While taking a cross country trip with my family on the Amtrak California Zephyr (which is an adventure for another post), I observed a lot of scenery in between keeping kids occupied. Some of this scenery I saw consisted of a lot of abandoned property or scenes. Just to name a few, there were vehicles, rusty railroad cars, out of service trackage, weedy siding, and so forth. One thing that caught my eye was in Colorado, west of Grand Junction. After traveling through the canyon and following the Colorado River, I saw what looked to be an embankment that curved South off the main line. This embankment evidently used to go over a stream as evidenced by a "daylighted" gap and one standing cement culvert on the East. I have no idea where it led to or if it were just a former road.
As having to literally abandon my sectional model railroad recently due to a move, there lies a lot of potential ahead.
I have the opinion that a model railroad will look more realistic if the modeler can incorporate the passage of time. Us humans abandon quite a bit of things throughout history and it probably won't take much to show this. The scene I described above could be modeled with pink foam, ground cover, ballast or a weedy road, a stream, and a culvert portal. I wonder what other such scenes can be found.
I am planning to model the DRGW at Grand Junction and westward because I like the scenery in that area. I road through in 1990 on the Amtrak CZ and have photos of that area in my Rio Grande books.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Hi,
I, too, like to observe "slices of life" that I can translate into model railroad scenes.
I rode the CZ back in 2003 and saw some of the same things you describe. Over the years the main line has been realigned and, as you mention, many tunnels and snowsheds daylighted and curves eliminated.
While riding the old C&O main line through West Virginia I saw some smaller tunnels that were bypassed in track realignment upgrades.
IMG_0579 by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_0584 by Edmund, on Flickr
Abandoned buildings are another source of interesting sights, as long as it isn't taken to an extreme.
IMG_2619 by Edmund, on Flickr
Many rights-of-way show evidence of being a former double-track railroad:
IMG_2705 by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_2748 by Edmund, on Flickr
I made a scene at the end of a passing siding on my layout to look like a double track crossover had been reduced to simply a single siding switch:
Track_joint1 by Edmund, on Flickr
Thank you, Ed
I have been looking all over Georgia this month to find trains to share in the Diner.
.
Instead, I am finding a lot more abandon track than I expected.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I added an abandoned grain elevator to my layout, using Walthers Cornerstone kit. no. 933-3036.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
I'm planning of abandoned textile mill on my NYC/CR layout along the river.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
My good friend Paul Dolkos showed me where/how he depicted abandoned track. He did that with adding some ground foam and tall grass growing on the track. I plan on replicating that a bit on my current layout with some weed-infested track alongside the mainline.
Incorporating the "old and new" does make the layout more realistic. Frankly, it also makes things more enjoyable too. Of course plenty happy to keep things pristine.
The cinders once used for ballast, and the creosote used to treat ties, often inhibit vegetation growth years, decades, after the track has been removed. I have seen the tell tale signs of railroad ties on a long abandoned siding where grass grows between where the ties used to be, but hardly anything grows where the ties actually were. And again this was decades after the rail and ties were pulled up.
Another thing commonly seen trackside - old concrete footings for signal masts, water towers, bases for trackside shanties and even small depots. Sometimes you see a concrete loading ramp in the middle of nothing, just a ramp leading to nothing.
And of course telegraph and telephone poles can still be found trackside.
A few years ago a friend and I decided to try to follow the remains of the old Milwaukee Road line that went south of Rochelle IL, separated from the CB&Q/BN at Stewart Junction, continued on down to Mendota IL, and from there further south to the coal mine areas near Ladd and Cherry and such. Google satellite view was our friend and I took many notes. Sometimes a gentle rise in a country road was the evidence that a long gone grade crossing had been there. Now and then a scar from a cut or fill was still visisble but farming activity can obliterate these clues. Grain elevators and other structures at an illogical angle to the road grid can be another clue, as can utility lines marching off at their own strange angle. At one obscure country road we found rails still embedded in the old asphalt. And in a farmer's backyard we spied what clearly had been a small railroad depot.
This kind of rural industrial archeology can be tremendous fun. Once we were trying to find the route of the long long gone Galesburg & Great Eastern Railroad. A siding off the BNSF into the weeds seemed to be promising evidence - and a BNSF signal maintainer who noticed us crawling around on the property confirmed that we were standing on former G&GE tracks - as shown on his official BNSF track chart. We guestimated the route of the rails to Victoria IL where the old G&GE depot still stood but could not figure out where the coal mine - the only customer -- had been. So we drove around more or less blindly until a quick glance up a dirt road showed something --odd. A quick U turn and up that road found the holy grail of the G&GE: a water tank and a two stall engine house both obscured by weeds and vines. And yes we could still make out the path of ties and rails due to vegetation still being inhibited by the remains of creosote from 70 years earlier!
Someone told us that you can fine that water tank and enginehouse about every 5th try. It is pure luck and there are no landmarks to follow.
Dave Nelson
Way back in '98 I built a 12' protolance switching layout I called CR's Toledo "River Front Industrial". Of the seven indusries only 5 remained rail served.
I had a former rail served industry that still had its weed covered siding but,the switch was removed. I used Woodland Scenics Medium Green Clump Foliage for weeds with miscellaneous industrial junk,a home made old rusty overhead crane for unloading steel from gons ,a junk forklift and a home made dumpster. Two small trees (1") had also taken route and started their growth. The other industry, a rail to barge gravel loading dock that cease operation and all that remained was its locked gate and rusty rails leading to the off layout dock.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Great suggestions here guys.
I'm very interested in having some abandoned buldings and infrastructure in my urban chicago layout. That sort of thing is so common around here that it wouldn't feel complete without it.
I'd love to add the Hawethorne Works Tower...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_Works
... that sits across the street from my usual Aldi, and there's a faller kit that's not too far off, but I'm pretty sure I won't have the space to dedicate to it. Maybe a background flat...
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
Don't forget about all the Gold Rush mines in Colorado. There are lots of them.
I plan to model this on my new layout.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Eilif Great suggestions here guys. I'm very interested in having some abandoned buldings and infrastructure in my urban chicago layout. That sort of thing is so common around here that it wouldn't feel complete without it. I'd love to add the Hawethorne Works Tower... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_Works ... that sits across the street from my usual Aldi, and there's a faller kit that's not too far off, but I'm pretty sure I won't have the space to dedicate to it. Maybe a background flat...
Being a former Chicagoan, I am quite familiar with that tower. My wife grew up the first 20 years of her life in Cicero. She had relatives that worked there at the Western Electric Hawthorn Works facility.
I have done a lot of research on that building and the nearby former Sears complex. What amazing places those must have been. Basically cities within cities. The Hawthorn Works facility had around 45,000 employees and Sears had over 30,000 I believe.
Ed
Semi newbie HO scale modeler coming from the O scale world
mrrdad Eilif Great suggestions here guys. I'm very interested in having some abandoned buldings and infrastructure in my urban chicago layout. That sort of thing is so common around here that it wouldn't feel complete without it. I'd love to add the Hawethorne Works Tower... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_Works ... that sits across the street from my usual Aldi, and there's a faller kit that's not too far off, but I'm pretty sure I won't have the space to dedicate to it. Maybe a background flat... Being a former Chicagoan, I am quite familiar with that tower. My wife grew up the first 20 years of her life in Cicero. She had relatives that worked there at the Western Electric Hawthorn Works facility. I have done a lot of research on that building and the nearby former Sears complex. What amazing places those must have been. Basically cities within cities. The Hawthorn Works facility had around 45,000 employees and Sears had over 30,000 I believe. Ed
Hi Ed. In a different time, we'd practically be neighbors! I'm just over the border in K-Town, North Lawndale.
Have you looked up the Sears Complex lately, or "Homan Square" as it is now known? It's been slowly coming back. A few highlights..
-About 20 years ago they built a whole slew of townhomes that are quite nice.
-I used to work for the Lawndale Christian Health Center that has had a location on that property for almost that long alongside a new school building, Park District Pool and a YMCA.
-The power house building now houses a school. Was there for a meeting recently and it's really cool to see how they preserved some of the machinery and overhead cranes as visual elements.
-The preseved "Old Sears Tower" finally got renovated a couple years ago and has various commercial tenants.
-Lastly, the "Catalog Printing Building" just got turned into some impressive affordable lofts. http://www.royalimperial.com/lofts-on-arthington-residential/
I think the only remaining unused structures on the site is the second smaller building next to the Lofts and the parking garage.
Motley Don't forget about all the Gold Rush mines in Colorado. There are lots of them. I plan to model this on my new layout.
I remember seeing that! Almost directly across Clear Creek I had some of the best BBQ I've ever had.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I model modern era and there are abandoned railroad stuff all over the place. Of course, some of it abandoned for so long its getting overrun and harder to find.
Even back in the day when railroads were more plentiful, there were always mergers, bankruptcies, economic cycles causing businesses to cease. Its expensive to tear stuff down, so just let it rot.
On the new layout, I've got some space that doesn't work for tracks or buildings, but its too big to just scenic it. I'm thinking about a valley/creek scene where an abandonded railroad bridge is barely standing and the ROW leading to it is overgrown. Or maybe just the bridge piers standing naked in the middle of the valley holding up nothing.
I found a pic on the 'net of an old coaling tower I see often in Newnan GA. The tracks underneath are used by a fairly busy branch line of the NS (or I'm told CSX, hmm?). The more busy mainline crosses it at grade in the photo.
Not sure of the history, but the railroad seems to have rebuilt a lot of the trackage around it (no sign of a former yard that I can see), and yet still thought it too expensive to tear down.
- Douglas
I have simply extended dead-end sidings a few inches. In one spot, it simply crossed a road and is now paved over, with rusty track and old ties on the other side.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I railfan the CN (former WC, former SOO, and the first WC) and most of the original poles, and wires still remain along the main line.
The wires have long since been abandoned, but still remain, although all are downed and laying on the landscape, but still hanging on to the poles.
My attempt to model this:
Mike.
My You Tube
brakeman618 One thing that caught my eye was in Colorado, west of Grand Junction. After traveling through the canyon and following the Colorado River, I saw what looked to be an embankment that curved South off the main line. This embankment evidently used to go over a stream as evidenced by a "daylighted" gap and one standing cement culvert on the East. I have no idea where it led to or if it were just a former road.
One thing that caught my eye was in Colorado, west of Grand Junction. After traveling through the canyon and following the Colorado River, I saw what looked to be an embankment that curved South off the main line. This embankment evidently used to go over a stream as evidenced by a "daylighted" gap and one standing cement culvert on the East. I have no idea where it led to or if it were just a former road.
It kind of sounds like you may have seen some remnants of the Little Book Cliff Railway, but I'm not 100% sure about that. I live in Colorado, but I've never been to that area. I couldn't find any photos, but I did find some information on it if you're interested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Book_Cliff_Railway
Hello All,
Keep in mind, while not a currently producing mine, The Argo is not abandoned as it still gives tours.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
mbinsewiThe wires have long since been abandoned, but still remain, although all are downed and laying on the landscape, but still hanging on to the poles.
Mike —
Yours is an excellent solution to the quandry of stringing wire along the right-of-way. I have held off on installing line poles for this reason.
I don't want to deal with stringing wire and the associated hassles of the wire (thread) always interfering with track maintenance or, shudder the thought, a derailment.
Perfect solution, excellent photos
Cheers, Ed