I am curiose just how many peolple model midwestern roads. what railroad do you model, how big is your layout and what is the basic theme ? just post here.
I am waiting to build a layout based on the Rock Island and CB&Q, with Illinois and Iowa themed scenery and industries. The time period is 1945-1950, but I may allow it to go to 1945-1955. It will have no specific locale, but I may use station names of regional towns.
My favorites are the Illinois Central, Missouri Pacific, and Chicago and Eastern Illinois as they ran through or near my home town in southern Illinois; however, I don’t have a home layout and run my trains on a club layout, so the scenery certainly isn’t specific to southern Illinois. Another club member is from Rock Island, Illinois, so you can guess what road he prefers. Despite the lack of scenery from a specific area, I still enjoy running my trains on the club layout.
I’m planning a layout based on the Wsiconsin and southern Railroad. It’ll be based on there Reedsburg sub from Madison to Reedsbug WI. I’m planning on it being about 20x20 ft, but bigger would be better. I might even make it a double level to get more prototipical distancees between towns.
Noah[:P][8D][:)]
I have to admit, I really don’t know where the midwest is considered to be! I think it is thought to be Michigan, Ohio and the Indiana area, which to me doesn’t make any sense as these states are to the east of the center of the country. I model the Northern Pacific, specifically in western Montana, around Butte.
The Midwest is Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and some people also include the Dakotas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Basically it’s the states wher a lot of grain is produced. Sometimes Indiana and Ohio are considered eastern states.
Yes, that is really a matter of perspective. Being from Minnesota, I would say no to Ohio, maybe to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan and Indiana. My list would be: IL, WI, MN, ND, SD, IA, MO, NE, and KS. Now what was the question??? Oh yeah.[:p]
I have a very large trainroom, and plan to model mostly the BNSF and CP with a little UP thrown in. The railroad will follow the route of the Amtralk Empire builder as it passes through the Twin Cities.
There’s a eastern midwest, a northern midwest, and a southern midwest, I guess. I’m from Minnesota, too, but I used to live in eastern Kansas, so that’s what I’m trying to model. Basically, anything that ran to the Kansas City area is fair game. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really help me narrow down at all–CB&Q, Rock Island, Milwaukee Road, ATS&F, UP, Frisco are all represented on my layout. I could add Wabash, KCS, MKT, MP if I wanted to or could afford it!
I have an issue of MR from April '95, and there’s a layout by Duane Gaddis featured–The Northern Illinois-Southern Indiana RR. He has a generic Midwest look, and he changes roadnames and eras every few months. He runs ATS&F, C&NW, CB&Q, MR, RI, IC and NYC.
Gary
I grew up in North and South Dakota. In SD the town I lived in was called the Hub City because it was where 4 railroads crossed each other on the plain. The town’s in ND are all about 100 miles from each other because towns formed where the railroad need to refuel. The town I live in now, has it’s main street named after former NP president Henry Villard. I model midwestern railroads because out on the plains railroads where the reasons towns were located where they were. As a result railroads are still very prominent and positively represented.
I have a generic layout that has grain elevators like my home in Kansas, but my roster is really weird. I run Southern (they’re pretty), The Blue Comet, (looks neat), The Blue Goose, (Looks unusual), UP Portland Rose, (love those Challengers), Another Challenger Rio Grand, Love those Challengers, (again), Burlington Northern Passenger pulled by E-& A-B (My wife’s train, Green is her favorite color) My only justification for all this is that my road, The East BFE and Western, Runs an awful lot of excursion trips with steam and early diesels, from every road imaginable! HAHA! As you can see, I’m not exactly a “rivet counter”, But as they say, Whatever floats your boat, (or toots your whistle.
Dave
By the way, I was stationed in Enid, Ok while in the Air Force and really liked “THE ROCK” color scheme on the RI at that time. I wouldn’t mind seeing a diesel in that color scheme on the East BFE & Western, but have not seen one in N Scale as yet. Note: My home town is 62 miles straight north of Enid, a small town called Anthony, Kansas. We had four railroads there when I was a kid, The Mopac, The Chicago, northwest and Orient, The Santa Fe, and the Rock Island had an engine or two go through as well (trackage rights on the MoPac?) Sadly, there are no longer any track s left in my little town, the rails have been torn up, I remember watching the steam locomotives working the wheat harvest right behind my house when I was in 7th grade> The next year they dieselised the road. Another sad day in my life. (I’m an old codger)
Dave
You Minnesotains which feel you live in the midwest can have it! I live in the Minnesota which is in the North Central states.
I live in Iowa and I model the midwest. I model the CNW and The Rock in the blue scheme(see signature). BNSF does make run throughs if there is a problem on their tracks in southern Iowa and SP makes some appearances also. UP was gobbled up by the Rock before it had a chance to destroy CNW and the SP.
Oh and Cottonbelt819, there is a Route Rock N scale on ebay in the blue scheme.
Thanks,
Jeremy
I model Michigan. We are not included in the Midwest, or Northeast as we are a penninsula unto ourselves. [:D]] We are divided up by upper or lower.
I’m planning on modeling the Conrail and Chessie lines that ran through Carthage in Cincinnati, Ohio. I lived in back of the National Distillers/Gilby’s Gin plant(Conrail line) and got to see lot’s of switching and loading of cars as well as a constant stream of trains running through as much as every half hour. The Chessie line which sits about 1 1/2 mile straight across from the Conrail had switches that went to stamping plants and trucking companies. Of course now all of this is owned by Norfolk Southern.
The National Distillers plant is now in the process of being torn down by Jim Beam as it has no use for that end of the plant. I went out there a couple of weeks before they started to dismantle parts of the buildings and took pictures to get an accurate layout as well as building construction and just recently was able to get a hold of a rail map of both lines. My Girlfreind thinks I’m crazy[:D]
juby4life, if Iowa’s rail history wuold have played uot that way, us hardcore Midwesterners would be laughing our tails off at Uncle Pete.! h would have got a taste of his own medicine, which UP thouroughly deserves anyway.
I am modeling the Nickle Plate Road in central Indiana. The main theme of the railroad is the yards in Frankfort Indiana in the 50’s. I am doing the late steam and early diesel era. The lay out is in my basement in an area that is 52’ x 14’ in ho scale and I am using atlas code 100 track.
I am in the rebuilding process of my layout due to more available space, I model in the 1960s - 1970s era Wisconsin . Mostly SOO LINE , but also have CNW , Along with a few fictional branch lines . Basicaly Ladysmith, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, & Janesville are my main cities due to the many industries that were in these cities. But also have some small towns in between to give it that steam era look. WSOR will be added soon even though they are out of the era that I model…OH Well. Kind of back to the future. The size is about 20’ x 30’ & am in the process of going DCC. “HAPPY RAILS”
I have always lived somewhere in Kansas. When I was a kid my Father worked for the AT&SF, the Panhandle Division I think it was called…so lots of Santa Fe on my small 4x8. The places are fictional, but the comodites are based on what we see here…Grain Elevators, Flour Mill, and some COOP type business. I am planning to someday get some of the UP comming through town someday…like those long coal trains.
I model Free lance
DOGGY