Never-before modeled railroad scenes

[lupo]

On some posts the US transportation efforts during WW2 came up,
this is one of the steamers used then and preserved by a museum-railroad where I live

[Anonymous]

Here's a few more.
1)Mt. Washington Cog Railroad
2)MBTA North satation with the Big Dig all around
3)CN island operations in Newfoundland
-justin

[Anonymous]

Not heard of that one before - there were boggy sections of line where wood had to be dumped into the bog to create a solid base for the track, but not heard this story before. I know of a bridge in North Wales which suffered from sea worms eating it - woodworm on a large scale! This resulted in the only trains allowed to cross it being lightweight DMU diesel railcars - could be an interesting model!

[Anonymous]

Several years ago I saw a TV show that was hosted by one of the members of Monty Python that was essentially a train trip from the southernmost point of the British Isles to the Northernmost. Along the journey there was a section of track that was built over some type of water, but there was some reason that trestles could not be constructed. If I remember correctly, the rail line was laid over floating animal bladders ( I am serious. ) If anyone can clarify this or debunk it, I would love to hear from them. If it is true, I would love to see this scene modeled. It would be especially interesting in an outdoor layout. Anybody live near quicksand? Bob T

[timthechef]

How about some of the railroads that served the copper mines in the upper peninsula of Michigan. As a teenager my brother and I belonged to a rock club that used to spend a week up there every summer and we used to follow the old railroad beds (all the tracks have been pulled up) to the abandoned mines to search for copper. There are hundreds of miles of trackbed and old tailing piles . It would make a great railroad.

[leighant]

Yes, I have daydreamed about the D&SL, the "Giant's Ladder" and all. In 1969, I drove over the roadbed in my little Toyota. No, not the 4-wheel drive kind, the Tou Auto kind. An adventure. Many years ago, I sent in an entry to Model Railroaders layout plan contest with a multilevel layout. Of course, the real railroad had some multilevel scenes! I'll have to look up my plan. I believe it had 3 levels of scene and 5 of track because the first level was the Giant's Ladder with the track looping back and forth. The second level was the horseshoe curve around Jenny Lake, and the top nosebleed level forced the viewer to climb up on a stool. Track was near viewer and view was DOWN into the distance, rather than up the side of a mountain the way most layouts are oriented. Operator and view looked through one side of the covered station and wye. Was in N scale for a normal height room, with track a foot below the ceiling. But wouldn't a D&SL layout be near in a 12 or 16 foot high room with the track actually gaining 8 or 10 feet of elevation and the operator walking up stairs or ramp while running.

[Anonymous]

I have thought it would be interesting to model the switchback line over Raton Pass on the Santa Fe before the tunnel was bored. It would put you into an era (1880) that not many people model. Also, the D&SL line over the mountains before the Moffit Tunnel was built.

Jared Harper

[Anonymous]

Has anybody ever modeled NASA and its connection to the outside road (FEC?).

-Tom

[detting]

There is a wealth of great ideas for creating something truly different in these threads. It is important to realize that we are not liminted to the a suburban train station, the gas station and the small country church.

I have two pet ideas:
1. I was thinking of a line that ran across southern Japan - from the "Floating Gate" to Tokyo. Of course Godzilla would have most of Tokyo in ruins. This would be done in N.

2. WWII France from Cherbourg to St Lo. This would be done in HO. I would also model the US unloading trains from LSTs on Utah Beach and the temporary rails to Chef-Du-Pont.

[Anonymous]

How about one of the world's largest railway tunnels....You sure wouldn't need to spend much on scenery!!!!
But, given my luck, someone has already done this.
-Daniel

[Anonymous]

One more idea that I've never seen, except in a small diarama, is the City Point and Army Line. This was a short 20+ mile line built by the Union army in 1864-65 to support the troops during the siege of Petersburg.

And, like the fantasy theme idea, this is going to involve a lot of kitbashing and scratch building as today's vendors have little to none in the way of engines and rolling stock from that period. While the 4-4-0 was the primary motive power, most decent models are built for a later period. (I know because I've searched high and low, as this is what I am attempting.)

[Anonymous]

IronRooster mentioned tracks being laid on ice during WW2 - I know that the frozen Lake Ladoga near Leningrad/St Petersburg was used during the winter of 1941-2 to bring supplies to the town which was under siege by Nazi German forces. A roadway was cleared for convoys of trucks/lorries, but I don't think railroad tracks were laid. But the idea is fascinating and this would be easy to model!
My Z layout is very much at the beginning stage but I intend having a double line running through nothing but woods. I tried making trees from dried sedum flower heads as described in September's Model Railroader and they turn out so well with so little effort that I'll have a miniature forest around my urban area. I've already decided to scratch build an imaginary town which could have been built - all the structures will be representative of the International/Funtionalism style of architecture. Three reasons - I like it, the undecorated surfaces are easier to model in Z scale, and the buildings suit any era starting from about 1930, so I can run pre-war steam or 21st Century trains without having the surroundings look out of character. I haven't seen a similar thing done before - my purist, white city in the forest!

[Anonymous]

I keep thinking I should just go ahead and do this, but something holds me back. Must be my already-enormous commitment towards my northern Virginia layout.

As I am deeply into mythology and fantasy, along the lines of "The Lord Of The Rings", I have thought about doing a totally-freelanced Dwarven Railroad (you just know it'd be mineral-loving dwarves that would invent a railroad), which could start out in a big underground city (a whole engine terminal and yard inside the belly of a volcano!) and then venture out across vivid and exotic fantasy settings. Maybe even have a spur that switchbacks up to a blad mountain face, where a lot of rigging and nets are emplaced for the purpose of capturing dragons. Show off a few wyverns held in "cattle pens" - more like cattle pens on viagra! Snowsheds through the frigid mountain passes would be meant to keep the frost giants away.

A layout like this would require extensive kitbashing and scratchbuilding; ever last car and engine would be a unique design. I would suppose that ever car would have its own doghouse-style sentry shack, where a pair of bowmen ride along to protect the cargo. The engines would all be based on the fantastic gilded victorian steamers that prevailed in the 1800's, but they would need their own particular aesthetic.

I'm convinced that it could be done well, and that it would be a totally unique concept for a model railroad, but I'm willing to bet that as I post this there is someone who has attempted something similar.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Pittsburgh during the fortys and fiftys. I remember the brick ovens. Every thing in Pgh. seemed to be made of brick. There must have been rail activity associated with the industry! Also the slag dumping that used to be done. I remember it lighting the hillside up. I have plans to model both these, if I live long enough. Seems that every time I start getting serious about it, something else gets in the way.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Grayhound Challenger
A railroad museum, with steam engines, and older freight and passenger cars on display.

The Canadian Railway Museum in Delson, Quebec (near Montreal) has a layout of the museum grounds that they take to shows.

See http://www.exporail.org/

Andrew

[Anonymous]

My layout is supposedly a museum line like the Illinois RR Museum, but it also carries freight traffic for CSX - there's a museum line somewhere in the UK that serves a small ironworks as well as running tourist trains. No steamers as yet though, mainly due to cost (and the fact that I prefer diesels)!

[Anonymous]

Here are some scenes I am thinking about modeling that I do not see done very often.

A railroad museum, with steam engines, and older freight and passenger cars on display.

Some one being "busted" by the cops.

Some shall we say "Late night romantic festivities" in the back of a SUV at "Lovers Leap"

maybe some more "late night romantic festivities" in a sleeping car.

Rioting crowd vs. Police (I have decided that when I model the GN Portion of my layout it will be 1968)

Business with funny and humorous names. EX: (Honest Karr's Used Johns)

These are some of what I don't see very often.

James

[Anonymous]

I've seen that done on British-outline layouts - they used some of the Dapol plastic loco kits (cheap, unpowered simple-to-assemble kits). I've also seen these used to represent a loco undergoing restoration on a preserved line.

[ShaunCN]

I would like to see somebody model a dead line were damaged or retired locos are stored and waiting to be srapped I have ried this before but need mor info and pics about this.
ShaunCN

[Anonymous]

Actually, someone DID model the Copper River Northwestern Railway (CRNW - Can't Run & Never Will). It looks VERY cool. There is a great website at http://members.tripod.com/~Blackburn49/ . The model is actually of the Kennecott Mine. The CRNW ran 196 miles from Cordova to the Kennecott Mine from 1911-1938.

Track plan can be seen at http://blackburn49.tripod.com/track_plan.htm

[eastcoast]

I am sure if you look hard enough and the fact that you brought them up, someone has modelled these areas or attempted to. It all comes down to how much space you have and how much effort you want to put into it . Anything is possible with all the new things out on the market and a little imagination.
[:)]
Hey, I want to try to model the Bombardier Plant in Plattsburgh, New York.
Anybody know anything about this area? I am understanding that they keep
pretty tight wraps on that . But it would be cool to see it.

[coalminer3]

Amen. IIRC, some of the unexploded ordnance still contains poison gas.

Not too long ago one of the locals here found an unexploded Civil War shell in her garden. She had enough sense to call the police who in turn contacted state police bomb disposal group who took care of it. Something like that will put a crimp in the rest of your day for sure.

work safe

[Anonymous]

I saw a recent archeology-type TV programme about a "dig" on a WW1 battlefield. Amongst badges, rifles, ammo, etc they found a section of narrow gauge track showing the damage caused by a direct hit from an artillery shell. I suspect there are still many sections of track strewn through north-east France - farmers in that area are still finding unexploded shells while ploughing fields - there are organised roadside collection points where farmers can leave shells etc that they find to be removed and safely disposed of. I was over there on a school trip a few years ago and remember being told "don't touch anything - it might explode"!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by masonjar

How about the war-time railways that were temporarily laid to move goods around the front in Europe. I believe there were version in both WW's.

Andrew

Now that would be cool!!!

[Anonymous]

Heres one that I think hasn't been modeled yet. The Peru' Rail in South America running from Cusco to Machu Picchu. I made a visit there last summer and took that scenic rail ride to Machu Picchu. The 3 feet gauge with early diesel, steam engines, and Europe Passenger cars. It is about 58 mile route, between these locations. The interesting part of the rail line that it winds around in the Andies Mountains crosses small rivers, goes throw short tunnels, and it switch back 3 times to gain elevation on side of the mountain so it can snake through the higher peaks. On route to Cusco, then travelles in a high plain surrounded by peaks. Cusco is located in a valley in circled by the Andies then the rail line desends into Cusco which it switch back about 5 times to head throw town to the depot.
William

[DSchmitt]

There is a British company that sells an extensive line of British (Some American propotype) WWI military narrow gauge, Trhe company has a web page.

Charls S. Small's book "Rails to Doomsday" published in 1980 is about the US Army railroads on Corregidor and Manila Bay.

The one on Carabao Island is a nice little switchback from a wharf to materials storage bins and two concrete mixing plants used to build gun emplacements.
The island doesent appear to be much wider than the track at one point along the line,

[joseph2]

I read somewhere when railroads like the GN and NP were being constructed they would make a temporary bridge by putting long railroad ties on frozen rivers.

[Anonymous]

Hmm,

At the Baltimore Society of Model Engineers there was built a tunnel viewable through plexiglass in which a station was built. I was young then and cannot remember what it was exactly I would imagine it to still be there.

Regarding the Chicago Storm Drain project, that has been ongoing since 1970, I watched on the History Channel and they did use conveyer belts to carry the dig out and above ground. I believe it was about 2 miles long from the borer.

There is no reason why anyone cannot model some form of underground. I believe in Baltimore there is a Tunnel (which had a bad fire last couple of years) that carried trains in and out of the city. Theoratically one can have a tunnel next to a built up area and just run trains to and from staging there. The visitor will always be curious to find out where the tunnel begins and ends.

As a side note, we have "cities" that are completely underground in the USA. You would drive a tractor trailer with cargo completly underground and deliver it below the surface of the earth. For me it was alien to see limestone, granite etc all around instead of usualy above ground view. I believe there were rail cars there as well. Some of these places support the Nation in time of war and also provides good logistics in time of peace with out the expense and visibilty of buildings, real estate etc.

Good Luck

Lee

[FJ and G]

Brit,

I am just getting started on a book about light railways in France during WWI. Just last night I was dreaming about also modeling a railway of that era in HO or N scale. The narrow-gauge railways were operated by allies as well as by several railway battalions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

I have magazines in my office dealing with the subject, dated to back then. If anyone is interested, you could visit my digs at Society of American Military Engineers in old town Alexandria VA.

I just started the research and collection of materials, btw. Unfortunately, I don't think there are many people around to interview.