Are there any "Freelancers" in the house?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
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I was reading through an old thread on the forums and someone suggested a “Freelancers Thread” a place to share your exploits and discuss how you “invented” your “prototype”…

I’ll go first, I model the NWP-SWP system a regional co-op founded in the 1920s and did not fully merge into a single railroad till 1960 I model that time frame when affiliate and subsidiary roads still operated in their own identities along with pooling resources and system wide operation of NWP-SWP equipment…

Please post up!

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Kind of. My layout is an ISL, loosely based on the idea that the port of Coos Bay, Oregon, was extended a bit further south, about 1/2 to 1 mile or so. This puts it in Southern Pacific territory, and is served by SP. But not all the track is owned by SP.

It also has a relatively small independantly owned diesel locomotive shop that services and repairs, and modifies diesel locomotives. Mostly switchers and industrial switchers (critters), not limited to those owned by SP. This justifies all manner of odd little locomotives in and around the roundhouse and shops area. And more switchers than a layout this size needs. (Sound familiar?)

The shop area includes a small freight car repair shop, too small to do heavy repairs and overhauls, but is locked in to place as a historical land marker. So it’s used for a r-i-p track and storage of tools and commonly used freight car parts.

The time line can be moved from the mid '40s to late '60s, depending on what equipment I want to run. Care is taken to see that buildings and industries fit across that time span. Vehicles and such can be rotated on and off the layout to suit.

The RR serves a gravel quarry, large sawmill, a lumber exporting dock (1 ship) and a coastal tanker dock that brings in petroleum products, loaded into tank cars, and local delevery trucks. There’s a local freight station, (SP), and a cement batch plant (7 mixers!) and concrete pipe factory

There are also a couple non railroad served businesses too, a truck repair and towing service, and probably a tire shop. Both provide a credible place to display HO vehicles, a “subsiddiary” hobby.

Much of this is proposed, as many of the structures need to be built. The roundhouse, diesel shop, freight car shop, truck shop, and concrete batch plant are up and well along, but not complete. Track work is in and operating. The 2 ships are Deans Marine kits waiting to be built, the hulls are place savers for now. Dan

3

Mine is the Boston and Maine Central. In my world the Guilford Merger happened 50 years earlier. I found a Proto 2000 0-6-0 and a Bachmann 2-10-0 pre-lettered for my railroad at a train show. I contacted a well known new england custom decal maker on a hunch and he was indeed the creator of the decals. I proceeded to purchase a full sheet of them. Thats pretty much it.

4

East Central Indiana

HO Scale RailroadThe ECI has been built and rebuilt several times. Now the railroad has begun to move back in time to be able to run NYC, PRR and PC locomotives and cars.

The ECI is a 1970s short line operating out of Anderson in North Central Indiana southward over the ex-New York Central (CCC&StL) Michigan Division /PC North Vernon Secondary purchased from Penn Central. The ECI runs through Emporia, Rushville, Greensburg and terminates in the Southern Indiana town of Westport.

Connections are made with the CIW (Central Indiana & Western) at Anderson, and the N&W at Rushville, with a secondary connection with PC at Greensburg. The ECI has rights between Anderson and Westport under control of the ECI Dispatcher working out of the South Anderson Yards.

The majority of customers are small industrial companies (pipes, plastics, autoparts, etc.) as well as several heavy grain operations and one small stone quarry sending occasional shipments off line to dealers nationwide from their quarry near Westport.

Although the line is not truly prosperous, it does make money and has outstanding Service Facilities with a maintenance crew devoted to rebuild and maintenance with tender loving care. This is attested to by the Ex-NYC E7 that has been placed into service pulling an Excursion Train consisting of four refurbished passenger cars from Anderson to Westport monthly during summer months and the NYC GP7, and RS3 that have been put into service on the railroad. Also, thee is the 0-8-0

5

Summerset Ry came into existence after Penn-Central decided to end service on a two mile branchline serving a industrial park even though several manufacturers and warehouses needed rail service.The owners of the industrial park struck a deal with PC to buy the branch…A Alco S4 was purchase from the Santa Fe.

Summerset Ry started operation on July 1,1974 and handles 700-800 cars a year.

As a side note the S4 was repainted into its original Zebra stripe scheme and Santa Fe lettering by the new owners…A ex-USAF SW7 replaced the S4 in 1987 and is lettered SSRy. A SW1500 joined the roster in 1990 and is lettered SSRy…The S4 is stored serviceable on Duncan’s Warehouse inside dock track.

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I model a fictional subsidiary of the ATSF located in Pinal county, Arizona, circa 1950’s/early 60’s. Pinal county is primarily an agricultural area, even today, so my railroad, the Maricopa & Gila River RR has an agricultural bent, with cattle loading pens, two canneries, a slaughter house/packing plant, and a freight station. The agriculture in Pinal county is primarily cotton/grain/alfalfa, so I took some liberties with the industries on my layout.

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I model a fictional railroad in a freelanced world. Everything possible is imaginary.

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I took the concept as far as I could. Truly a world of nonsense.

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-Kevin

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I wasn’t going to this but,why not?

Let’s talk about Slate Creek Rail.

SCR came into existence in 1966 when a new industrial park came on line and needed rail service.A 1 1/2 mile line was built to connect SCR with the N&W. A SW8 was purchase used from a used locomotive vendor and placed in service.

SCR handles around 1,000 a year…

9

This is what I call the fun part of our hobby. I love the PRR. Born in Chicago, with a PRR yard near, that affection came naturally. But I now live in TX. SO - my rr is fictitious with PRR engines, cabins, etc., but located in TX where the scenery is a lot easier to model. LOL Just imagine a belpaire firebox steam engine running across open country with nary a thing around. Just land that goes on and on. A few trees, a little green, but mostly brown ground. More LOL.

10

I do very little that is precise historical replication.

On the other hand, when the time comes for models of 140mph-capable GG1 rebuilds, or double-Garratt locomotives of super-power size for long fast American coal trains, or compensated-compound high-speed 4-8-4s, I’m in heaven. Of course to run those with any kind of satisfaction you need to figure out how to build accurate outdoor track and structure quickly and relatively inexpensively…

Some freelancing, at least, is not an excuse not to be precise in construction, design, or historical explanation. This is especially true of alternative history projects, where sometimes even unsuccessful things need to be ‘modeled through’ to show why they were ultimately unworkable.

I am tempted to tell PennsyNut that he should build a Texas & Pacific duplex – ugly as that locomotive would have been! He’ll get the best of both worlds, and have a freelancing experience unlike most others…

11

Overmod, double garratt??? Is that two articulateds setup like a garratt??? That sounds like a rather interesting locomotive!!!

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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 [;)] .

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My layout is so freelanced that it doesn’t even have a backstory. It just is.[:D]

You’ll find anything from an 1830’s passenger train to a DD40 pulling 90 foot boxcars. I don’t care what era something’s from as long as I like it.

14

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I hate that term. Come on over all the way to the darkside… We have cookies!

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Ah… now that is what I was talking about… good… goood… I feel the creativity building inside you. Now take this light saber and destroy that prototype locomotive and your transformation will be complete… something… something… something… DARKSIDE!

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Too much Star Wars for a Sunday? [:-^]

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-Kevin

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15

AVDC Austinville & Dynamite City railroad

My Freelanced is actually taking the place of the Allegheny Valley Railroad. Although in my universe, the PRR owned the tracks out to Washington PA, and not the Baltimore and Ohio. So, The Pennsylvania Railroad threatened to abandon the branch in the 1950s, but residents of towns along the branch pooled their money together. The received the line from Pittsburgh to Washington, a locomotive, some freight cars, and the like. The railroad fought off being asorbed by Penn Central in 1968, and then again Conrail in 1970. It actually became two court cases that set the legal precident on how mergers were handled from that point on.

The railroad ran steam into the mid 1970s, when they bought their first diesel units, U boats 3000-3012. Then came SD40-2s for coal trains, and SW units for general local service.

Engine roster history

H10 Consolidation

  1. Wrecked in non fatal accident. June 1966.

  2. Sold 1970. Purchased by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Alco 2-6-0

Removed from active roster October 1970. Resides in Southwestern PA Railroad museum. Operational.

U30B 3000-3012

  1. Retired June 2000.

  2. Wrecked July 1980 in landslide

3002-3009. Traded to LTEX for MP1500s and SW units

3010-3011 Lost in road crossing accident outside of Washington

  1. Still active service.

SD40-2 Coal drag service

5018 -active

5019 active

5020- Stored inoperable in Austinville shops.

GP9

5- Rebuilt after high hood was damaged in coal mine accident. short hood was cut down level to frame. Became GP9RNN. GP9 Rebuild, No nose.

F100

Experimental Railcar.

16

Does Proto-freelancing count?

For the modeled portion - My Proto-freelanced line is set in rural NW PA and serves a sand facility (Frac sand for shale gas drilling needs), a lumber distributer, a storage warehouse, and sports run-through traffic of coal and intermodal trains from NS.

It’s a Proto-freelanced line because, those familiar with the area, realize that the real life WNY&P does indeed serve a Frac sand distributer, and a few warehouses of various industries, as well as once hosted NS coal drag run-throughs.

Although the lumber and intermodal are not served in real life, nor is the exact location of my freelanced line, it is very plausable in this manner.

I can model this area, by plausably saying that my line is a partner line, that made the extra run-throughs practical and saved NS some money via a much shorter train routing, therefore they happily pay to run them through. And, as my partner line is fake, I can have the extra customers, and I can use both NS and WNY&P locomotives, along with a couple others that only exsist in my world, like a ES44AC in EL Heritage paint. (Or a restored Erie RR Mikado on Railfan Excursion Weekends…)

It could occur, so I modeled it. Therefore, it is freelanced, but it is also prototypical in that some of it is real, so it’s a Proto-freelanced line.

So, if that counts, then yes.

17

I have a few fictional railroads. Over a dozen but I only 3 or 4 that has lasted a decade or more.

The Main one is the Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio Railway. A class II railroad that shared the same trackage as Norfolk and Western and Southern. Later on to Norfolk Southern.

My most recent one is the SBSO. The Sienna Black Star Organization is a class III industrial short line that serves 4 businesses.

Caluxary Oranges/ Boomerang is a commuter passenger train that served the the Caluxary Insurance Corporation. The rail line was discontinued in the 70s. Later it reimagined as the city commuter line called Clintonia Boomerang. Keeping the same colors and design with a modern twist.

18

My Detroit Southern Corp. operates both the Detroit Southern Railroad and the Great Lakes Eastern Railroad. The combined system has lines from the southern great lakes area to the east coast and from the southern great lakes to Florida.

My layout is the Detroit Southern’s Chicago sub division.

19

I guess I would call mine proto-lanced.

The timeframe is the mid to late 70s. The idea is that after the BN merger, the BN decided to get out of owning the old NP lines in Montana. They sold them off, thusly creating the Forest Railway. (My avatar is the road’s logo.) It uses GP20s for freight service. There is also an SW1000 for “hot shot” freight. There is also local passenger service with an F7A and a couple of GP20s when the F7 is not available. The BN still has run-through rights so there is lots of color from the BN merger partners. (Chinese red, Big Sky Blue, GN Orange and NP Gold among others.)

20

Proto freelancing is welcome!

Courtesy of Overmod I now have another “fictional” super locomotive to drool over! The Q4AD or Double Big Boy Garratt makes a beautiful kitbash/scratchbuild for the NWP-SWP shops I will definitely put it in the evergrowing file of projects…

Anyone else got some interesting freelanced “prototypes” to share?