I know that a lot of people in the model railroading community model the transition era, but I have seen no way to convey information about modeling this great era of railroading between fellow modelers. So this forum is devoted to the exchange of information about modeling the transition era of modeling.
I am currently in the process of planning a freelanced transition era coalmining layout based in West Virginia called the Allegheny Eastern railroad. I have been planning to set the layout in 1952 and to base the railroad on operations but I know little of the industries of the 1950’s I currently have plans for a meat packer, creamery, multiple coal mines and possibly a gas works like David Popp’s in the Waterbury extension.
Thomas - as a C&O modeler in the steam/diesel trnsition era there are lots of info relating to the item period, etc. Two publications from the COHS that might interest you are:
Both of which are industry lists - one by city, the other by commodity for 1950. Looking at your planned industry types I would think that the creamery may not be appropriate and a meat packing plant might be a stretch (meat reefers typicaly would serve local distribution for grocery suppliers).
I was involved in a discussion on industries found in a given area. I pointed out the Toledo Terminal Railroad. I have the overall track layout and a majority of the industries served were coal dealers and lumber yards every few miles. In the 50’s most houses were heated with coal and coal dealers served all these homes. In addition the Terminal served a General Mills cereal plant, GM Hydrmatic transmission plant, the old Packard Motors plant, Rossford Army depot, the Gulf Oil Refinery among others I can’t recall without looking at the map.
My transition era RR is a fictional bridge line, connecting the D&RGW (at Farmington, NM) and the AT&SF (at Holbrook, AZ), kind of through the Four Corners area of the Southwest (and connecting to Cortez, CO). As for industries, I’m guessing some kind of basic electronics assembly/manufacturer (hey, why not use some of that sand in the area?), vanadium/uranium ore mining, a sawmill, sheet metal fabrication/stamping, some corn and other crops (elevators, to ship the corn and beans to Frito-Lay or whoever they were back in the 1950’s), and other industries that ship in boxcars (so I can have a variety of products). Also, oil, coal, gravel, cement and asphalt companies would work in that area (I’m guessing here until some authoritative person/book tells me otherwise).
Since my RR is fictional and I only approximately indicate locations (I’m modifying or making up town names in between Farmington and Holbrook), I figure I have a lot of room to play with…[:-^]
I dont quite understand why a dairy would be out there, I guess that I am thinking more of pennsylvania for my local bouth my father and I went to a MMRs layout who had bouth a meat packer and dairy and he modeled the erie RR.
My track plan is basicly the Red Rock Northern printed in MRR enlarged by 50% in eather way to acomadate minimum 27"radi curves and #6 swiches along with some secinic easements, i guess for the much more industrlized theme I need to model the antricite region of pennsylvaina.
Depending on time period, box cars of parts or flats with large machinary parts. Insulated box cars or reefers with Blocks of ice (if thier supply ran low)