Hi Experienced modelrailroaders. I would like to hear from you what kind freelanced railroads you have made? Does it ever make you happy that you made a rail line? If you don’t know what a freelanced railroad is I will tell you. It is a rail line that you make and the trains, and stuructures will have the same kind rail line name you make otherwise when you show your layout to other people and you have different sturctures with the rail line you made that does not make sense to the person they will think you did not do a good job on your layout. Well anyway what do you think of your freelanced layout and name?
I ran a freelance road called the Autumns Ridge Railway & Navigation Co. that is based loosely on the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR in Maine. My time period was the late 30’s.
I say this all in past tense right now as the layout is currently dismantled because we will be moving soon. Once we move I get a new train room that will be about double the size of the old one.[:D][:D][:D]
I couldn’t be happier with this setup as it allows me to run my own RR but I still adhere to railroad practices of the time period. This is important if you are to maintain believeability.
You lost me there. [%-)] I think your trying to say that there is a cohesiveness to the layout because the same theme (railroad name, time period, etc.) is carried throughout the whole layout, right?
The Sublime to Redikulus is in fact a small logging railroad in Minnesota, a mining road in Arizona connected by a main line that runs though the Mississippi river valley and southern Minnesota to New Mexico to Arizona. It connects to the NP in MN and the BNSF in Arizona. That allows me to run the trains I like and model the two industries I wanted. It takes a time warp and a two worm holes to accomplish it, both of which are hidden in tunnels. I don’t know if that is freelanced or fanticy, but it followes the prototype to the letter, though the prototype is in my memory, not the real world, unless my memories are real.
I like the way that having your own railroad allows you to model whatever and however. No layout is too far out or too conservative. And, yes, having the layout revolve around your own particular line does make it easy to present the entire layout as a cohesive theme.
This is my shortline railroad, the Cedar Branch & Western. It is located somewhere in the Ozark Mountains and operates on a former Missouri Pacific branch line.
Ryan,I believe so…[:D] Here is the “history” of my C&HV to prove it.[;)]
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.
CR 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
Thanks to a aggressive marketing team freight traffic has climb a staggering 33% since the CDBI started the C&HV.
CDBI owns the following roads.
Cumberland,Dickersonville & Bristol Ry.Cumberland to Bristol VA.The CD&B is the flagship road.The CDB in CDB Industries is the
Ryan, a freelanced railroad should really have NO constrainsts except for those self-imposed by the freelancer…don’t you think? So, while another experienced modeler may turn his/her nose up at your “railroad”, an experienced PERSON would not be unkind in their remarks. A modeler who made fun of your freelanced layout, regardless of what you cobbled together to make it, is not demonstrating a breadth of experience, but is certainly showing some weakness of character.
However, if you invite people to see what you have created, you also invite their opinions, unless you tell them at the outset that you don’t want any comment,s or that you want no negative ones. You probably would get few guests that way.
I had a fully freelanced layout, and am building another. I can’t imagine that the UP, NYC, PRR, TH&B, and a coal company would have had locos in the same yard, but they do in my world.
That is just the way it is.
Just my [2c]
Edit - to clean up my typing. It left something to be desired…sorry.
selector,That’s why I have a “history” for my freelance C&HV…You see when first time viewers see my equipment I pass them a copy of C&HV history so they can understand what I am modeling.Of course I have engines lettered for my C&HV so they can get the illusion the C&HV is as real as any prototype short line…
Ryan,A freelance railroad should be believable and plausible and not just a wild collection of locomotives…
You see our job as a freelance modeler is to present our freelance railroad in the “starring” role and that would include having some engines lettered for our railroad.
You see if I visited your layout and I see nothing but (say) CSX locomotives it would be hard press for me to believe you have a “freelance” railroad because my mind tells my eyes that you model CSX and that is what we don’t want our visitors to think…Now add some locomotives with our freelance railroad name then we see our freelance railroad come to life…Of course we can still use those CSX units as lease units or CSX as the “parent” road.However that’s another form of freelancing that must be believable and plausible as well.
The BEST part is its not that hard to have a believable freelance railroadf…You see all it takes is some basic research and a past railroad map of the area you wi***o model.Happily all of this can be done on line.
I’m something of a fence-sitter on this, because of the three railroads I model:
Japan National Railway - fully prototype, except for fictional place names. Comparison of the (model) Nichigeki-sen timetable with the (prototype) Chuo-Nishi-hon-sen timetable will expose the identities of the guilty.
Kashimoto Forest Railway - based (loosely) on the Kiso Forest Railway, but includes rolling stock from other, non-connecting, 762mm gauge Japanese lines, and at least one outside Japan.
Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo - runs a prototype timetable (from the JNR Katsuda-sen) but is otherwise entirely freelance. Rolling stock is scratchbuilt and follows Japanese engineering standards, but is mostly based on the question, “What If?” (What if the coal mine owners decided to use three truck articulated hoppers to haul coal to the power plant at Minamijima?)
I’m satisfied with the result (and will be moreso when more of my under-construction layout gets finished.) If Joe Nitpicker objects, I’ll issue him a sympathy chit and a key to the weep locker.
This post makes it sound like this is just something that is done overnight. One of my freelance railroads, the Pine Ridge & North River, has been in development since I was a Sophomore in High School and started as a “short story” project for English class. I was influenced by an article in MRC called something like “Fan Trip on the V&O”. I’ve been developing the railroad ever since. In short, it is a regional connector route with some very large mining customers. It has never been a “struggling” road but they are frugal. They primarily purchase locomotives and equipment second hand from the class ones.
Two of my freelance railroads do not have a layout. They are paper roads at this point in time. One is an industrial railroad primarly serving the Tesla Wireless Power company. The other one is another short line that I inherited while working on development of free lance names for another person. I suggested it to them and when they chose another, It was so good I kept it in the files for myself.
I’ve spent most of my time in the last 20 years developing the club’s class one freelance “Platte Valley & Western” which is in competition with the Rio Grande through the Colorado Rockies. Because its route is more indirect, it has to run faster schedules just to come out even. I am just finishing the first color “freight equipment” painting & lettering manual.
I have to disagree. One form of freelancing is to create a fictional branch of a real railroad. It could pass through real locations or fantasized places. Many freelancers, myself included, create interchanges with real railroads which adds to the plausibility and allows us to run factory equipment without the trouble of repainting everything. A freelancer is free to decide what mix of actual and fictional equipment and locations he wants to incorporate into his layout. It is part of the fun of being a freelancer.
Ya a freelance can be many things - I would say someone who models a real railroad, but a fictional branchline of it - would be considered to be freelancing at least to some extent. Some people model actual cities, but connect them with a fictional (but plausible) railroad.
My “St.Paul Route”, the St.Paul Duluth and Canadian, is based on what might have happened if two real railroads (the St.Paul and Duluth, and the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western) had continued to exist and merged, forming a line from the Twin Cities thru Duluth/Superior up to what’s now Thunder Bay Ontario. In fact, the real St.Paul and Duluth became part of the NP in 1900, and the PAD&W went bankrupt in the depression.
Once nice thing about what I’m doing is I have a real railroad to anchor my freelancing on. My St.Paul Route herald is based on the real StP&D herald, my top passenger train, the Lake Superior Limited, was a real train, and even my slogan on engines and cars “Route of the Famous Lake Superior Limited” comes from a real StP&D advertising slogan.
I think to a degree, the term “Free Lance” means, anything goes. Hence the free. Sure, someone who visits your layout might not buy your explaintion of soaring fuel costs made it ecnomical for your RR to buy old steam and use it for inter-modal service…but then again if its your free lance world, who cares. For some people, the idea of going prototypical provides and extra challenge to modeling. Pretty easy to do an “era” and go with a region. A real challenge to go to a year and pick some some road like Northern Pac. or Nickel Plate Road and design the layout to fit a certian branch and season for work. And for others, they dont want to limit themselves, they want it all.
I am one of those that loves it all. Modern Thunder to Clasic Steam. I invented my completly fictional Kiva Valley Railway and I even run my layout in 2 different time periods just so I can have my cake and eat it too. Making my own paint scheme and runnign a few of my own KVR road power mixed in with visting power was the the glue I needed to make it all work.
For me, once I figured out what possiblites, a free lanced road could do, it was the only way I could enjoy the hobby. And still come up wth enougn smoke and mirrors to make it believable[:D]
I own and operate the South Massey Ry. It is a freelance railroad that is still being built. I have settled on a paint scheme but I have yet to finish painting any locos. The layout became alot smaller recently to make room for my new little baby. I have some pics of the old and new on my website the link is in my sig and the proposed pain scheme is the loco in the sig as well. I like the Idea of owning my own line and making its history. But since I also like the NS and BNSF Rys I had to make sure there was room for them too. Heck I even have a few CSX running around as well.
Yep, I invented the Texas Mining and Industrial, it connects with the SP. It covers a territory from El Paso west to Deming , Lordsburg, and even a sneak into southern Arizona. This is my latest paint job, a CF-7.
Your CF7 looks really man. I really dug the silver trucks. Painting them is a pain, but I think it is worth it. Brings out alot more detial for the model. Nice Job. Makes a nice addtion for the “Timmy”*. Just need about 4 more.[:D]
*sorry, my personal spin for your roadname T.M.and I…couldnlt help it.
