My alternative to model railroading

[jguess733]

Do to space constraints, and the fact that there is a new baby in the house, model railroading for me has become more of an act of writting than model building. I've spent many hours sitting here at the old computer writting up a very concise history of the Coyote Gulch & Quahog. In fact it is actually more of a short story that is about eight pages long. I know that modelers are turning more and more to prototypical modeling vice freelancing, but for me, Free lancing is the way to go. I believe John Allen put it best, and I whole heartedly agree with him, when he said "I'm not a strict prototype modeler. To me, half the fun is cogitating and planning. I'd just as soon take a feature I like from one car, and put it on another as long as the practice is logical. I'm far more interested in general character than specific details." Have any other freelancers developed a detailed history of their railroads?

[Anonymous]

Though my railroads "history" is not 8 pages long, it does capture the feel of what I am modeling.

Deere Valley & Western History

Here is a quick run-down of my layout theme and era....

1958, Deere Valley & Western Railroad is incorporated. Without motive power or rolling stock of its own, DV&W enters lease and trackage rights agreements with ATSF, SP, WP and UP after purchasing some little used and abandoned right-of-ways in California with financial backing of the John Deere Company. John Deere uses its own motive power and rolling stock on the DV&W tracks and is a financial contributor in construction and rehabilitation of the rail lines. The line serves the agricultural areas of California from Sacramento to Los Angeles and sees a tremendous variety of freight and passenger equipment on its trackage. The ficticious town of Deere Valley is located in the rural outskirts near Stockton, CA.

The era is 1959/1960. A variety of soon to be retired steam and 1st generation diesels are common sights including the occasional UP Big Boy which is routed from Wyoming for special fast heavy produce freights to the East. A couple of times a Big Boy was even seen hauling a passenger consist when the diesel power broke down and no other engines were available to continue the run.

Photos of the current 4x8 (scheduled for demolition and replacement this spring) can be seen at Webshots. Just click on the link in my signature

[dinwitty]

Every railroad has a logistical development, and if you build like that for your own layout, you will grab the feel you need to make the line work, freelance or prototypical.

Small layouts always compromise due to size constraints, things like large buildings are compressed designed to get the feel of the building as its full size could fill your basement....heh..

[jguess733]

Being in the Navy I have a lot of time while I'm at sea to do nothing so I started to develop a history so I could figure out why my RR existed. Then it turned into maps, and time tables, and then I started to name the figures on my layout, and on and on it went. When we move and I have the space to start anew, I'm going to build the layout scene by scene, and actually start some of the scenery before the track and structures get put into the scene.

[bikerraypa]

I have written a pretty detailed history of my RR. Since my HO road is based on a local prototype shortline, I can use the "prototype" history up until it was abandoned, and then my own "freelanced" history from there. Also, I adapted the real history so that some of the surrounding railroads did some things differently, such as the B&LE making a major freight yard at Queen Junction, and the Pennsy bridging the Allegheny at East Brady. I keep it close enough to prototype to be recognizable, but I freelance enough that the occasional B&LE Texas-type or Pennsy Mikado makes an appearance. I like the Yellowstones so much that the Western Allegheny might even end up leasing one from the Missabe every now and then.

I certainly don't mean any disrespect to true prototype modelers. I considered doing that myself, but have found that it is more enjoyable for me to "tweak" history a bit when it suits my fancy.


Ray out.

[West Coast S]

I model an obscure SP branch, which has virtually no recorded history eventhough it survived into the 1980s, towns and industries will follow the prototype to the tee, but operations will be modified to provide more service then three times a week. This increased service will bring power not normally assigned in the real world and also provide additional offroad cars for dedicated service such as citrus and cement service.

QUOTE: Originally posted by bikerraypa

I have written a pretty detailed history of my RR. Since my HO road is based on a local prototype shortline, I can use the "prototype" history up until it was abandoned, and then my own "freelanced" history from there. Also, I adapted the real history so that some of the surrounding railroads did some things differently, such as the B&LE making a major freight yard at Queen Junction, and the Pennsy bridging the Allegheny at East Brady. I keep it close enough to prototype to be recognizable, but I freelance enough that the occasional B&LE Texas-type or Pennsy Mikado makes an appearance. I like the Yellowstones so much that the Western Allegheny might even end up leasing one from the Missabe every now and then.

I certainly don't mean any disrespect to true prototype modelers. I considered doing that myself, but have found that it is more enjoyable for me to "tweak" history a bit when it suits my fancy.


Ray out.

[CBQ_Guy]

I recently told the wife that I seem to have a new hobby instead of model railroading: READING about model railroading on the internet!