I had he idea of having/designing a multi era model railroad, with the transtional era, middle era and most modern era on it, but decided to reverse my steam engines and related passanger cars for excursions. It would be too much to keep track of the rolling stock and locos for each era, so prehaps its ok and best to stick to one, altough I am working on a layout to fit two, or even three eras.It then it me that, I could possibly have a histrical railroad museum showing and displaying preserved pieces of rolling stock, while my steam excursions and modern diesel freight oprations pass by. It would be a display scene, altough I would have to manage the size and not let it encoumpass the entue layout. I am concerned would get boring with the rolling stock just sitting there, thus justifying the need for a multi era layout so the rolling stock could, ya know, be used and roll on my layout.I do like the variety of the transitional and middle (1960s,70s and 80s, 90s) era so thats something.Have you ever included a historic railroad museum on your layout? Know of any examples seen on model railroader magazine.
Well, the extreme I've seen is a sectional layout depicting the entire Strasburg Railroad. They do have the building and some trains of the Railroad Museum of PA across the street. Besides passenger excurions, Strasburg still hauls freight - with steam locos.
As a lesser organized attempt, back when I was a kid, on our holiday layout (never had room for a permanent layout), everything was fairly generic 50's/60's except for the Old West town. There were two sidings which is where I used to park the AHM old time locos and cars, and I would imagine it more of an Old West theme park sort of thing than a literal model of the period. Thus it could fit in with the diesels and the more modern houses on other parts of the layout.
Another one to model would be Reading and Northern's former PRR line, which would be easy - lots of trees overhanging it and loaded with storage cars. And then have the RCT&HS museum at the Hamburg end.
--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 have never seen an historical railroad museum on a layout, but I have seen plenty that excursion trains pass over the rails.
The decision to place your railroad in a certain time-frame is personal. Some people model eras, some model a certain year, and some (like me) model a specific day.
If you want to run a variety of equipment, you should feel free to do so. There is no rule that everything needs to make sense.
It is your railroad, get whatever enjoyment out of it you want to. If you want to run a lash-up of GEVOs pulling a string of wooden billboard reefers, nothing should stop you.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Remember, UP used 3985 to haul freight, even double stacks. It wasn;t just used for expensive executive excursions.
Engi1487Know of any examples seen on model railroader magazine.
Walthers did a private-car repair shop series a few years back, based on the Modern Machine Shop IIRC. So the iidea has "sort-of" been out there.
https://www.walthers.com/railcar-restoration-charter-shop-building-kit-13-5-8-x-8-3-4-x-5-1-8-quot-34-6-x-22-2-x-13cm
I have seen one or two layouts where an outdoor "live-steam" ride-on track was featured. Fun ideas.
Regards, Ed
gmpullmanWalthers did a private-car repair shop series a few years back, based on the Modern Machine Shop IIRC.
I was unaware of that Cornerstone kit. It must not have been in production very long. I am going to buy one and use it on the layout. I have been looking for an industry I can put the freight cars inside of, and that structure looks small enough to work.
I did not want to use the Heljan/Pola "brewery" again.
gmpullmanI have seen one or two layouts where an outdoor "live-steam" ride-on track was featured. Fun ideas.
Live steam layouts in N or Z scale are great fun.
SeeYou190Live steam layouts in N or Z scale are great fun.
I am tempted to note that you could hone your extreme weathering skills beautifully and exhaustively re-creating a typical museum 'collection'...
Far more common, and perhaps far more useful, than depicting the actual museum is to have excursion trains or 'rambles' featuring museum locomotives and perhaps museum car consists operating over the visible part of the railroad. You could even model something like the setup in Jim Thorpe to collect entertainment tax from the throng of happily-boarding marks, or put merch tables out at a station.
rrinker Remember, UP used 3985 to haul freight, even double stacks. It wasn;t just used for expensive executive excursions. --Randy
That was actually done as a publicity stunt for APL Lines, hence why all the stacks on the train are theirs. Either way, it was real freight it was just being done per APL's request. However UP steam still has some prototype freight in recent years, for example UP 844 after the pedestrian strike on the last Cheyenne Fronteir Days train, held in Denver pending the accident investigation while the passenger cars were fleeted via diesel back to Cheyenne. Once 844 was cleared it picked up several tank cars in Denver and shuttled them back to Cheyenne with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g3-q2lhQas
Then last year during 4014's runs it picked up a cut of covered hoppers and hauled them too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgFt9wGJb90
One fairly common idea is to mount a steam engine on a short length of track in front of a station (particularly a large one) or your shops
http://wikimapia.org/4468734/GN-S-2-Locomotive-2584-on-display#/photo/2237400
Steam engines show up on display all over the place.
In Florida I know of one in a City Park (Fort Myers), Convention Center (Jacksonville), Major Intersection (Zolfo Springs), and in the middle of nowhere on the side of Route 27.
[quote user="gmpullman"]
Engi1487
[/quoteHey thanks Ed, I will look into that. Does it mention a prototype that inspired the kit?
gmpullmanWalthers did a private-car repair shop series a few years back, based on the Modern Machine Shop IIRC. So the iidea has "sort-of" been out there.
SeeYou190I was unaware of that Cornerstone kit. It must not have been in production very long. I am going to buy one and use it on the layout. I have been looking for an industry I can put the freight cars inside of, and that structure looks small enough to work.
It took me over six months, but I finally got one. I paid about $40.00 for this one.
I think this will be perfect for my planned location.
Thanks for that tip Ed.
Hello All,
It's not a museum or static display of historic equipment, but I do occasionally run an "Olde Tyme" excursion train.
My freelance pike is set in the late 1970s to 80s. It is based on a coal mine established post Civil War.
The motive power is primarily GP 40s & 30s to negotiate the tight curves in a 4'x8' space.
A historic spiral trestle (helix) connects the upper unloading siding to the mainline below.
Because of the remote location of this branch line access to the general public is limited to special runs when mining operations are suspended.
A USRA 0-6-0 pulls a string of 42-foot cars: a combine; converted to a dining car, two restored passenger cars, a gondola- -with passenger seating- -and a bobber caboose.
To negotiate the 3% grade a 0-6-0 Side Tank Porter is used as a helper.
Both steamers have been converted to burn oil.
At the spur end of the wye there is a small fueling/service facility for these engines.
Guests can visit the service facility before or after their ride on the excursion train but it is a working service facility and not a static museum.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
I missed this the first time 'round, but better late than never!
Our club has a brass Big Boy parked as a "static display" near Engine Services. We need to fence it it.
And... I have an excursion train!
It consists (usually) of two Bachmann Jackson-Sharp excursion cars and one car I built based on something I saw (IIRC) on the Delaware and Ulster RR -- it's a gondola with an opening cut in the side and a row of park benches down the middle. All three cars are populated with HO scale railfans!
I made the train mostly because I wanted a train small and light enough for my little Bachmann 2-6-0 or 45 Tonner to haul up the 2% grades on my club's mainline. They can handle these three cars plus a little additional weight in the form of an Overland car or a caboose if the railfans find the open cars too chilly...
The excursion train both amuses and infuriates my fellow members -- it's a cute train but everyone hates getting stuck behind it as it strolls through the mountains at 25 sMPH... But when we have visitors it always gets a point and a smile. I haven't run it at an open house yet... the dispatcher gets impatient with its slow pace.
Unfortunately I can't find any pics and the train is parked in mt storage unit at the moment, but a friend has some photos and I'll add them if anyone cares.
Definitely a fun little train -- prototypical and yet it adds a little whimsy and levity to the railroad!
Aaron
Here we go -- some pics of my excursion train...
That's the Bachmann Sound Value 2-6-0 btw -- neat little loco for $100!
Yeah, the idea of modeling a railroad museum as justification for having a wide variety of rolling stock of different eras gets mentioned pretty frequently, but as others have noted, it doesn't seem like many model railroaders actually follow through with the idea. I model a transition-era electric railroad which frequently did allow "fan trips" in the later days of electric traction, either using their own equipment or trolleys belonging to private clubs, and after the wire came down, old passenger equipment hauled by the railroad's diesel-electric freight locomotives, so passenger service on my layout originally consisted of one or two heavyweight cars pulled by a 44 tonner, or Brill or Birney streetcar running on a fan trip, but more recently as I started buying interurban brass I've "backdated" the layout to include regular interurban passenger runs (but there are still occasional fan trips!)
The museum idea does seem like a basher's dream project--museums tend to be relatively compact, there's less dependence on a complex freight timetable, often they deliberately have their passenger/tourist operations running in a loop, and if you're into ludicrous weathering there's plenty of opportunity to go wild making a deadline filled with rust-caked locomotives and rickety boxcars waiting for the museum to make enough revenue to restore them to operating condition! And don't forget to include a gift shop.
I suppose it is the beauty this side of the pond with a plethora of Heritage Railways. Heritage Railways that have a collection of locomotives, carriages etc. All of older vintage. Some running. Others in need of repair. A Static Exhibition. The customary shop and cafe.
Different theme weekends, War Weekend, Valentines Weekend, Santa.
Wedding Party Specials. Pullman Diner Experience, Steam Weekend, Diesel Weekend.
Many modelers here have such layouts. Of course (if wanted) A feeder service from the main railroad company with modern traction.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
I'm actually planning a small museum type display on my next layout. (And had been prior to seeing this thread.)
It will consist of two short display tracks alongside a restored passenger station for a gift shop, a pair of unpowered HO Scale steam locomotive models, one Erie 2-8-4, one UP "BigBoy", and a single old time Wood sheathed boxcar, in Lake Shore Railway Museum (a real rail museum btw) paint.
(I was gifted one of the unpowered HO steamers, and the passenger station kit, and wished to use them on my layout, so had thought of doing this after visiting several rail museums. The other two pieces I found at the LSRM gift shop, which just so happens to be located inside an old station building.)
And, I will on occasion have the obligatory "railfan special" making a stop alongside the museum for passengers, with either NKP765, a "restored" E8 and matching passenger consist set, or a "restored" historical society owned steamer for power. (Depending on which locomotives I wish to run.)
So, yes. I would say to do it, but only if you wanted. It's your layout. (And, there are numerous prototype example of rail museums alongside active lines.)
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I had a railway museum on my former CP Rail Manitoba & Minnesota Sub.
John Longhurst, Winnipeg
http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-railway-museum-for-cp-rail-manitoba.html?m=1
I just found this. It's awesome! Fits the bill perfectly.
https://youtu.be/tGZTgqPDPdU
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
There is a Challenger in a park in North Platte, NE a few miles east of Bailey Yard. If my bearings are correct, it is on the north side of town. There's some other vintage equipment there but the Challenger is what I remember.
I stopped there on my way to Cheyenne to see the first run of refurbished Big Boy 4014. On my way I passed through Omaha and intended to see the Big Boy they have on display there. I followed the directions to a parking lot but all I saw there was Lauritzen Gardens. I didn't realize I had to go down a hill through a wooded area to get to where the Big Boy was on display.
Getting back to the OP, to do a railroad museum would require a lot of space to do it right. If it were a priority, one could probably devote that kind of space to one but given how precious model railroad real estate is, I wouldn't want to do it. You could probably do some selective compression and only model a portion of it.
Genesee Terminal, freelanced HO in Upstate NY ...hosting Loon Bay Transit Authority and CSX Intermodal. Interchange with CSX (CR)(NYC).
CP/D&H, N scale, somewhere on the Canadian Shield
Selectively compress it - Have it continue "off layout" in the aisle. As small and tight as you need, yet plauably goes on for however big you wish.
On mine, the display tracks will continue "over the edge" at an angle, and hold however many other interesting things I wish to imagine. (Big enough to support the 2 steamers, plus other imagined items.)
(Parking lot will be "off layout" to save space as well.)
CanalligatorsSo I built a museum on a free-standing table, with my granddaughter.
That sounds great!
I do something similar with equipment that is too new for 1954. I build dioramas and take pictures.