What OTHER railroads are you interested in?

[Erik W]

Seeing Ed’s response to my recent thread where he brought up that he too was a fan of the Florida East Coast got me to wondering what other railroads are you guys interested in.  I know to some extent we’re all interested in most of them.  So, what I mean is what other railroads, besides the one/ones you’re modeling, are you interested in enough to have done research on, flirted with the idea of building a layout, collected books on, etc?  We all see modelers that act on their other railroad and era urges by tearing apart what they’re doing and starting anew fairly regularly.  Others stay the course with what they’ve chosen to model.  I was actually surprised to hear of Ed’s interest in the FEC since he’s such an avid Conrail fan.  So, spill the beans, what other railroads strike your fancy whether you plan on modeling them or not?

For me, my non Rio Grande interests are:

The Missouri Pacific during the late steam era.  I’ve acquired several good books on MoPac steam and have kicked around an idea for an HO scale layout set in 1942 in Missouri.  I’ve also researched (acquired more books) an N scale Layout concept featuring the MoPac in Missouri again, but in the early ‘80s.  I love the Jenks blue with the Buzz saw logo.

The Milwaukee Road during the mid ‘70s.  I’ve done research (acquired more books) and bought a bunch of maps of the right of way through the Bitterroot Mountains between Deer Lodge, MT and Avery, ID.  So, of course I’ve come up with a layout concept for an N scale layout for that portion of the line.

The Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes RR in 1930.  I rode the Edaville RR as a kid and was hooked on 2’ gauge.  I’ve thought about an HOn2 ½ layout and done some research (bought more books – are you seeing a pattern here!).

As far as the D&RGW goes:

1. I’ve always liked Rio Grande standard gauge steam with the tri colored herald, so . . . I’ve entertained the thought of an HO scale Rio Grande layout basically modeling the portion of what I’m modeling now, Denver to the Moffat Tunnel set in 1938.  The fun with this (and the above HO MoPac steam layout) would be taking advantage of all those cool resin car kits offered in HO scale.
2. The D&RGW 3’ gauge line running between Pagosa Springs and Chama, NM set in 1955.  I’ve done a ton of research on this and literally have piles of plans and maps.  I have built seven HOn3 pieces of rolling stock as they’d be seen in 1955.  Every time I go down to Ride the Cumbres & Toltec this interest springs to life again.
3. The Craig Branch in N scale set in 1985.  This very coal centric branch is in a beautiful area of north central Colorado that begs to be modeled.
4. The Rio Grande through the desert in Utah between Green River, UT and Grand Junction, CO.  I’ve kicked around the idea of late ‘70s layout with this one.  That area of the county is really interesting geographically. 

The Rio Grande stuff is what I have the most research material on, what is local to me now and what most continuously peaks my interest.  The interest in the other RRs always seems to be rekindled at strange times though.  I’ll see a good locomotive photo, for example, and will go off on a tangent as far as what I want to read and learn about.  It’s interesting . . . and fun.

Erik

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Well, I already spilled the beans about my other love.
I'd love to do the FEC in the 1920s. Recent steam releases ALMOST make it possible.
The Bachmann heavy and light mountains, the MP Pacifics (good stand ins for various power), the Kato mikes (they had a handful) and the LL/W 0-8-0s (they used them as light freight power).

Now with heavyweights on the way, it's awfully tempting. Except for the fact that, well, you'd need the Large Haldron Collider's tunnels to do it all justice.

I also really dig the FEC in other eras. I have a pair of GP9s in the red and yellow scheme, as well as an SW9, BL2 and way too many E units (2 9s and 4 7s). Of course, I don't have anything that looks remotely appropriate for FEC scenery, so I've never really taken pictures of them. One of these days though...
I'm also really thinking about some of the newer atlas yellow Hurricane Logo stuff.

I also have a really soft spot in my heart for various local tourist roads. You all may not know it, but for my 7th (I think) Birthday, my dad built me an NTRAK module of Strasburg's HQ. Seriously. He scratch built all the structures, and laid them all out using the real site plan. Then he went and kitbashed #90 for me out of a Trix 2-10-0. I really need to get some pics of this stuff for you guys.

I also recently bought one of the Atlas BR&W RS1s. It's quite possible that it was the first engine I ever rode behind, but I was WAY too young at the time to remember.

[3rdrail]

I have always had an interest in modeling a freelanced short line combining the best features of several lines in the South. Freelanced because there is little hope of specific short line prototype steam ever being made. I've also considered the Indiana Railroad, the interurban, not the current former IC trackage. Little to nothing available in N scale for this either.

I have also toyed with a narrow gauge or electric railway on an island, similar to Jamaica Railways, with North American style equipment but no interchanges except via ship.

The Apalachicola Northern would be a nightmare to model. Until the mill and coal transfer shut down, it had 3 SW9's, 8 SW1500's, and 3 GP15-T's. Only SW9's were ever made in N scale.  With no tunnels and only one overpass (I-10) and BIG industries, each at least 4' by 8' in N, it would be hard to model in less than an airplane hangar...

[FrankCampagna]

The New York Central and the New Haven Railroads. Have several books on both. Too big and well defined for me. I also liked the old Pidcock group of shortlines. They owned two FT a units, a Baldwin switcher, and SW-7, and a pair of 70 tonners. At one time they even had a small streamlined gas electric. Good old fashioned small time railroading. I always liked interurbans. Had one her in Oneonta that ran to Herkimer. The last three mile remnant, serving a concrete plant, a large coal dealer, and a feed mill, survived into the early seventies.


Frank

[bobcat]

My main focus is CSX, with a mix of NS and Conrail too and that is what I am building my home layout around.

At my club where the layout is really pretty generic with no particular place in mind, the roads I lean to are the Arkansas & Missouri(gotta love a present day, all Alco road), Illinois Central and Norfolk & Western.

[ljudice]

Let's see:

PRR, PC, CNJ: childhood memories
Conrail: many years of railfanning
SP, DRGW, CP: extreme mountain railroading
NS: the Pokey, the mountains
SBB, OBB (Switzerland, Austria): mountains, intense railroading

Am I leaving something out???

[Bob Bufkin]

I model Eastern lines but here are my favorites by location:

Western - UP (transition era).  Heavy steam, E's, F's and FA's.
Southern:  Southern and N&W.  60's to 70's. 
Midwestern:  Milwaukee.  Most beautiful passenger trains around and uniques boxcars and great scenery in the mountains.
Southwest:  AT&SF.  Nothing like silver streamliners and F's and great food in their diners.

[davefoxx]

I presently model the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's Piedmont Subdivision (central Virginia) in 1970-72.  This has always been intended to be a temporary era and road for me, as I have always wanted to model the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR (probably somewhere between the years 1983 and 1992), which I am presently trying figure out how to squeeze the prototype's double-main racetrack onto a new layout to fit my space.  Much of the C&O equipment can be recycled and used on an RF&P layout, by modeling the interchange at Doswell, VA or Potomac Yard outside Washington D.C.

Other roads that I have always flirted with modeling:

1) East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Ry.: If someone had ever produced an HOn3 ET&WNC Ten-Wheeler, I probably never would have changed to N scale.  I still own some G scale ET&WNC rolling stock that I bought in the early 1990s, but, unfortunately, these trains haven't turned a wheel in several years.

2) Southern Ry.: After chasing trains up and down the grade at Saluda, NC in April 1994, I fell in love with this stretch of the railroad.  Watching two brand-new SD70s triple the hill was an incredible experience and made me appreciate the hard work that railroaders do to conquer the mountains.  That was the first time I ever heard a train in full dynamics, which seemed just as loud as the locomotives in Run 8 attacking the uphill grade.  Ah, and don't forget the kudzu.

3) Winston-Salem Southbound Ry.: As a former resident of Winston-Salem, NC, I developed a fondness for this railroad.  Aspects of the WSS, e.g., being jointly owned by the ACL/SCL/SBD/CSX and N&W/NS, made for the appearance of all sorts of locomotives and rolling stock.

4) Atlantic Coast Line/Seaboard Air Line/Seaboard Coast Line/Seaboard System: I get to cheat here.  By modeling the RF&P, I would get to model run-throughs, or at least interchange, with the SAL, ACL, SCL, or SBD, depending on the era modeled.  Get this, I can even throw in some FEC equipment in the PRR/RF&P/SCL/FEC pool, again, depending on the era modeled.  I, too, have always found something appealing about the FEC.  It's the "overseas railroad" portion (the Key West Extension) that I have always admired.

5) Capital Transit/D.C. Transit: This is the Washington D.C. streetcar system that ran on overhead wire outside the city and on an underground conduit (not unlike a slot car) in the city.  Here, I would probably model in O scale, and I actually do own one of the Corgi O scale streetcars.  I've been tempted to buy one of the kits to power the die-cast model.

Apparently, I can "waffle" with the best of them.  

Dave Foxx

[Puddington]

As I model the CPR in British Columbia in the late 60's - early 70's I'd love to backdate to the 1930's.. but a dirth of candidates for 4-6-0 Ten Wheelers; 4-6-4 Royal Hudson's; 4-4-4 Jubillees and 2-10-4 Selkirks limits my ability to do that.

I'd also love to copy guys like Tim Horton and do a segment of the Pacific Great Eastern - no issue with power here - RS3's; RS 10's and 18's... 424's and 425's are ok, the 630's are a bit of work to bash into a reasonable replica of the MLW version but not impossible... and the Kato RDC's would be your primary passenger power....

Finally; I'd really love to model Chicago's Zepher Pit..... what a collection of passenger power... if you had a large room, just use half to model the "pit" and then build a simple, damn near non or basic sceniced twisty, winding double track "roundy-roundy" layout for the rest and watch the Empire Builder; Zepher's; North Coast Limited and dozens of other passenger consists come and go - the switching alone would be a gas !

[Zox]

While my primary interest is (a fictionally-expanded version of) the Kankakee, Beaverville, and Southern, the Kankakee scenes I'm planning to model are actually on the Illinois Central mainline, not the ex-NYC trackage of the KB&S.

And of course, living near Baltimore tends to give one something of an interest in the B&O. If I ever get really bored, I hope to someday do a module with the B&O Museum on it. At 18 inches in diameter in N scale, there's just barely enough room on a 24-inch-deep module for the Smart-N mainlines to sneak past the roundhouse...

[Wlal13again]

1. The Southern Pacific. I spent 6 years in El Paso Texas while in the Army and the Espee has a place in my heart.

2. The Clinchfield. I have several books on the prototype and have the MR softcover about building in in N. I`d love to do and N scale version.

[justTRAINcRaZy]

3) Winston-Salem Southbound Ry.: As a former resident of Winston-Salem, NC, I developed a fondness for this railroad.  Aspects of the WSS, e.g., being jointly owned by the ACL/SCL/SBD/CSX and N&W/NS, made for the appearance of all sorts of locomotives and rolling stock.

Dave, you may be interested to know I am in the process of modeling a portion of the WSS and the HPT&D. The WSS is from Corn Products off Clemmonsville Rd thru Lexington and down to just before High Rock Yard and the HPT&D picks up north of High Rock Yard and goes thru to the Wye at High Point.

KB

[davefoxx]

3) Winston-Salem Southbound Ry.: As a former resident of Winston-Salem, NC, I developed a fondness for this railroad.  Aspects of the WSS, e.g., being jointly owned by the ACL/SCL/SBD/CSX and N&W/NS, made for the appearance of all sorts of locomotives and rolling stock.

Dave, you may be interested to know I am in the process of modeling a portion of the WSS and the HPT&D. The WSS is from Corn Products off Clemmonsville Rd thru Lexington and down to just before High Rock Yard and the HPT&D picks up north of High Rock Yard and goes thru to the Wye at High Point.

KB

Excellent!!!  I'm very familiar with that area.  I used to commute from Lewisville to Greensboro, passing under the WSS on the I-40 bypass, and I had a good friend who owned a boarding kennel near the tracks in Welcome.  Are you going to model the Stroh's Brewery or the tall steel trestle just north of Bill Yard?  I'd love to hear more about your layout, as this topic brings back great memories.

By the way, I was a member of the Southbound Model Railroaders, while I lived in and near Winston-Salem.  I really enjoyed being a part of that club for a few years.  I was able to meet one of the authors (Jeff Miller) of the book, "The Winston-Salem Southbound Railway," through the club.

Dave

[Iain]

Durham and Southern Decapods would be really cool.  I also like narrow gauge, especially the 'odd' gauges here in the US.  The old Carabasset and Dead River sold me on Maine two-footers.  I also have quite a bit of research and some scratchbuilt cars for the Dismal Swamp RR.

N&W will always hold a place in my heart because for my fifth birthday my father took me for a ride on an excursion pulled by 611.

I also like the early electrics of Virginian and N&W.

[Dave V]

- Rio Grande Southern
- D&RGW narrow gauge
- East Broad Top
- Colorado Midland