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I'm planning to model portions of the orig. route (the Hook & Eye Line)of the L&N from Knoxville TN to the Atlanta, GA area (actually Marietta, GA) , as well as the branch from Blue Ridge GA to Murphy, NC where it interchanged w/ the Southern's Murphy Branch to Asheville, NC. I may expand my trackplan to include some of the Southern near Murphy. My layout will be set in the late '40s/early '50s and I am rewriting history a bit by depicting this route as a jointly owned (L&N and Southern) bridge route operated as an independent shortline that was 'created' during WW II to better serve both railroads and the locale, by unburdening both the L&N's other Atlanta Division as well as the Southern not having to rely on the longer route thru Saluda from Asheville to Atlanta. It would have provided better sevice to on-line industries, and more efficient running of passenger trains, esp during wartime. This kind of operation will permit me to model both L&N and Southern equipment, as well as a free-lanced subsidiary with its unique motive power (got to be able to justify Baldwin Sharks and Heislers), cabooses, paint schemes and logos. That's my rationale - now why -because this route begs to be modeled because of the diversity of industry such as a huge marble quarry operation, former copper smelting & its biproducts, agricultural, coal traffic, etc. that provides interesting structures and operation potential. Passenger trains were short-often two or three cars, and consisted of older hand-me-down equipment. Only light 2-8-0s and light 4-6-2s were able to run the entire length of this route, w/ light 2-8-2s resticted to certain sections only, due to curves, bridge loadings, and the light rail used. Doubleheading was not uncommon. It also traverses some very beautiful scenery including the Blue Ridge Mtns, rickety bridges over numerous streams and rivers, short tunnels (on the Southern), thru downtown sections of picturesque villages and towns, and there's hardly a stretch of level or straight trackage (just like a model railroad). Being close to my new home in GA (I can hear the present day GNRR from my house)enables me to get up close to the prototype, and being able to actually explore the route, walk the tracks, wander around in the towns along the route, and research background material locally, will hopefully enable me to more accurately model this locale. That both the L&N "Hook & Eye Line" and Southern's Murphy Branch have not been modeled that often, to the best of my knowledge, and are not that well known either, makes it all the more challenging and rewarding.
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