One of the strangest things that I ever came across happened when I was working on cleaning a lot that had been over grown. As I weeded and cut grass, I came across the remains of a railroad spur from a distant time.
I was told that there was a time in South Texas when railroad comapnies would metaphorically build a line to a person’s house. I was in Corpus Christi, Texas when I found this one behind a radio station.
Does anyone have an abandoned lines on their layout?
I have thought of buring some ties or making an abandoned spur.
Yes.
We built a logging line when Bachmann announced the Shay.
10% grade.
We could use rod locos in dry weather, but not in wet.
So, we ripped out the logging spurs, yard and loading docks and relocated it.
Then Bachmann released the Shay.
Anyway, the track we used was worthless Hughes Rail, gave it to one of the operators for an abandoned line on HIS railroad, and laid Bachmann track on the grade and under a rockslide at the bottom.
Capt, i have an old wood bridge this is truely abandoned. on the RR. As for ties, they must be nailed down or rain washes them out , i tried once. I have many stacks of old ties but they are brad nailed in piles to look like stacks and so the wind does not blow them away.
I have an “abandoned” line on my layout that is made out of leftover short peices of track… I bought 2 switches (used) put them in with the idea of eventually making a reversing loop. But now they are 2 spurs facing each other about 10 feet apart with enough track to hold one 40 foot boxcar on each.
Between old RR lines and old trolly lines there are a bunch of abandoned track in my area. It seemed like every little town wanted a link to the big cities before the car came along. Plus the towns are a lot closer together here than what I have seen in Texas.
Hi captain carrales
I have been exploring in the area the wood lines used to be around my home town
All I can find is rows of depresions where sleepers used to be the odd fishplate left where it was and maybe the odd dog spike sometimes although we know the line
was here some where have not been able to find any trace.
My sugestion would be to build the road bed get some oiled wooden ties mix a weak cement soil mix spread it and make depresions in it, and push a couple of steel spikes in the surface and mabe a steel model fish plate leave the whole lot to dry and leave the spikes and plate to rust.
Just a thought.
regards John
Thanks for the replies…i want to build some spurs that are not in the best of shape. Maybe some derelect structures. It give the line, in my opinion, a since of history.
By the way…on a cool unrealted note…there is some type of railroad construction project going on in Robstown, Texas. Look like some type of spur…for what, I don’t know. But it is pretty cool to see ties in place with rails waiting. Its something I have never seen…a new section of track being laid from scratch!!!
Hey Capt.
When we were at Marty’s house last summer I got to see his abandoned line first hand. The old bridge looks really good in the setting. In his case I believe the abandoned line actually was in use at one time. Truly realistic! None on my line here. No plans either. Maybe the next one. [:D] Later eh…Brian.
I have been considering this for a one or two years, however just running out of space, most likely I will just place down a pice of 5 foot straight track with a short curve that will be seen from a distance with and abandoned freight car on the rails.
On my Rosebud Falls RR I currently have 5 “unused” (abandoned) sidings. 2 will be used to make the long run out through Rosebud Flats (~80 ft run along back fence weaving through the wife’s mini roses) and then make the turn to Green Apple Orchard (~40 ft run along side fence under dwarf apple trees). (construction phase 4) One “abandoned siding” will become the Rosebud Falls Yards (using 2 “3-way” switches) (construction phase 3) with a main line running from the yards across a bridge into an existing garden shed to a “storage rack” system (phase 5). The other two “abandoned sidings” will lead to the Lighthouse (phase 2) ,and the other will climb the mountainside for a scenic tourist ride up to the falls, and the TIMBER TRESTLE BRIDGE I have wanted to build for YEARS!!! (phase, 6,7,&8). These “abandoned sidings” have been setting out in the weather, uncleaned, unbalasted, unused for over a year. Mother nature has done some “balasting” and a lot of weathering, some ground wood mulch covering the rails and ties does look ABANDONED. These sidings may be “abandoned” for the next year or three, but will eventually connect to somewhere. But I’m considering designing and building an abandoned line half way out the trip through Rosebud Flats, making a turn through Strawberry Flats. maybe leave the ties and parts of the rails from a defective switch and a few pieces of missing rail along the way. (that will probably be something like construction phase 55!
I haven’t ever modelled one but that does sound like a really cool idea! There are a LOT of abandoned lines in NW Ohio and SE Michigan. Lots of spurs and even mainlines, quite a few bridges too. I’ll have to go out and get some pics to post here.
Sounds good…I enjoy looking at that sort of pic. There are a few folks working on the East Board Top where these is some rehibiliation of some due guage track…
I think we could do alot with this sort of thing, ,aybe just mke it out to be abandoned, but have it where it could be run if necessary.
