I was inspired by an RMC B&W photo of the station in Troy, NY. I don't know why but I thought it had a lot of character. Previously, I had been a UP modeler and that was a fictionalized branch as well. I was getting ready to move and was going to start over anyway but I decided the next layout would be of an eastern railroad in the New York area. Researching the various railroads, I couldn't find any that incorporated all the features I wanted so I created my own railroad which is a composite of some of the railroads that terminated on the west bank of the Hudson across from New York City, principally the NYO&W and the DL&W. The result was the New York, Binghamton, and Western Railroad. My route map looks very much like a merger of those two roads. Originally I conceived it as an independent Class 1 ala the NYO&W but so much great NYC and Pennsy equipment came on the market as I was starting construction that I changed the concept to a subsidiary railroad jointly owned by those two rivals. Both parents have trackage rights over portions of the road. This gives me an excuse to run equipment from both roads but I also have a fleet of NYB&W locos. It is set in 1956 which is close to the time the two giants began having merger talks. The modeled portion is the corridor across northern New Jersey into southern New York. All the modeled towns are fictional but the staging yards represent real locations. I enjoy freelancing because I am not restricted by what a prototype did. I try to follow prototypical practices to give plausibility to my layout rather than adopting an anything goes philosophy. To me the goal is to create a world that could have been real.
We can't let this thread die......
We MUST HAVE more backstorie's !
The Demon's Hollow doesn't really follow any "prototypical practice's "....
Heck, We barely follow "Safety practice's "!
Our Motto " If it's got paint on it, it's not one of our's"
Rust...... It's a good thing !
Ok, my original railroad was the Cascade Northern Railroad which was to be a Class I operating though the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, I decided that Cascade Northern sounded more like a Class II than Class I, now I'm on the NWP-SWP railroad, the CNRR still exists as a regional Class II railroad on the NWP-SWP system...
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
We can't let this thread die...... We MUST HAVE more backstories !
We MUST HAVE more backstories !
Well, OK, here are some for you: there is the Woodbine Electric Railroad that provides one of the interurban/commuter services running into the city of Lewellen, Pennsylvania (it's right about where Sunbury is in the muggle world) - highly streamlined 110mph monocoque pendulum cars allowing comfortable traversal of a winding initial ROW at high speed, with the stations designed by the famous Swiss-born architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris after the general style of the Villa Stein at Garches. Part of the interest is that this route shared part of its trackage with the Lewellen Northern low-compensated-grade bypass to the north and east of the high-level bridge, and the stations had their waiting rooms on the 'second level' to avoid some of the terror of the 70"-drivered double-Garratts on 'black streak' coal trains running there. This also saw some of the LN7 compensated-de-Glehn 4-8-4s with their interesting clockwork-driven poppet-valve system driven by electricity to give precise valve events at very high speed (and full circulation LaMont waterwall fireboxes at 450 nominal psi, so there was plenty of pressure for very high speed).
Of course, part of the problem with plausible nonsense is that you have to have the willing suspension of belief sometimes in order to believe it. And to have a high-speed route east of this point is one thing; the Lackawanna showed the way with the construction of the Cutoff -- but to have it to the West ... well, I thought at the time I was planning this stuff that Vanderbilt's South Penn was a marvel of 1880s sophisticated subgrade construction, with full tunnels giving high speed all the way out to near Pittsburgh. Come to find the actual 'southern' route was full of all kinds of twists, turns, and silly grades, even with all the tunnels, and no amount of careful imagineering could find a route even with Pennsylvania Turnpike-level money that would have been effective competition for the PRR New Main Line 'coming' after the 1920s (and for which the high-speed electrics, the duplexes, and the mechanical turbines were designed -- one feature, by no means the greatest, being a 9400-odd foot tunnel under the Horse Shoe area made possible by the full electrification from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh) ... see what I mean about plausible?
I'll stop here, except to note it shouldn't surprise anyone that to run this stuff I had a lot of HO gauge track on viaduct outside...
You have truly inspired me! I was born in Uniontown, PA but lived in Point Marion. I used to swing in my swing and watch the sun go down and watch the smoke pour from the stacks as more coal cars traveled through enroute to the electric plant (dual coal and water), and another leave across the Monongahela River. The coal town eventually shrivelled and the Houze Glass Works finally closed leaving the town to survive on its own. My family left the town with fond memories and since I am now retired in Texas, I yearn to return to those days. If I were "King" of Point Marion, I would have built several businesses unique to the rail days (Most of the track is gone.). I purchased many cars, engines, and much track when I worked for the City and County of Denton, but had to store them when I started teaching. Now I am retired and out come the boxes! I am making a semi-prototypical Point Marion using ariel photos from the internet and data from a few trips through lately and using some of the businesses that I remember including my dad's TV/appliance sales and service store he had near the rail yard. The layout will be more of "bits and pieces" capturing the flavor of the town from a combination of memories, photos, and wishes of an "older" child. It is being built on side-ways parallel 4'x8' tables connected by sections of 4'x2' and 2'x1' connecting sections leaving a hole of about three by three in the center. The stored cars, locos and dismembered structures survived the storage but for a box of engines left somewhere. Oh well, at least most were saved. I will try to include photos as the town progresses through its "evolution." I am sure I will need some help as I encounter problems. Proper trackwork is paramount and this will be my third layout, but the first in 25 years. Wish the Pennsy luck.
I have the Toledo Erie Central, with trackage rights for Erie Lackawanna, Chessie System and sometimes PRR/PC. The samll switching layout will soon be dismantled (it is in four bolted together sections), and moved to a somewhat larger layout space in the next two to three months. I would like to incorporate what I already have into a larger layout, going from point-to-point to continuous running capability, hopefully. The fictitious railroad also has a back story, which is a topic for another thread.
My proto freelanced railroad is in the works. It's loosely based on the old Chicag Great Western line that ran from Mankato, MN to Northfield, MN before branching off. It will also incorporate some of the "Spine Line" now operated by Union Pacific. The Minnesota Southeastern (MNSE) will operate from Mankato to Faribault then head north to Northfield and potentially the Twin Cities as a staging area. At Faribault, the MNSE will head south on either the Spine Line or the old Rock Island line to Owatonna. From Owatonna, the line will head east to Winona. I will try to incorporate the towns along the way, taking liberties with location and naming of businesses. Elevators, transllad facility, lumber/hardware warehouse, and other industries typical of this area of Minnesota will be included
Motive power will be a combination of many roads. Primarily Chicago & North Western, Minneapolis, Northfield, & Southern, and maybe one or two others. Ideally, I'd like to purchase one or two Missouri Pacific locomotives to use as MNSE power. I like the dark blue and white for a shortline.
All of this is for the "future" layout when more space allows. For now, I have a small ISL that will be the learning playground. Hopefully I can find one of those MoPac locomotives or learn how to paint one myself. I also need to get the decals made to begin applying to items. Lots to do, but I like the ideas so far that I have. The history of this area introguesme, so I'm having fun learning about where I used to live and how rail traffic impacted the cities and towns.
SeeYou190Lonehawk Or maybe you could call it proto-lancing since I have a prototype as something of a guide . ============================================== I hate that term. Come on over all the way to the darkside... We have cookies!
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I hate that term. Come on over all the way to the darkside... We have cookies!
There's nothing wrong with the term other then its real meaning is not fully understood.. It has absoulutely nothing to do with freelancing.
BTW Freelancing is not just naming your layout Whooping Hollow & Western or whatever.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIEBTW Freelancing is not just naming your layout Whooping Hollow & Western or whatever.
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Nope, there certainly is a lot more to it. And I stand by the idea that if you are going to fee-lance, don't stick your toes in the water and try to fit the railroad into the real world, go all out and free-lance EVERYTHING.
I need to create over one hundred different paint schemes and railroads for my world. I created my own signs (RR Crossing, STOP, etc), and everything to make it just a little "off" while still looking "right". All businesses are made up, nothing is real at all.
Just like "Springfield and Shelbyville" on The Simpsons, no one will know where the STRATTON AND GILLETTE is, but if I execute the project properly, it will be recognizeable to all (in some ways).
Make the setting, make the customers, make the paint scheme, create the roster, and make it a creative outlet, and a toy for liesure.
Don't play around with free-lancing... come all the way over to the DarkSide! It is a lot more FUN over here. It is always a better decision to laugh with a sinner than cry with a saint.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Freelancing is a very multifaceted part of the hobby, I am on the fence I have a freelanced railroad but also have real railroads that operate, I have a defined location in the real world... but at the same time I think out of the of the box with locomotives and stuff...
My Western West Virginian - basically was the combinations of several shortline railroads that ended up being taken over by the B&O or the Western Maryland. Servicing the central part of WV from Davis to Clarksburg to Charleston. A big businessman came in and merges the Coal & Coke, WV & Pittsburgh, and the West Virginia Central & Pittsburgh and the Coal & Iron. They were the railroads of HG Davis and Mr. Camden. I have my own WWV equipment and interchange with the B&O, C&O, Western Maryland. Buffalo Creek & Gauley along with the West Virginia Northern.
This is VERY interesting. I am from Point Marion, PA. I left at six years old, so I am not familiar with the area. Where is Washington, PA?
I'm following you around the site, KB5, because of your Pennsy logo. Washington PA is about 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh (roughly the same travel time west of New Stanton). Known as "Little Washington" by some locals. I'll be interested in your Point Marion layout. I'm trying to do Johnstown, to the NE, where the PRR main line went through and a B&O section terminated. I was going to do a free-lanced local RR but decided against it, for now, but Overmod's comment about electrifying the line between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg got my juices flowing. GG-1s!
Mark
My new layout will be branch line/short line themed. I'll take a local branch line of a class 1 or 2 railroad, or a mainline of a class III shortline, or an abondoned line as the main layout theme, then add real local rail and nonrailserved industries to the line.
Sort of a meld between modern prototype and freelance. The industries will be real for the most part, but their location and the railroad will be more freelanced.
- Douglas
Doughless My new layout will be branch line/short line themed. I'll take a local branch line of a class 1 or 2 railroad, or a mainline of a class III shortline, or an abondoned line as the main layout theme, then add real local rail and nonrailserved industries to the line. Sort of a meld between modern prototype and freelance. The industries will be real for the most part, but their location and the railroad will be more freelanced.
I'm thinking of doing kind of the opposite. Real RRs and location (a couple of signature scenes), but the industries will be either real ones in a different location, or altogether ficticious ones (maybe long-gone, like a brewery). The steel mill will be the real company, but the products and location/layout of the mill may be way different.
S and C BranchI was going to do a free-lanced local RR but decided against it, for now, but Overmod's comment about electrifying the line between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg got my juices flowing. GG-1s!
And more!
The extension was going to be the stomping ground of the 'second-generation' articulated electrics with the (much better) 428-A twin motors (the DD2 being the initial 'test article' in 1938). See the 1943 electrification proposal for the highly interesting classes of power that were proposed (including a GG2).
This goes hand-in-hand with the use of V1 steam turbines west of Pittsburgh. All these would likely share the slightly more modern carbody design common to the existing V1 elevations and the DD2 ... and it would have been logical for GG2s to have replaced the last 'wartime' order of GG1s, even with relatively high available continuous HP, so there might have been a different 'mix' of older and newer electrics between the existing Washington electrification and the trains running from NYC through to the west.
I been planning on buying some existing freight cars and locomotives to rename into my GNO Railway.
If it doesn't get made into a actually railroad. At least I got some freight cars to go with real UP, BNSF and Conrail layouts.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
40+ years ago I started building a layout. Needing to establish a location and other details, I decided to freelance, and having just come from Colorado, I chose a name, Colorado Central, and an era, the transition period (lots of ALCo diesels).
Today, my Colorado Central is best described on my our web site at https://coloradocentral.weebly.com . Come for a visit and learn all about it.
RicZ
https://coloradocentral.weebly.com
My layout is entirely imaginary and changes daily. Depends on what MBKlein has on sale.
Lonehawk I'm currently working on a layout, tentatively to be named the Cattaraugus Valley Railroad, a fictional 1930's branch line based on the Arcade and Attica. I haven't really worked out much in the way of a "history" yet, because I haven't decided details like town names and industries which will in turn affect how I think of things, and thus how that overall history will look. But that freedom is why I decided to freelance. Or maybe you could call it proto-lancing since I have a prototype as something of a guide post, but regardless, in the end I answer only to the railroad President, me. (Well, and of course the Chairman, Mrs. Lonehawk .
I'm currently working on a layout, tentatively to be named the Cattaraugus Valley Railroad, a fictional 1930's branch line based on the Arcade and Attica. I haven't really worked out much in the way of a "history" yet, because I haven't decided details like town names and industries which will in turn affect how I think of things, and thus how that overall history will look.
But that freedom is why I decided to freelance. Or maybe you could call it proto-lancing since I have a prototype as something of a guide post, but regardless, in the end I answer only to the railroad President, me. (Well, and of course the Chairman, Mrs. Lonehawk .
So, I finalized the name and got those details worked out, and I decided to come back and update my post...
The Tiorunda and Thrace Railroad can trace its origins back to the old Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad, which purchased land in the Allegany foothills of southern New York State in 1908 to expand their lines into the region. Tracklaying began in 1909, but the line was only completed through Tiorunda by 1910, when the B&S entered bankruptcy.
During this time, the land and completed trackage were sold to a group of local businessmen who wanted to complete the work and begin servicing local buisnesses which had already designed their operations around the expectation of rail service. These were primarily located in the town of Tiorunda, with a few farther north in the village of Thrace. To that end, the Tiorunda and Thrace Railroad was incorporated in 1918. Trackwork resumed in 1919, and scheduled service began in the fall of 1920.
The T&T interchanges with the PRR just east of Salamanca at Tiorunda. From there, the line runs north (railroad east) through Tiorunda where it serves an agricultural co-op and several smaller businesses before continuing to a feed mill and lumber yard just outside of Thrace. Beyond Thrace, the T&T connects to the PRR again at Arcade Junction.
In addition to local freight service, a limited passenger service is offered daily between Tiorunda and Arcade Junction, with the train originating in Tiorunda, then making the round trip to Arcade and back.
- Adam
When all else fails, wing it!