Back in the 1980s and into the early 90's, there was a really nice railroad festival in Logansport, IN. Activities included a huge street fair, rides, enough food booths to challenge the state fair for selection and to top it off, a steam engine pulled excursion train running either west to France Park, or south to Anoka Junction on the old PRR tracks. The south direction required getting across the sometimes busy ex Wabash main line of NW/NS so that option wasn't done that often to my memory.
The steamer was ex Buffalo Creek & Gauley #13, renumbered No 1. Her odd feature was behind the glass of her headlight, where there was a white plate with 2 pickup truck, rectangular sealed beam headlights. Mounted one above the other. A PRR style keystone number plate adorned her smoke box with L&ER replacing the PRR lettering. Coaches were mostly painted in PRR tuscan colors and had 4 axle trucks. I was but a young boy then, but the style closely resembles the MDC/Roundhouse Hariman coaches. A couple of custom runs were done by that company, some say Iron Horse Festival(I have one of these), and I have seen some lettered for the railroad(looking for a few of those).
As this whole festival was one of the highlights of my childhood, I am going to take the railway and freelance it to be more than just the festival train. As this festival came to an end in reguards to the train. The railroad scene localy was changing. A shortline took over the line south from Logansport to Kokomo from Conrail, it was an offshoot from the Centrail RR of Indianapolis that operated out of Kokomo to Marion, Frankfort and Tipton on the old NKP tracks. A seperate company(for tax purposes) was made to work the line north to Logansport. So lets eliminate that seperate company and replaced it with the L&ER. The line also used to go north out of Kenneth Jct to Winamac to serve a large grain elevator. But Conrail play dirty pool and the rails were pulled(we will sell you the right of way but we are taking the track!). So that part is now a paved trail today. I am going to undo that travisty and keep rail service in place to the north. The bulk of the original L&ER line was long gone by the 80's, with only a tid bit in place in Logansport over to the coal power plant incase they wanted rail service. There was also Cole Hardwood lumberyard that had rail service at one time. South of Logan there are a couple of fertilizer plants that get rail cars to this very day. Not much else south of that till you get to Kokomo.
My plan is to model the area around Logansport and just to the south. The huge A and B yards of the PRR wont be featured as I lack the space to even think about that. Kenneth junction where the line splits away from the TP&W main will be modeled as hidden interchange point for grain hoppers. The prominant and main area will be the musuem depot and bording area for the steam excursion that is along the Wabash river. Motive power will be as follows, Overland brass C&O G9 that will be turned into No1(its on layaway till october as it was not cheap) Then I have to save up to have her professionaly painted. Then I am picking up an Overland low nose GP35 early run (snagged it for $75) to handle freight duties and hopefully an old Alco models NW2 switcher off a friend. I plan to paint the diesels in a PRR style paint scheme but with white lettering and the L&ER keystone on the nose. As we are in the pre ditch light era, the GP35 will have a clear double flash strobe on the roof. (kind of like the old Grand Trunk diesels did at one time). Thats all I need for motive power. Interchange power(since our local group is all about operation with car cards) will mostly be NS power from my friends layout. I will be putting DCC/Sound in everything and using the NCE Powercab system(had one before and really liked it). I can handle painting the diesels, but I want the steamer done by someone with a bit more experience than I. And they will have to fabricate the funky twin beam headlight instert and light it for me. That was so prominant when you look at her, that it has to be done somehow. Here are some pics of old No 1 back in the day. Mike
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
I think your idea of modeling the L&ER as a short line sounds very plausible.
My personal thought is I would add two or three more industries for extended switching operation.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I have posted that same question Larry on an Indiana specific railroad forum as I was very young when the excursion train was running. So I lack information on what was shipping by rail in Logansport during that time. I know that Cole Hardwoods used to ship by rail, and the power house took loaded coal cars at one time, just dont know when it all stopped. Or what other small spurs were in use in the mid 1980's if any. South of Logansport there was 2 fertilizer plants. I do not remember when the small grainerys at Walton, Lincoln and Galvestion stopped using rail or if anything else in those small towns between Logan and Kokomo that used rail. Got 4 months before I pay off my steamer, should have the diesel this week so I can start painting it. Custom decals will be in the mail on monday, should have them mid week. Debating whether to keep my 4x8 that is walled in on 3 sides, or go back to a shelf set up. Room is only 8 foot wide by 9 foot long. There are 2 doors that open into the room that create a problem for a continious run, they both would require a single large, curved, removable section of benchwork. I do want continous run ablity for times when I just want to watch a train run or to run in locomotives. Right now, the lean is toward cutting the bench top back to the shelf modules that are under it. I just bridged them for the last couple months. The plywood top is bare, so no issues cutting it to fit the shelf benchwork that is under it. With the 4x8, track cleaning and the ablity to do scenery or rerailing is difficult on the back side and really limits things. Mike