaround south of the main spur, room for maybe 3 cars.
3b) Longish double ended siding curving NW-SE along the west side of the main spur. Looks like a storage spur/AD-type siding for the industry industry. Maybe room for 10-12 gons/flatcars of the type this industry seems to use.
Loop main track dead ends in a tail running through concrete at the south side of large industry. 8 gons or flatcars with same kind of load as on north side spur (3a). Cuts broken up into groups of 3 and 3 cars, to avoid blocking Progress Boulevard and various access roads for trucks and employee parking for the industry.
Based on these pictures I would guess that the three industries in this industrial park must be the main rail served customers for this RR ?
If I make a jump and go back to the junction where the branch south across the river line to the furniture plan (or whatever it is) branches off the mainline, and then follow the mainline north towards Corydon Junction, there appears to be a longish (for this RR line) double ended siding between old Indiana 135 and Indiana 135, just nort of the branch line junction.<
I am glad you found this little railroad as interesting as I have .
You mentioned the river crossing , this one is a bridge , the non bridge river crossing is further south . The Quarry has been closed at least 60 years , . The last time I was there a few years back the tracks were still in place but nearly over grown , I could not see them from the satalite images .
But South of the bridge is the Furniture plant on my design . Most of the industrial park north of there is also where the new yard and engine terminal is . The old engine house by the station is used to store the 44 tonner " Betty Sue " and a fully restored wooden caboose . The railroads office is still in the old station there on Water Street .
I'll have to look but I do believe I still have a few photos of my old layout , if I can find them I will post them.
On another note both Atlas and Athaern have produced LNAC boxcars .
carknocker1 wrote: I am glad you found this little railroad as interesting as I have .
As the masthead on National Geographic Magazine says (or at least used to say, IIRC), I am interested in "The world and everything in it" There are very few things that are dull when I dig a little into them.
But yes - I do find Corydon interesting as prototype inspiration for several kinds of LDEs - especially industry parks and the interchange.
carknocker1 wrote: You mentioned the river crossing , this one is a bridge , the non bridge river crossing is further south . The Quarry has been closed at least 60 years , . The last time I was there a few years back the tracks were still in place but nearly over grown , I could not see them from the satalite images .
I tried to look for traces of a quarry south of the river, but couldn't see anything obvious. Whereabouts would this crossing be, roughly ?
carknocker1 wrote: But South of the bridge is the Furniture plant on my design . Most of the industrial park north of there is also where the new yard and engine terminal is . The old engine house by the station is used to store the 44 tonner " Betty Sue " and a fully restored wooden caboose . The railroads office is still in the old station there on Water Street .
Mmm - where is the station and the old engine house - just south of the furniture plant, on Water Street ? Which building is the old engine house and old station ?
carknocker1 wrote: I'll have to look but I do believe I still have a few photos of my old layout , if I can find them I will post them.On another note both Atlas and Athaern have produced LNAC boxcars .
I would love to see some pictures from your old layout.
Thanks for sharing this stuff.
Grin, Stein
Here are the locations of the engine house , station and the RDC's.
Lemme see. I'll remove the th_ (thumbnail) prefix, to get the fullsize picture.
Aha. Okay, now I see where they are. Thank you!
Stein
Here are a few photos of my old Coydon layout
Looks very attractive!
Which parts of the prototype is represented in each of these pictures ?
First one obviously shows a road underpass and several tracks branching out closest to camera. Maybe at the quarry ? Or is it somewhere else ?
Second one could be anywhere along the line. Nice scenery!
Third one - by the RR depot on Water street ?
Got a track plan layout around somewhere ? Or was this layout prior to track plans drawn in CAD software ?
Anyways - as I said - layout looks very good! Thanks for sharing these pictures with the rest of us.