Been looking for an idea for a shelf layout for my small room I have for a layout. The room is only 8’ by 9’ in size. Four axle power will be the rule, HO scale and I am trying to get by with the minimum of repainting on the units. What I have for power is 4 EL EMD GP’s. Three are GP7’s, 2 that are non dynamic and one that is, all are Atlas/Kato yellow box units. I also have an old Athearn blue box GP35 with metal trucks, its been reworked with a can motor and LED lights. I am taking the old EL main line thru Indiana and rerwriting history to where it wasnt all torn out, the line survived under the EL for years later than it did, till the boon of shortlines was going in earnest. So lets imagine that the line was kept intact westward from Decatur IN all the way out to Rochester . Customers being the refinery at Laketon, grain elevators along the way, various smaller industries in Huntington, Rochester, Laketon, Decatur ect. Interchange with the NS at Huntington(Lake Division) and at Decatur(New Castle Division). Unit grain trains could be handed off in Decatur to be sent southern destinations. Power being what was available cheap off the EL dead lines at start up. Engine shops/home base in Decatur. Power remains in EL colors, but relettered Decatur & Western. Let me know your thoughts, ideas for improvement ect. I am thinking of putting shelf type benchwork around 3 of the walls of my room, Decatur at the one end and a few abreviated industries along the way with a simulated west end(Rochester end) via a staging area since I lack enough space to cover all the line. I am thinking of overgrown right of way, weedy/grassy track and 10-20mph train speeds max. Mike
Why not? Its very plausible that a short could do exactly that.There’s several short lines that uses fallen flag paint schemes…
The Decatur & Western could even obtain permission to use Erie-Lackawanna much like the modern Wheeling & Lake Erie which the old W&LE was part of the N&W and later NS.
The W&LE was dissolved as a corporate entity in 1989 by NS and then the NS spun the line off in 1990 to a group of investors that renewed the old W&LE corporate name.
Actually it did happen. For a couple of years anyway. The Erie Western Railroad tried to make a go of the former Erie/EL across Indiana.
http://www.american-rails.com/eres.html
Jeff
I agree, why not? make use of as many LDEs as you can along the way. Have fun, it’s your railroad and do what ever you want to.
Huntington would seem more plausable as a base and engine facilty, as the EL had a yard and faciilties there, along with the depot used for administration. There wasn’t much of anything at Decatur. As Jeff said, there was a shortline that tried to make a go of it, the Erie Western. A new engine faclity can cost a lot of money, Indiana Northeastern just spent 1.6 million dollars on its facility at Hudson, Indiana.
Victor A. Baird
Good idea on moving home base to Huntington, forgot EL had a yard there. The years of EL running in Indiana are before my time, im 41, and I barely remember the C&O thru Peru. I was going to model the local shortline as it was in the very early 90s, but that requires low nosing 2 of the units, as well as custom painting them. Not sure I have the patence for that anymore, atleast to get them to my satisfaction. But I can patch out the EL name and replace with new decals. Then I dont have to redo the lighting and repaint the whole engine.
Never mind.
I picked up the locomotives tonight from the LHS. Probably wont do much with them for a couple of months yet. Still garden railway season right now. Busy putting Battery/RC into my LGB Mogul at the moment. Almost got it done. Thanks Mike
Re-writing history to fit a probable short line is a great way to go about avoiding prototypical layouts and operations and fit in a small space. This is the ultimate in free lancing. Make it sound probable within the geography and history around the era you model and then go for it! Have your back story down pat and just model the daylights outta’ the idea.
I believe the abandonment of the former EL line in Indiana was a shame. Other than Huntington, which it sort of skirted anyway, the line went all the way to Chicago mostly through rural areas. A nice double track main as well. I think the line specialized in postal service mail to/from Chicago, and once the contract was lost, its economic viability waned.
The Erie Western ran with a lot of Alco RS3’s. Atlas actually made a factory painted model. You may want to research the Erie Western to see what some of the customers were to give your line some more history…or exclude that evolution all together.
A line from Decatur to Rochester, with a base in Huntington would make sense. You could interchange with the NS there, and with the Indiana Northeastern in Decatur (although you would need to fabricate a pretty good reason to interchange with another short line [:)]). They run a GP30 that is a near dead-ringer for a P2K GP30 painted for the Nickle Plate. Just remove the yellow NKP letters and redecal for the white IN letters. I’m sure someone makes the decals.
As far as planning an 8 x 9, I would try to model a small area of the line and use some staging to get train movements through the area, rather than trying to model a large portion of the whole railroad. You could model the yard and interchange in Huntington along one wall or two, but what you put into the layout is going to be based upon what type of operations or scenery you prefer.
Just a few minor corrections, the Indiana Northeastern doesn’t run anywhere near Decatur, Indiana and the Erie did not run all the way into Chicago on its own line.
Victor A. Baird
I was up around the old EL right of way recently and thats what got my mind thinking abou this. We also run along it on 224 when we go visit my wife’s folks out in Erie PA. I am thinking a small grainery in one corner with some small areas of con field blended into the backdrop, the edge of Huntington at one end with the engine facilities, a major customer near the other end with off layout staging beyond that to simulate the other end of the line I dont have room to model. Everything will be squeezed a bit, but with some false front buildings I think I can fit it all in. Grainery would be a small one that only gets a few cars at a time to give the local something to do. I have the 3 GP7’s, one dynamic and two without. Have to see how it goes from here once colder weather settles in. Mike
See Reading Blue Mountain & Northern which salvaged some of fallen flag, Reading Railroad, anthracite coal trackage – HQ in Port Clinton, PA (324 population).
Note: The new spur to America’s oldest operating brewery, Yuengling & Son (1829), and; excursions around Jim Thorpe, PA. Reading Northern’s green & yellow paint scheme makes a nice impression – Adding to the surrounding greens of tree-covered mountain valleys.
P.S.: 2014 American Short Line & Regional Railroad (Award Winner).
Oops. I was confusing the Wabash Central in Bluffton, which is a few miles south of Decatur.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r46UK70reD0
http://www.fwarailfan.net/wbcr.htm
And more ideas for the OP