I would like to challenge other prototype rail fans. Thanks to Alan, I enjoyed putting together a little something on a little railroad to share. These little lines, current and old, are fun to learn about. I love following Dave and Eric’s threads on their personal love affairs. John’s documentation on that squirrelly line in CA is also very cool. If others are interested I would love to see posts on small obscure lines that are local to your area or have otherwise caught your interest. These lines are all around us and usually there is enough info to share at least the basics. So how about it: SHOW US YOUR SHORT LINE. A brief history and pictures.
Thanks Ken that was an interesting read.
This isn’t my railroad, but…this is the Marquette Railroad owned and later sold by the guy who now owns Caboose Hobbies.
https://www.gwrr.com/railroads/north_america/marquette_rail#m_tab-one-panel
I don’t know why this fascinates me so much, but it does. And it operated on a fragment of what was once the original Pere Marquette Railroad.
John Passaro said:
I don’t know why this fascinates me so much, but it does. And it operated on a fragment of what was once the original Pere Marquette Railroad.
Because it does and that is all that matters.
Steve Featherkile said:
Here ya go…
Always a crowd favorite and i figured i would here from you on this one.
My chosen prototype, that I very loosely model, was a 40 inch gauge steam railroad, that eventually became the 5 foot 2.5 inch trolley line that I rode to town.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_and_Castle_Shannon_Railroad
Ohh! I have a bunch, Central and Western New York state. (these are all my own webpages)
Waverly Sayre & Athens Traction Company:
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/trolley/index.html
The original Genesee & Wyoming:
http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/GW/GWpage.html
Dansville & Mount Morris:
http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/GW/DMMpage.html
Rochester & Southern:
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/GW/RSpage.html
Photos for the three above:
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/GW/GW-Stewart-Archive.html
Finger Lakes Railway
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/FGLK/
Tioga Central, Tioga Scenic, Owego & Harford and Lehigh Railway:
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/Owego/
Scot
Thats quite a list Scotty. Can’t wait to work my way through it.
That’s just great Scot!
I needed your fantastic research and links like another hole in my head!
Quite familiar with the Tioga Central and have some 35mm pics of the RS-1s taken in the late 90’s somewhere???
The Genesee & Wyoming Railroad is really screwy with trackage rights etc. They operate sections of rail in the York area and are interconnected with York Rail/ Maryland and PA/ Norfolk Southern, it’s really wacky in that area. I’m sure many have seen their equipment from the alcove while at ECLSTS.
Good stuff and thanks for the links!
That G&W 32 Ford 5 window coupe/truck is just well uh. . . cool. The deuce 5 window is my favorite car. Not sure i am happy about that.
Not what I based any of my layouts on but my chosen short line is the one that’s abandoned ROW right next to where I live. The Pasadena & Altadena RR, later called the Los Angeles Terminal RR and eventually became part of the larger San Pedro Los Angeles & Salt Lake RR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Terminal_Railway
I live right near the Lincoln Ave ROW.
It has fascinated me since I discovered it’s existence a few years ago.
My own favorite has always been the “Bent, Zigzag & Crooked” ( ie. Bellaire, Zanesville & Cincinnati ). Back in my youth when driving in the south eastern Ohio around Zanesville area there were still old cars to be seen in famers fields used as chicken coops or shortage sheds and a few places where the old roadbed survived. I’ve been looking for a site with photos of it and have not located any. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
Vic,
That is a cool little line.
Narrow Gauge Lover said:
My own favorite has always been the “Bent, Zigzag & Crooked” ( ie. Bellaire, Zanesville & Cincinnati ). Back in my youth when driving in the south eastern Ohio around Zanesville area there were still old cars to be seen in famers fields used as chicken coops or shortage sheds and a few places where the old roadbed survived. I’ve been looking for a site with photos of it and have not located any. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
History is never recorded until someone records it. Better get to work and I expect a detailed report.(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)
My Freedom Central was originally supposed to be a model of the Arcade & Attica RR in Arcade NY. Thanks to Lewis, I fell in love with a model of the B&O Pacific, and had to decide how to justify it on a railroad that never had an engine as big as a P7’s tender.
There are several of us who are hardcore fans of the A&A, which can trace its originals back as far as 1836. Most of our collaboration is taking place in our “Fans of the Arcade & Attica” facebook group, but the wiki is the best public written record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_and_Attica_Railroad
Here is my video “Steam Log” from two weeks in October 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI444VanrsY&list=PLgnDwWn5vhx1TWskjmZ_0zr1LWDFJYfOZ
How long can a short line be?
The El Paso and Southwestern was the first to reach Tucson, because it was semi financed by smelters in the area. It left it’s original northern route to Cloudcroft NM and headed south along the Mexican border to Douglas Az and the smelter there. Then it took a turn north west and west at Marsh Station, through Vail and into Tucson. The station in downtown Tucson is the EP & SW’s.
The SP came in from the west later and settled for a more northerly route around the city. It’s tracks were lifted for a US Air Force base… instead they used the line to the station and then track rights on the EP n SW
I model the short section from (Tucson and 10 miles in 3’) Vail to beyond Marsh Station where the SP continued east, instead turning south for a couple of miles on the EP & SW, before diverging into my ‘What if’ portion to a real mine that only saw wagons haul out the riches.
I’ve traced the El Paso’s RoW on Google Earth. That was a fun exercise.
John
**Deer Park Central Railroad **from the mill pond in Deer Park, WA, to the North Woods. Scroll down 6 pages to pg 378.