Branch Lines Galore!...

[Tracklayer]

Hello gang.

I've been doing some indepth research lately into pre-transition era branch lines, and never realized just how many there were, especially in the southern US... I noticed that most of them employed Consolidations and Mikados.

Does anyone out there model any of these little southern branch lines?.

Tracklayer  

[dehusman]

While everybody oohs and aahs over the big power (4-6-6-4's, Triplex's,etc) there were literally thousands of 2-8-0's, 4-6-0's and 2-8-2's working branchlines and byways all across the US.  so manufacturers tend to build models of stuff that railroads only had a handful of and need large radiuses, instead of making models of the engines that are really suited for a layout.

Dave H.

 

[wm3798]

If I had to do it all over again, I would go with that sleepy branch line type of operation, probably the Maryland and Pennsylvania, or something of that ilk.

My current layout includes the WM's Thomas Sub, which was for all intents and purposes a branch line that served the mines and timberlands of east-central West Virginia.  I haven't been able to finish constructing that part of the layout yet, but I'm looking forward to running it when I do.

Lee 

[tomikawaTT]

It's interesting to note that the most popular locomotives sold in the heyday of imported brass were consolidations (Santa Fe and Western Maryland prototypes.)  Pretty obviously, somebody was modeling branch/short line operations back then.  (Either that, or being realistic about what looked good on typical layout curves.)

My privately-owned coal originator is actually patterned on a JNR branch line originally built to carry coal from the mines to the seaport at Fukuoka.  The line still exists, but these days it carries commuters.  (I 'privatized' it so I could equip it with freelanced rolling stock of improbable design, and changed its location by about a thousand kilometers.)

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[back_pack]

I model a 34-mile shortline in the Door County 'thumb' of Wisconsin...the Ahnapee & Western Ry. It was a Green Bay & Western branch until 1947...then was operated by local interests until the early 1970s. They ran 2-6-0s at first, then bought a couple 2-8-0s before getting two GE 70 tonners in 1953. All the steamers were ex-GB&W.

 What I've found in my research is that the traffic base for such a small railroad can be quite varied, even if the longest train ever pulled on the prototype was 38 cars! (15-20 cars was the usual). The road's primary customers were a large veneer/plywood mill and door plant in lakefront Algoma on a little 1-mile "branch off the branch", and an evaporated milk manufacturer in Sawyer at the north end.  The plywood mill got inbound logs in gons and veneer and lumber in boxcars, while the door plant got lumber and corestock. Outbound loads of plywood and doors all went in boxcars. The milk plant got inbound cans in bulk and shipped evap milk out in un-iced reefers.

The fill-in shippers were shipyards (lots of inbound steel/machinery), fruit processors (cherries mostly), bulk oil dealers, several feed mills, a couple cheese factories, and a marine bulk terminal (coal, potatoes, poles, logs). Oh, and a few small industries had some unique carloadings including a vinegar plant that actually used the vinegars cars that everyone likes to run, and a farm machinery manufacturer...I could go on and on!

For a little flavor of the A&W go to http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr1066.htm or http://www.greenbayroute.com and search "ahnapee".

Shortlines are fun to model because you can include "almost everything" in a medium sized layout. The amount of selective omission/compression is less and if you like research you can learn almost everything about a small 'one-horse' branchline over time. It really ads to the fun, and feels like you're keeping something alive in miniature. Heck, I've even learned the names of almost all 40 employees of my branchline for the early 1950s time period that I model. It's fun when you are running the freight, and each crew member can take on the role of Francis Renard, Herb Holschuh, 'Buster' Warren, J C Roubal, or Bob Ruby. Good times.

Andy

[New Haven I-5]

 I model a Branchline in a valley in the Rocky Mountains. My railroad is freelanced so I can run what ever I want. My railroad at this point mostly uses 2 Berkshires. My railroad has no name. I just call it, "My Train Table".

[New Haven I-5]

 Yeah... I do. I was going to take some new ones.. but my layout is a mess. After i clean it up, I'll take some pics.

[markpierce]

People may not be distinguishing between shortlines (smaller, local railrods) and branchlines.  Shortlines look like branchlines because they branch off a major railroad (like the California Western from the Northwestern Pacific.)   Shortlines can have their own branchlines (such as the Angels Camp branchline off the Sierra Railroad.  Major railroads had their own branchlines, and the type of steam power used depended on the circumstances.  For instance, on the San Ramon branch of the S.P. the normal power was 2-8-0s and 2-6-0s, but the Westwood branch (which had been built to mainline standards) saw cab-forward articulateds on it.

Mark

[PMeyer]

 Yeah... I do. I was going to take some new ones.. but my layout is a mess. After i clean it up, I'll take some pics.

I know that feeling!

 

[New Haven I-5]

 Here you go David!   

[Tracklayer]

I model a 34-mile shortline in the Door County 'thumb' of Wisconsin...the Ahnapee & Western Ry. It was a Green Bay & Western branch until 1947...then was operated by local interests until the early 1970s. They ran 2-6-0s at first, then bought a couple 2-8-0s before getting two GE 70 tonners in 1953. All the steamers were ex-GB&W.

 What I've found in my research is that the traffic base for such a small railroad can be quite varied, even if the longest train ever pulled on the prototype was 38 cars! (15-20 cars was the usual). The road's primary customers were a large veneer/plywood mill and door plant in lakefront Algoma on a little 1-mile "branch off the branch", and an evaporated milk manufacturer in Sawyer at the north end.  The plywood mill got inbound logs in gons and veneer and lumber in boxcars, while the door plant got lumber and corestock. Outbound loads of plywood and doors all went in boxcars. The milk plant got inbound cans in bulk and shipped evap milk out in un-iced reefers.

The fill-in shippers were shipyards (lots of inbound steel/machinery), fruit processors (cherries mostly), bulk oil dealers, several feed mills, a couple cheese factories, and a marine bulk terminal (coal, potatoes, poles, logs). Oh, and a few small industries had some unique carloadings including a vinegar plant that actually used the vinegars cars that everyone likes to run, and a farm machinery manufacturer...I could go on and on!

For a little flavor of the A&W go to http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr1066.htm or http://www.greenbayroute.com and search "ahnapee".

Shortlines are fun to model because you can include "almost everything" in a medium sized layout. The amount of selective omission/compression is less and if you like research you can learn almost everything about a small 'one-horse' branchline over time. It really ads to the fun, and feels like you're keeping something alive in miniature. Heck, I've even learned the names of almost all 40 employees of my branchline for the early 1950s time period that I model. It's fun when you are running the freight, and each crew member can take on the role of Francis Renard, Herb Holschuh, 'Buster' Warren, J C Roubal, or Bob Ruby. Good times.

Andy

Thanks for your reply Andy. I very much enjoyed it and am sure others did and will also. 

Tracklayer  

[markpierce]

Well, what do you know?  A branchline to the 3rd degree (a branch off a branch off a branch): SP's Union branch.  The SP had the 25-mile Schellville branch running from Suisun-Fairfield via Napa Junction to Schellville for its connection with the Northwestern Pacific (an SP subsidiary).  From Napa Junction there was one 7-mile branch going south to Vallejo and one 35-mile branch going north via Union to Calistoga.  From Union there was a branch to West Napa, albeit two miles long.  (The above is based on a 1955 employees timetable.)

Mark

[andrechapelon]

Well, what do you know?  A branchline to the 3rd degree (a branch off a branch off a branch): SP's Union branch.  The SP had the 25-mile Schellville branch running from Suisun-Fairfield via Napa Junction to Schellville for its connection with the Northwestern Pacific (an SP subsidiary).  From Napa Junction there was one 7-mile branch going south to Vallejo and one 35-mile branch going north via Union to Calistoga.  From Union there was a branch to West Napa, albeit two miles long.  (The above is based on a 1955 employees timetable.)

Mark

And if you like passenger trains, you don't have to give them up to model a branchline. SP's Monterey Branch boasted a named passenger train (the "Del Monte") until Amtrak took over in 1971. Pictures I've seen of the train in steam days show a train of from 5-8 cars.

The Maine Central's Rockland Branch even had seasonal Pullman service (off the Bar Harbor Express) up until the early 50's.

There was an article in Trains, sometime in 1950 entitled "Pacifics to Lake Placid" and chronicled the passenger traffic on NYC's Lake Placid Branch. Most of the Pacifics used were K-11's, available in kit form from Bowser.

Andre

[markpierce]

The Del Monte was a nice train. In 1956 it included 6 cars, including a mail/baggage car, 3 chair cars, a coach, and a parlor car. In 1946 it was longer with 8 cars, and included a lounge car. The mail/baggage car traveled between Pacific Grove and San Jose, except on Sundays it traveled between Pacific Grove and San Francisco.

Per the 1955 timetable, the train left Pacific Grove at 7:20 a.m. and returned at 7:30 p.m. From the Monterey Branch, it met SP's coastal mainline at Castroville for the trip to San Jose and San Francisco. It arrived in San Francisco at 10:35 a.m. and left at 4:00 p.m. I can imagine that the train was what it was partly because of the rich, or at least old, ladies making shopping trips to "The City." Fort Ord undoubtedly contributed a lot of passengers, although unlikely to travel in the first-class portion. The train ran until 1971.

Mark

[Texas Zepher]

I've been doing some indepth research lately into pre-transition era branch lines, and never realized just how many there were, especially in the southern US... I noticed that most of them employed Consolidations and Mikados.

Branch lines are great for modeling in all respects except for one.  The amount of traffic in a given period of time.  In general the least busy model railroad has more trains per minute than the most busy mainlines.  Get onto a branch line where the trains are daily, tri-weekly, or even weekly, then the volume of model trains is something one has to ignore.   

There are exceptions of course and the further back in time one goes the more exceptions there are.  There is the Abingdon Branch of the NW.  At one time there were 10-11 trains a day. 

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Just to illustrate some fun with branch lines, I'm posting this photo of my branch line that I'm just completing. Here, the GE 44 ton locomotive is approaching the junction in Valley Heights with two box ars from Hinterland at the end of the branch line.

I guarantee branch lines can be fun!