Proto freelancing anybody?

[malletman]

Who all here proto freelances? That is model a line that maybe nolonger exhists, but changing history to make the line still exhist in your chosen time frame. For me its the Eel River/Butler branch of the PRR, mostly gone during the Penn Central days and barely passable event then due to overgrowth. I am setting mine just prior to the ditch light mandate by the FRA, so late 1980's/early 1990's. Right now I am slowly buying the motive power as I develope the back story to the shortline. Motive power started with finding the excursion steam locomotive that really did exhist back in the early/mid 1980s and ran out of Logansport, Indiana. Ex BC&G 13 became a pseudo PRR 2-8-0 with high headlight and Keystone plate on the smokebox door. The closest to this engine is a C&O G9 class 2-8-0 done in brass by Overland Models. I bought one last year and have done the redetailing to make her closely match L&ER #1. I then started looking for a small 4 axle diesel. I found an old Overland Models GP35 cheap at a show and picked that up. Both are unpainted but dates with the paint shop are fast approaching. My line models the segment from Logansport, IN up to Columbia City to service its large grain elevator. Other smaller elevators along the way also get a car or two as needed The shortline interchanges with the TP&W and NS/NW at Logansport. Loads of lumber are shipped out of from a sawmill in Logansport, along with inbound coal for the cities powerplant. Summer time see's excursions using the steam locomotive for the cities "Iron Horse Festival". As opertion began, it was found the GP35 was not enough grunt for the fall harvest that first season, and railfans were treated to seeing steam in revenue service with old No1 on the point and the GP35 shoving on the rear. This was far from ideal, despite the great publicity of seeing steam in weekly service for a few weeks. Over the winter, on a trip out east, the president spied a battered Alco C430 that had been rolled over on her side out on the Susquehanna RR. This was aquired and shipped via lowboy back to Logansport to the dismay of the shop forces. Time will tell if they can put the big Alco back together again. Once repaired, it will sport the lines PRR style colors of Tuscan brown with a yellow stripe, similar to the Louisville and Indiana units we see today. I will start picking up rolling stock and a caboose over the summer and hopefully start laying track as well. The bench work is up, and waiting on track work to begin. Here is a pic of the Connie and the GP35. The pics were taken on my mini portable layout, which has been redone for my Marklin AC powered HO stuff. The new L&ER layout is above the portable.

 

[malletman]

Here is the bare benchwork, will be a folded dog bone track plan, very tight curves thanks to a very small train room. Thus the need to stick with 4 axle power, modern grain hopper do ok or atleast the old Athearn blue box ones I buy do ok. I do plan to get one brass grain hopper, just cause I can as I sell off my traction brass I started to collect. A couple small grain elevators are planned with a larger one on the right side on that extension that needs some attention to the plywood top misalignment at the moment. In time, another extension will go above my work bench for the siding into Cole Hardwood for me to set bulkhead flats into for loading. Have to wait to get the new window installed in my room first though. Mike the Aspie

 

[Sirfoldalot]

MIKE -- Those are two very nice loco's for your shortline! Just cannot beat brass steam for details! The "35" looks very nice as well - Overland, you say?

 

[malletman]

Yes early Overland, with a noisy tank drive. I have plans to put newer OMI trucks on it and remove the tank drive system later this summer. I have other brass power that I have picked up cheap in the last few weeks. The GP35 will still be in my proto/freelance scheme, but the railway is getting a dual IC/NYSW theme. At a show in Urbana IL, I scored a factory painted and lighted IC SD70 from Overland. I then picked up a unpainted NYS&W C430 from Jeff Lemke trains. My final brass purchase for awhile was a factory painted Overland C430 in the NYS&W yellowjacket colors. Should get that one in the mail soon. Here is a short video of the unpainted C430 running, along with my Prime beacon light flashing(used on BN and NYS&W engines, this one is from BN GP10 #1410) Mike the Aspie

 

[malletman]

Here is the SD70 and the C430(unpainted one)

 

[NP2626]

I am a Proto Freelancer. I model the Northern Pacific in 1953 and the location is the Butte Shortline. The Butte Shortline ran from Logan Montana where it split off from the mainline that ran to Helena Montana. Then it ran to Butte Montana and the mining going on there and rejoined the Mainline at Garrison Montana. Although the the Butte Shortline actually existed, the country that it ran through and the country I I have modeled are two different places.

When I started my layout, I was totally committed to a freelanced model railroad. Then, I became interested in the Northern Pacific and found a way to incorporate that into my layout. The Butte Shortline fit the bill. There is a 29 page discussion on my layout here: http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/...-northern-pacific-butte-montana-layout.28694/

 

[malletman]

I have been refining the lines back story, and fine tuning the motive power. The tank drive GP35 was sent down the road and a second C430, factory painted in the NYS&W yellow jacket scheme purchased and I am looking at a BN GP20. With my flat terrain table top, a line set in the Illinois area seemed a good place for a fictional yet possible line. But how to deal with how the big Alcos and maybe a GP20 came to be. So, taking that the owner of the NYS&W also once owned the TP&W for a few years, maybe they could have owned some other lines in my reality. But they saw little profit in an overgrown line with just a few remaining agricultural customers and were on the verge of petitioning the FRA to abandon the line. But a consortium of local farmers/elevator and business owners filed their own motion. At the signing of the ownership papers the guy from the outgoing company want to know what they planned to do for motive power. The rep for the new owners asked "What do you have in your dead lines thats cheap?" With a laugh, he said he had a couple big Alco 4 axle units he would throw in on the deal and even have them delivered if they could wait a couple weeks. Till then, a ex BN GP20 was leased so track and tie work could begin. In about a month, 2 big C430s on Hi-Ad trucks were left at the IC interchange, neither ran and the engine rooms was a mess of oil, grease and grime. The two man shop wondered what their rep got them in to after looking over these two disasters in faded yellow jacket colors. Thankfully, one of the local retired folk once served in the engine room of a tugboat that ran 251's and after plenty of long humid days and nights, #3006 woke the dead with her air starter and roared to life at 3am. #3000 followed a few weeks later. In a return gesture for sending these two disasters, both units were left in their yellow jacket colors and after a bath and some buffing out, looked good, new road names will be added over the old soon. The local fuel dealer had a big smile after serveral trips to fill up both units with diesel as both had next to nothing in their tanks.
The first weeks of operation saw both units together, although train tonnage only required one on line, both were worked to clear up any bugs so that future runs could be done with a single unit to save on fuel. Both units got hot start sets ups installed to conserve fuel during the winter time, the engine house will only hold one of the two, so the days unit to be run is kept indoors, and while its out on the line, the shop guys move the other inside to rotate them.
About that GP20, whist the Alcos were being repaired, she was derailed and slid down a small embankment(she did remain upright but sustained truck, fuel tank and pilot damage. Rather than deal with the angry leasing company rep, a buy out price was negotiated and the unit was purchased. Once rerailed, she was towed by a farmer's big John Deere back to engine house to await repair at some point. More to come as the story evolves.

 

[malletman]

Here are some pics of the layout progress, so its more than an armchair story. The Central Elevator, feed mill and engine houses were train show finds today. I also got the Nathan P2 air horn mounted on the long hood end of 3006. (the big SD70 is on ebay if anybody is looking, its just to big on my small layout).

And tonight's last pic, 3006, P2 blairing for the route 20 crossing, heads toward her first drop off at the feed mill.