How many here model after a real home town short line?

Very cool!

Other then LV/CNJ equipment I have a Black River RS1 that is a short line/tourist railroad near here.

While l am incorporating aspects of NE Colorado's Great Western sugar beet road into my freelance effort, the nearby to my hometown short-lines both made the famous Beebe and Clegg book "Mixed Train Daily". They were the Louisville, New Albany, and Corydon, which had a brief reincarnation as a dinner train, after years of providing combine caboose passenger service, and the Frankfort and Cincinnati, "Bourbon Route", which climbed up out of Frankfort's deep Kentucky River valley to serve several bourbon distilleries, including a now abandoned stone castle, on its way to a junction with the L&N at Paris, KY.

Hence my name, I model the Raritan River Railroad which ran from South Amboy to New Brunswick NJ. 1888 to 1980. I also model Rahway Valley, Morristown & Erie, and Black River & Western. (I haven't found M&E C424's yet but I have BRW 1202!)

There were a lot of short line railroads in Pennsylvania that got bought up by either the Pennsylvania RR or Philadelphia & Reading Railways who later became known as the Reading Railroad in the 1920's. I try to model the Reading railroad; either Reading Lines(the freight side of Reading) or Reading Company(the passenger side of Reading). Also I have some freight cars in Reading & Northern RR from MTH.

Currently there is the Reading & Northern railroad that is operating out of an area near Allentown PA. It is a short line RR but has a lot of freight traffic between 2 major railroads(CSX & Norfolk Southern, if I am correct) in Pennsylvania and is looking to expand into passenger service near Reading & Hamburg PA. Reading & Northern also services the Prell shampoo factory near Mahopany PA.

I'm sure there are other states that had a lot of short line railroads but those are the ones I know of. I know that Georgia and North Carolina had some small railroads as well.

Lee Fritz

I got the San Diego Imperial Valley Genset that was originally owned by Rail America which was what MTH's Model depicted. They were shortly sold to Genesee and Wyoming which made it look like a pumpkin.

I don't Model it that great because they run on the San Diego Trolley Lines at night when the Trolley is not in service and It depends on what goes down to the border because BNSF Brings it in and SDIV does drop off and pick up service for BNSF. I usually run freight cars I see in the SDIV yard next to the SDT yard and BNSF yard. I hope MTH does another run of the Genset I would love it's opposite number and color, their is only 2 Gensets on their roster.

I am not sure it qualifies as a shortline, but I model the Elmira Branch of the PRR. My Grandfather was a conductor on the line. He lived in Elmira close to the line. When it came time to go to work, he would run across the field to where the train was running. They would slow and he would jump on. 

phillyreading posted:

There were a lot of short line railroads in Pennsylvania that got bought up by either the Pennsylvania RR or Philadelphia & Reading Railways who later became known as the Reading Railroad in the 1920's. I try to model the Reading railroad; either Reading Lines(the freight side of Reading) or Reading Company(the passenger side of Reading). Also I have some freight cars in Reading & Northern RR from MTH.

Currently there is the Reading & Northern railroad that is operating out of an area near Allentown PA. It is a short line RR but has a lot of freight traffic between 2 major railroads(CSX & Norfolk Southern, if I am correct) in Pennsylvania and is looking to expand into passenger service near Reading & Hamburg PA. Reading & Northern also services the Prell shampoo factory near Mahopany PA.

I'm sure there are other states that had a lot of short line railroads but those are the ones I know of. I know that Georgia and North Carolina had some small railroads as well.

Lee Fritz

I've ridden the Reading & Northern steam excursion from Port Clinton PA to Jim Thorpe PA. Great trip! They are adding a station in Muhlenberg Township as well. I believe they have about 370 miles of track. They haul a lot of anthracite coal. Of those I've met from the railroad, I can say they are great people.

I live near Colebrookdale Railroad based in Boyertown PA. Great short line with some motivated people. They're running a GP10. I want to have a GP9 customized to look like it soon.

At one time I thought of creating a ficticious but plausible connection between Gainesville and Leesburg VA dubbed Loudoun Central.  Recently I discovered a similar historic plan that never quite came to be.

http://loudounnow.com/2016/09/...railroad-in-lincoln/

Farmer Bill,

Do you live near Leesburg?  I lived there on Battery Point Place around 2000. 

I want to model loosely based on the little shortline that runs through my neck of the woods in northeast PA. North Shore Railroad runs the tracks from Northumberland (same area where Weaver used to be) through my hometown of Berwick servicing industries along that route. Their website is below:

http://www.nshr.com/index.html

Mark

I don't but I would like to model Butler, Pa., where I live, maybe back in the 1930s. four RRs served this small city and it had steel, RR car mfg, oil, glass, bricks & refractory,lime, and coal, and autos plus passengers. If you went back a little further you could stir in two interurbans in the soup. Not bad for a town with about 30 thousand people. Forgot agricultural products too.

If you root through those stacks of books for sale in every train show, you will find there was an obscure rail line close to you, in most states. And l know of at least one no book has been written about that used to run behind my old house.

Badge109 posted:

phillyreading posted:

There were a lot of short line railroads in Pennsylvania that got bought up by either the Pennsylvania RR or Philadelphia & Reading Railways who later became known as the Reading Railroad in the 1920's. I try to model the Reading railroad; either Reading Lines(the freight side of Reading) or Reading Company(the passenger side of Reading). Also I have some freight cars in Reading & Northern RR from MTH.

Currently there is the Reading & Northern railroad that is operating out of an area near Allentown PA. It is a short line RR but has a lot of freight traffic between 2 major railroads(CSX & Norfolk Southern, if I am correct) in Pennsylvania and is looking to expand into passenger service near Reading & Hamburg PA. Reading & Northern also services the Prell shampoo factory near Mahopany PA.

I'm sure there are other states that had a lot of short line railroads but those are the ones I know of. I know that Georgia and North Carolina had some small railroads as well.

Lee Fritz

I've ridden the Reading & Northern steam excursion from Port Clinton PA to Jim Thorpe PA. Great trip! They are adding a station in Muhlenberg Township as well. I believe they have about 370 miles of track. They haul a lot of anthracite coal. Of those I've met from the railroad, I can say they are great people.

I live near Colebrookdale Railroad based in Boyertown PA. Great short line with some motivated people. They're running a GP10. I want to have a GP9 customized to look like it soon.

The Reading & Northern which is the main part of the company hauls freight, not always coal because the demand for coal is way down. The Reading & Northern is a company that does a lot of short hauling for major railroads like Norfolk Southern. Have you ever heard of Mahoopany PA? That is where Prell shampoo is made and the R & N hauls the freight for them from their terminal to major railroads.

I know about the Muhlenberg Township train station near highway 61 and Bellevue Ave. The R & N already owns the track rights.

Lee Fritz

jim pastorius posted:

I don't but I would like to model Butler, Pa., where I live, maybe back in the 1930s. four RRs served this small city and it had steel, RR car mfg, oil, glass, bricks & refractory,lime, and coal, and autos plus passengers. If you went back a little further you could stir in two interurbans in the soup. Not bad for a town with about 30 thousand people. Forgot agricultural products too.

I am not sure off hand what railroads ran in that area but Pennsylvania is considered the railroad capital of the US in the late 1800's because of all the short line railroads that used to run there.

Lee Fritz

I have tried to capture scenes around Buffalo, NY. Bethlehem Steel was located just south of the city and served by the South Buffalo Railway, now part of the Genesee and Wyoming conglomerate, Buffalo and Pittsburg division. 

Barely visible on the bridge, the South Buffalo text can still be seen.

Pete

Kalmbach, l think, or somebody, used to put out maps of railroads in the US at certain times . I would like to have one for 1940.  Are such maps still available, from them or ?

My model railroad theme is built on the former Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway that served my home town of Rochester.  That line was later merged into the B&O.  I also draw inspiration from the former "Hojack Line" of the NYC that ran along the shore of lake Ontario.  I do enjoy r researching these roads and even discovering structures and industries along the former road beds

Along with NORTON and SCOTT R the layout I am working on will have some parts of Niagara Falls/Buffalo on it. Primarily the Buffalo Creek and South Buffalo. I will take a bit of latitude to put in places I remember from growing up there...........Paul

Rusty,

   The name I use (Pine Creek Railroad) is the original name of the WAG Wellsville, Addison & Galeton Railroad (Sole Leather Line) that ran thru our mountains, although my layouts are all child like wonderland, I use the Pine Creek Railroad name to identify my Christmas layouts, even have a Legacy Shay engine and skeleton logging cars, along with the Box cars and Logging Caboose for all to see.  I guess you could say I use my home town railroad as inspiration for the Christmas layouts.

PCRR/Dave

colorado hirailer posted:

Kalmbach, l think, or somebody, used to put out maps of railroads in the US at certain times . I would like to have one for 1940.  Are such maps still available, from them or ?

I have a commercial Atlas from 1950. It only shows railroad lines as the interstates and big trucking companies had not been established as the major freight carriers yet. If you would like I can scan to a PDF a state or area you would be interested in. If you pick State it may be several let's as this book roughly 2 feet by 3 feet. 

PCRR/DAVE,

That is your Christmas Layout?  I would love to see your full time layout. Your Christmas Layout is spectacular. 

Yes I do the MA & PA railroad, it ran through the farms I grew up on. Very fond memories seeing and hearing it often. It's hard finding the few O gauge engines, rolling stock or buildings with the road name and locations. What joy it is to find those items like finding hidden treasure. 

I'm not sure if what I model qualifies. It is definitely local, but only a small part of it could be called a short line. In reality, the Minnesota Commercial is a terminal or transfer railroad. It takes cars from the major railroads, and switches local industries, as well as moves cars between the BNSF, CP and UP.

The Commercial is responsible for switching the Hiawatha Milling District.

I'm just getting started with the structures here.

The commercial in action at Hiawatha.

The "canyon" of elevators and mills.

This will be the Commercial's yard.

 I have a    Prototype   freelance short line   Called the coal and  steel railroad 

 Based on Y&SRR and NCIR

 In the picture is the freight locomotive

Passenger locomotive for the railroad

 Coal And Steel Railroad  interchanges with steel  milll Railroad, Erie,B&O,P&LE,NYC  and PRR.

 Main priority on the railroad  is hauling steel and coke  but also has some General freight  from other businesses.

 There’s  four  divisions of the railroad. 

 A plant railroad  operated by  Bethlehem Steel

note

 Still need to paint and decal the locomotives to My Railroad 

Mine is a *******ized hybrid of the Strasburg and New Hope & Ivyland Railroads of S.E. PA.

With more time, energy and money, I would model the Putnam Division of the New York Central, known as "the Put."

It no longer exists, but it would be exciting to model it. It ran from the Bronx in NYC up to Brewster, NY. Industries would include dairy farms in Northern Westchester County,  and iron/coal mines in Brewster, NY in Putnam County. I also believe there would be transportation of lumber and produce including fruit from orchards and vegetables from farms.

It ran short mixed freight trains, short passenger trains, and sometimes mixed freight and passenger consists.

A great era to model would be from 1945 to 1958 when the Put ran small steam engines (Atlantics) and small diesels (44 ton and maybe smaller).

The trains on the Put would run through beautiful scenery including along the Bronx River and Saw Mill River, and parkways would be under construction by those same river names. Also, there would be a gorgeous Victorian style station at Potantico Hills (near the Rockefeller Estate) and other smaller and simpler stations along the Put, including Yorktown Heights (where I live) and Baldwin Place where there were dairy farms. Lionel's operating milk cars and platform would be perfect on the Put. Also the 97 coal loader in Brewster, and the operating coal dump and log dump cars. Operating fork lift and saw mill would be nice on a model of the Put.

There are books with pictures of the Put that are available, often at train shows in White Plains, NY. 

Problem is that I'm quite content with my current eclectic O Gauge layout, tinkering with my trains and scenery and writing things on this on line forum, most of which are silly but a lot of fun. 

I would love to have a more serious and skilled modeller than me take on the project of resurrecting the Put so I can visit it, see it and maybe run my small steam and Diesel engines on it.