Like brakie, I also model the Hocking. Awsome to see some one else making a effort at preserving the memory of the hocking. Well, since this is apparently the place for histories, here it goes.
As the 20's came around, the coal fields started to dry up. Most of the mines played out and the only signifigant sreas of coal mining left were The Monday creek Branch, which would last into the 1970's, another large grouping around Charelston on the Kanawa and Michigan subsidiary, and a 2 million ton, 14ft seam under New Straitsville, Ohio. Seing the coming storm, the Hocking built a mine on the large ore deposit at Gorre Ohio. The proposed branch line from Toledo, OH, to Detroit, MI, was approved and built, tapping the lucrative auto parts market. The increased revenue allowed the Hocking to buy the rest of the K&M stock from the NYC, at the expense of trackage rights for the NYC. Finallly, the Ohio court ruled the C&O acusistion of the Hocking illegal. (Forgot the real name, but this was an actual and documented court decision.) The Hocking took this oppertunity to pull strings and ensure ist's independance. The reslt was a line that gave a highly lucrative route between Charelston, West Virginia and Detroit under one company.
The line just barely weathered the great depression and the 30's. thanks to these previous changes the line was in better shape than most.
When the 1940's and 50's rolled around, the Hocking again prepared for the future. Surving the 30's enabled another huge investment. The line from Columbus to Athens, OH, was completely re-engineered. Bridges were upgraded to handle the weight of the 2-6-6-2 articulateds used between Columbus and Toledo with 2-10-2's. Another large upgrade was to the locomotive fleet. Since the articulated's and 2-10-2's had the same tractive effort, the articulated's were reassinged between Columbus and Athens. This was a much more efficient use of the territory than doubleheading mikados and consolidation's. Most of the 2-10-2's were reassinged between Athens and Charelston. The large number of virtulally new USRA 0-8-0's were assinged to yard, mine shifting and transfer runs. Mikados were kept for branch and local runs. Finally, auxillary water tenders became standard. All uneeded locos were scrapped or sold. Most locomotives were completely modernized and given automatic lubrication. The result was extremely efficient service, avalibility, and range. The only service stops needed on the main were Charelston, Athens,Logan, Columbus, and Toledo. Athens was a loco swap and Logan was the center of virtually all local/secondary activity between Athens and Columbus. Steam was focused South of Coumbus and north of Logan became F7's with extensive b-unit use and GP7's for locals. 20-hour hotshot freights were initatied between Toledo and Charelston. Trackage rights were solidified with the V&O from Charelston to Columbus and the Toledo coal docks. Finally, CTC was installed on the entire main and Toledo branch.
The result was a huge quantity of overhead traffic and a large, but extremely lean system. Tourism also cought the company's intrest and some locos and equipment were kept around. Test service started between Logan and Nelsonville.
The 1960's and70's were survived by the oveherhead traffic and hotshot/intermodal sectors. The line also offically bought into the tourist crave and kept Nelsonville station, two F7's, a mikado, and some passenger coaches were reserved from being scrapped for that purpose. All the coal mines except the straitsville and gore deposits ran out and the Monday Creek gave out in 1973 (the actual date).
Finally, the 80's brought new industrial parks, a recognition of the intact although decomisioned steam facilities at Logan, and a new era of prosperity in both freight and passenger revenue. Modern traffic includes a Logan-Lancaster local,Detroit local, Straitsville unit run,tourist run, and V&O/A&M through freights along with NS and CSX
Here is a tour of my HO layout. Time is 1954-55 and size is 4x8, increasing to a 10x14 double deck.
https://youtu.be/oQaqMYtjTeU
Not really a story line, but here is the basis for the layout.....
http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?railroad=Dubois%20County%20Railroad
- Douglas
Well I several fictional railroads. I'll make it short. But I REALLY have long history stories for the first two, the third one was new since November.
1.) Caluxary Incorporation- A commuter line in Clintonia, Indiana (fictional city) and also the company firm that (insures car, plane, etc accidents, incidents, lawsuits, bankrupty, divorces, P.I.s and etc.)which has the same name. It was named by Mr. Cal Luxary Jr. himself after he died in 1935. The line opened in 1937 to present day serving the citizens of the city.
2.) Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio Railway - Its operates in Atlanta, Georgia to Columbus, Ohio on the present day Norfolk Southern line. This is a Class II railroad since it opened in 1938, it shared trackage rights with old Southern Ry, and Norfolk and Western railroads. GNO Railway was and still a secondary freight line that supports Class I railroads if needed. The railroad also has customers to serve.
3.) Sienna Transportation Lines- The oldest railroad line that was formed in 1887 in the town of Tehachapi, CA. It travels within the city of 10 miles with 3 industrys of black and yellow/gold GP38 diesels. The line changed its name to Sienna Star Lines in 1968 with a new red and yellow paint.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
You can read the History of the Alabama Central by clicking on the link in my sig.
Carey
Keep it between the Rails
Alabama Central Homepage
Nara member #128
NMRA &SER Life member
Update on mine. The current Austinville and Dynamite City Railroad has recieved an old used tank car, gondola, and caboose. The Railroad has also recieved a lot of the former Austinville Southern including a bobber caboose, and a crummy converted to a plow and installed with a V8 engine. I have decided to focus on the Austinville and Dynamite city, and the PRR.
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
The New York, Binghamton, and Western Railroad
My concept for the New York, Binghamton, and Western Railroad is still evolving so I haven’t formally written up a detailed history although I do have a rough draft in my head. I conceived this as a composite of a several eastern railroads that operated in northern New Jersey and the southern tier of New York, mainly the New York, Ontario, and Western and the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western. Like most class one railroads, it went through a series of mergers to get to its present state in 1956 and like many railroads has experienced boom and bust cycles. It’s main trunk runs from the fictional town of Franklinton in northern New Jersey through Binghamton, NY and on to Buffalo. It has major branches to Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and Scranton. The NYBW has trackage rights on the New York Central from Franklinton to Weehawken, NJ to reach the New York markets.
The railroad went into bankruptcy during the Great Depression but World War II revenues saved it from going under and in the early post war years was operating well in the black. That quickly changed as the highways started to siphon off a good bit of its business, particularly from its milk trains. Declining revenues stalled its dieselization program so steam still carries much of the tonnage. As its stock price fell, the New York Central went bargain hunting and acquired a large stake in the company with an eye toward acquiring it as an alternate route to Buffalo. The Pennsylvania Railroad saw pieces of the NYBW that were appealing to them and not wanting to see their rival take over the railroad also bought a smaller stake. The NYBW granted trackage rights to the NYC for a limited number of freights from Weehawken to Buffalo and the two railroads run joint passenger trains from Weehawken to Buffalo as well as to Rochester and Syracuse. The Pennsy and the NYBW run a joint overnight train from to Utica with one section coming up the eastern seaboard from Washington DC and another from Penn Station in New York.
The NYBW interchanges with the Pennsy and the B&O on its eastern end. The Lehigh and Hudson River RR crosses the NYBW just east of Bedford Falls, NY where traffic to and from New England is interchanged. Bridge traffic to Buffalo and points west are handled by the NYC through freights. NYBW freights carry tonnage to and from the online industries.
The New York Central is bidding to take over a controlling interest in the NYBW. As the New York Central is completing diezelization throughout its system, some of the castoff steam locomotives are ending up on the NYBW. Lacking cash or a solid credit rating, the NYBW has been able to assemble only a limited diesel roster of its own. It is expected that when the NYC takes controlling interest in the the NYBW, it will be able to complete dieselization of the railroad.
The NORFOLK,CAROLINA,& DANVILLE.
The NC&D has its origins with two scrappy regionals in the mid-atlantic. The Atlantic and Danville, and the Norfolk Southern (The original one). After both lines reject offers from Southern and N&W respectively they relized they were actually worse off and ended up merging together in early 1972. the leadership in the NC&D turned two struggling railroads into one powerful regional. Eventually after making some smart deals (including forcing the Newfolk southern to pay for rights to the Name Norfolk Southern) they ended up with $$$ to spend. They bought CSX's James River sub in 1988 (which is operated by a subsidiary called the Virginia Junction Railroad), gained trackage rights to Richmond and at the behest of the State of Virginia bought the RF&P from CSX (With a caviat that allowed CSX trackage rights. This was due to the RF&P being so interensically tied to the states pension plan, that they couldn't afford to have it merged into a larger pike.). Now enterring the 2000s (I will model a period from 1992-2002) they look to be a powerhouse regional in the mid-atlantic.
It was not always that way Staten Island used to be a sleepy almost rural area until 1964 when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened making it possible to drive to Brooklyn and beyond. The VNB is in my opinion poorly designed because no provision was made for rail traffic. I think this was a serious mistake and so in my make believe world the VNB has a freight line running down the middle. I suppose a subway line could be there as well but since I model freight that just never happened.
Set in the late seventies to early eighties The Railroad Operates used equipment from the C & O and Conrail era with a Pennsylvania 0-6-0 operating the tourist line.
Joe Staten Island West
History of the Eregion Railroad (Former Layout of LION)
Set in Tolkien's Middle Earth, in the fourth age. Some Hobbits, Dwarves and Elves remain in places where they used to live, but this is the age of men. The railroad is owned and operated by the High King in Gondor, and many of its routes were arranged for military purposes, but follow routes that you would expect them to follow having read the Lord of the Rings. There are two main routes. The North-South route runs from Gondor in the South to Fornost in the North, while the East-West route runs from the Blue Hills in the West to the Lonely Mountain in the East.
Trains 1 and 2 are the "Kings Express" From Gondor to Fornost (Train 1) and back (Train 2). These meet trains 3 and 4 (The North Star Express) at Bree. All four trains arrive around 1300 hours and depart around 1400 hours, so that by riding these trains one may travel to any point in Middle Earth with just one transfer at Bree.
The Kings Express runs under the wire with a pair of GG1s From Gondor to Hollin. In Hollin the wires end and a pair of Alco PA1 locomotives take over the train. Several of the sleepers are left behind at Hollin, and so a shorter train continues on to Fornost.
The North Star Express runs with an A-B-A set of F7 type locomotives. Dwarves mostly ride the entire length between the two Dwarf Realms of Blue Mountain and Lonely Mountain, but many transfer at Bree to the Kings Express and the run south to Khazad Dum. Of course many Elves ride between the Grey Havens and Rivendell or on to the Easter edges of the Mirkwood. Again, many also trave south to Holin and Lothlorien.
In addition to these trains there are some regionals, running between Rivendell and Lothlorien, and between Grey Havens and Rivendell.
My model had all of these trains passing through Bree, as indeed I had modeled the line between Bree and Fornost. Everything else was off stage, but trains made their appearances at the proper times. Commuter trains ran between the Shire and Bree and between Fornost and Bree.
Freight was frequently pulled by huge Challengers on the East West Run, and on a freight only line from Tower Hills to Tharbad Crossing. Coal was king on this train.
The ERR had Connections with the Darf owned Iron Hill and Redwater Railroad which ran north and south of Lonely Mountain. There was little traffic on this route: several daily freight trains with a combine as a caboose. Traveling north of Lonley Mountain was a twice weekly affair.
In the South, the ERR had connections with the Gondor and Southern Railroad. This ran many daily passenger trains between the southern fiefes and Gondor, it also ran into Ithilian and up to Minas Ithil. Most interesing was the operationg on the eastern shore of the Anduian River down into Harrad. These were mostly unit oil trains, and while oil could be carried on a pipeline, the King insisted on a railroad connection instead, since he could hardly transport troops in a pipeline. It was about a 36 hour run, one way, with no way points, so the locomotives ran in an A-C-B-D-B-C-A configuration. The A and B units are as you would expect them to be, the "C" units had traction motors, but no prime movers, these were fuel tenders. The "D" unit was not a locomotive at all, although from the outside you could hardly tell that: It was crew accomodations for two complete reserve crews plus stewards and mechanics. These unit oil trains would run empty southbound and upon arrival they would simply cut the tank cars off, move forward about a mile, connect to filled cars and return north with not less that an hour in Harrad. One round trip was a work week for these crews, and then they got the next seven days off.
The Gondor and Southern was owned by the Steward of Gondor since it mostly served the southern fifes. Passenger trains were well equiped and ran smoothly and on time.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I don't have a history for my layout. My freelanced Detroit Southern is a super regional that runs from Detroit through Atlanta to northern Florida. The DS has branches from Detroit to Youngstown, OH and Chicago, IL along with branches from Cincinnati, OH to the West Virginia and Kentucky coal country.
My modeled portion of the DS is the Chicago sub division. I haul a lot of grain and coal, along with interchanges in Chicago with IHB, CN, BNSF and BRC.
I have two railroads, one is the modern version of the other. The first one is the Austinville and Dynamite City Railroad, and the modern one is the Southwestern Pennsylvania Rail Service Corp. First off Austinville And Dynamite City Railroad. Founded in 1946 by the city of Austinville Pennsylvania, in a response to the PRR discontinuing service to the Austinville Valley in February 1946. In the History of the Ausinville, there were three other railroads. They were the Austinville Southern, operational from 1920-1930. The reason it shut down was their shay was lost in the Lost Soul river, and their 0-8-0 switcher was totaled by a runnaway PRR freight train, and the Great Depression. The second one was Eagle Creek Southern, from 1890 to 1930. Once again, The Great Depression killed it, although this one lasted a few weeks longer. The Third is the Dawston railroad. Currently using two Consolidations. It runs from the small town of Dawston, to the City of Dynamite City, the northernmost terminus of the Austinville and Dynamite City. Founded in 1946, the Austinville is using a single Consolidation two coaches, and a boxcar and caboose.
The continuing history of the railroad is the Southwestern Pennsylvania Rail Service Corp. In 1980, Conrail was considering to discontinue their freight service to the area south of Pittsburgh. In response to that, Local Austinville resident Richard Floose-a millionare from the stockmarket, bought the lines that Conrail was going to rip out, and thus the SWPRSC was born. In 1980, he also bought out the Cash strapped Austinville, and the Dawston Railway, and absorbed them into the railroad. But considering Floose was only in the freight business, he put up the notice that passenger service was going to end unless someone picked it up-PennDot(Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) picked it up, and kept it going to the modern era. In 2001 after the 9-11 attacks, the SWPRSC released a painted locomotive to honor those killed. In 2013, The railroad released a heritage series honoring the history of all the railroads in the area.
Seeing as how so many have good stories, I'll add this to the mix.
A Short History of the Smoke River Railway
Being in upstate Carolina, the town of Kimberly on the Smoke River was only mildly affected by the War of Northern Aggression. Only small parts of General Sherman's plundering army passed through after the burning of Columbia. That was mainly because there wasn't anything there worth plundering or burning anyway. Only a small mill powered by the fall of the river and a general store to serve the needs of the local farmers and sharecroppers. But in that river lay the seeds of the future.
In the late 1800s some business men from the upstate partnered with some converted Yankees to move a cotton mill south. The river would provide the power needed for a new, large mill as well as a hydro electric plant. Around the mill a village grew up to house the workers. In order to serve the mill and workers, a railroad was incorporated to connect with the mainline about nine miles away that became the Southern. The early history of the line is somewhat fuzzy. Some say it was originally narrow gauge and converted to standard gauge electric around 1910, while others say it was intended to be electric from the beginning. Sometime between the Great Depression and the Second World War, the owners of the line made a deal with the Southern – they would maintain the railroad, but the Southern would operate it with Southern equipment. This cut their operations cost by allowing the railroad to no longer own and maintain equipment and dispose of the engine service facilities and aging electric overhead.
Today, sometime in the late 1950s (time passes at a different rate down south), the railroad continues to serve the town of Kimberly. The cotton mill, which is its largest customer, a lumber yard, oil dealer, and several small local businesses using the team track and station provide the bulk of loads. Between Kimberly and Kimberly Junction, where the line meets the main, there is a small pulpwood loading yard as well.
Service is provided by a daily except Sunday freight. And since apparently there was a slight oversight during the negotiations to turn service over to the Southern – someone neglected to mention the mail contract – passenger service to Spartanburg is available six days a week.
I hope this isn't to long(and I hope you can understand it)
MINRail
Northern Branches
Lakeforest Spur
Minnesota Rail’s, or MINRail, is a newly formed short line in Mid Minnesota. After BNSF abandon its line in 2010 from Mann Lake to Cripple Creek it isolated two small short lines, The Grain Belt (GBRR) and the Lakeforest Central (LC). These two short lines banded with the Mann Lake Southern (MLS) and bought the branch line and continue to operate it. MINRail interchanges with the BNSF in Mann Lake and the CN in Ashton.
The Northern Branches were two small short line railroads that were owned by the grain elevators that they served. The Lakeforest Central ran from Lakeforest where it served a grain elevator and a fertilizer dealer. It ran to Cripple Creek to interchange with BNSF. Then the Grain Belt that ran from Cripple Creek to Lewiston to Wexford. When these two railroads merged with the MLS they were labeled the northern branches, the Grain Belt the Wexford spur and the Lakeforest Central the Lakeforest spur.
Like the Wexford spur, the Lakeforest spur started as a Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railroad branch lines. There was a small interchange yard in Lakeforest. When the two railroads merged in the 70’s to form the Burlington Northern, the Great Northern’s branch was dropped due to the redundancy of the line. Part of the Great Northern branch was kept in Lakeforest in order to serve the grain elevator in town. In 1987 a fertilizer company was built in Lakeforest and in 1990 the branch line was abandoned past Lakeforest. When the Santa Fe railroad and Burlington Northern merged in 1995 they abandoned the branch (the same fate came to the Wexford branch). The next year the Grain elevator rented a locomotive and the abandoned branch and operated the line for the harvest season. It returned the locomotive in December 1996. They continued this operation until 2000
Then in 2001 the Fertilizer Company, CENEX, wanted to have rail service to their company. They, in agreement with the grain elevator, created a small short line to serve their companies. They leased a GP-15 locomotive from EMD leasing in fall 2001. They had as needed service, usually running a train twice a week till harvest season when the train ran 5 times a week. At one time there was a building supply company that the line served, but they stopped receiving by rail after the housing bubble burst. They merged with Mann Lake Southern and the Grain Belt in 2010 and bought a soon to be abandoned BNSF branch line.
The Lakeforest spur and Wexford spur, as MINRail labeled them, were in great disrepair when they merged. Over grown tracks characterized most of the two lines. In fall of 2011 MINRail spent some money revitalizing the two lines. A fill over Cripple creek was rebuilt, a switch in Lakeforest was replaced and some of the connecting track in Cripple Creek was rebuilt because it was in such disrepair.
Operations on the lines are done on demand. A train usually runs from Mann Lake to the interchange with the CN in Ashton, Minnesota, just south of Cripple Creek. In the winter, spring and early summer months a train travels up to Lakeforest, Cripple Creek or the Wexford spur, one to three times a week. During the harvest season, late summer and fall, trains traverse up the line anywhere from three to six times a week. Speeds on these lines are usually about 10 miles per hour due to the poor track, but the company does not have that much money to spend on locomotive repairs and maintain more used track let alone these two lightly used Branches.
The future is up for these lines, and for that matter MINRail. The railroad is attracting new customers, and with the high demand for corn and wheat (which comprise 80% of traffic) this short line railroad ought to be around for a long time.
"Mess with the best, die like the rest" -U.S. Marine Corp
MINRail (Minessota Rail Transportaion Corp.) - "If they got rid of the weeds what would hold the rails down?"
And yes I am 17.
The Flint Hills Northern Railway Company was first incorporated as the Kansas Flint Hills Railroad in 1885. Its primary service was to link the ranches of the western two thirds of Kansas and Oklahoma with the rail heads at Topeka, Dodge City, and Wichita, providing quicker service to the meat packing centers of Kansas City through connections with the AT&SF at those cities. This gave the ranchers a higher price for their beef than they might otherwise get, since the cattle would not have to be driven as far to the railheads, and would thus arrive fatter and in better condition. The fortunes of the KFHRR went steadily downward after the turn of the century, as motor travel became more common, with the result that more ranchers preferred to ship their beef directly to the packers by truck. The great Depression caused the Company to go into receivership, and it was reorganized in 1937 under new management as the Flint Hills Northern Railway Company. Its current (1953) goal is to provide general freight service to the Western Great Plains, with North-South interchange with the major transcontinental railroads, (which are generally oriented East to West.) Motive Power and Equipment: The primary form of motive power on the Railway is steam. While there is some limited use of diesel-electric power, notably in some of the passenger service still provided, the Company management feels that the proven reliability of steam, as well as the tremendous investment which has already been made in the service facilities associated with its use, precludes any major shift in the direction of diesel power at this time. Freight equipment consists of livestock cars, plus an assortment of general service cars. The Company is in the process of acquiring several general service freight cars, including box, hopper and gondola types. It is hoped that these will provide some much-needed revenue through per diem charges, as well as serving to increase general merchandise shipping capability. There is a small amount of passenger equipment owned by the Company, consisting of several day coaches, a combination baggage-coach, several baggage, baggage-express, and RPO cars, and a baggage-coach gas-electric motor car for branch-line and local traffic in the Western Kansas Division. No sleeping cars are currently used, but the Passenger Department is reviewing options in regard to expanding the passenger service in that area.
Press Release: West Tate, Neb., April 16: The Flint Hills Northern Railway today celebrated completion of its new dual-track main line from West Tate, Nebraska to Council Grove, Kansas. Company President Gary M. Collins drove the final spike, assisted by Treasurer J.R. Collins, at approximately 6:00 PM this evening. FHN locomotive #721, a Baldwin Consolidation type, pulled a caboose with dignitaries aboard over the new line. Mr. Collins congratulated the railway workers on the excellent and speedy completion of the line. "We're not done yet, of course, but this is a big step toward the completion of the system." When asked later, Mr. Collins explained that the freight yards in both cities, as well as the engine terminal in Council Grove have yet to be completed, but that at the present rate of construction, he expected completion "within the next few months." He added that the new line would greatly increase the ability of the FHN to serve the cities and towns of the Western Great Plains.
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Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com
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"Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins
http://fhn.site90.net
CPD95 Your railroad will survive, SCUM always rises to the top!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, couldn't resist that one!
Your railroad will survive, SCUM always rises to the top!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, couldn't resist that one!
Actually, it sounds like a great corporate slogan...
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
The Emerald, Leemer and Southern was essentially an effort by three investors (J.Kevin Emerald, David Leemer and Phil Southern) to keep a branchline from being discontinued by the parent line CP. This branch line started out as a 67 mile run between Sceptre, SK and a tiny little place called Sims SK. In 1965 a further cut by CP led to the purchase of another 50 miles of track that brought the line to Emerson SK which sat on the border between Canada and the US. Guess what? CP did it again. In 1978 the Thompson Bridge- Frederic SK line was bought out hence creating a grangerline that also managed to create a viable passenger service through the sandhills!
As for industry we have wheat,oats and some hops(heeheehee);Potash; wood products and a fledgling audiophile industry or two...
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
My fictional Autauga Creek Short Line exists in the prototypical town of Prattville, Alabama, circa 1968. It operates ten miles of former GM&O (nee L&N) tracks that serve the Continental Eagle cotton gin manufacturing company, and the Union Camp paper mill. It runs along Autauga Creek from the interchange with the GM&O, skirting Autauga Ridge to the paper mill. A stable of small switchers (GE 44 ton, 70 ton, and 45 ton, plus a former Southern RY SW-1) provide motive power for the small but busy operation.
Both Continental Eagle and Union Camp (now International Paper) are actual operations in Prattville. You can still see the remnants of street trackage along Court Street that once served Continental Eagle, though most of the track was pulled up in the late 1970's. International Paper still receives rail service from CSX but those tracks never came through downtown. Alhough the Autauga Creek Short Line never existed, it is plausible that local businesses could have formed such a railroad.
Back in 1999, a very wealthy group of bussinessmen started a railroad called Henderson Valley Lines. They bought one GP40 off Norfolk Southern in a conrail heritage. HVL bought four covered hoppers in the Penn Central heritage, they were soon patched out for the HVL. By 2002, they were servicing twelve industries, three major industries are, Henderson Paper Mill, Henderson Co-op Grain, and Hillside Lumber. Henderson Valley Lines started to build a small branch, called the Yellowood Branch. In 2006 Henderson Valley Lines had a total of four miles of trackage. Henderson Valley Lines interchanges with Norfolk Southern. Now, Henderson Valley Lines is a very sucessful shortline, and is in the process of building a small yard in Yellowood.
The story of my line is completely silly, I'm afraid. It all stated back in high school when I began construction on my first real N-scale layout. I needed a name for my newly scratchbuilt passenger station. At the time I had a close friend with the last name Kelzenberg. Well, that was obvious; Kelzenberg became Kelzenburg. As it still is today. In retaliation, my friend named my Midwestern- based railroad. He called it the Stebby Central Union Managed RR - the SCUM RR.
The story of the SCUM, or as I prefer to refer to it the Stebby Central, is quite straight forward. Since two of the prominent features on my first layout were a mine, and an Atlas factory building, the story became a functional one of raw materials being shipped from mine to factory. Later on I added a second factory, which became the intermeadiate ore processing facility between mine and factory.
As the story developed, the SCUM RR was a short line formed on trackage abandoned by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific in the 1960's. It was created out of necessity, to serve a single industry critical to the local economy. The SCUM mainatained connections with the CRI&P, as well as the Milwaukee Road. And what was the industry it served? The mine was a Framiscite mine, of course. The Framiscite was shipped to the processing plant, where the critical element Framiscinium was extracted. The Framiscinium was then shipped to the American Framis plant for the manufacturing of doohickeys, whatchamacallits, thingamajigs, and of course, framises.
Over the years my approach has become someone less whimiscal. The mine is gone completely from my current layout. The land where the Framisicinium refinery stood is now a power station, requiring periodic deliveries of coal. American Framis unfortunately was a victim of the global ecomomy. As you all well know, doohickeys, whatchamacallits, thingamajigs, and framises are now all manufactured overseas. Mostly in Southeast Asia. Fortunately for the economic future of Kelzenburg the land that it once occupied is now a John Deere Parts Distribution facility. So the SCUM RR survives, hanging on by it's fingernails.
The Illiana Railroad began life as the Joliet & Northern Indiana Traction company. Built in 1908, Joliet east to Chicago Heights, Hammond and ended in East Gary Indiana. It did decent enough business into the 20's to invest in new heavy steel cars. It had a good freight business thanks to being built to steam road standards and to the brother of the lines president who headed the shipping department of the newly built Iroquis Steel in East Gary in 1925. Both companies barely survived the depression. Just before the outbreak of WW2, Iroquios steel built a new mill in Joliet. Never quite confident in the traction lines financial situation and always butting heads with other railroads over sporadic handling of the companys products to the outside world and the new mill by lines friendly to the competing steel mills, Iroquois Steel purchased the traction line and renamed it the Joliet & Northern Indiana Railway in March 1940. Local mayors and other prominent people demanded some passenger service keep running in order for their support of the new venture, otherwise they would seek to revoke the charters in their respective towns where the trackage was still in the city streets. The new owners agreed. The last interurban car ran on August 31, 1940. Second hand passenger equipment was purchased and began operating the next day.
The increase in freight traffic down city streets soon brought complaints from citizens and civic leaders in the respective towns that still had street running. The railroad needed to move it's freight..something had to give. The railroad approached the New York Central to see if it would be willing to sell it's little used Joliet branch in exchange for preferential shipping to eastern markets of the mills steel products. The lines basically ran parallel to each other for the entire route. To everyones delight, the big NYC agreed and sale was completed giving the J&NI a new route built to heavier standards with no slow, dangerous street running. Most of the original interurban line was abandoned, with the rail going into the company funaces in East Gary. New passenger facilities were constructed in the various towns. The line had built a surprising passenger base, much to the amazement of management. An agreement with the Rock Island allowed J&NI passenger trains to run on 3 miles ofRI trackage to terminate at the Joilet Union Station.
Nothing much changed except for motive power and rolling stock in the years leading up to the late 60's until 1968 when the line adopted it's nickname ILLIANA as the new name for the railroad. And thats where we are today.
The Beaverton, Fanno Creek & Bull Mountain Railroad
"Ruby Line Service"
The Cedar Branch & Western
The Hillbilly Line!
A long time ago, in a land far, far away, a narrow gauge logging railroad was built to traverse a certain scenic mountain landscape and retrieve the forest's bounty. For many years the puffing and groaning of Shay locomotives was heard echoing over the mountains. Times were good and the forest was plentiful. But, as time passed and the world changed, the logging line's business waned and the trains grew fewer.
The mighty Missouri Pacific purchased the short road and regauged it to standard trackage. Business surged as a coal mine opened on a spur which clung to the side of Wolf Mountain. But again, time marched on and the world changed. The coal mine's traffic dwindled and it appeared that the end was near.
Around 1945 the road was again the property of a new owner. Armed with cost efficient 70 tonners and 44 tonners, the new owner coaxed the old businesses back and even tempted new ones to give the railroad a ride.
The time is now the early 1970's. The Cedar Branch & Western has rebounded and business has surged. Fortune has smiled on this shortline. Two daily trains run the 47 miles through the Ozark Mountains. Once again the forest yields its bounty and the earth gives up it black diamonds. Cast off first generation power evades retirement and still toil in these pristine mountain backwoods. The shadows of a final sunset are forgotten and the sun shines bright through the thickets and shrubs. The sunlight glistens on the waters of the myriad of creeks and sparkles on the rails which still twist their way through the many valleys and cuts of the mountains.
The Cedar Branch & Western--The Hillbilly Line!
You'll find everything you need to know about the Laurel Valley HERE.
Just scroll about halfway down the page.
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
Southern Pacific Los Gatos Subdivision
The prototype's line between San Jose, CA, San Francisco CA and Santa Cruz, CA and then on to a connection with the Coast Line at Watsonville Jct. was washed out in 1940, severing the line at Los Gatos. The segment betweenSanta Cruz and Watsonville Jct still exists under UP control.
In an alternate history, the SP decided to rebuild the line between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz, and while doing so, broadened some curves in the Santa Cruz Mountains, installed ABS signal system and diverted some traffic off the Coast and onto this bypass. Trains operating on the line included eight commute trains, two daily roundtrips to Santa Cruz, a Santa Cruz section of the Coast Mail and Santa Cruz sections of the famous "Overnights". Coast freight No. 765 and 766 regualrly take this route. Local Service was provided by the Mountain Local and several sand haulers in the Olympia area.
Industry flourished in the mountains with Felton Empire Winery, Pacific Sand and Gravel and several other shippers prospering with rail service.
The line, rated only for 4-8-0's as large power over the pass, now can handle everything from 2-8-0's to AC-12 articulateds, although some of the larger power is speed restricted on some curves. New diesels are showing up in the years 1952 to 1956, and sets of F7's, GP-9's, SD-7's, SD-9's and even FM switchers are regularly showing up. Los Gatos to Santa Cruz is a helper district, although the use of helpers has been severely cut back since the larger power was permited on the route. An MK-5 2-8-2 or a C-9 2-8-0 will occasionally work out of San Jose to help a freight over the mountain.
This recreation will be a three deck layout with helix and is under construction now.
NOTE; THERE IS STILL A FUTURE ENTRY AT THIS LOCATION!!!
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
The Brookfield & Western Railroad
"The Hillside Route"
This my version of the Brookfield & Western Railroad's story. The name of the railroad originally came from my dad. He grew up in Brookfield Il suburb of Chicago along the former CB&Q now BNSF triple track speedway. He later married my mom and moved to another suburb of Chicago called Hillside. This is where I grew up and also where the Hillside Route slogan comes from. Hillside is located along the former ICG now CN and at one time Chicago Central mainline. My house was also less than a mile from the west end of C&NW's Proviso yard and shared rigt of way for the Chicago & Great Western and The Chicago Aurora & Elgin ran just two blocks from my house. Sadly I am too young to remember trains running there I always knew it as a bike trail. My dad's version of the B&W was heavily influenced by the CB&Q my version is more of a granger type rallroad that ran west from Chicago to Omaha and was one of the last if not the last new railroads to built west from Chicago. It's history is somethig like this.....
In waning years of 19th century railroad construction was booming in America. It seemed as though railraods were being built everywhere. In the midwest Chicago was the place it seemed every framer wanted to get his goods to and every factory in Chicago has produced something that those same farmers needed or wanted. The best way to get it there, build a railroad. That what a group of investors from the small suburb of Chicago called Brookfield decided to do.
As they began making the plans and seeking out a route they realized the best place to start from was a small farming community a few miles to the north and west called Hillside. Actual construcion started at a connection with the Indiana Harbor Belt just to the east of Hillside in what is now the town of Bellwood. Hillside would become home to the road's major Chicago area terminal. Original plans called for the railroad to lay track east from the IHB to access one of the major Chicago passenger terminals however a suitable route could not be found. It was en decided that a track was to be layed south along the IHB and a passenger terminal was built in Brookfield where passenger bound for Chicago could connect with the CB&Q's suburban trains. To the west the railroad built across Illinois and Iowa eventually reaching Omaha NE. and a connection with the Union Pacific.
I model the railroad as it would have been in around 1992 a modern granger road with decent traffic levels. Think somewhere between the ICG's Iowa division and the C&NW. The Brookfield & Western always had astrong belief that customer service mattered so the railroad always managed to have a good customer base even when other railroads were losing customers. That helped the railroad have a fairly modern and well maintained locomotve and car fleet.
As for my layout it is based on what operations around the railroad's main Chicago area yard in Hillside would be like. Operations include transfers many Chicago area railroads such as Conrail, CSX NS, IHB, BRC. EJ&E, GTW and others. The yard also dispatches three B&W road freights to the west at least one intermodal train a KCS runthrough train from Kansas City via Des Moines IA.
In reality my layout is in the benchwork stage with one main track about 2/3 of the way around my 24'x36' layout room with some industrial trackage and part of the former passenger main to Brookfield installed as well. I have quite a bit of rolling stock and motive power that I built when I was younger and lived at home or in apartments. My hope is that I will someday finish this layout, but as my real job is in the homebuilding industry the future of the railroad in its present form is uncertain. Even if we move I will still build some version of the Brookfield and Western hopefully
Hope you found this interesting
Dan Metzger
Tesla Pikes Peak & Fossil Creek
In 1899 Nikola Tesla came to Colorado Springs to develop his wireless electrical distribution system (truth). In 1901 the system was perfected and the laboratory was converted into the first functional power plant. As such the local power plant was no longer sufficient to provide the power necessary. Tesla built a new coal fired power plant just for his wireless system. The Tesla Pikes Peak railroad was started to bring the coal in from the local Santa Fe, D&RG, Colorado Midland, and Colorado Southern main lines. As railroads are granted constitutional rights in Colorado(another truth), the State granted the charter but included a clause that stated the railroad must also serve a couple small communities bypassed by the bigger railroads. The classification was raised from industrial to short line and name was changed to Tesla Pikes Peak & Fossil Creek. It began independent operation early 1902. The railroad utilizes unique wireless electric powered locomotives that do not require expensive overhead pantographs or dangerous third rails. They draw power directly from the Tesla Earth Pump power plant it serves.
As more plants were built so did the demand for more coal and other fuels. The railroad developed a massive fleet of hopper cars and high gondolas for transporting the coal over other railroads from the coal fields both in Colorado and the surrounding states, especially Wyoming.
As wireless electricity caught on, an entire support industry grew up around the plant. The railroad brings in supplies and out finished products for all of these research and manufacturing businesses.