Im struggling to find industries to model on the BNSF Red River sub (Texas Panhandle) and was hoping some users here would have some ideas. Right now I have a grain elevator and that's it so any help would be much appreciated.
The Texas panhandle grows a lot of cotton. So a cotton gin could ship baled cotton and cottonseed (cattle feed).
Ray
Unless you live in that area, most of your visitors won't know what fits or does not. Select industries that you like, who cares if they would really be there.
An Oil refinery get crude in by pipeline, and shipping out finished fuels equals tanker cars. A plastic pellet plant ships mostly in covered hoppers.
Dairy: 2/3 of the milk peoduced in Texas is from the Panhandle.
Wind energy
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Isn't that oil country, windmills, cattle and caliche mining? Caliche is like a limestone.
I think those big white windmills are ugly, but you do see the blades transported by rail on the midwest railcams
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I am not familiar with BNSF's divisional structure and therefore cannot speak to the industries on the "Red River Subdivision". I do have Car Locator and Inventory Control books for the Santa Fe's Plains Division encompassing their Fourth, Fifth, Plainview, and Floydada subdivisions in the Texas panhandle. I also have a CLIC book for the Hereford Sub, including Amarillo's Junior Yard.
These books provide track diagrams showing each sidetrack, whom it serves as well as car spots, doors, unloading pits, loading spouts, etc. Each industry or "patron" in ATSF speak is also listed in an alphabetical index. Example:
Patron name Station
Adams Feed Mill Post
American Cotton Growers Littlefield
American Magnesium Brand
American Plant Foods Littlefield
Anderson Grain Co. Abernathy
And 3+ pages later winding up with:
Wylie Grain Co. Floydada
The plains of Texas are predominately are a grain growing region and as pointed out by others, also a cotton and petrochemical producing region as well. This means agri-businesses selling such as fertilizers and other ag chemicals nutrients and pesticides are in almost every town. Machinery is necessary to till the soil and apply the chemicals which means the larger towns may a have farm implement dealer, that also provides a repair service.
The oilfields of west Texas need lots of pipe, drilling mud and cement, and other chemicals. Carbon black which is used in rubber and ink production is produced in Borger, TX and, shipped in some unique cars. People of this region work hard and like to relax "hard" so beer distributors are a prominent part of the landscape, along with lumber/home improvement merchants. Because many of the towns are small, isolated communities, they might rely on propane for cooking and heating. The gas may come in from producers in east Texas or, Louisiana. The usual steel and junk yards are also represented.
A good book that documents the region in color photographs is "Santa Fe on the Great Plains- The Photography of Lee Berglund" by Roger Ziegenhorn and Robert D. Walz, ISBN 978-1-933587-34-9, available from the Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society Inc. (www.sfrhms.org). There is also "Warbonnets and Bluebonnets" by Joe McMillan, ISBN 0-934228-19-1, available from McMillan Publications Inc., (www.mcmillanpublications.com). This book is also an all color look at the ATSF in Texas, including the Great Plains, eastern New Mexico and the Oklahoma panhandle.
Another resource is the website https://atsfinroswell.wordpress.com. This website focuses on railroading in west Texas from a modeling perspective.
If you model this region's industry, the covered hopper will be the most numerous type of car, followed by the tank car and boxcars. The others (gon, hopper and flat)-not so much. Not knowing much about the specific towns, industries, branch or mainline traffic, that interests you, and how closely you follow a prototype-I hope this helps.
a
Thanks. The sub is actually ex CBQ but I'm sure it will still be of use.
"Fly" over the sub using Google Maps and "land" using street view to see what the industry names are.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
RailEagle Im struggling to find industries to model on the BNSF Red River sub (Texas Panhandle) and was hoping some users here would have some ideas. Right now I have a grain elevator and that's it so any help would be much appreciated.
Do you have Google Earth? In larger towns, you can zoom in to "street view", which gives you a real-time look at the areas.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR