In 1985, the KBC, a small shortline working the industries around bend, was bought up by another, slightly larger shortline that ran between the cascades and the bend area, using an old spun off class I line to deliver logs from the west coast to a lumber mill in central oregon. The new system not only did this, but also delivered wood-chips from the saw mill, to a paper plant farther east. and served other idustries along the way. The railroad was renamed the Oregon Midland.
Does this sound any better/more believable than my old story (see my other post about my old KBC railroad.) This way I can still model the high desert, interchange with my dad’s SP layout, but this new story explains the major industry that keeps the small company up and running: lumber and paper.
See if you can find a copy of the August 2008 Railroad Model Craftsman. There’s an article about the Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway which has a lot of similarity to what you’re planning. It’s a nicely written and very well researched article, with prototype photos and a detailed layout plan for the model.
Perhaps this will give you a idea on writing a whimsical history.
The Columbus & Hocking Valley Ry is owned and operated by the CDB Industries and is one of 7 short lines owned by CDBI.The C&HV came into existence in 1978 when CDBI bought the old Athens sub-division of the Chessie System.During this purchase 2 other short lines was bought,the Parkersburg & Ohio Valley RR that ran from Parkersburg WV to Athens Oh and the Ohio Midland Ry that ran from Jackson,Oh to Newark,Oh.These 2 roads was quickly merged into the new C&HV.By purchasing these roads the CBDI finally had the long sought after southern Ohio coal fields and industries.The CDBI relaid the track from Nelsonville to Athens which had been removed by the C&O some years ago.The old Logan yards was rebuilt and upgraded during this time as it would serve as the home shops and the only major yard on the C&HV since it was centrally located on the line.The second yard would be located in the old C&O(nee CHV&T) Mound Street yard and would require trackage rights over the Chessie to reach…A agreement was struck with the Chessie for those rights.The former P&OV yard in Parkersburg was upgraded as was the OM yards at Jackson and Newark.
The C&HV connects with the following roads.
Chessie(c&o) at Columbus.
N&W at Columbus.
DT&I at Jackson
Chessie(b&o) at Newark.
Scioto Valley Lines at Lancaster.
Ironton Northern at Athens.
Chessie(b&o) at Athens.
Commodities haul: Grain,Lumber,coal,coke,steel,fly-ash,food stuffs,sand,glass,corn sweetener,corn starch,vegetable oils,scrap,pipe,chemicals,paints,news print,pulpwood,wood chips and other general freight.Total cars handle 32,584 a year
If I had the needed information I could have fun with your “history”.
Gad to see another oregonian here. I worked on the Port of Tillamook line before I move to eastern Oregon. If you are planning to have a prototypical layout I would use Oregon Midland for your cover story. The Port of Tillamook used the old SP line to Tillamook out of Hillsboro, Or. By the way it your layout and it can be what you want it to be. So have fun with it. I have for to many years and not enough.[:D]
When you are freelancing as you and I are doing your model railroad must meet an absolute measure of plausability: yours, sir, appears to do just that! There was really nothing wrong with your original concept of a railroad running eastward across the Cascades from the Willamette Valley as long as you could have established some economic rationale for why your railroad would have expanded all the way to the Boise Valley of Southwestern Idaho.
Some years ago Mr Eric Brooman published a short fictional history of his Utah Belt; his railroad commenced its journey to the modern era as a 19th Century switching railroad in the Salt Lake Valley that expanded into a shortline and kept expanding until it eventually found itself interchanging with the SP in El Paso, Texas. The plausability of this story led me to sit down and write out a fictional history of my own Seaboard and Western Virginia Railway and how it came to be a Class I serving the Midwestern gateways, quite a way from its roots running westward into the Appalachians from an equally fictitious Port Gloucester on the lower reaches of the Chesapeake.
Another thing I like about my new name is that it is fairly general. Oregon Midland simply means it runs in Oregon. It could go to the boise valley, or not. It can cover as much or as little land as I want. I also want to point out, that it still runs out of the willamette valley, and heads east into the desert. However, I haven’t decided how far east it goes beyond bend yet. I’m still writing teh story of teh Oregon Midland RR, and my first post in this thread is only chapter 1. Stay Tuned[;)]