My railroad is the CC&I, a fictional Class I Railroad, based in Evans (ghost town in reality), Illinois. The owner, Mr. LMD, started the railroad in 1870 (really in 2008). The railroad started growing gradually buying available (and soon to be) ghost towns to expand it trackage instead of sharing any trackage with other railroads.
Currently the railroad is in its fourth generation of ownership and rarely buy new locomotives, prefer rebuilding or buying “special purchase” locomotives (locomotives bought from the National Railway company).The railroad trackage stretches Atlantic to Pacific as well as from Chicago to the gulf Coast. The railroad locomotive are sorted in three classes: rebuilts (including overhauling), Gems (locomotives bought with little work done), and Staples (bought by the railroad). The list below is the locomotive roster for the Evans branchline.
Rebuilts:
1 4-8-4, Rock Island
1 4-6-0, CNW
2 2-8-0, CC&I
2 0-6-0st, CC&I
1 0-8-0t, CC&I
1 SD26, CC&I
2 E8As & Bs
Gems
2 SW1500, Conrail and Santa Fe
1 C420 High Hood, Norfolk Southern (bought from Larry’s Trucks and Electric)
1 1 Dash 8, NYSW
3 (2) Southern Pacific, 1 Pennsylvania
Staples
1 MP15-1
1 SW9/12
1 SW8
2 Dash 9s
1 SD26
1 SD35 High Hood
With the summary of my railroad history, what is your fictional or prototype railroad history?
The combination of a railway and trucking company, the trucking company is SFI Sampson freight industries this company came into business after rising from the previous owner operated Triple J trucking(my Gramps real company). now for the rail company it runs trailer trains and interchanges mixed freights with the BN and BNSF. the fleet is small consisting of a pair of Dash8-40BW’s(which I need to get), an SD40-2 and a GP38-2. they stick to the local area of Centralia, Olympia, and Shelton, interchanging with the PSAP.
After a devasting wild fire in 1923 that destroyed thousands of acres of prime citrus crop, the regions growers petitioned the ICC to prohibited the Southern Pacific from continued use of steam power on its Ojai Branch, despite any evidence that SP was responsible for causing the conflagration, the injunction was granted.
To satisfy ICC requirements, the Citrus Belt was incorporated to service the profitable branch, overhead and electrical switching equiptment were supplied and installed by the Pacific Electric, freight motors were ordered from Baldwin as kits with the PE’s Torrance Shop doing the assembly.
Conversion of the branch was completed in 1926 and proved a cost effective solution for the difficuilt to operate 19 mile branch with grades that exceeded 3% that previously required the use of steam helpers on the east end, electric motors proved capable of moving over 700 car loads on average per season with no helper requirements and at a much reduced fire risk.
SP did investigate the possibilty of electric operations for the Ojai Branch, had it occured, Pacific Electric would have assumed the role of primary operator and this would have required an line extension and capitol improvements to their under utilized San Fernanado branch, it was not be as SP was currently embroiled in a costly legal fight with the Santa Fe to keep them from expanding west from Baskerfield into this prime growing region, the courts eventually denied the SP request in a complex compromise deal that also forbid SF from further westward extension attempts. Loss of customers and the difficuilt operating profile caused SP to apply and be granted premission to abandon the eastern end of the branch in 1969, the remaining 11 miles remained in limited service until complete abandoment in 1984.
The Flint Hills Northern Railway Company was first incorporated as the Kansas Flint Hills Railroad in 1885. Its primary service was to link the ranches of the western two thirds of Kansas and Oklahoma with the rail heads at Topeka, Dodge City, and Wichita, providing quicker service to the meat packing centers of Kansas City through connections with the AT&SF at those cities. This gave the ranchers a higher price for their beef than they might otherwise get, since the cattle would not have to be driven as far to the railheads, and would thus arrive fatter and in better condition.
The fortunes of the KFHRR went steadily downward after the turn of the century, as motor travel became more common, with the result that more ranchers preferred to ship their beef directly to the packers by truck. The Great Depression caused the Company to go into receivership, and it was reorganized in 1937 under new management as the Flint Hills Northern Railway Company.
Its current (1953) goal is to provide general freight service to the Western Great Plains, with North-South interchange with the major transcontinental railroads, (which are generally oriented East to West.)
Motive Power and Equipment:
The primary form of motive power on the Railway is steam. While there is some limited use of diesel-electric power, notably in some of the passenger service still provided, the Company management feels that the proven reliability of steam, as well as the tremendous investment which has already been made in the
Amazing and interesting rail history to say the least. I do hope those passengers enjoy the steam locomotives and the everyday operations of the railroad.
truckers go to areas where rail can’t reach in state, sometimes the TOFC’s are handed off to the BN who runs them in sprint trains to other terminals throughout the country.
So like the trucks would go to farms and pickup the goods, drive it to the terminal, load up the goods in a boxcar, and the train takes it cross country or within the area?
yeah, the containers or trailers would arrive at the terminal and then are loaded upon the tofc cars from there the Dash’s lead the train out to a BN yard and from then on the BN would take the train out to various road/rail terminals. then the trailers would be loaded, placed back on the train carried back by the BN swapped back to DRST which would take it to a road/rail terminal offloaded and rinse and repeat.
yep, whilst keeping tree huggers happy by helping cut down on the number of trucks on the road and reducing the amount of pollution. now if only they would do this in real life.
The BT&S has a rather colorful history to it. It was formed from the defunct Susquehanna and New York Railroad. It got it’s start when a sawmill opened in Wysox and someone decided to charter a railroad to take advantage of the lumber traffic and bridge traffic over the system between the Lehigh Valley and Erie Lackawanna at Waverly New York. It proved to be ineffective, however, as passenger service ended in1961, and the railroad was bought by the Lehigh Valley in1963.
Well, I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, but I just felt compelled to give my fictitious free-lanced railroad’s history.
The Toledo Erie Central Railroad (TEC), set in northwestern Ohio, was started when the railroads were deregulated back in the early 70’s, prompting many class 1 railroads to abandon lines that weren’t profitable to them that they previously were, by law, required to operate. This approximately 17 mile stretch of trackage east of Toledo was a “bridge” line formerly owned by the Norfolk and Western railroad, with trackage rights granted to the B&O, the Pennsy and the Erie Lackawanna during that time. This segment of the N&W diid not carry enough revenue service to pay for itself and so the original intent was to abandon the line. The local businesses along the line still considered rail service to be of vital importance to them. A meeting was convened of the local businesses, most notably the West Sandusky Co-Op and the Toledo-based Mud Hen Brewing Co. among others. The decision was made to submit a petition to the N&W to purchase the 17 mile segment. A few months later the N&W replied with a request for a proposal for purchase. The business consortium drew up a proposal and the N&W accepted it and the sale of the line was executed in 1972. The railroad, therefore is collectively owned by the local businesses along the industrial corridor. Revenue for the railroad includes grain, coal, beer and ale, scrap metal, fabricated metal, car parts, food additives and other assorted freight. The general offices for the railroad are located in the old depot in West Sandusky.
Shortly after the purchase, the new railroad proceeded to buy an old SW9 from the Erie Lackawanna as well as a caboose from the Wabash. The engine and the caboose, which are presently the only rostered rolling equipment, were lettered for the TEC. The caboose was completely repainted prior to lettering, as well as being re-numbered
Well, I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, but I just felt compelled to give my fictitious free-lanced railroad’s history.
The Toledo Erie Central Railroad (TEC), set in northwestern Ohio, was started when the railroads were deregulated back in the early 70’s, prompting many class 1 railroads to abandon lines that weren’t profitable to them that they previously were, by law, required to operate. This approximately 17 mile stretch of trackage east of Toledo was a “bridge” line formerly owned by the Norfolk and Western railroad, with trackage rights granted to the B&O, the Pennsy and the Erie Lackawanna during that time. This segment of the N&W diid not carry enough revenue service to pay for itself and so the original intent was to abandon the line. The local businesses along the line still considered rail service to be of vital importance to them. A meeting was convened of the local businesses, most notably the West Sandusky Co-Op and the Toledo-based Mud Hen Brewing Co. among others. The decision was made to submit a petition to the N&W to purchase the 17 mile segment. A few months later the N&W replied with a request for a proposal for purchase. The business consortium drew up a proposal and the N&W accepted it and the sale of the line was executed in 1972. The railroad, therefore is collectively owned by the local businesses along the industrial corridor. Revenue for the railroad includes grain, coal, beer and ale, scrap metal, fabricated metal, car parts, food additives and other assorted freight. The general offices for the railroad are located in the old depot in West Sandusky.
Shortly after the purchase, the new railroad proceeded to buy an old SW9 from the Erie Lackawanna as well as a caboose from the Wabash. The engine and the caboose, which are presently the only rostered rolling equipment, were lettered for the TEC. The caboose was completely repainted prio
