I have to agree with you as far as proto-lancing is concerned. I will be modeling parts of Central NY where I grew up and live to this day. As a kid, my grandparents used to take me to the CSX Yard in DeWitt NY (former major Conrail classification yard) to watch CR shove trains of cars over the hump and sort them. These days, it’s a good-sized Intermodal yard for CSX and I see lots of foreign roads there (CN, BNSF, UP, NS, NYS&W) to name a few.
So, when I get to actually building my layout, I will be proto-lancing as I want it my way, but with CSX, CR, FGLK (short-line in the area), and NYS&W to name a few. And the layout will have industries all over it, maybe not in the exact order as they were then or are now. The timeframe that I’ll be modeling is from the 80’s (CR) to present (all others)
I protolance the NS Pokey sub. Except on my layout part of the Pokey sub isn’t double track. Its singletrack with intermediate passing tracks and there is an Amtrak train with Superliners. The town of Welch has street running and a large Diamler-Chrysler Dodge trucks stamping plant. When I modeled the CNW Eau Claire subdivision I left it pretty much the way it was except I added industries where there wasn’t any and I left out alot of towns. If I would have had enough space I would have never converted from HO to N.
Well, I’m a fan of Southern Railway, and I’d say it’s similarly as big as Pennsy, perhaps not as much so in terms of traffic density on a given line (they never needed 4 track mains), but they did cover a bit more geography. As such I could never hope to faithfully reproduce any one key location or sub., instead I chose a “what if” that almost actually took place. Then I hit “fast forward” some 20+/- years, and modeled it as it might have been during that time frame. Some on line industries are based on real businesses, some served by rail, others not (originally). Other industries were based on commodities known to be handled in the region, but not necessarily during the time frame I model (if ever). Even others are either “from the future”, not built until way after my time frame, or added by modeler’s license. My layout currently depicts only one small portion of said branchline (actually branch of a branchline), my next (larger) layout will hopefully depict most of the line.
In my case, it breaks down like this:
Prototype: Southern Railway, the line they “absorbed”, and some on-line industries. Also included are Southern models and operating rules and practices (for the most part).
Freelance: The “merger”, the line’s existence after the early 1930’s, and other on-line industries.
In-Between: The “branch” off the branchline was originally owned by and served a mine, and was absorbed by the RR at some point. It retained it’s name as a “subdivision” of sorts, and in some ways was operated as a subsidiary of said RR. My version of history says Southern took it as part of the line, but later (sometime after WWII) spun it off to the mining company as a money loser. Now (as in, during 1957) the mine is prospering, and generates pretty good traffic from the mine. Now, if only the mining company could g
Dave, you are right the Pennsy is too big to model, as is the New Haven. As is every railroad that is longer than two miles. The solution is to take a portion of it as the center piece and then build around it.
I am in the planning stages of of a model railroad that has the New Haven Union Station as the focal point. At New Haven, the trains from the West electrified zone exchanged engines (steam or diesel depending on the era) and proceeded on the Shore Line to Boston or to Hartford Springfield. This is a microcosm of the entire railroad. I have the electic line coming in from the West and the Shore Line exiting to the East on a second tier. Both of those have a relatively short run and end in hidden multitrack return loop staging areas.
The station area also has the Water Street yard where trains were made up for the Silver Street Produce/Packing yard and the Canal Line to the North. There will be sidings for the industries on both lines offering addition operational capabilities for local freight operations.
In other words I have the best of the New Haven in a relatively small space (24 x 44 feet in HO) with all of the actual operations that I could possibly want. I have the engine changes at New Haven. Trains being split apart for both the Shore Line and Hartford Springfield, the addition and removal of diners, mail cars and coaches at New Haven and the through freights from and to Maybrook and the Hudson River float docks.
While I am changing engines in the station the freights from the West will be rumbling through on the freight through tracks en route to the Cedar Hill hump yard also simulated by a hidden staging area where they will be held for return at the proper time…
You have the same situation at Harrisburg. You can have the electrified line from Philly and the engine change at Harrisburg. Some industry for switching in Harrisburg and a small yard, if there was one there. Some coal mines or whatever was on the line west and some of the industries on the
As to the Pennsy, the Old Dog would suggest a section one of the secondary mainlines, say Erie to Pittsburgh or Erie to Philadephia. Or maybe just one town! Say Corry, Pa; intersection of Pennsy Erie to Philadephia line with Buffalo to Pittsburgh line plus the Erie. Or maybe Oil City, Pa, wye bridge, plus Erie and NYC. Further west, one might consider Union City, OH, Pennsy plus NYC and B&O.
When I was considering modeling the PRR, I realized that only the essence could be captured. I think John Armstrong captured it best with his layout plan “PRR - Schuylkill Division”. First published in “Creative Layout Design” - a book I heartily recommend if you can find a copy. Later reprinted in “The Classic Layout Designs of John Armstrong”. I still have a fondness for the PRR, but I have succumbed to the lure of the Ma&Pa, whose essence I will try to capture in a new layout I am hoping to start before winter is out.