Here is an old thread.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/171488.aspx?page=1
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
there's still a lot of prototype based layout plans in MR. Just last month we had the "KD Sub" (although a lot of modelers liscense was used there) and before that the UP Spline line was portratyed in two scales. So what if they don't have the "Railroad you can model" name attached, there's still a lot of Prototype layout plans in the mag. Oldline, I think that may be the case for layout tours but here been a lot of track plans for smaller railroads.
BMMECNYCBMMECNYC wrote the following post 2 hours ago: I think it would fly. It would be nice to see a couple different versions of the layout say a 4x8 and a point to point layout.
I agree. I think MR tends to spend a bit too much time with large layouts. While most of us enjoy seeing them and envy those who have room for a big layout my belief is many more folks only have space for the old standby 4x8 and even less. Today, due to costs and all, many don't have houses large enough to provide spare bedrooms or basements as years gone by. Real estate is expensive.
I think there's a real need for more small space layouts and they tend to bring out a lot of creativity from the modelers. I think the shortline railroad series would get people inspired and building.
oldline1
I think it would fly. It would be nice to see a couple different versions of the layout say a 4x8 and a point to point layout.
The following is a deviation from the thread, but I though some might find it interesting. It is about the shortline, the Winchester & Western, and is located where I live.
The attached link to Wikki gives the history etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_and_Western_Railroad
This history leaves out a couple of significant and interesting details.
For many years the only customer of the railroad was a sand mine which was bought by the Unimin Corporation, an international mineral company headquartered in Massachusetts.
At the time the railroad was owned by a local individual. Another man started courting his wife and when the owner of the railroad died in an accident the wife's boyfriend was charged for his murder, but was found innocent.
The widow sold the railroad to a group of local businessmen. Periodically they kept raising the fees to the sand mine until Unimin took a drastic step. They hired a trucking compay to haul the sand and the railroad was left high and dry. The rail road was left no choice but to sell to Unimin.
One other bit of trivia, back in the day when it was know as the Weak and Weary, the train had to negotiate a significant grade. At the bottom half of the cars were uncoupled and the rest were taken to a runaround track at the top of the hill. The loco then went back and got the rest of the cars.
Now, back to the original subject.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
I remember and love those articles. Some of my favorites from all time. Bet the same type of article would be a welcome addition to MR today. Personally I think we need more of those types of articles.
jim
Yes!! "A Railroad You Can Model" would be most welcome as it covers another style of railroading that doesn't require a second mortgage on the old homestead to build.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
"A Railroad You Can Model". That was a great series. I always enjoyed them. One of them was the Maryland & Pennsylvania (May 1965). While that is not the track plan I am following for my Ma&Pa layout, it is a great article.
Paul
You sure know how to poke into the old memory box! I remember seeing those articles and always looking forward to the next one. They were so interesting even if you had no intention of building that road. I think they did one on the old Bevier & Southern and Allegheny Western too.
I don't know if the series or type of article would fly today though.
Something of years past in MR, would be a annual story on a prototype shortline railroad operating in North America.
These stories were a balance on prototypical information as well as modeling information on a specific road.
Actual interesting information, as a number of roads, which had appeared in MR over the years are no longer in operation and abandoned.
Let's see, think back...Yancy Railroad of North Carolina, Narragansett Pier Railroad of Rhode Island, Durham & Southern, Ashley Drew & Northern to mention a few.
Possible you can name others...