My layout is mainly fiction but with a mix of reality. Some of the fiction is a concession to modelling practicalities, like being a non-Amtrak passenger carrier. Other stuff is a concession to space needs. I model a good size chunk of downtown Chicago. Old St. Patrick’s Church, Union Station, and North Western Station are in the correct geographic relationship to each other, but the intervening streets have been selectively compressed away.
Yes, DT&I, Tom’s right: you’re modeling what Tony Koester coined “Prototype Freelancing,” now shortened to “Protolancing.” Some, like me, feel a little guilty about changing the way their favorite prototype does things (when I left HO I was building models for a model RR based on the B&O of 1904, but since I didn’t want to show the Pennsy influence from the 1898 Receivership, plus I loved 8-wheel cabooses–which the B&O didn’t have until WWI and later—I called it the Potomac & Ohio), so they pick a slightly different name. Believe me, IT DON’T MATTER! More than 50 years ago there was a lively discussion in the MR “Railway Post Office (Letters column)” about this, and the old-timers like Wm. K. Walthers mostly agreed that if you freelanced using sound prototype practices, such as the “plumbing” on steam locos, it was perfectly okay.
Sounds to me like you’re doing the same thing many others have done before you: bringing a “Fallen Flag” up to date in a realistic manner. Welcome to the Gang! [#welcome]
My “St.Paul Route” is a mix of fact and fiction (“friction”??[(-D]). It’s based on a real railroad, the St.Paul and Duluth RR, that disappeared in 1900 - what might it have been like if it had stayed independent thru the 20th century??
Mine is fictional this way I get the best of both worlds , because I like both the L&N and the Southern , but I also like the Florida Gulf Coast , so I invented an imaginary world well all 3 can meet .
Hi!
Like the barkeep in the “Blues Brothers” said, “we have both kinds of music here, Country and Western!” In a like fashion, I model both fact and fiction.
My collection/layout represents the ATSF in the 1950s and the IC as a secondary road from that same time period. And while I have nothing later than 1959, I certainly have ATSF steam locos running that never pulled a car past WWII. And while the two railroads did come close to each other in some places (Joliet, Ill for one), they never shared trackage as I have them doing.
ENJOY,
Mobilman44
Mainly freelance, from my own mind, screw the rivet counters. But, if I can find a fact or two to back up what i do, then I’ll use that. But mainly, fiction from my head.
I’m yet another protolancer. I’m going to be modeling an as yet unnamed and unbuilt section of the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad in SW Wisconsin. Rather do south central, but they don’t have many lines in SW so it will be easier for me to make something up.
I model totally fiction RR line that includes many of my favorite types of scenes and character. Lots of bridges , tunnels, water falls , late 20’ to early40’s era and dirty dusty roads.
Not really a protolancer here.
More of a freelatyper. [:)]
Its a freelance layout loosely based on prototypical scenes, but not from any one line, yet plausible.
But then there are the implausible scenes here and there too, just for fun.
A little bit of both.
Another modeler with a layout set in New Hampshire, but ours is pure fiction.
Little of both for me, Im modeling NS in the central PA region and keep the locomotives and such prototypical but maybe some of the scenery and industries aren’t completely prototypical and I may not run my layout all that prototypicaly.
I’m keeping the ratio to realistic and fiction just right for my taste.
Fiction, I don’t think you see a HHP-8 pulling streamlined smoth sides do ya?
A piece of fiction superimposed on fact. I model a fictional sawmill and 30 inch gauge logging railroad located at mile post 371 ( I call Harmon) on the Klamath Falls branch of the SP in 1909. 4-4-0 No 1 is Californian Northeastern No.1 ( An SP subsidiary) and is west bound toward Weed California. 4-8-0 No 2947 is an SP TW-2 pulling a mixed train east bound toward Klamath Falls Oregon. ( On the SP trains headed toward San Francisco are west bound and trains headed away from San Francisco are east bound. Peter Smith, 
Mine is basically fiction with the exception of two unique industries, Miller Milling Corp. and New Word Pasta. They are for real and can be Googled. Miller grinds flower and pipes it directly to the adjoining pasta plant. Miller started with one siding but now has so many that they have their own industrial switcher. New World ships by truck with a large number on hand in their parking lot, but I’m going to give them a siding anyway.
With this said the rest will be my imagination.
The other responses have been interesting.
Bob
I suppose it’s a combination of both, fact and fiction.
The railroad operating circa 1949 in a central west coast Florida location is real. I try to have the cars and locomotives as close to prototypicaly correct as I can. In modeling the scenery I will try and capture the feel of the location rather than model anything that is too specific to the geography. However there are some specific features that I will incorporate within my modeling such as railroad tracks shareing the street with vehicular traffic - ref, St Petersburg, Fla.
I will no doubt take some liberty’s when I install some of my favourite activities such as fishing boats, the USCG and so on.
I don’t know what slot this all will fit into exactly, fact, fiction, freelance, protolance, but what ever it is it’s kept me busy and happy researching and fosiking about looking for interesting features that will help me pull this thing off to a decent level of believability.
Like Conrail92, I model Norfolk Southern, although I don’t use real towns, at the time I am “earning” if you will, the upstairs bedroom, so I am modeling in Trainz Railroad Simulator 2004, it doesn’t give you that fuzzy felling inside when you building a real layout but it gives you a felling of acomplishment like finishing any other thing that you’ve worked on.
In other words, a little bit of both.
Mine is fiction freelanced based on fact. Mine base on the midwest/northwest type with my own flare with my own railroad and road name. Where I live I’ve got both UP and BNSF that run by and some of it are joint lines that both use. You can add Amtrak to it too. The Columbia Gorge isn’t to far away either, you’ve got UP on the south side and BNSF on the north side. So I also model them to.
I model a short section of a branch of the Tonopah And Tidewater RR. It was a Nevada mining road. Equipment from the Las Vegas and Tonopah RR and Bullfrog Goldfield RR will make appearances. Even a little V&T will show up every once in a while. It is all based on information in the book “Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California” - Nevin
My railroad is a fictional bridge road based on of the downgraded Southern Pacific and Western Pacific Railroads. We purchased the SP’s lines from the Bay area through the Stockton and Sacramento to Nordon then up to Keddie where we purchased the WP line north to Klamath Falls. We extended the line to connect with the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad (CORP) at Medford. At the same time the D&RGW purchased the SP line from Denver to Nordon. This helped the SP & WP to continue operation… We connect all of the Class ! railroads running through northern California…