Shiny objects

[sirenwerks]

Man, just when I start getting traction on one idea, I get thrown a curve ball. I started researching my central Oregon fictional regional and then I go and watch the Pentrex video Covered Wagons of the Cascades and now 1970s BN from Seattle to the Canadian border is looking really good, with that scenery and those covered wagons and early Geeps. Will it ever stop?

[Missaberoad]

I know the feeling...

I think I've managed to narrow my focus down to two themes for a layout; a shelf switching layout based on Milwaukee in South Minneapolis, and a modular layout based on Soo line's Winnipeg line.

...but my pre Soo merger roster has been slowly expanding era and now I have enough equipment to credibly depict up to the late 1970's. 

Add to that strong interests in Iron Ore Roads, CNW, Rio Grande, Southern Pacific, Western Pacific, Burlington Northern, Canadian Pacific, Wisconsin Central, Red River Valley & Western, Rutland, and Buffalo Creek and Gauley.... Makes it very difficult to avoid temptation... 

I have the issue that I love history, and when I learn about a new railroad or line I see something worth modeling,

I envy the PRR or ATSF or UP guys who have that undying focus or dedication. (or any single road for that matter)

[learmoia]

Man, just when I start getting traction on one idea, I get thrown a curve ball. I started researching my central Oregon fictional regional and then I go and watch the Pentrex video Covered Wagons of the Cascades and now 1970s BN from Seattle to the Canadian border is looking really good, with that scenery and those covered wagons and early Geeps. Will it ever stop?

Thats a cool area.. (more specifically Everett to the border..)

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4291386,-122.335053,810m/data=!3m1!1e3

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4742945,-122.3273998,2500m/data=!3m1!1e3

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.6073133,-122.4329207,968m/data=!3m1!1e3

[choochin3]

Careful there Bryan, you're on the verge of being called a "Waffler"

[nkalanaga]

The BN's Fs also ran to California, through Oregon, so if you have any BN trains, they'd fit right in.

In the mid to late 70s the BN in the Northwest often looked more like the late 40s or 50s, with Fs everywhere, pulling almost everything.

[sirenwerks]

The BN's Fs also ran to California, through Oregon, so if you have any BN trains, they'd fit right in.

In the mid to late 70s the BN in the Northwest often looked more like the late 40s or 50s, with Fs everywhere, pulling almost everything.

My research was developing a regional set in 1971-73 from the Palouse area (Spokane/Couer d' Alene, maybe into Missoula) heading around the bend in the Columbia and through Bend and Klamath Falls to a WP interchange in northern Cali, rewriting SP Modoc and GN Inside Gateway history (I don't think that southern region could have realistically sustained three lines), and using a dominantly Alco fleet to do it (C420s & 424s, RS3s & 11s, and some 6 axle Centuries, with FB units for road slugs). As I was going to specifically model the area around Klamath Falls to the Cali border, I was obviously planning for BN/GN and SP interchange in KF, maybe even have Milwaukee run-through power out of Spokane for some intermodal action, so plenty of opportunity for covered wagons with those three prototypes.


Waffling as it may be, Bellingham has always stood out as a favorite location but I have no affinity to Cascade green. Early or pre-merger dating could fix that easy. But I don't have enough info in my head to know what the action was like there to warrant more than a lone wolf layout. Dammit, and I have most of the Alcos I need for my Palouse Klamath Midland (working road name) fleet too. Not that most of those Alcos couldn't be painted for the GN, SP&S or NP if they served the Bellingham area, or sold off.


Aw heck, where's the butter and syrup?

[OldEastRR]

Bellingham back then was served by the GN, which came up the coast; NP, which came in from the east (both lines using long trestles across water to pass up snaky shorelines), and the MILW, which came in by car float from Tacoma and connect to its land lines here. There were NP and MILW branches from downtown to the logging/lumber mill industry on Lake Whatcom, high up on a hill overlooking the town (and it was a steep grade). A interurban ran through Bellingham for while (street running) connecting it to towns to the south and north. The MILW ran a line from Bellingham up inland that I think made it to the Canadian border to serve various source industries along the way. There was passenger service on the GN and NP into and through town (GN to Vancouver, BC). The major railroads also had street and alley running through downtown. Of course there were connecting interchanges between all 3 railroads.
A lot of the old ROWs have been converted to trails, and there are telltale traces of where the rest were. An unbelievably shaky-looking trestle of the MILW branch still stands near the lake.
 

[nkalanaga]

I don't know how many of the SP&S Alcos made it to Bellingham. Probably none before the merger.    Even after the merger they seemed to stay mostly on the ex-SP&S lines, probably because other shops didn't want to deal with them.  They made it into Seattle from Portland, but I don't remember seeing a photo an SP&S Alco on Stevens Pass, or east of Spokane.  Of course, they were common in Pasco, so I didn't pay much attention to them!

[cbroughton67]

I envy the PRR or ATSF or UP guys who have that undying focus or dedication. (or any single road for that matter)

I chuckled when I read that. I'm known for being a PRR modeler, but I'm about as focused as 5-year-old in a candy store.

I started out running modern equipment on my layout, mostly CSX, with a couple of BNSF, NS, and UP locos mixed in. Meanwhile, I kept building models of PRR equipment. You know, because I was so focused on modern stuff...  Then a buddy suggested backdating the layout "for a few months" to run the Pennsy equipment. So we did... and 4-5 years later, I'm still running the PRR equipment, but in that time I've also built some CSX SD40-3's, an RJ Corman SD40-2, and just picked up set of Deluxe Maxi-IV's. You know, because I'm so focused on Pennsy stuff...  . I won't even mention the 1970's L&N models or the CP RS18 kits I have sitting on my workbench... 

Focused like a laser, I am...     You're so, so not alone!

Chris

[garethashenden]

Well at least you're all sticking with N! I still think my primary modelling focus is the Boston & Maine c.1949. But most of my modelling time is spent on the North London Railway c.1903 in P4 (1/76). Then there are some diversions into British Nish models as well, just to keep me on my toes. The current project is a LNER A4 pacific in P4. No need for it at all, but the kit was re-released, so I bought it.

[basementcalling]

I envy the PRR or ATSF or UP guys who have that undying focus or dedication. (or any single road for that matter)

I know nothing about the first two, but being an Uncle Pete fan is no surety of focus or dedication. We're not all Bob with his relentless focus on the Wahsatch grade.    I envy him is focus and location.

I've considered UP over Sherman Hill - not enough local work. UP along the Columbia - too much traffic to effectively model, UP in Nevada - too much desert, UP in Nebraska - too flat - UP over the Blue Mountains in Oregon - too much railroad for my basement, UP in Utah - being done at a high level already, UP on former SP lines in Oregon - lots of trees, etc....

I've never quite found the right spot on my favorite railroad, probably because they all offer some aspect of UP I find appealing. So I went off on a freelance adventure. The Idaho Belt is supposed to be UP inspired in central and northern Idaho, but plausibility problems are interfering with the backstory of a N/S line connecting Lewiston and Boise with the Canadian border.

Central Oregon appeals to me using the old planned Harriman east west line across Oregon from Bend towards Ontario, but Dean has done such an outstanding job modeling that region on his Oregon Joint Line I hesitate to step into the territory.

And then there's harbor modeling, which is growing on me thanks to Bernard Kempenski's new book and ScottL's trackplan brainstorming for a Vancouver based harbor plan, plus my own fiddling with ideas around Hopewell, VA as a local spot of interest.

It seems it never ends.

[C855B]

..., UP in Nevada - too much desert, UP in Nebraska - too flat ...

UP in California is mostly desert, too.

And this is a problem how?   I mean, talk about reducing scenery complication and cost.    (Truthfully, lots of scenery and and terraforming ahead. It helps to have been raised in the desert. Even my wife doesn't understand.)

[GN63]

Bellingham back then was served by the GN, which came up the coast; NP, which came in from the east (both lines using long trestles across water to pass up snaky shorelines), and the MILW, which came in by car float from Tacoma and connect to its land lines here. There were NP and MILW branches from downtown to the logging/lumber mill industry on Lake Whatcom, high up on a hill overlooking the town (and it was a steep grade). A interurban ran through Bellingham for while (street running) connecting it to towns to the south and north. The MILW ran a line from Bellingham up inland that I think made it to the Canadian border to serve various source industries along the way. There was passenger service on the GN and NP into and through town (GN to Vancouver, BC). The major railroads also had street and alley running through downtown. Of course there were connecting interchanges between all 3 railroads.
A lot of the old ROWs have been converted to trails, and there are telltale traces of where the rest were. An unbelievably shaky-looking trestle of the MILW branch still stands near the lake.

Actually, the MILW got to Bellingham in the 1960s via Everett interchange (not an actual interchange, the waybills were sealed in a packet) of what we called on the GN "MILW transfers" - this traffic would be added to our 2nd 712 which operated from Seattle (Interbay) and arrived Everett Jct between 10pm and mid-night.  It would run to match the schedule of GN trains 97 and 83 arrival at Everett so all north traffic from those trains would be added to 2/712.  An interesting twist to any model railroad having interchange at both Everett and Bellingham to the MILW.  I think the MILW received trackage rights to this line with the 1970 BN merger - memory plays tricks after 50 years or so.

Fixed quote tag -gfh

[OldEastRR]

Yes, in any case, float yard or not, quite a variety of action crammed into a small place like Bellingham. A friend drew up some track plans for a layout with a pre-60's version of the town and surrounding trackage, but changed to another RR area for his layout. The MILW turntable and roundhouse in the downtown was kinda neat. The NP had its own wye on the other side of town to turn its F units. The track arrangements for the area were not that easy to translate onto a smallish layout.

[sirenwerks]

Yes, in any case, float yard or not, quite a variety of action crammed into a small place like Bellingham. A friend drew up some track plans for a layout with a pre-60's version of the town and surrounding trackage, but changed to another RR area for his layout. The MILW turntable and roundhouse in the downtown was kinda neat. The NP had its own wye on the other side of town to turn its F units. The track arrangements for the area were not that easy to translate onto a smallish layout.

Don't suppose he still has those trackplans?  I'd love to take a look. Just like the other locale I chose (Klamath Falls), Bellingham is just out of reach of day tripping for me. Since my wife is not a small town tourist, she has no interest in a weekend trip and my daughter would want to come tromping with; not a problem if she were a few years older but right now she's at that awkward four-year-old trips on everything stage.