ROUTE ROCK!!!
Large railroads: UP, SP, WP, D&RGW, B&O, WM. Small railroads: V&T, T&T, T&G, LV&T and BG RR - Nevin
The Milwaukee Road. My dad worked for it for 45 years (1943-1988), yeah, I know, the last few were after the Milwaukee was bought out. He got me jobs on the extra gang and then the section gang during high school and college in the late 60’s early 70’s, between Terre Haute and Bedford, IN.
I’ve got a number of faves, so I model them as Historic Preservation.
I love the SP, for both the Daylights, and the Black Widows. Also, for the AC-# through AC12s I like UP as well,mostly for their preservation and business, plus they have the old SP elements smooshed in. I will say too, BNSF has a loverly executive fleet, but other than those, and the Warbonnets, I dun like 'em. I have a healthy respect for thee Warbonnets, as I have a cvollection of them as gift engines, but it;s not another I go out of my way for. Although, (BN)SF>UP.
For the “Home team” appeal, I do love some Monon. I also am amassing a few NKP units, but I’m doing those for Indiana Transprtation Museum, not NKP for NKP’s sake.
I will also probably be known for replacing CSX with Chessie. All one really has to do for that is fudge the history of their marketting department.
As for what I’m modelling, I’m doing both a free-lance, and a model of the City of Madison Port Authority. A lot of “Spunk” and possibilities to be tapped in a model world. And, no one else is doing it. [:D]
I have a number of roads that I like. My love for the Pennsy (PRR) came from when I was a young child hanging out with my Granddad and Uncle. They were both Pennsy fans and lived near the Pennsy mainline (in Newark DE) so much of my early exposure to railroading in general was the Pennsy. Particularly the “juice jacks”-- GG1’s, E44’s, etc.
I, however, grew up in southwest VA and had more regular “everyday” exposure to the N&W and Southern (SRR) railroads. So I am quite fond of those as well. Particularly the Roanoke shops. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in and around that location so it never fails to bring back memories. Also I recall the VA Creeper (in stories) and the loco was under a park shed to look at. I remember sneaking under the fence and climbing all over it as a kid. I’ve also heard lots of fun stories from people I grew up around who either worked on the Creeper or else rode the Creeper.
I also remember being a little boy of about 4yo and getting to take a trip with my granddad on the Pelican (a SRR train). Before we left my granddad arranged for me to get to see inside the cab before we left. I remember the engineer let me blow the whistle and showed me all the dials and gauges. Then he opened the door to show me back in the back where the power plant was, but I remember being too scared to go back there-- it was very loud and pounding is about all I remember now.
More recently as I started getting back into Model Railroading and started studying various railroads, I have really come to have an appreciation for the Virginian (VGN) and Clinchfield railroads. Both of those roads were hard-working coal-haulin’ roads. I especially enjoyed the E33’s the VGN used along their electrified line.
As far as models go, I have been greatly influenced by the V&O. I got a copy of the V&O Story and I’ve read it cover-to-cover a number of times. There are a lot of good lessons in there and the overall layout/railroad is really cool and very believable. I’ve also been
Texas & Pacific
Hard to know where to start. Ran more than 700 miles from the Piney Woods of East Texas through Dallas and Ft. Worth to the Big Sky country at Abilene finally to merge with the Southern Pacific Sunset Route at Sierra Blanca and terminate in El Paso. Alomg the way interchanged with no fewer than 9 other Class 1 carriers, including MoPac, Frisco, Katy, Santa Fe, Cotton Belt, KCS, SP/T&NO, FWD and Rock Island. What’s not to love?
Put all that together with those Eagle passenger locomotives, and last but not least, the Swamp Holly Orange and Black Geeps and switchers and the result is a carnival of color as well as a panoramic portrait of American railroad history in the southwest.
I’ve tried to capture this all on a 27’x12’ around-the-wall with five distinct “scenes” and it has worked out fine despite the fact that the transition between scenes has been the biggest challenge.
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Oregon & California
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Oregon Pacific
Both were 19th Century railroads; both were taken over by the SP.
In my world in 1900, the O&C is still independent and is the link north to the Willamette Valley and south to Northern California for my free-lance Picture Gorge & Western Railway.
The Oregon Pacific is very interesting because when I read about it, I was amazed at the similarities to my existing fictional PG&W in terms of history, planned locations, and time lines. Discovering the Oregon Pacific was a benchmark as to the plausibility of the PG&W.
Next favorite would have to be the North Pacific Coast - again a benchmark for my narrow gauge Port Orford & Elk River.
Fred W
…modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it’s always 1900…
The Illinois Central. They ran steam up till 1960 and a lot of steam through the late 50s, and I live right next to the old North/South mainline and about 15 miles North of the big operation they had in Centralia IL.
And I must really like a challenge because for a large class 1 railroad there is very little correct HO scale equipment available.
Jeff
I bounce back and forth between CB&Q and Rock Island. I’ am fan of CB&Q’s steam engines and the Rock Island’s intresting aray of diesels.
John.
UP Late Steam Era because there were lots of neat big steamers–everything from 2-8-8-0’s and 2-8-8-2’s to 4-6-6-4’s, 4-8-8-4’s, and of course, the 4-12-2’s.
The Reading. Most likely because I grew up on the tracks. However lately I think the real reason is I just love Camelbacks!
Transition era but before 1950, Seaboard Air Line steam and diesel, operating in Florida.
Not easy to say simply why but, I just do. My interest makes me feel happy.
Bruce[:)]
I like the Warbonnet schemes of the Santa Fe, but modeling the SW for some reason doesn’t really appeal to me. I guess I am just not all that fond of arid landscapes 
I am sure operating on a steam locomotive layout would be a lot of fun, but I don’t feel any urge to model steam myself. Likewise, I am sure it would be great fun to run trains on a well made rural railroad, or a coal mining railroad, or a logging railroad or pretty much any well made layout, but I don’t want to model that myself.
What I like the most is 1950s, early Alco, EMD, FM and GE diesels in the colorful schemes of many railroads big and small, urban switching of 40-foot boxcars, lots of railserved industries, shortish local turns and transfer runs.
I have a preference for roads the operated in some of the bigger mid-western and eastern cities, plus the urban rail-marine stuff in places like Brooklyn and New Jersey.
Why? Don’t know - I guess it is a combination of those types of railroads being fairly easy to model in small spaces (which is what I have available), and me just plain liking the way they look.
Smile,
Stein
The railroads of my youth.
The Erie and the Delaware and Hudson main lines were visible from the house where I grew up. They ran along a side hill about a quarter of a mile away, slightly above the view obstructions. In my early teens I used to ride my bicycle to the D&H yard and watch them hump cars. But the Lackawanna was my favorite. It ran on the other side of the city. The father of one of my friends worked on the Lackawanna, as did my wife’s paternal grandfather and I used to ride the Lackawanna Phoebe Snow, which prior to the merger with the Erie was trains 1 and 2.
Favorite Road: Conrail
Why: I grew up half an hour away from a small freight yard in the 1990’s. Conrail locomotives and rolling stock were some of the first 1:1 trains I ever saw. I was so young that when conrail was sold to CSX in the late 90’s I coundn’t understand why these CSX loco’s where showing up in the yard and Conrail loco’s were dissapearing. For some reason I’ve never been a big CSX fan[:-^].
Secondary Favorite: Providence and Worcester Railroad
Why: Though I grew up in upstate NY, I was born in Conn. So when my family goes back to visit relatives I always look foward to seeing these loco’s and cars. I love the P&W red paint scheme.
Jamie