There's plenty of "industries" in the area that can be made to rail service.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
BroadwayLionThe Slaughter Paper
Okay, I'll bite. What does this mean???????????????
The Slaughter Paper ???
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I have always found that modeling a prototype that is close by and relatively easy to research, to be a very rewarding way to do the hobby. I built a model railroad based on the B&O though Morgantown WV when I lived in Morgantown and I now model the Tonopah and Tidewater since moving to Nevada. Picking an area to model that is actually doable in a reasonable space is a good idea. The current "one town" thinking about layouts is worth researching. If you like the Gloster & Southern and can find out information about it, then go for it. Knowing that there are models that can be kitbashed or modified into something that resembles your prototype is useful too. Good luck.
NWP SWPSo my question is, would it be more feasible to try to model my area?
Just as long as you can see the forrest instead of just the trees..
What I'm talking about is the minor details we overlook because we pass by them every day in our commute like a small rail served feed and seed store that receives a boxcar of bagged feed once or twice a month-the rail is ground level thus you don't see it as you drive by until you happen to glance over and see a 50' boxcar.You never notice the switch before thus the forrest/tree thing..
Maybe the railroad crosses old Sunfish Creek by a large drain pipe instead of a small wooden trestle.
There are many such details we overlook in our daily commute because we can't see the forrest because of those trees..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
No question that replicating your immediate area is easier than relying on pictures or videos for a layout. You're so lucky to have a train nearby. Enjoy that rare asset and replicate accordingly. Good going!
Nike said it best...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Do_It
I had a "modeler" friend who was big on collecting brass. He had a closet-full of big UP, Rio Grande, Western Pacific and Santa Fe steam and some diesel, from all the top importers. I would estimate he had over 400 locomotives and just as many custom brass cars as well.
We would often have discussions about when he was going to build a layout to run all these beautiful locomotives and equipment on. For the cost of just one of these engines he could have picked up enough lumber and track to get a decent main line up and running.
He died without ever having run any of these engines on anything but a three-foot test track. His son bought a pretty nice house with the proceeds of the sale of the like-new brass engines.
So often people get bogged down by the usual excuses, fear of failure, maybe?
Your plan to model the G&S and the paper mill sounds like a great way to "get your feet wet". I would take it one step further and add a few "what-if" industries. How about a Tabasco Sauce plant? Tank cars of vinegar, Jack Daniel's wood barrels in, boxcars of hot sauce out! There once was a siding to the plant on Avery Island:
http://bayoutechedispatches.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-railroad-history-of-avery-island.html
Also the Avery Island Salt Works generated traffic.
I don't have to refer back to all the past threads here (but I will) where many well-meaning contributors have tried to encourage you to get SOMETHING going.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/267397.aspx
There are lots of plans out there for modular or segmented layouts so that you could disassemble the benchwork if needed so that part of it should not be a concern. Look into the TOMA* series.
Don't be afraid to make that first move. You might want to consider what fellows like Brakie do and make a switching module (ISL). I would go further and design it so it can be incorporated into a larger layout at a later date.
http://wgh.trains.com/-/media/Files/Worlds%20Greatest%20Hobby/2015/wgh_fullbooklet_2014.pdf
Your tendency seems to be to "dream big" but your ambition seems to be do nothing.
Yes, in the words of the ever-witty Yogi Berra, Take It.
The Nike advice is pretty good, too.
There used to be a term to describe people like my friend — Armchair Modelers.
I believe today that term would more aptly be served by the phrase "Web-Surfer Modelers"!
*The One Module Approach: Google it.
Regards, Ed
TAKE IT!!!
I have reached a point of indecision...
I still fully intend to successfully model my NWP-SWP System but for my first layout I think I'll be better suited to model what I know best and see everyday.
The old Gloster & Southern ROW runs about 2 or so miles from my house, and another railroad has resumed operations to Slaughter and to the paper mill, so I got to thinking that the scenery for my area would be less difficult than trying to replicate scenery I have never seen.
So my question is, would it be more feasible to try to model my area?