Hi!
Since I've read on MR about that series of articles about the Claremont & Concord I'm very interested on that little curious line. Incidentally, short time after Koester's series, I found an old issue (December 1975) of Modern Tramway and Rapid Transit Review (today it's Tramways and Urban Transit) with an article about both the C&C and the nearby Springfield Terminal; from that moment I started also to dream on an HO C&C model railroad, but without effort to make the dream real.
Some days ago without an apparent reason I remembered again the C&C: I decided to try to draw a trackplan keeping dimensions as-small-as-possibile. The result is a 12' x 12' layout:
There are three staging tracks that rapresent White River Jct, Bellows Falls and Concord. At the start of the operating day each staging track hold a local, two B&M (from White River Jct and Bellow Falls) and the C&C local from Concord. This one is the first train that arrives in Claremont Jct. The engine runs around and eventually shoves cars for B&M on the stub track, then pulls into Mulberry Street Yard where it starts to switch industries here and also in West Claremont. When work is done it's time to bring cars leaving from Claremont to the B&M locals down to Claremont Jct. At the Junction the C&C engine divides cars bound to White River Jct, that must stay on the passing siding, from cars to Bellow Falls, that must stay on the stub track. The first B&M local arriving at the Junction is the Bellow Falls – White River Jct (northbound); here it swaps cars with the ones on the siding and waits for the southbound local. When switching is done, the C&C engine pull the incoming cars into Mulberry Street Yard, so the southbound local can enter and stop into the siding. After northbound's departure, the southbound swaps its cars and leaves to Bellows Falls. But C&C work is not finished, as it must bring the cars just arrived from B&M to customers; only then it will build the train to Concord and finally go in staging.
This is how I imagined operations on the layout but, as I don't have model railroading experience, I'm not sure if will be possible to run the railroad in such way. I'd like to have comments or suggestions about this.
Thank you
Ivan-
What have you been using to come up with track plans? I live in Springfield, VT and I frequently go to Claremont, NH, Bellowsfalls VT and I drive by WRJ everyday on the way to and from work.
I am no expert, but I could take pics for you of the places you are trying to model. The station is still there in claremont, although it is now a bicycle shop owned by a friend of mine. the coy paper co. is still standing, although there are no more tracks, BF doesnt use the turntable anymore nor does WRJ. Springfield, VT has no tracks anymore but I have a VCR tape of what they had, it may or may not help. But I do remember tracks in springfield when I was a kid, I remember it being very simple.
In 3 issues of MR Mag, a guy did claremont in G scale. There is a LHS in claremont, and the owner wants to do a layout of claremont RR in HO, but he hasnt gotten around to even designing it yet.
Kevin
I used the trackplan that appears in the August 2005 issue of MR. Of course I made changes when I drew the trackplan. First of all, Claremont Jct in the layout is adiacent to Mulberry Street Yard when in the real life there were some miles in between. The trackplan of Claremont Jct was totally freelanced: no wye, i placed the depot on the wrong side of the main and, if I'm correct, the interchange yard between B&M and C&C should be south of the junction. Then I rearranged the position of industrial spurs to fit better with the available space, and also building sizes are invented. This also because I'm Italian and it isn't so easy to go to Claremont to check how is the town! If you can take some pictures of key structures will be very nice, thank you very much. By the way, what is a LHS?
In the meantime i made little modifies to the trackplan, replacing #5 switches in Claremont Jct with #6 and adding another spur track. Notwithstanding the longer switches, the passing siding still can hold a six 40' car train plus engine and caboose.
LHS means Local Hobby Shop.
I also live a short distance from Claremont, and only 10 km from White River Jct. I'd be happy to assist with some photo's, as Ondrek mentioned (which, by the way Ondrek, we need to get together...).
The next time I run down to the LHS in claremont (run by a nice guy, but not a great hobby selection) I'll stop and shoot some pictures of the area for you. Especially of the tall trestle to the west of town, that would be fun to model.
Cheers
I'm trying to model 1956, not live in it.
This is an interesting railroad with a lot of switching.
If I wouldn't have my basement full ....
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
Scarpia wrote: I'll stop and shoot some pictures of the area for you. Especially of the tall trestle to the west of town, that would be fun to model.
I'll stop and shoot some pictures of the area for you. Especially of the tall trestle to the west of town, that would be fun to model.
Thank you very much. However consider that I'm not planning to actually build this layout, as in this period (I mean: next two years) I've other priorities and in my free time I prefer to go trackside to take train photo. But every information or photo or something else about the C&C will be very useful for future. By the way at this address http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-c/misc-c.html I found three photos about the C&C (scroll down at about 2/3 of the page); can you understand where these pictures were taken?
Those shots don't show a lot of scenery, other than the first one, and that one was 30 years ago....
If you decide to come over, Claremont is about 180 km from Boston's Logan Airport.
I'd be happy to meet with you if you do come to the area. Parlo un piccolo italiano.
But beware, there are no good Italian resturants in the area, well, for that matter, no good ones in the States at all. Tutto è nell'americano di stile
wedudler wrote:This is an interesting railroad with a lot of switching.
Haven't you enough switching possibilities on your (wunderbar!) Westport Terminal ?
Scarpia wrote:If you decide to come over, Claremont is about 180 km from Boston's Logan Airport. I'd be happy to meet with you if you do come to the area. Parlo un piccolo italiano.
Maybe, one day... I've already programmed both 2008/2009 Christmas and 2009 Summer holidays, perhaps in 2010!
Nice plan!
You wouldnt need much in the way of WRJ staging.. perhaps if instead of a removable section you had it so it turned more sharply to the right at Claremont Jct and used a cassette to move the train on and off. You could flip the cassette to turn it, flip the car cards, and start again..
Chris
I will remember to take the camera the next time i head to claremont, my son is a huge Amtrak fan, and since my mother-in-law lives walking distance from the Claremont junction, we are there many times. I can take some pics of "high bridge" as well, wich I think you should model and you will know why when you see it, its impressive, well to me it is anyway. its hard to get a pic of the birdge with a train on it as we are usually at the station wich is very close to the bridge. we did it once, we were at the station , the amtrak was running north, and as soon as it left the station, we headed out, we drove past the bridge and the stopped and waited a bit, at first I thought we missed it, and then it came rummbling along. Nicholas was very happy to see it go across the bridge. I am not sure of its height, but its up there.
many of the tracks have been pulled up, but I do remember where they were and I will try to take a map of claremont, and draw on it where the tracks went and get a copy to you. not sure how much it will help out. but it might.
Scarpia will be able to help you with WRJ more than me, as he does live very close to it. with Bellows falls, If I can find it, I have an actual RR map of that junction with B&M. I just need to find that sucker.
ChrisNH wrote:Nice plan!You wouldnt need much in the way of WRJ staging.. perhaps if instead of a removable section you had it so it turned more sharply to the right at Claremont Jct and used a cassette to move the train on and off. You could flip the cassette to turn it, flip the car cards, and start again..Chris
Yes, another good solution for staging is to have a cassette, or better two, one also for Concord / Bellows Falls staging.
ondrek wrote:Ivan-I will remember to take the camera the next time i head to claremont, my son is a huge Amtrak fan, and since my mother-in-law lives walking distance from the Claremont junction, we are there many times. I can take some pics of "high bridge" as well, wich I think you should model and you will know why when you see it, its impressive, well to me it is anyway. its hard to get a pic of the birdge with a train on it as we are usually at the station wich is very close to the bridge. we did it once, we were at the station , the amtrak was running north, and as soon as it left the station, we headed out, we drove past the bridge and the stopped and waited a bit, at first I thought we missed it, and then it came rummbling along. Nicholas was very happy to see it go across the bridge. I am not sure of its height, but its up there.many of the tracks have been pulled up, but I do remember where they were and I will try to take a map of claremont, and draw on it where the tracks went and get a copy to you. not sure how much it will help out. but it might.Scarpia will be able to help you with WRJ more than me, as he does live very close to it. with Bellows falls, If I can find it, I have an actual RR map of that junction with B&M. I just need to find that sucker. Kevin
Thank you very much for everything!
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Ivan,
One way to find pictures about RR's is by old postcards. The post card era around 1905 has many train depots. A search on ebay with the town, should give results. I got this first try, Claremont town center with a trolley.
Also there is a picture of a Sullivan manufacturing company.
Good Luck
Bob
Dub wrote:Ivan,One way to find pictures about RR's is by old postcards. The post card era around 1905 has many train depots. A search on ebay with the town, should give results. I got this first try, Claremont town center with a trolley.Also there is a picture of a Sullivan manufacturing company.Good LuckBob
That pic right there is of pleasant street. the photographer is standing in Tremont Square with main street coming up from the lower right about 4 o clock. the trolly, in the pic is on pleasant street but the tracks come up from main street.
This would look good to scale by the tracks. The Sullivan Machinery Co 1910.
Dub wrote:This would look good to scale by the tracks. The Sullivan Machinery Co 1910.
a good portion of those buildings are gone now. Those that are still there are currently being tuned into housing acutally. the main street was just on the other side of those buildings. There is a church on the other side of the street. infact in the pic, you can see the steeples.
the other side of the building had only 2 stories and the tracks along main street would spur right to it. see that in this postcard pic on ebay....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170269019230&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm38.l1313%26_nkw%3D%2B170269019230%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1
The ebay links don't last. This is the picture, you can't see the rails in this picture because of the poor quality.