I’m modeling the Northern Pacific in a freelanced manner, meaning most of my locomotive roster has “Northern Pacific” on the sides and is either N.P.'s actual equipment (Proto 2000, Stewart, Athearn F-7s painted, decaled and detailed to be N.P. F-7s) or kit bashed to look like N.P.'s equipment. The locale, is general mountainous terrain like; but, not a specific location in western Montana). So, I like Northern Pacific and mountainous terrain. But, I’m not a stickler on specifics.
Hind sight being 20-20, were I to start over again, I would model either the N.P. in the Butte Montana area, following N.P.'s route through this area. Or, I would sell off all of my HO stuff, do a bunch of research on it’s operating area and model the Rio Grande Southern in Sn3.
Cause that is what ran in my area when I was a kid and also because I have been going to the Strasburg RR here in SE PA since 1986 --about 15 trips a year( I combine it with biking in the Amish Farm region)
The RR Museum of PA is right across the street from the train station and has many old PRR steamers which I never tire of seeing
Conrail Lowgrade line from Dubois to Phillipston yard (East Brady, PA) in the 75-85 time period.
This line was a bridge route between the Pittsburgh/Buffalo main and the Harrisburg/Buffalo main.
Its whole purpose was hauling coal.
The line interchanged with these short line railroads:
the LEF&C at Summerville
P&S at Brookville
B&P/Chessie at Falls Creek PA
Pittsburgh/Buffalo main at Phillipston, PA
Harrisburg/Buffalo main at Driftwood, PA
This was the time I was doing a lot of railfanning.
It also makes it easy to build a prototype layout - as I can just hop in the car and run out and take pictures of the area buildings (as that is the only thing left) when I am adding structures to my current layout!
I don’t have to take a Vacation to go visit my Prototype!
The Grand Trunk Western, probably Detroit to Chicago through Durand. I will model a variation of present day with freelance locomotives (F45, GP40X, SD60F, GP60M) and I am going to have freelance passenger service. GTW competeing with Amtrak. Now I just need the house to build all this inside of.
I’ll give you one guess…
It’s actually cuz I worked in suburban Chicago & during trying times, I would catch these guys running the rails behind our building… I knew them from seeing them when I crossed the river to my home state of IA, & they represented home, to me…
In addition, they are colorful due to partnership agreements, leased units, & fallen flag locos & rolling stock, almost anything goes! I have DVD’s that do & almost prove all…
IC&E & DM&E
I was going to place a picture, but everyone has seen them before…
Sometime I am back in the area I would love to see your layout. I grew up in Brookville. The P&S trestle and the Low Grade were literally within 100-200 yards of my home. My grandfather and his brothers as well as other family worked on the Shawmut. I have an uncle in New Bathroom (Bethlehem) that lives right next to the fire hall and railroad tracks. While I remember Big Blue running the Low Grade a lot, I have faint memories of those black grimy PC diesels coming through town. It is sad to see what is left of both the Low Grade and the Shawmut these days. [sigh]
Grew up chasing trains with dad and his best friend. They both retired form the UP, the Burlington yard was just down the street. So id have to see up burlington and the rock island, always remeber the rock island had suck neat panted diesels. oh ya grew up in Omaha NE
It is the result of combinig my preference for a geographical setting and my favourite time frame for modeling US prototypes, the mid 50s. At that time Baltimore & Ohio still had many steam locomotives in service. I particularly asppreciate the tidy appearance that its locos had until the end of steam, and I also like the traditional color scheme of the early diesels. My reasons might appear rather eclectic, but it’s just a hobby…
What a subjective question! You ask for “favorite”, and not “best”. In other words, there is no right or wrong answer - which is great!
Reflecting my childhood in Illinois - and Lionel’s Santa Fe F3s - my favorite RR is the Santa Fe. But close behind is the Illinois Central, and further down the C&NW.
But the truth is, I find the RRs of the “pre 60s” all have something about them that I like. In example, the locos of the NYC and UP, the mountain railroading of the NP, SP, GN, DRGW, the coal haulers of the east, the ore trains of the northern midwest, etc., all have some serious attraction for me.
But, my layouts have all been around the Santa Fe, and this last one has had some running of IC passenger trains as well…
Well, my screen name says it all! Yes, my favorite prototype RR is the Erie Lackawanna, as well as both railroads before the merger, the Erie and the Delaware Lackawanna & Western (Lackawanna for short). I not only grew up with the EL back in upstate New York but when I moved to Ohio and Indiana after college back in the mid and late 70’s, there too was the EL! So, you might say I like the EL, regardless of the “scenery” it ran through. I’ve got a significant EL roster, but with the space I have available right now, most of it will not be in regular service until my “digs” are larger (i. e. moving from this apartment to a house!). Until then, they will be interchanging cars with my Toledo Erie Central.
I’m with you, growing up in N.W. Montana, Milwaukee Road is my favorite, then there is the NP and GN. Why? Because it’s mountain railroading, it’s Montana (need I say more?) and I grew up seeing Rocky, Little Joes and the “ying ang yang”. [swg]
The Mullen pass line would be a great model, as would Butte, since it had the G.N/B.N, the NP and the MILW, along with the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific, which used electric boxcabs to haul ore to the smelter in Anaconda. So many subjects. so little room, time and $.
I must digress, I model many, many different roads & eras. I can remember the MILW rolling through town, as Grampa & Grandma too me to the A&W Drive In… Grampa inspired my modelling efforts. The Milwaukee line must have inspired others in town as one of our parks has this on display. (I’m lucky to be 4.5 blocks away from her!)
However, in 1985-86 all the trackage was removed & is now a walking path.
I miss hearing the roar of the engines & times spent in those days, it’s an attachment that never left me, & I can enjoy through modelling.
Nihon Kokutetsu, aka Japan National Railways, which was a government monopoly during my modeling month. 1067mm (3 foot 6 inch) gauge. Unbelievable traffic density (only two stopping locals and one express passenger train per hour - in each direction - plus freight.)
Kiso Rintetsu, aka Kiso Forest Railway, 762mm (30 inch) gauge logger - recently dieselized with a motley collection of `critters’ ranging from handsome to butt-ugly, pulling about a gazillion disconnects. Closed in 1975, done in by self-loading log trucks.
Kurobe Gorge Railway, 762mm gauge, built to assist in construction and support of a massive hydroelectric development in inaccessible country. Runs amusement park ride passenger equipment and utilitarian freight cars behind steeple cab electrics. Would you believe a train elevator inside a mountain? Still operating as of 2011.
The first two are native to my modeling area, while the third was/is about three mountain ranges to the north. As for why, my wife is Japanese, I lived under the Rising Sun for a dozen years and the Upper Kiso Valley is one of my very favorite places. Having a copy of the September, 1964, master timetable sealed the deal.
Denver and Rio Grande Western and Southern Pacific for me. I grew up around Donner Pass during the late SP steam era–I was in my 'teens before I realized that most articulateds ran with the cab in BACK, LOL!–and I always thought that SP fielded some of the best-looking steam power imaginable.
Then I discovered Rio Grande standard-gauge steam via photographs and I was amazed at the variety of handsome, BIG locomotives that this mid-sized Rocky mountain bridge line offered.
Two mountain railroads with extremely good-looking steam power. When I started building my MR, I decided to combine them. After all, why not get the best of both worlds?
I dont have any one favorite but prefer the mountain railroads. Of course, thats probably from growing up in Colorado.
One of my first rail books I read as a young teenager was “The Moffat Road”. As a family, we made many trips into the mountains, tracing old rail lines, and ghost towns including Corona Pass. The Denver and Salt Lake for me still holds a fascination, a standard gauge line climbing over timberline over Corona Pass (Rollins Pass) is just plain cool. The 2-6-6-0 mallets are neat engines and were the only ones capable of handling the 4% and curves.
The CNJ. This is somewhat sacrilegious in my family as Grandpa worked for the PRR. But when growing up in Jersey City, the CNJ operations were only a short bicycle ride from my front door, and I would spend many hours watching the action on the West Side sub of the N&NY branch. PRR is a close second place.
