my railroad is the Norfolk,Carolina & Danville. It was the result of a 1974 merger between the struggling Atlantic and Danville (Who stupidly didn’t merge back into the NW unlike Real Life) and the Norfolk Southern. The NC&D soon propered by offering competitive rates and a connection to ports in Norfolk, but soon it wanted more. by 1980 the railroad got trackage rights to Acca Yard Richmond via the SCL, and boy did this help the railroad, as they now gained a a portal to the Northeast via the RF&P whom they bought into, in 1988 the RF&P was essentially the NC&D,Chessie and SCL’s railroad. But two of those railroads were merging and in need of some weight shedding, so they sold there shares of of the RF&P. Originally the plan was to have the NC&D merge the RF&P into itself, but this was balked at by the state of Virginia because it’s pension plan was essentially stock in the RF&P and a buyout would ruin that, so the RF&P is now a subsidiary of the NC&D (somehow that works in my world not sure if that plan would work in the real world with the pensions and all)
Also the NC&D - SCL/CSX trackage rights would be between LaCrosse,VA and Richmond and Wilson,NC and Richmond.
So what do my fellow Protolancers, Freelancers, and Prototypers think of this layout?
Nice hypothetical explanation. That is good and as it should be. If you are doing a fantasy road like me you have to have a good background story. I posted mine on the P.U.P, (Paradox Urivan and Placerville), a short while back. (HOn3)
I actually live in Richmond and always liked the A&D and almost modeled it back in the 80’s but my fantasy road fever took over and I created the D&DW Disputanta and Danville Western. (HO) Disputanta is a small ville just south of Petersburg and its naming is most interesting… google it.
I’ve had several layouts over these many years and have never modeled a real railroad and never will. Far too constraining.
Your road sounds interesting. What era are you modeling?
And in that the Norfolk, Carolina & Danville mechanics were familiar with Alco locomotives, they would have been able to purchase some of those older Alcos that N&W was retiring and keep them going for some time!
Hey Cool I was born in Richmond, the only reason I was modeling Richmond is cause I have an RF&P switcher I bought a while back (And still haven’t had room for a layout…) and I want to use it. (I bought it cause I am a native Richmonder and the RF&P intrigues me)
I will be modeling two era’s 1989 and 2012. I picked 89 cause that’s they year I was born, and modern times cause I love modern railroading. I think it also gives me opportunity for some interesting idea’s like a C40-9 in RF&P colors (Since the my NC&D now owns that railroad)