How Does where you grew up compare with what you model?

[Anonymous]

I grew up about half way between the Milwaukee Road and CNW mainlines in southern MIlwaukee County. we used to walk along the tracks (I know that's trespassing) and would sometimes get to the Milwaukee Road Lake Tower. There is a small yard there (not used much now, but inthe early 70's it was still switched). The people there were always nice to us. ONce a brakeman let me couple the air hoses to a couple of boxcars! That was thirty years ago, and I still remember that day.

Sorry, I got off topic there. So I model the Milwaukee Road. Always have. I read a a youngster about the Milwauikee Road and learned they had tracks in a faraway place called Montana. Read all I could (and still do) about lines west. So my current layout (although rather generic) is based on the central Montana area. I finally got a chance to go to Montana a couple years ago and now my wife and I want to retire there.

[jwmurrayjr]

Well I never have grown up or I wouldn't be playing with toy trains.[:0]

I model Colorado, a place where I like to spend a lot of time and where I hope to go if I ever do grow up. [^]


[:)]

[cwclark]

I have to admit I do model the area I grew up in..The Kerrville branch of the SP to Beckman quarry and Camp Stanley run right through my backyard (litterally) where I grew up in San Antonio, Tx. (by the way..the line doesn't go to Kerrville anymore and hasn't for some years) ..my entire family worked for the SP so naturally I model the part of the SP in the San Antonio division of Texas...Chuck[:D]

[simon1966]

I grew up in Bedford, just north of London in the UK. 40 odd years later I am modelling the railroads of central illinois! The Mallard, does make a periodic guest appearance!

[FJ and G]

I grew up with the Penn Central and some shortlines.

I now model Santa Fe and let others model the PC.

[BNSFNUT]

I grew up in the east (upstate NY) and modeled mostly eastern railroads for about 35 yrs but then changed to modeling the BNSF is west about about 1997.

[jfugate]

I grew up in Southern Oregon in the 1960s and I model Southern Oregon in the 1980s.


The thing that makes the 1980s interesting is more fun loco options like SP Tunnel Motors ... and lots of rebuilt SD9s and GP9s so it looks a lot like the late 1960s and early 1970s. Modeling a more recent past in HO means lots of ready-made products are available.

So I get to have my cake (1960s locos) and eat it to (model 1980s).

[GDRMCo]

I model the Queensland Rail between Townsville and Charters Towers in Queensland Australia. I model this line because I lived in Townsville and Charters Towers and watched the grain, coal and intermodal trains go through town in Charters Towers and stop at the intermodal yard and leave town heading south in Townsville.

[Big_Boy_4005]

No contest for me, I model where I live and grew up. Local modeling makes research easy.

[sparkingbolt]

I grew up in Coos Bay Oregon, from '70 to 89. Moved to Bend, in Central Oregon. Now I model (a small portion of) the "Bay Area" in the mid '60s, and will feature a few specific prototype buildings, and of course SP trains dominate.

Even to this day many of the buildings along the waterfront have changed very little, and some not at all since the '60s Others are long gone. I wish I'd gotten pix of the SP freight station before they demolished it..... Dan

[Anonymous]

"Grew up" being a relitive term...I model the Denver & Rio Grande Western division 6, Grand Junction to Salt Lake City, UT. I was raised in Spanish Fork, Ut, and have since lived in lots of different places. But my heart still belongs to Spanish Fork Canyon and the tight curves of the Rio Grande and the UTAH RAILWAY. Both of which ran the doulbe track from Helper to Provo.
Very senic and very nice to model.
Paul H. Liddiard

[newhavenguy]

Well let's see. I grew up in Wehterdfield CT. The New Haven's Valley branch went right through my back yard. I got my first cab ride in an RS-3. Yes I'd say where I grew up influenced me and the railroad I model. I am modeling theNH's Valley branch from Old Saybrook to Hartford, CT and the Hartford /Springfield line from New Haven to Hartford.

[Anonymous]

How does it compare? A lot.

I live near a single track main of the KCS, with modern EMD and GE engines, with a few Tunnel Motors, SD50's, and BNSF run thrus thrown in, pulling grain hoppers, 60' boxcars, and double stack/intermodal flatcars as the main rolling stock. No passenger trains at all, save for a few excursion trains.

I model the 1945-1950 period, with the CB&Q and CRI&P as the main roads, in SE Iowa, not west-central IL (where I live), with Superpower steam, mikados, and EMD and Alco streamlined diesels, many manufacturing companies, and a double track main with passenger service. (But I'm only modeling an industrial district thanks to the amount of room I got.)

[Anonymous]

Hmm
Grew up in central to western Maryland,,Modeling the Western Maryland as it was when I was young and impressionable. I also model the Maryland Midland and the Entertainment Line in the 1980's, since I worked for the ETL then, when I was older yet still impressionable.
I would venture to say that most folks would model what they are most comfortable and familiar with. Right?

[DMNolan]

I grew up in Clarksville, TN and live there now. The Tennesee Cetral and the L&N came through town. Now its RJCorman. My gradfather worked for the NC&StL and the L&N(FLS, SBD, CSX) in Nashville. I used to model the L&N, along with most other modelers in the area. I now model the Lehigh Valley and connecting RR's (CNJ, EL, PC RDG, LHR, D&H, PB&NE & Ironton). I started modeling the LV after a friend who modeled the LNE introduced me to anthracite railroading. I bought some books and did alot of research. I have visited the old LV on several trips and joind the Anthracite RR Historical Society. I enjoy modeling a diverse RR (loco types, paint schemes, lots of industry plus overhead traffic).

[Isambard]

Some would say that we model railroaders and rail fans never did grow up!
I grew up in the glory days of CPR steam in western Canada, including the Rockies, and still dream of steam powered trains there. The Grizzly Northern Railway is based on a steam era CPR subsidiary running through the Rockies.

[Anonymous]

Well, let's put it this way - I model the Rock Island (and/or the IAIS and IMRL) in the Quad Cities area of IA and IL.

IF I modeled where I grew up, I would model the Gainesville-Midland RR.

(Anyone know were THAT RR was ???)

And have a LOT fewer locos !!!

- George

[Anonymous]

I've lived about two miles south and west of the Bessemer and Lake Erie mainline almost my entire life. Where I model is, essentially, where I grew up but with different place names (say, Summit Jct instead of Meadville Jct, Thiel instead of Greenville, etc) and a different railroad: my Allegheny Mercer and Lake Erie. I didn't really want to do a full-on B&LE layout because I didn't think I'd be satisfied with only having SD38s and hoppers when I want AC4400CW and intermodal trains.

[Anonymous]

I grew up watching the local shortline Hillsdale County Railroad in Michigan. The little railroad that could!!! And I now live right next to the same rails I use to watch so I get to watch Indiana Northeastern railroad go by each morning. The INER use's the same engines HCRC did which are GP 7's and 9's with INER picking up a couple of GP 30's.

So all of the layouts I have built have been shortlines with GP 9's for motive power. There's nothing better then playing or working on my layout only to hear the sounds of a distant train coming bye.

In fact ,Lionel Strang recently got a chance to play on the Indiana Northeastern railroad and you can read about it on the back page of the July issue.

[traingeek087]

Well, I was origionally thinking of 1969 Burlington Route, but where I live is the heavy haul of coal from the powder river basin. modeling 69 wouldn't have the full effect of where I live. There is over 30 coal trains that go through my hometown everyday. The coal boom started in 73, so I am modeling 1974-1975.


The top reasons why I model 1974-1975.

The rock Island was still around and changing to the blue then.
BN had all of it's predecessor paint schemes still around including CBQ, GN, NP, SPS.
Coal boom was taking off so new cars and locomotives were fresh out of the factory.
Old cars were used because of a shortage of new ones.
The SD40-2 was around.

[Anonymous]

I'm still growing up considering i'm only 14 but I live within a couple thousand feet of the ex Conrail mainline that runs from Selkirk to Boston.

As soon as I build my own layout it will definatley be Conrail.

[Anonymous]

How does it compare? Not at all - I grew up in NW England in the 70's - boring blue British Rail deisels and railcars everywhere.

I now model the Maine Central in the early 50s - strange how a lot of Brits seem to be drawn to New England roads - look at Ian Rice with Rocque Bluffs for example? Maybe we relate to the small towns and green scenery.[%-)]

[Anonymous]

I grw up near the UP mainline in Texas but I would have to say my biggest influence was my grandpa and how he would go on about the bigboy.
I am modeling Green River, WY late 40's early 50's gotta be steam for me!

[Anonymous]

My youth was the desert country of California, Nevada and Arizona. Engines were blue, box cars were red, reefers were yellow, and cabeese were red. Landscape was flat as a fritter and covered in rocks or stickers. Industry and farming was a little thin so a sheet of plywood with a single point to point track would model that area. So I model PNW west of the Cascades which provides a lot more color in railroads and scenery.

[GN715]

Nice topic- fun to hear people tell of their youth. Made me think of my youth in Oakland CA where my friend and I saw only SP and WP. I remember visiting the SP Oakland engine yards and getting a short ride in an F7 cab (the old paint scheme I think, red and black seems "new" to me- man I'm old). I remember us going through the roundhouse and seeing a couple of 4-4-0s being worked on (they might even have been the Golden Spike engines). Another time I remember a chance view of a Geep pushing a GS4 Daylight through Fruitvale station.

But as a kid I always modeled the Great Northern. I now live in Southern California. I'm thinking of getting back into model railroading and I would probably model the GN again. But now I don't have to travel to see the prototype- through mergers the green and orange has traveled to me ;-) (BNSF through Tehachapi is less than 70 miles from here).

[Anonymous]

I grew up with our back porch 100 yards from the N&W mainline 40 miles east of Cincinnati,OH which in those pre-merger days was the western terminus of the N&W. I remember the J's bringing the Powhatan Arrow through my back field, class A's and later pevler blue diesels and cabooses. That beautiful late steam was a glory to behold. My cousins lived in Williamson, WV so I certainly got a huge dose of the N&W as a kid. Today I consider myself lucky to have been so close to the twilight of steam in America, although even as an avid railfan I was too young to realize what was playing out before my eyes. My modeling today centers on trying to recreate the N&W, but in the mountainous Pocahontas Division which I remember from many visits to family over in coal country.

[88gta350]

I model exactly where I grew up!

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Ft.Atkinson Wi. Which had the C&NW rail line, But......I used to visit my Grandmother alot in my hometown of Ladysmith Wi. way back in the late 1960's & 1970's which had the SOO LINE tracks about 2 blocks away. I used to visit trackside quite often when ever there was a slight hint of a horn blowing. Boy what a variety of locomotives back then, Alot of F unit "Covered Wagons", High hoods, B units & a whole lot more. I even saw my very first steam engine being towed through. & on a warm summer night I'd ride a bicycle down to the train station & just sit & observe the surroundings. There's nothing like a few dimly lit lights, no mosquitos & it being so quiet that you could hear a conductor drop a lantern at 3 blocks away. & then the next minute a SOO Line F unit appears out of no where on the point & starts to hammer the diamond with its other units & freight in tow. After a few minutes of its passing you could here the horn in the distance getting fainter with kind of an erie ghostly feeling. & then it's quiet again as though a train had never come through. & now we have the WSOR bordering our back yard just outside Whitewater Wi.. So I model the SOO Line as my main theme & am trying to keep most of the layout around the mid 60's to the late 70's era, & I am also modeling the C&NW & WSOR. All when finished will be a rural Wisconsin setting with a smaller town flavor. Buildings will be the train stations in Ft. Atkinson & Ladysmith along with several bussineses from these two cities also.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Bath, Maine in the last few years of the [:D]MEC[:D](before Guilford[:(]), so this is exactly what I model. I figured that I'd be ahead of the game if I modelled something I've actually seen, and places that I've actually been to. It sure is nice to see the Harvest Gold and Pine Green roll through Bath again, even if it is only in 1:87th scale[:)].

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cacole

I don't model the general vicinity but I do model the railroads that ran through my home town in Southern Illinois -- the Illinois Central and Missouri Pacific. I don't have a home layout where I could specialize in a specific geographic area, but must rely on a club layout.

I model the Missouri Pacific as well. I grew up in West Frankfort, IL. The MP had bought the C&EI in 1967. I was born in 1968. I was fortunate enough to have ridden mine runs in MP GP15-1's a few times in the early 1980's. The MP has always been my favorite railroad since then. I model the Joppa Subdivision in 1984.