If you're a Civil War buff, you absolutely need to see the video on Thom Radice's HO recreation of the 1863 Western & Atlantic--the Georgia railroad on which the great locomotive chase took place. Take a look at the video on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B5A-AgRGxU). And even if you're not particularly interested in the Civil War, the scenery on Thom's layout is impressive enough by itself to merit a look.
For those interested in more information on Civil War railroad modeling, check out the Yahoo Group devoted to that subject (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Civil_War_RRs/). A lot of new models and kits are now available to make such modeling much easier than ever before.
Frank
Hello All
Here are clickable links. Works much better this way.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=1863+Western+%26+Atlantic&search_type=&aq=f
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Civil_War_RRs/
Could not tell if there were link & pin couplers or missed them.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
~G4
19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.
Wow that was amazing, so much talent went into that. Thanks for posting!
IVRWThat was a really well done layout. It really got me thinking. It also re-established my never ending love for railroading before 1900.
Same reaction here
Some very nice modeling on the video clip.
The confederate army tent camp and the tent evacuation hospital were nice touches, but the things that most impressed me were the Atlanta scenes.
In particular the way Thom Radice had put up his roundhouse "backwards" relative to the way most people orient their roundhouses - in such a way that engine hostling is done from the inside (behind) of the roundhouse (at the end of the peninsula).
It saves layout length, gives the impression of a far larger (360-degree) roundhouse, improves access inside the roundhouse, creates a visually separate scene for hostling, and looks very cool - a very neat way of setting up a roundhouse.
Also - I loved the big brick freight shed in the Atlanta scene. The place looks like it is big enough to need train service.
Bravo!
Grin, Stein
This is an amazing layout. Simple yet, very nicely done.
Is this the same layout that is in one of the recent issues of RMC?
Since I am a history buff also, I have often thought of a layout based in the late 1880's on the Pennsylvania Railroad Pittsburgh Division...either right before or after the Johnstown Flood of 1889.
Robert H. Shilling II
This layout is also the cover story of the Oct 2009 Railroad Model Craftsman.
Very cool! To answer the link and pin question, yes hes using them. In an early shot of the 8 wheeler sitting in the yard you can see the head of the pin in the pocket of the stock car its coupled too. Roundhouse scene as well you can see the pocket and a pin inthe locomotive on the table.
I got hooked on early railroading from old pics and books. The stories out of old Railroad Magazine's gets me everytime to thinking about running a 1900 era layout.
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
P&SlocalThis is an amazing layout. Simple yet, very nicely done. Is this the same layout that is in one of the recent issues of RMC? Since I am a history buff also, I have often thought of a layout based in the late 1880's on the Pennsylvania Railroad Pittsburgh Division...either right before or after the Johnstown Flood of 1889.
Being a traveling buff, I went to the "Johnstown Flood National Historic Site" on my cross country trip. Did you all hear the story of an engineer at the flood. He was switching in a town and heard the flood coming. When he saw it, he tied the whistle rope down and put the engine full speed down the tracks. He rushed around corners, nearly falling off, but he managed to keep his locomotive on the tracks. Piloting her truly, he screamed around the bend to Johnstown, whistle blowing all the time. He crashed into a train in the yard, and was consumed by the flood moments later. Because of his quick thinking and bravery, some of the members in the town were able to run away, before the flood reached them.
Note: I believe the town was Johnstown, but I could be wrong.
IVRW Being a traveling buff, I went to the "Johnstown Flood National Historic Site" on my cross country trip. Did you all hear the story of an engineer at the flood. He was switching in a town and heard the flood coming. When he saw it, he tied the whistle rope down and put the engine full speed down the tracks. He rushed around corners, nearly falling off, but he managed to keep his locomotive on the tracks. Piloting her truly, he screamed around the bend to Johnstown, whistle blowing all the time. He crashed into a train in the yard, and was consumed by the flood moments later. Because of his quick thinking and bravery, some of the members in the town were able to run away, before the flood reached them. Note: I believe the town was Johnstown, but I could be wrong.
Yup, Johnstown, Pa. You can read the story here: http://explorepahistory.com/cms/pbfiles/Project1/Scheme40/ExplorePAHistory-a0h1o0-a_514.pdf
The web page above refers to a book I have heard is a pretty good work on the flood - David McCullough's book "The Johnstown Flood".
McCullough is pretty good at making the human element of history come alive. I loved his books "The Great Bridge" (about the Brooklyn Bridge), "1776" and "John Adams", and have the books on the Johnstown Flood, the one on Truman and the one on the Panama canal on my "to read" list.
Picked up the RMC today. Very cool layout and I loved the insert with the TOC railroading stuff! Lets see some more TOC stuff!
IVRWBeing a traveling buff, I went to the "Johnstown Flood National Historic Site" on my cross country trip. Did you all hear the story of an engineer at the flood.
I've been there, it's a very interesting site and a nicely done visitor's center with artifacts and displays about the catastrophe. It was very notable, as one of the first great disasters caused by human failures rather than nature. Plus the whole social class issue, where the dam and lake was owned by the elite private club.
Hope while you were out that way, you also got to see the famous Horseshoe Curve and the not-so-famous Portage Railroad. (the latter is how the RR got over the Allegheny range before the curve, I find it fascinating).
That is really an amazing layout! I might just have to go pick up the October RMC now, as I'd like to learn more.
steinjr Yup, Johnstown, Pa. You can read the story here: http://explorepahistory.com/cms/pbfiles/Project1/Scheme40/ExplorePAHistory-a0h1o0-a_514.pdf The web page above refers to a book I have heard is a pretty good work on the flood - David McCullough's book "The Johnstown Flood". McCullough is pretty good at making the human element of history come alive. I loved his books "The Great Bridge" (about the Brooklyn Bridge), "1776" and "John Adams", and have the books on the Johnstown Flood, the one on Truman and the one on the Panama canal on my "to read" list. Grin, Stein
Not to get too far off topic, but if you're a fan of McCullough's other books then you'll like the one on the Johnstown Flood as well. I read it a few months ago and it was really interesting, almost captivating at times. And there is quite a bit of railroad content in the book, as the railroad was involved in a lot of the details of settlement and devlopment of the area and in parts the flood itself (including recovery afterwords). A very good read for any history buff.
Noah
The town was actually East Conemaugh, but all those towns became boroughs of Johnstown after the flood. the engineer that tied down his whistle and ran into E. Conemaugh yard was John Hess. he survived. His testimony to the PRR investigators can be found at:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/jofl/hess.htm
The PRR Stone Arch bridge is still there in J-town. I wrote a research paper concerning the Relief and Recovery after the J-town flood this summer. The PRR closed it's main line (Pittsburgh to Harrisburg) to help J-town in the recovery. The PRR didn't fix the tracks east of Johnstown until after the recovery was considered complete (end of June1889). They were down over a month. If it weren't for the PRR and the B&O the recovery would have taken much, much longer.
Very nice write up on that layout in RMC this month, I picked up a copy when at a hobby shop in Indy today. I would love to model that era of railroading, I am a bit of a civil war buff, got that from my history teacher in highschool, he was a huge civil war buff with lots of good books I used to borrow and read. Model Power/Mantua needs to reissue the General with a more modern can motor, all metal nickle silver wheels, both in the tender an on the pilot truck and all wheel pickup on the tender. Some simple upgrades to the model would go a long ways. Shame this era of railroads in the USA is ignored, some of the most beautifull buildings where built during this era, Southern plantations, the huge roundhouses with the turntable indoors, the small farm houses of the less fortunate southern folk, rail laid right on the red dirt, little to no ballest. Small engines, small cars make for great small layout modeling material. I could see Walthers doing the roundhouse with the indoors turntable, would make an excellent kit, along with some of the beautifull stations of that era. Maybe that layout, between the article, being on the cover of the magazine, unfortunatly it was on the compititions mag and not MRR, and the youtube videos will bring some life to the era. Cheers and great links guys. Mike
LHS mechanic and geniune train and antique garden tractor nut case!
I lived in Johnstown for about 2 years. Amazing town with amazing hardworking ethical people. The town is beat up but not beat down that's for sure! The flood was the biggest disaster in U.S. history until 9/11/01. 2029 people dead in seconds. The eeriest thing was visiting Westmont cemetery one evening and looking at the hundreds of graves all bearing the same date. As we walked, a big black raven descended onto a headstone and glared at us. We quickly left!!!
Matt