Loleta&Mad River

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

I’m planning on building part of Loleta & Mad river railway and was wondering if anyone had any info which I could use.

Thanks

2

I have never heard of this railroad. Do you mean the Arcata and Mad River?

3

Nedarb,
If you do mean the Arcata and Mad River, there are a few photos at the “fallen flags” site:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-a/misc-a.html
Scroll down a bit.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543

4

The “Loleta & Mad River” is an Iain Rice design, which is based extremely loosely on the Arcata & Mad River–it is primarily a 4x8 point-to-point design ending in a wharf something like Arcata’s old wharf. It differs from the A&MR in that it features mining traffic, from an “unobtainium” mine.

The “Fallen Flags” page isn’t very useful–those are just a few shots of very, very late period A&MR boxcars from the end of the line’s life in the Nineties.

The actual A&MR was a common carrier that handled primarily logging traffic from a variety of lumber mills and smaller lumber lines in and around Arcata, CA. It was originally narrow gauge (using an unusual “*** gauge” of roughly three and a half feet) but converted to standard gauge in the 1920s. It used a variety of small rod engines, a couple of geared locomotives and, after conversion to standard gauge, 44-tonner diesel-electrics.

nedarb: Exactly what sort of information is it that you are looking for? Construction hints, rolling stock suggestions, background, etcetera?

5

thanks

6

Well, I guess that was enough information…