Freelancers & Protolancers - Your Line's Story

[mononguy63]

For those who don't model a specific line or locale, let's hear your railroad's story. What's it's history? Where does your line fit with the world you've created? I'll start with mine:

The Monon Railroad, Notyme & Munee Division

During the latter nineteenth century, the braintrust of the Monon Route realized that the railroad's ultimate long-term viability could only be ensured through expansion beyond the Indiana state line. To that end, deals were nearly completed to extend its trackage south to Tennessee before boardroom shenanigans and loss of financial backing caused the deal to fall through. According to my alternate history, in the 1950's the newly profitable Monon re-embarked on it's dreams of empire, with the aim of tapping into the West Virginia coal fields and capturing southeast Atlantic coast traffic into Chicago. So they looked at various regional and shorth lines that they could aquire and link through contracts or new trackage.

Enter the Notyme & Munee, a line nestled in the eastern Kentucky foothills. With its western terminus in the city of Lexington, it was a logical link in the eastward-looking strategic chain, so the Monon purchased 50.02% ownership in the line. What they acquired was a shoestring operation that limped along with an odd assortment of equipment collected from other lines (ironically, when the Monon dieselized in the late '40's, the NMRR purchased some cast-off locomotives - after the acquisition the Monon found itself operating some of her old former steamers). The primary source of motive power for the NMRR (sometimes called "The Enema Route" by employees, referring to equipment they had to keep operating) was the dead lines of other railroads. Loco's would be acquired, restored to nominal running condition, given a wash and be put into service without so much as renumbering or even repainting.

The line operated pretty autonomously under its new owner, as the parent line struggled to find the cash required to assemble its southeastward growth. The venture ultimately failed; lacking financing the scrappy Monon was ultimately driven to bankruptcy, absorbed by the L&N in 1979 and broken up. The NMRR once again became an independent line and ceased operations eight years later.

Now let's hear everybody else's stories...

[Anonymous]

When the B&M line between White River Jct, VT and Concord, NH washed out, Guilford petitioned to abandon the line. The state of New Hampshire purchased the line and provided funding to open a new alignment over a route less prone to washouts. Consequently, the grade was much steeper.

A new railroad company was founded to operate the line, called the White River Southern Railroad. A connecting shortline called the DDWH now operates the remainder of the line that was washed out on the East, and the line on the West side of the washout is currently abandoned.

Start-up power for the WRS was a pair of ex-B&M RS1s, an ex-CN FP7, and an ex-B&M GP9. The RS1s were sold to the DDWH along with the remainder of the washed out line, the FP7 is currently stored in WRJ as a parts source, and the GP9 is still operating as 1701.

Additional power came in the form of a GP9, and later an SDP35 (the steam generator was removed, making it an SD35 with a squared back) and a pair of U23Bs. Other locomotives were also leased for a time, during a traffic surge. These locomotives included a CPRail GP35, an MNER GP30, and a Conrail C40-8. The GP30 was eventually purchased, and is scheduled to be repainted. It is likely that this unit will be sold eventually to fund newer power, possibly a later model EMD or a GE.

[Packers#1]

Here's my Aiken-Augsta Railroad's history, pretty much all made up, none of it has happened or has ever happened. The only fact is that Norfolk Southern has a rail line in Aiken, and both NS and CSX have yards in Augusta. And Aiken and Augusta are right across the Savannah River from each other. So here it is:

The Aiken-Augusta Railroad was started in 1969 when the Savannah River railroad went out of business. Most of the line was purchased by the Genesee & Wyoming, but a small portion of the line from Aiken to Augusta was purchased by a local man, Sawyer Berry, in a surprise out-bid of the G&W. The line is rich with online customers and spots for more, and because the G&W’s line does not connect with Norfolk Southern in Aiken, the AARR handles CSX, NS, and G&W interchange traffic in the area. Start up locomotives were a GP30, an ex-NW GP35, the SRR’s GP9s (6), 4 U25Bs (through freights), and 2 H-15-44s made in 1949. I 1971, the 4 U25Bs and an H-15-44 were exchanged with GE for credit on 2 U23Bs. However, these were not enough. The GP35 and GP30 were assigned to help, with 2 GP9s working the way freights, but when tonnage nearly doubled in 1988, they needed major help. Fortunately, the Seaboard System had two locomotives they would sell, U23B #2751 and GP38-2 #2680. The GP30 and the 2 GP9s were sold, and the GP35 took over the way freights, with the help of another GP9. Today, the AARR is a thriving railroad. The pairs of the original U23Bs and the Seaboard units, left in their original road’s paint, haul long through freights between the towns, and the team of the GP35 and GP9 work the local wayfrieght, running with one unit at each end. Their H-15-44, a survivor and the only one of its kind left, and 3 other GP9s work the yards in Aiken and Augusta and do the interchange work there. The road is also looking into starting a locomotive leasing company from the profits their interchange service and industrial switching are raking in. They’ve managed to keep Norfolk Southern or G&W from connecting themselves is they provide a great service that stays at a reasonable price that keeps traffic off their rails. Today, the route has been double tracked completely to handle the trains.

I may change it. I sure will be elaborating on it in the future.

[Flashwave]

I have been giving thought to painting Modern Monon. But you've got a great handle so far. So I'll whip out Half Moon.

   Basically, in the early part of the 1900s or late 1800s, we got ahold of a mountain pass not yet owned by any of the ...Pacific Railroads, grew it with settlements, railroad towns, mines, and logging, and hung on for all dear life. It grew east-west to the pacific and North South to tie into bridge other lines by 1945. Smaller branches to towns otherwise trapped into the mountains were common but made up for very little of the track. Over-the-road freight and in house is split fairly evenly since the straightest path out of the mountains is paved with rail. Most of the freight originating from Half Moon's track was from on-the-main cities. This kind of irks the run throughs, having to stop for switchers in the way.

But only time will tell if I still end up modelling Half Moon

[Texas Zepher]

 Pine Ridge & North River Railroad

The Pine Ridge started with the purchase of the abandon Denver & Rio Grande Western La Madera branch.  It was the height of the depression so it was purchased for a song, but there wasn't enough traffic to be profitable.  The railroad scrimped along and tried several things such as hunting, tourist, & ski trains out of Santa Fe NM.  None of these had great success, providing just enough income to struggle along.   Things got worse in 1942 when the Rio Grande abandon the main line from Antonito to Santa Fe which cut the Pine Ridge off from its Tourists in Santa Fe.  The railroad appealed to the state to give them the right of way and Colorado agreed but New Mexico did not because a co-op of rangers along the line wanted the land and were willing to pay for it.  Operations were shut down.  The railroad sat idle and was ready to go under, when the ranchers co-op defaulted on their deal with the State and the right of way was picked up at a tax auction for $1000.  While this allowed the railroad to resume operations, they found that their previous traffic was not enough to maintain the trackage especially after having sitting idle for almost a year.  Relief came in a mysterious secret contract with the US Government.  The contract involved bringing some heavy yellowish rock out of the mountains, but it was not an ore like gold, silver, copper, or zinc in the traditional sense.

The government contract required the railroad to convert to standard gauge so loaded cars could be transfered to the AT&SF in Santa Fe and the Rio Grande in Antonito for transport to Tennesse.  This was not an issue because the contract included enough money to do this as well as to purchase a fleet of special steel hopper cars for the ore.  This was most unusual since most steel was being diverted to the war effort. 

Coming from poverty the railroad felt like it was the richest thing in the world. As an additional bonus the war board allowed them to purchase new motive power and passenger equipment.   They extended their trackage into new agricultural and mining areas.  They sponsored an irrigation project to make the agricultural areas more productive.

After the war it became obvious the yellow ore was uranium and the new prospector boom was on.  The Pine Ridge found itself right in the heart of some of the most productive deposits in the known world.  The railroad's boom times continued and they updated their mountain resorts, ski resorts, and hunting lodges.  The post war soldiers flocked to them.   In 1951 the railroad gobbled up other trackage being abandon by the D&RGW allowing it to connect to the Colorado Midland, the Colorado Southern, and the Colorado western slope.  With these connections the Pine Ridge became a short-cut link for certain traffic further adding to the bottom line revenue.  Connections to AT&SF passenger traffic on the south and D&RGW on the north creates a perfect source for mountain resort seeking tourists.

However with mountain roads being improved every year and airlines taking more and more traffic from the tourist trains it seems more an more traffic will move to truck and auto.  Natural gas being piped in is replacing fuel oil and coal for heating. The uranium boom seems to be ending as modern reactors can create their own fuel instead of needed raw material.  The future for the railroad in the 1960's looks bleak.
 

[BRAKIE]

The Columbus & Hocking Valley Ry is owned and operated by the CDB Industries and is one of 7 short lines owned by CDBI.The C&HV came into existence in 1978 when CDBI bought the old Athens sub-division of the Chessie System.During this purchase 2 other short lines was bought,the Parkersburg & Ohio Valley RR that ran from Parkersburg WV to Athens Oh and the Ohio Midland Ry that ran from Jackson,Oh to Newark,Oh.These 2 roads was quickly merged into the new C&HV.By purchasing these roads the CBDI finally had the long sought after southern Ohio coal fields and industries.The CDBI relaid the track from Nelsonville to Athens which had been removed by the C&O some years ago.The old Logan yards was rebuilt and upgraded during this time as it would serve as the home shops and the only major yard on the C&HV since it was centrally located on the line.The second yard would be located in the old C&O(nee CHV&T) Mound Street yard and would require trackage rights over the Chessie/C&O(now CSX) to reach..A agreement was struck with the Chessie for those rights.The former P&OV yard in Parkersburg was upgraded as was the OM yards at Jackson and Newark.
The C&HV connects with the following roads.
CSX at Columbus.
NS at Columbus.
DT&I at Jackson
CSX at Newark.
Scioto Valley Lines at Lancaster-Usually 3-4 coal train aweek to SVL's Lake Erie docks at Sandusky.
Ironton Northern at Athens.
.
Commodities haul: Grain,Lumber,coal,coke,steel,fly-ash,food stuffs,sand,glass,corn sweetener,corn starch,vegetable oils,scrap,pipe,chemicals,paints,news print,pulpwood,wood chips and other general freight.Total cars handle 32,584 a year
Thanks to a aggressive marketing team freight traffic has climb a staggering 33% since the CDBI started the C&HV.

CDBI owns the following roads.
Cumberland,Dickersonville & Bristol Ry.Cumberland to Bristol VA.The CD&B is the flagship road.The CDB in CDB Industries is the same.
Kentucky Central.Cumberland Ky to Maysville Ky.
Artemus-Jellico Artemus,Ky to Jellico TN.
Toledo & Southwestern. Maumee Oh to Fort Wayne IN Merge into C&LE 8/85
Cincinnati & Lake Erie.Cincinnati to Toledo.
Detroit Connecting.Detroit MI.Serves Lakeside Industrial park.
Columbus & Hocking Valley Ry.
Huron River.Huron,Oh to Barberton

[aloco]

 Story? What Story? I just wanted an excuse to get some neat-looking locomotives that CN and CP never had.  So I created a fictitious short line that interchanges with both railways.

[switchman]

                             Brief History of Railroads

                                              and

       The Birmingham Southern & Gulf Mobile Railroad

 

This history was prepared by the official historian of the Birmingham Southern & Gulf Mobile Railroad Company, Mr Louis Hernandez De Claiborne the III.

Brief History of Railroads and The Birmingham Southern & Gulf Mobile Railroad

Railroads began in England in the seventeenth century as a way to improve moving large, heavily loaded wheeled vehicles.

The first American "gravity road" as they were called, was built in 1764 for military purposes in Lewiston, New York.

In the early 1800's a commercial tram road was constructed in Quincy, Massachusetts. It used wooden rails and horsepower to haul the granite needed to build the Bunker Hill Monument.

In 1826, John Stevens demonstrated the feasibility of steam Locomotion and is considered to be the father of American railroads.

These early railways gave little hint that a revolution in transportation methods was underway.

The Birmingham Southern & Gulf Mobile Railroad was originally chartered as the South Alabama and Georgia Railroad. Shortly after the Civil war, the SA & G RR was acquired and became the Birmingham Southern & Gulf Mobile Railroad. The plan was to go from Dumpfries on the Alabama River to Dittos Landing on the Tennessee River.

The politics of the day was successful in passing a law that required the line to go through Talladega and Anniston. In 1872 the northern division was extended into Tennessee, including Louisville, Nashville, and Memphis.

The acquisition of two smaller railroads opened the routs to Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama. Access to Birmingham’s vast deposits of iron and coal played an important part in the financial prospects of the city and the railroad.

In 1881, the BS & GM gained access to the Gulf of Mexico by extending its tracks from Mobile. A 140-mile line was constructed. It included roughly five miles of trestles and bridges, linking Mobile with New Orleans.
This enabled the BS & GM to extend its sphere of influence to international markets for agricultural products and goods manufactured in cities along its right of way.

During the rest of the 1800's and early 1900's the BS & GM Railroad acquired or extended its lines into the eastern and western Kentucky coal fields. Into Indiana, Illinois, and completed a branch line from Montgomery to Florida’s south coast to connect with Florida Alligator Lines Railroad.

In all, 42 railroads were acquired, leased, or constructed as the railroad began to take its final form.

The postwar years brought swift changes to railroading and the Birmingham Southern & Gulf Mobile Railroad purchased its first diesel in 1942, retired its last steam locomotive in 1971.

The BS & GM was the first to introduce streamlined passenger service with the advent of it’s ‘Southern Crescent’, and updated its other line’s passengers’ equipment. Other major innovations included pushbutton electronic classification freight yards, computers, telecommunications, centralized traffic dispatching systems and hundreds of special-purpose freight cars.

By the end of 1972 the BS & GM operated more than 6,280 miles of track in 15 Midwest and Southern states.

In January of 1975, the Northern Seaboard & Coastline Railroad, which had owned 25 percent of the BS & GM Railroad’s stock for many years, purchased the remainder of the outstanding shares and the BS & GM became a wholly-owned subsidiary of NS & CR.

On December 31, 1976, the corporate entity, The Birmingham Southern & Gulf Mobile Railroad, officially merged into NS & CR, ending its 135-year existence.

The Central Alabama Division was the heart of the BS & GM RR. It will be used to model a Freelanced N Scale version of the BS&GM RR. The era will be from 1940 to 1975. The year 1975 was the last full year of operations as the Gulf Mobile & Birmingham Southern Railway. Steam and Diesel Locomotive power will both be used on the BS&GM.

[nbrodar]

Here's the entire history I developed when I modeled the Penn Lake System as a modern super regional.   Currently, I model it as the pre-Conrail, Penn Lake Railway.

History of the Penn Lake System

During the mid 1920s, the Delaware & Hudson and the Reading Company, began to purchase the stock of an anthracite shortline named the Penn Lake Railway, in an attempt to increase their anthracite traffic.  While neither road was successful in gaining complete control of the line, together they acquired the majority stake in it and were able to prevent the PL from falling into the hands of either the Lehigh Valley, or Lackawanna.   However, the ICC prevented either company from exercising operational control.  As a result, the Penn Lake continued to operate independently, much like the ACL and L&N’s Clinchfield.  The acquisition also provided a connection to the New Haven for both roads.

Through the steam and early diesel era, Penn Lake’s locomotives carried Penn Lake marking, but followed the motive power policies of it’s parents.  By the mid 1960s, Penn Lake’s independent image was disappearing.   As it’s own equipment wore out, PL’s parents provided hand-me down equipment from their own fleets, primary Alco RS and C series road switchers.   By 1970, PL operated completely with Reading and D&H locomotives.  Penn Lake quickly gained a reputation as an Alco lovers paradise.

On April 1st 1976, the Reading’s interest in the PL transferred to Conrail.  Conrail, uninterested in the line, soon sold it’s holdings to the D&H.  The D&H integrated PL’s operations into it’s own, but never bothered to formally merge company .   During it’s purchase by Guilford, D&H lost control of the PL to a group of Pennsylvania and New York investors.

The new ownership consolidated the Penn Lake Railway with other Conrail spin offs and renamed the line the Penn Lake System. Built during the late 19th Century, the PL had generous clearances.  The PLS quickly rehabbed the track and instituted double stack service from the Port of New York/New Jersey.

The PLS, using it’s Anthracite Speedway slogan, developed a reputation for fast, on time service, and prospered. By the early 1990s, PLS and it’s lucrative traffic from the Port of New York/New Jersey attracted the attention of the expansionist CP Rail.   CP began to acquire interest in the PLS. In 1996, CP acquired 100 percent of the PLS, and merged it back into the D&H.

 

Nick

[Railphotog]

Story?  I don't got no stinkin' story!  I model what interests me!

 

 

[shayfan84325]

In 1882 J. Henry Coulter inherited the claim homesteaded in south central Oregon by his maternal grandmother’s uncle, Norman Shakespeare.  Traveling on foot with his pack-mule, Daisy, he explored his property and discovered that it was forested with the usual Douglas fir trees, but that there were also acres of white oaks.  It seems that Norm was a cooper and he planted the white oaks to grow his own materials.

 

Hank, as Henry was known to his friends, set about establishing a logging operation, but getting the logs out proved nearly impossible, between the surrounding cliffs and Butte Creek.  The way was only passable via mule or on foot.  Not to be deterred, Hank built a rail line, including two tunnels and a couple of trestles to provide quick passage to the little town of Blackwater: 

 

 

Business took off and Hank soon had a full scale logging operation.  Three or four times per day, short strings of log cars, pulled by tiny shays, snaked down the narrow right of way to the mill at Blackwater.  Seeing no use for white oak, Henry sold those acres to Ron Stave.

 

Being a family oriented kind of guy, Hank encouraged his employees to wed, and bring their brides to live in the logging community he named Butte Creek.  Over the next 20 years, the logging town grew to a population of over 1,000, but it was still only reachable by rail.  Hank had the guys in the backshop build a handful of short passenger coaches so the families could come and go in comfort.  These little cars only have one truck, so they allowed the occupants enjoy every undulation in the track to its fullest.

 

 

 

As soon as the rail line went in, Ron Stave started cutting white oaks and selling building lots as the land was cleared.  The white oak logs went to William Stave (Ron’s Brother) in Blackwater.  William established a barrel manufacturing business, the Stave Brothers’ Cooperage.  The barrels were popular among the northern California wine makers.   In addition, an eccentric fellow named Gordon Spock had fallen for the natural beauty of Butte Creek and established a small factory – Spock’s Wing nuts – Their slogan was “Bigger ears for a better grip - the logical choice.”  There was a barrel hoop maker, and other small businesses.  The thriving little town had roads, cars, grocery stores and a gas station, but the only way in or out was via rail.

 

 

As luck would have it, the Great Depression (and some unfortunate investments in buggy whip futures) led to the demise of Hank’s logging company, but the town of Butte Creek wouldn’t die.  In fact it got a boost when it was discovered that Norman was William Shakespeare’s cousin’s great great grandson.  The theater patrons of Ashland, Oregon started visiting Norm’s grave and the ruins of his cabin in droves.  (Ashland is the home of the Oregon Shakespearian Festival).  The tourist traffic became so consistent that the main line was extended 13 miles to a small station at the end of Herbert Street in Ashland.

 

That brings us up to date (1937).  The present Blackwater and Butte Creek Railroad runs from Ashland to Butte Creek, Oregon – with a stop in Blackwater.  The motive roster includes a number of obsolete locomotives that were purchased second or third hand from other railroads.  Included are 4 small class A shays, 2 Moguls, a Columbia, a Forney, and two railbuses.  Speed is limited to 15 miles per hour, but the shays can’t go even that fast.  The trip from Ashland to Butte Creek is described by the theater patrons as “leisurely.”  They typically invite impatient railway patrons to “Have a glass of wine and enjoy the ride.”

 

   

 

[Tjsingle]

My branch line was for the coal mines made in 1902, the line was supposed to be disbanded by Penn Central in 1970, the order was never carried out. In 1973 coal once not though to be there was found. The line was not installed in till  mine companies pushed for conrail to build a line to serve the mines. Conrail built the new branch of the South Fork Secondary in 1978. The once ghost town was revived back to a new state from the wealth of the coal. Lumber, heating oil dealers, machine shops, and other industries were established along the route. It countinues to be a large supplier of coal to this day.

[fwright]

When Charleston was sacked during the Recent Unpleasantness with Our Northern Cousins, Commander Alan Wright (CSA) realized his blockade running days (and profits) had ended. He quickly saw that life under the Northern Carpetbagger Occupation was not going to be pleasant, and besides, he was very tired of the heat and humidity. He clearly missed the excitement of blockade running. It was time to head West for new adventures.

Following the Oregon Trail, our good Commander fell in love both with the Blue Mountains and sweet Alice. In particular, the Picture Gorge portion of the John Day River stole his heart. He couldn’t imagine why others wouldn’t pay to visit this area – and the wonderful Ponderosa Pine forests were a resource waiting for the right person to exploit. However, the Blue Mountains had been the bane of the Oregon pioneers, and were still a formidable obstacle to getting the lumber to anybody who would buy it. And settling for ranching just wasn’t adventurous enough.

At the beginning of the 1880s, Colonel Hogg was making noises about building a railroad across Oregon. Hogg had picked Yaquina Bay as the site of the next San Francisco. Commander Wright, with his sea-going experience, was convinced Hogg was clueless. He was further convinced when Hogg routed his railroad dream south to the Malheur River instead of up the John Day River and through a pass in the Blue Mountains.

Commander Wright thought he had a better idea. The best natural port between San Francisco and Seattle was without a doubt Coos Bay. Buying some prime waterfront land with the last of his ill-gotten Confederate gold, the new harbor was named Charleston, after his past. A railroad, starting at Charleston, and crossing Oregon to eventually tie to anything but the UP in Oregon/Idaho, would help develop Charleston, Oregon as a major port, and provide a bridge to the Pacific for a partner line. The route up the John Day River and through the Blue Mountains was chosen, and the prospective line would be called the Picture Gorge & Western Railway, with an eye to developing tourism in the Blue Mountains.

Speaking the Queen’s English with his native Charleston accent, Commander Wright was able to persuade many of Colonel Hogg’s British investors to jump ship to invest in the PG&W. As a result, Hogg’s Oregon Pacific was starved for funding, while the PG&W had sufficient to build the line in standard gauge from Charleston to Roseburg, where it connected to the Oregon & California. The financial reverses of the 1890s prevented the PG&W from extending further eastward, although the plans and charter are still on the books.

Unfortunately, Commander Wright didn’t check out the seaward approach to Charleston during the summer. The perpetual summer fog bank made even the short, easy bar crossing relatively dangerous for sailing ships. And there wasn’t/isn’t enough cargo to justify larger steam ships. Prime redwood was much closer to the market in San Francisco, and the redwood was prized above the Douglas fir near Charleston and Marshfield. So Charleston (as of 1900) remains primarily a fishing village.

Despite being a short line, the PG&W Railway does a pretty good business. Livestock and hay from the ranches in the nearby valleys, fish (salmon), and crab and mussels are hauled to Roseburg for further transport. Coal from Roseburg is taken west. Ice from the Cascade lakes is brought to Charleston and used to ice the products heading east. The completion of the interchange with the 3ft gauge Port Orford & Elk River Railway & Navigation Co at Lebanon has given access to both Port Orford and the fabled Port Orford cedar along the Elk River to everywhere the PG&W and O&C serve.

The town of Lebanon wisely insisted in 1887, that as a condition of the land grants into town, that all freight would be transferred between the 2 railroads using labor from Lebanon. There would be no direct rail transfer for at least 20 years. Unfortunately, the discovery of gold in the Yukon and Klondike has drained much of the available labor pool for the transfer work. The government requirements for compatible air brakes and couplers, combined with the labor shortage, have given new impetus to converting the PO&ER to standard gauge. But that is in the future. Here in 1900, freight is still transferred by hand - but labor rates have gone up.

[Flashwave]

shayfan84325

Being a family oriented kind of guy, Hank encouraged his employees to wed, and bring their brides to live in the logging community he named Butte Creek.  Over the next 20 years, the logging town grew to a population of over 1,000, but it was still only reachable by rail.  Hank had the guys in the backshop build a handful of short passenger coaches so the families could come and go in comfort.  These little cars only have one truck, so they allowed the occupants enjoy every undulation in the track to its fullest.

 

 

 

And may I be the first to say I wish I owned a train of Oscar/Pikers and am jealous.

[shayfan84325]

I bought them as kits on ebay and built them assembly line style.  They have interiors and passengers.  Watching how they behave on model track I can imagine that they'd be like a roller coaster in 1:1. 

 BTW:  Are there prototypes for them or did Walthers dream them up?

[Texas Zepher]

shayfan84325

BTW:  Are there prototypes for them [oscars & pikers] or did Walthers dream them up?

No prototype.  As you noted, the riding characteristics would be horrid. The bobber caboose would be the closest thing to a prototype.

[AzBaja]

GS&M
Gila Springs & Mesquite RR Co.
A jointly held subsidiary of
Southern Pacific
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

• 1964:  GS&M forms as a new railroad.  Construction of track to serve the farming towns of Gila Springs & Mesquite with a connecting line into the city of Tucson begins.  GS&M purchased 9 Alco RS-11’s from NH railroads.
• 1967:  GS&M Gold spikes and starts full operations.
• 1976:  GS&M is approached by ATSF with a stock swap and cash offer to extend line from Gila Springs into Phoenix in exchange for trackage rights on the GS&M.
• 1978:  GS&M starts construction of the Phoenix line.
• 1980:  ATSF now owning a 49% control of the completed Phoenix line starts joint operations with the GS&M into Tucson from Phoenix.
• 1983:  High maintenance cost of GS&M’s ALCO Fleet and too small a customer base to support the GS&M’s share of the Phoenix line put the GS&M deep into the debt.  ATSF pays off all GS&M creditors and debts.  ATSF takes control of the GS&M after financial collapse.  GS&M train hits School Bus at grade crossing.  Bus Driver reports, he could not see the black GS&M engine in the darkness before sunrise.
• 1984:  The Southern Pacific Company merges into Santa Fe Industries, parent of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, to form Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation. When the Interstate Commerce Commission refuses permission for the planned merger of the railroad subsidiaries as the Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad SPSF shortens its name to Santa Fe Pacific Corporation and puts the SP & GS&M railroads up for sale while retaining the non-rail assets of the Southern Pacific Company.  GS&M starts repaint ([See Me] Red, Yellow & Blue) of Locomotives after a 1983 Accident with School Bus at uncontrolled grade crossing.
• 1988: Rio Grande Industries, parent of the Rio Grande Railroad, takes control of the Southern Pacific Railroad & Gila Springs & Mesquite RR Co. The merged company retains the name "Southern Pacific" for all railroad operations.  GS&M still operates as a separate entity of it parent company under its own company charter. 
• 1989:  GS&M starts replacing Alco’s with used EMD GP7’s and EMD GP38-2’s.
• 1992:  ATSF sues and wins court battle with SP over the ownership of the GS&M Phoenix line.  GS&M is merged back into ATSF as a joint subsidiary of both the SP & ATSF.  ATSF resumes operation on GS&M tracks into Tucson.
• 1993:  GS&M starts full repaint of all equipment in GS&M New Image Blue & Red.  Blue hood for the ATSF.  Red nose and tail for the SP with white letters and trim to reflect GS&M’s parent companies.

Time is 1993 to1995 

[CNW 6000]

Early April, 1995:

C&NW buys out UP!  Help of two billionaire investors who remain silent partners allows granger line to expand over the western 2/3 of the US.  This allows continued modernization of equipment and routes through the PRB, rockies, and flatlands of the US.  Eventually CNW will have repainted/patched all of UPs power.  Examples of the patch program can be seen here:
http://www.danielgbraun.com/photo_1.html

[rogerhensley]

East Central Indiana
HO Scale Railroad

Like many model railroads, the ECI has been built and rebuilt several times (see Timeline). There have also been those times when there has been no movement at all. Indeed, now the railroad has begun to move back in time to be able to run NYC, PRR and PC cars in addition to CR.
The ECI is a 70s/80s short line operating out of fictional Henderson in North Central Indiana southward over the ex-New York Central (CCC&StL) Michigan Division/PC North Vernon Secondary purchased from Penn Central and Conrail. The ECI runs through Emporia, Rushville, Greensburg and terminates in the Southern Indiana town of Westport.

Connections are made with Conrail (CR) and the Central Indiana & Western (CIW) at Henderson, the Chicago, Emporia & Evansville (CEE) at Emporia, the CSX at Rushville and a secondary connection with Conrail at Greensburg. The ECI and CEE share trackage between Henderson and Westport under control of the ECI Dispatcher working out of the South Henderson Yards.

The majority of customers are small industrial companies (pipes, plastics, autoparts, etc.) as well as several heavy grain operations and one small stone quarry sending occasional shipments off line to dealers nationwide from their quarry near Westport.

 Although the line is not truly prosperous, it is making money and has outstanding Service Facilities with a maintenance crew devoted to rebuild and maintenance with tender loving care. This is attested to by the modified F3 unit that has been placed into service pulling an Excursion Train consisting of four refurbished passenger cars running from Henderson to Westport monthly during summer months and the rebuilt Alco RS2 that now assists the ECI's GP38-2 that was handling the major freight work on ECI trackage.

With its small but dedicated staff of employees, the ECI tends to reflect the sense of optimism found in its headquarters city of Henderson as to a solid future in providing high quality service to its clients as well as presenting rail service in a favorable light to more people.

ECI Layout Timeline
1980 - original 4x7 layout. Town of Westport.
1983 - 4x4 yard section added. Now L shaped.
1986 - removed yard section and built across back wall with new yard with return loop. To be connected to a new city section.
1987 - raised layout 6 inches.
1988 - city area in place with track through it and reversing lopp under.
1991 - East Yard added to extend track through and beyond city.
1995 - major operational problems with original track moving with seasons. Ripped out original table structure, saved farm area and all buildings. Reversed layout of town of Westport placing farm at other end of section.
1997 - added a leg to Westport for Grain Operation.
1999 - Began changing to under table slo-motion switch machines and LED control panel operations. Began rebuilding of grain elevator area.
2004 - replaced an industry in East Yard with new plastics plant.
2005 - Installed new backdrop behind grain elevator area.
2006 - Completed the grain elevator scene with buildings, storage bins and actual elevators.
2006 - Completed Westport with cars, figures, trees and buildings.
2007 - Placed oil dealer on layout
2008 - Ripped off half of city to correct the underlying track.
I say that it is the same layout, but the only original piece is the farm scene.
To me, a layout is like the Energizer Bunny... It keeps going, and going, and... I only know one man who finished his layout and he promptly lost interest. - rph

 

[jecorbett]

The New York, Binghamton, and Western RR began in the 19th century as a consolidation of several railroads to form a route from Binghamton, NY to the fictional town of Franklinton in northern NJ, near the west shore of the Hudson. From there it interchanged with a number of the major eastern railroads including the NYC, Pennsy, Erie and B&O. Later acquisitions extended the line to Buffalo with major branches to Utica, Rochester, and Syracuse.

Serving the southern tier of NY, dairy and agricultural products were the bulk of its online business but it also served as a bridge carrier from New York City, New England, and the Atlantic seaboard with points west through its Buffalo terminus. It also provided commuter service, passenger service from the New York area to a number of Catskill resort towns, as well as the major cities in upstate NY.

Following WWII, it began losing much of its core business to truck transportation and began merger talks with the Nickel Plate in an effort to create a continuous line from the New York City area through to Chicago. In an effort to prevent a competing line to Chicago, the NYC began acquiring stock in the NYB&W. Eventually, the NYC acquired trackage rights over the NYB&W and ran through freights from its Weekawken Yard through to Buffalo, giving it a shorter and alternate route through the state. The NYB&W continued to operate freights to handle the online traffic as well as the bridge traffic from other carriers and the locals. In an effort to increase declining passenger traffic, the NYC also began running through passenger trains over the line which would interchange with some of its Chicago bound trains in Buffalo. The NYB&W continued to handle the shorter distance trains which began and terminated on its own property.

The NYB&W began to dieselize just prior to WWII but declining post war revenues made it difficult to complete dieselization. As a temporary measure to upgrade their motive power, the NYB&W began acquiring cast off steam power from the NYC as that line completed its diesel transition. The line continued to run steam as well as its early diesels well into the 1950s.

Eventually, the NYC began talks to merge the NYB&W into its network. As of 1956, the year I model, the NYC was awaiting approval for the merger by the ICC. Until then, the NYB&W continues to operate under its own identity, but the ever growing influence of the NYC is evident in the equipment seen operating over the line.

Looking forward from 1956, the merger was approved and the NYB&W became a fallen flag in 1958. It survived into the Penn Central days. When Conrail was formed, it discarded some of the major branches to eliminate duplicate routes but the main trunk from Franklinton, through Binghamton, and on to Buffalo survived. That trunk is now operated by CSX. Other than commuter service, passenger traffic ended in the PC days. Commuter traffic still serves the northern NJ area over the former NYB&W rails.

[Last Chance]

 Not much of a story on mine. My area is filled with PRR, B&O, WM and others. With that in mind...

Alot of local wagons were wearing out the animals because of bad wheels. The Apple production suffered because it took alot of apples to just get what was left to market. The hard drinking team drivers realized that the supply of hard cider is finite and too costly to afford on the pay that was left after the cost of getting the animals to haul anything. Because of the problem, morale suffered among the drivers and prospects of a good commerce fell hard on the freighting companies. The town in turn suffered a little as there was not much ... how shall we say it? Aha. Proper entertainment for the irate drivers and no adequate pastureland flat enough to feed the animals back to full rest.

I keep editing this thread trying to insert a line of thought here and there. I will have to find a way to tell the same story without using so many words.

A Group of Investors got together and formed a Ball Bearing Works. They built the place way over the hill and deep into a valley near the Catoctin Mountain Range. There was a attempt to maintain the freight by teams of mules and horses for a short time.  The cranky animals; deprived of thier treats refused to perform reliably. So when the local sources of Apples were depleted, the Bearing Works found that thier logistics were not very good.

With the last of the Apples turned to hard cider and some Roast, they managed to host a visiting railroad MOW Group and late into the night got ahold of track, switches and ballast. The MOW was sent on thier way with large quanities of good Cider, Roast and other fixings, too well fed to worry too much about the sudden shortage of thier necessary track and supplies. Because there was no real town established yet, the MOW crew never really could explain to the Beano Railroad just where they lost or misplaced thier rails and ballast.

In the meantime, a railroad was laid promptly and extended first to the WM near the Mason and Dixon Line. The first load of Bearings headed that way to several major customers for a variety of products in the Military, Areospace, Heavy Equiptment Industry.

At first it was not much of a railroad. There was a small switcher to haul several cars to the WM interchange. It would overheat in the humid hot days trying to get over the hill both ways and not run very well in the winter drinking excessive amount of fuel and consuming the Bearing Work's Workforce tinkering with the thing early in the morning before any work got done while the Works sat idle.

This state of Affairs was not conductive to a good future so the Investors started to shop around for engines. First they found a old PRR engine with a big tender to be loaded on monday morning and ran all week. That was good for a while. Eventually this engine got a bit old and worn down and the Works Employees spent more time, once again on Monday; all day this time to get it running well.

By this time, the B&O had some Desiels to sell off and they managed to host a very lavish dinner party on thier business train. After the Investors, Town Council and the Bearing Works recovered from thier Hangovers and extremely rich food and beef they learned that they were the new owners of a used F unit in the ABBA set.

It was said that some of the Officers involved with the lavish event were those who lost thier track and ballast way back in thier younger days on a bit of beef and cider; so they were to return the favor. This way they were able to unload some rolling stock, engines and other assets that were identified as a liability to the Beano.

Well, finally here was a engine that can and did. So, there was more stuff to haul and more money to be made. It wasnt long before they were interchanging with the B&O near Moncacy. This gave them two routes to the rest of the Nation to ship thier Bearings. So the town started growing and got a street car service to carry all the workers to and from the Works quickly.

Because the workers had alot of income to spend, they bought cars to drive to work during the week day and out into the mountains by weekends. It was difficult to hunt down the missing workers on monday morning. Mondays are very difficult in this area ya know. They eventually were able to improve the roads and signage to get everyone to where they needed to go reliably. However, a School needed to be built because the words did not have meaning to those not yet taught to read.

So eventually a small commuter train was established and sent to Baltimore, Frederick and up to Hanover to get good workers who will show up on time every day. It wasnt long before the problem of illness from motion sickness was traced to light rail, bad sunken ballast and tight curves. It did not take long to fix the bad track. But by then most of the out of towners have found employment elsewhere.

Fortunately things will improve as the local townsfolk were coming of age and needed jobs to maintain thier new found freedom and lifestyles. So the Works were able to continue despite all the challenges. When the Chessie System became a reality, the old railroads were no more so they had to carry on with whatever might be availible from Chessie System.

The Founders in the local area are getting on in years and are still hatching schemes to expand with new industry and schooling the children for their future in the area. It is necessary to continue the Economy because Mondays are just too durn expensive and slow as it was then and is now.

I stop the story here. I wont even get into thinking about what to do with the CSX and the UP.

[tgindy]

<-- Conemaugh Road & Traction -->

WHAT IF...

[1]  ...the local CR&T did more than PCC passenger service?

[2]  ...the CR&T was transitioning into local freight with diesel?

AND WHAT IF...

[3]  ...the Pennsylvania Railroad interchanged with the CR&T?

[4]  ...the P.R.R did electrify as projected between Harrisburg & Pittsburgh?

[New Haven I-5]

 In 1918, the Nickel Plate Railroad built a branch on the coast of Lake Michigan. They owned that line for many years until the great flood of 1954. The date was August 16. The Berkshire #759 was pulling the last train of the day, when it started to rain heavily, so heavily, Lake Michigan overflooded, and washed out the tracks. Then, the train crashed. For 2 years, the branch was untouched. Until a wealthy buisness man named Jerry O'Rayal, invested his savings into the line. He bought the big mike #587, Bershires 759 and 765, and a former Northern Pacific RS-3. All of these locos, execpt the 759, run on that old branch, which is now called the Nickel Plate and Lake Michigan.

 

 

                              By the way, the year is 1964.

[Texas Zepher]

Tesla Pikes Peak & Fossil Creek

In 1899 Nikola Tesla came to Colorado Springs to develop his wireless electrical distribution system (truth).  In 1901 the system was perfected and the laboratory was converted into the first functional power plant.  As such the local power plant was no longer sufficient to provide the power necessary.  Tesla built a new coal fired power plant just for his wireless system.  The Tesla Pikes Peak railroad was started to bring the coal in from the local Santa Fe, D&RG, Colorado Midland, and Colorado Southern main lines.  As railroads are granted constitutional rights in Colorado(another truth), the State granted the charter but included a clause that stated the railroad must also serve a couple small communities bypassed by the bigger railroads.  The classification was raised from industrial to short line and name was changed to Tesla Pikes Peak & Fossil Creek. It began independent operation early 1902.  The railroad utilizes unique wireless electric powered locomotives that do not require expensive overhead pantographs or dangerous third rails.  They draw power directly from the Tesla Earth Pump power plant it serves.

As more plants were built so did the demand for more coal and other fuels.  The railroad developed a massive fleet of hopper cars and high gondolas for transporting the coal over other railroads from the coal fields both in Colorado and the surrounding states, especially Wyoming.

As wireless electricity caught on, an entire support industry grew up around the plant.   The railroad brings in supplies and out finished products for all of these research and manufacturing businesses.
 

[dm9538]

    The Brookfield & Western Railroad

            "The Hillside Route"

 

This my version of the Brookfield & Western Railroad's story. The name of the railroad originally came from my dad. He grew up in Brookfield Il suburb of Chicago along the former CB&Q now BNSF triple track speedway. He later married my mom and moved to another suburb of Chicago called Hillside. This is where I grew up and also where the Hillside Route slogan comes from. Hillside is located along the former ICG now CN and at one time Chicago Central mainline. My house was also less than a mile from the west end of C&NW's Proviso yard and shared rigt of way for the Chicago & Great Western and The Chicago Aurora & Elgin ran just two blocks from my house. Sadly I am too young to remember trains running there I always knew it as a bike trail. My dad's version of the B&W was heavily influenced by the CB&Q my version is more of a granger type rallroad that ran west from Chicago to Omaha and was one of the last if not the last new railroads to built west from Chicago. It's history is somethig like this.....

In waning years of 19th century railroad construction was booming in America. It seemed as though railraods were being built everywhere. In the midwest Chicago was the place it seemed every framer wanted to get his goods to and every factory in Chicago has produced something that those same farmers needed or wanted. The best way to get it there, build a railroad. That what a group of investors from the small suburb of Chicago called Brookfield decided to do.

As they began making the plans and seeking out a route they realized the best place to start from was a small farming community a few miles to the north and west called Hillside. Actual construcion started at a connection with the Indiana Harbor Belt just to the east of Hillside in what is now the town of Bellwood. Hillside would become home to the road's major Chicago area terminal. Original plans called for the railroad to lay track east from the IHB to access one of the major Chicago passenger terminals however a suitable route could not be found. It was en decided that a track was to be layed south along the IHB and a passenger terminal was built in Brookfield where passenger bound for Chicago could connect with the CB&Q's suburban trains. To the west the railroad built across Illinois and Iowa eventually reaching Omaha NE. and a connection with the Union Pacific.

I model the railroad as it would have been in around 1992 a modern granger road with decent traffic levels. Think somewhere between the ICG's Iowa division and the C&NW. The Brookfield & Western always had  astrong belief that customer service mattered so the railroad always managed to have a good customer base even when other railroads were losing customers. That helped the railroad have a fairly modern and well maintained locomotve and car fleet.

As for my layout it is based on what operations around the railroad's main Chicago area yard in Hillside would be like. Operations include transfers many Chicago area railroads such as Conrail, CSX NS, IHB, BRC. EJ&E, GTW and others. The yard also dispatches three B&W road freights to the west at least one intermodal train a KCS runthrough train from Kansas City via Des Moines IA.

In reality my layout is in the benchwork stage with one main track about 2/3 of the way around my 24'x36' layout room with some industrial trackage and part of the former passenger main to Brookfield installed as well. I have quite a bit of rolling stock and motive power that I built when I was younger and lived at home or in apartments. My hope is that I will someday finish this layout, but as my real job is in  the homebuilding industry the future of the railroad in its present form is uncertain. Even if we move I will still build some version of the Brookfield and Western hopefully

Hope you found this interesting

 

[R. T. POTEET]

NOTE; THERE IS STILL A FUTURE ENTRY AT THIS LOCATION!!!

[4merroad4man]

Southern Pacific Los Gatos Subdivision

The prototype's line between San Jose, CA, San Francisco CA and Santa Cruz, CA and then on to a connection with the Coast Line at Watsonville Jct. was washed out in 1940, severing the line at Los Gatos.  The segment betweenSanta Cruz and Watsonville Jct still exists under UP control.

In an alternate history, the SP decided to rebuild the line between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz, and while doing so, broadened some curves in the Santa Cruz Mountains, installed ABS signal system and diverted some traffic off the Coast and onto this bypass.  Trains operating on the line included eight commute trains, two daily roundtrips to Santa Cruz, a Santa Cruz section of the Coast Mail and Santa Cruz sections of the famous "Overnights".  Coast freight No. 765 and 766 regualrly take this route.  Local Service was provided by the Mountain Local and several sand haulers in the Olympia area.

Industry flourished in the mountains with Felton Empire Winery, Pacific Sand and Gravel and several other shippers prospering with rail service.

The line, rated only for 4-8-0's as large power over the pass, now can handle everything from 2-8-0's to AC-12 articulateds, although some of the larger power is speed restricted on some curves.  New diesels are showing up in the years 1952 to 1956, and sets of F7's, GP-9's, SD-7's, SD-9's and even FM switchers are regularly showing up.  Los Gatos to Santa Cruz is a helper district, although the use of helpers has been severely cut back since the larger power was permited on the route.  An MK-5 2-8-2 or a C-9 2-8-0 will occasionally work out of San Jose to help a freight over the mountain.

This recreation will be a three deck layout with helix and is under construction now.

 

[KBCpresident]

Mine is a freelanced regional operating in the State of Oregon. It was created by the merger of a whole bunch of other fictional shortlines: The Oregon Midland RR System of today was formed by the merger of a number of shortlines in Oregon and the Southwestern corner of Washington. The Bend and Corvallis, owned by K-Rail (KBC), the Newport Terminal, a small shortline serving the industries in Newport, and logs from the surrounding hills, The Oregon Midland, a larger shortline operating a secondhand line running between Portland and Douglas Junction, a town outside of Corvallis Oregon, and the Washington Pacific, a shortline serving industries alongthe Washington Side of the Columbia River. The new regional aquired trackage rights over the WPRR to Toledo, to Access the Newport Terminal, and Trackage rights over the BNSF to Kelso to reach the Washington Pacific. The larger system, connected the grain from the ex KBC trackage to Ports on the Columbia River, along the Washington Pacific. It also connected the forest products of the Oregon Midland and Newport Terminal to the Paper Mill along the Washington Pacific. The Merger streamlined these and other operations. The new company retained the Name Oregon Midland. The Oregon Midland acquired the locomotives of it's predecessors: which ranged from secondhand SW1500s to SD45s. The line also purchased a few SD40-2s to help with the power shortage.

[wm3798]

 You'll find everything you need to know about the Laurel Valley HERE.

Just scroll about halfway down the page. 

Lee 

[dragenrider]

The Cedar Branch & Western

The Hillbilly Line!

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, a narrow gauge logging railroad was built to traverse a certain scenic mountain landscape and retrieve the forest's bounty.  For many years the puffing and groaning of Shay locomotives was heard echoing over the mountains.  Times were good and the forest was plentiful.  But, as time passed and the world changed, the logging line's business waned and the trains grew fewer. 

 

The mighty Missouri Pacific purchased the short road and regauged it to standard trackage.  Business surged as a coal mine opened on a spur which clung to the side of Wolf Mountain.  But again, time marched on and the world changed.  The coal mine's traffic dwindled and it appeared that the end was near. 

Around 1945 the road was again the property of a new owner.  Armed with cost efficient 70 tonners and 44 tonners, the new owner coaxed the old businesses back and even tempted new ones to give the railroad a ride. 

 

The time is now the early 1970's.  The Cedar Branch & Western has rebounded and business has surged.  Fortune has smiled on this shortline.  Two daily trains run the 47 miles through the Ozark Mountains.  Once again the forest yields its bounty and the earth gives up it black diamonds.  Cast off first generation power evades retirement and still toil in these pristine mountain backwoods.  The shadows of a final sunset are forgotten and the sun shines bright through the thickets and shrubs.  The sunlight glistens on the waters of the myriad of creeks and sparkles on the rails which still twist their way through the many valleys and cuts of the mountains.