This may seem like an odd question, since as MRR’ers we like to use every available inch of space on our layouts for operation, but has anyone out there included abandoned or ripped up trackage on their pike? Given the amount of trackage that has been abandoned in the past forty years, it offers a lot of opportunities to have at least one industrial siding that no longer leads anywhere, or a passing track that is no more. Perhaps an abandoned cut or portal in the scenery near the wall?
Searching out and walking abandoned ROW’s has become part of the hobby for me, and it seems like it offers a lot of scenic detail potential: a line of rotting ties, perhaps some rusted rail still attached, or a turnout frog or ground throw in the weeds. There’s an abandoned hopper coal dump near my parent’s place that was built in the 1890’s, that is now all crumbling concrete with the original rail rusted to the point that the rails & fishplates have fused. When I imagine it scratchbuilt, I naturally imagine it in operation, but then wonder if it wouldn’t be more interesting as it is now.
I have a cutoff to allow for continuous running when I’m in the mood or when beaking in new engines. I plan to model the cutoff as an abandon right of way with weeds between the tracks, extra rusty rail, minimal ballast, etc.
Here are two photos of some abandoned trackage on my pike. I have a combination freight and passenger station that at one time had tracks on both sides of the building. The rear track has been abandoned for some time; to the extent that trees are now growing up on the right of way.
I installed some very weathered and distressed ties; with most missing. I then poorly ballasted the track and added weeds and fallen leaves. A few pieces of rail, some junk, trash, newspapers and some small Scenic Express ‘Super Trees’ finished the scene.
Where the road once crossed the track, I left the rails in place and simply paved over the former siding.
Remember to click on the photos for larger images.
We have some on our HO scale club’s layout where the track design was changed to accommodate the addition of a second main line and we had to remove some turnouts, but left the old sidings in place.
In my original track plan, I had two 90 degree crossings. But when I got around to actually laying out the track, I found that one curve wouldn’t fit, so I had the change the entire middle of my layout. But I had already laid one of the crossings along the edge of the layout and the track beyond it (about 2 1/2"). So instead of ripping it out and relaying it, I pulled out the rails and left the crossing as an abandoned rail line thru town and left ties on the edge of the layout.
The black lines coming off the far track is the curve that wouldn’t fit.
Dale, I really like the looks of your abandoned trackage.
So far, I only have one track that could be looked upon as abandoned, but I have hopes for more. I say “could be” as it is a spur beyond a turnout that fades off into a few ties and a bit of rail here and there at the very end of it. I use the spur as a caboose track when switching the junction and the very farthest section that is still intact, but mostly in the sand and weeds, is isolated as my programming track.
Simplest abandoned track modeling:
1.) Get a Walthers or equivalent track bumper
2.) Weather like crazy - usual colors are rusty/brownish looking black.
3.) Place out in a field, or alongside a building with bricked in doors, or in the middle of a paved lot.
That’s about it, except try to keep an empty line of ROW to this bumper - no tracks, rails or ties needed (or if impinging on it, at least use modern/newer buildings to indicate overbuilding of the former ROW).
Thanks for all of the cool ideas, and Piedsou, wow! Incredible work. [bow] I’d like to shrink myself to 1:87 and walk down that abandoned ROW to see where it leads. Those Scenic Express trees are the best I’ve seen.
One variation I’d like to try would be a small shortline or logging RR close to abandonment with really rocky light sectional track that only the lightest motive power could traverse. There was a shortline here in New Jersey called the Rockaway Valley RR, and it barely survived into the 20th Century. It was built on the cheap, with the tie spacing at least double the standard, so it came to be known as the Rockabye Baby. Even an early Consolidation was too heavy for it.
Has anyone taken a stab at simulating the natural bowed appearance of sectional rail, even if just on abandoned trackage?
I’ve actually found that my abandoned track looks better than my in service track. What I use is scrap rail from laying flextrack, and real wood ties. The ties are also not all the exact same length or in perfect line, so it looks more prototypical for old rail (and is great for me because as hard as I’d try I doubt i could line them all perfectly.) Weathering heavily is the key. To do so I went to the area of my prototype (southeastern Ontario) and picked up small used scraps of metal I found along the ROW (without removing anything currently in use of course!!!) and then matched the color to the real rusted metal.
Nice job there Dale, looks really good. I f I may be so bold to give one of those " modeling hints" here. If your modeling the modern times with abandoned trackage and want to leave the rails there, and you are modeling in HO scale, try useing code 55 N scale rail heavily weathered and rusted on HO scale ties. This helps in giving the impression of long ago abandonment. Also, where lines are abandoned, some times the track is taken out leaving only the old road bed, culverts and sometimes bridges are even left in place. I’ve also seen abandoned rolling stock half buried and weed and tree growth around them where it was too costly to retreive them when the line was abandoned. This in no way is meant to degrade anyones work, just to give some ideas is all. Ken
Lots of good ideas here. To add a bit more… I was out along the old Montour “Library Branch” over the weekend. Even though the Montour has been gone about 20 years, many things from the past still survive. For example, the huge Library Viaduct is still in place. One, possibly both, approach has been paved over. Yet, the rails leading to, and across the Viaduct itself are still in place. Since the deck is rotting, it’s been fenced off. It’s too dangerous to walk on–it’s at least a 50-foot drop onto Route 88! Less than a mile away, sits a small brick building originally used for (I think) MoW storage. The building is in great shape, but some of the glass has been blown out. Just across the subway tracks sits the original company store–it still reads “Champion Stores” on the rear…even though it became a laundromat years ago. That building could be fixed up–it’s been empty as long as I can remember.
Towards the end of the Montour, the right-of-way was overgrown in places, and derailments were common. From what I’ve heard, when the end came, all of the freight cars were hauled to the P&LE yard for disposal or return to their lessors. Today, a fair bit of the Montour’s line is now a trail. Old signals and mile markers are still in place, and some of the bridges have been relettered.
If you really want to have fun, try following the original Waynesburg & Washington main line between those two towns in SW PA. Even though that line hasn’t seen a train in years, it’s still there. In some places, you can still see the rails!
One of the best effects I’ve seen is to have weed covered ties with no rail diverging off the mainline where a turnout has been removed. Very easy to do and doesn’t need a lot of space if you run it off the front of the benchwork. An abandoned industry could be done the same way if you wand to add a gutted, rundown, boarded up structure. Add tall weeds and trees around it for effect.
You’ll need to take a parachute [(-D] (Sorry! [:I])
More seriously… “natural bowed appearance of sectional rail”? Do you mean non-ribbon rail? Where are you seeing it with bows in it?
Ideas for abandoned lines…
Odd bits of rail showing up in pavement where street trackage is long gone.
RR Company lettering in the cornices of what used to be RR buildings… possibly derelict, boarded up or converted to new use.
When a route or siding connection is taken out of service the blades may be scotched and clamped out of use. The scotch is a wooden block that goes in the open side between the blade and the stock rail. Obviously it needs to keep below flange depth (and not be put in vertically like a bad tooth as I’ve seen managers do)! A switch calmp (which is like a giant G clamp shaped to fit the rail and with a padlocking faciliy) can be fitted or a railbar/fishplate can be wedged between a large rail bolt or spike in the tie (in the 4’) and the inside of the switch blade forcing the blade shut against the stock rail. Further screws or spikes can be driven through the lower holes (furthest from th
Perhaps I didn’t describe it well enough. Sectional rail, as opposed to welded, naturally dips at the rail joints, which creates that side-to-side rocking sensation I remember so well from commuting to school before they replaced it all with welded. The vintage 1930’s steel MU coaches I rode were extremely heavy with poor suspension, so sometimes the swaying got almost violent. Line of sight down the tracks, with your perspective foreshortening the rail sections, this vertical “bowing” of the rails becomes much more apparent. In scale it would necessitate handlaying short lengths of rail, and then of course there’s potential tracking problems, even with a logging engine. Just curious if anyone has attempted handlaying sectional track.
I’m glad to see that others ask this question. I’ve always thought I was nuts for using space on my layout for abandoned trackage. I’ve got a two-railroad setup (1 shortline, 1 mainline) with an interchange. I decided to abandon the shortline from the mid-point on the branch, so I’ve got a long stretch of “abandoned” trackage. Possibly a waste of space, but I really like it for the realism aspect!
I’ve planned to put a short length of abandoned trackage in my layout whenever I get around to building it…Maybe even placing a forlorn boxcar or something on it…But I haven’t built a layout yet…
