Contemplating a new direction

[Chrιstιaη]

I am currently building a 34x16 HO layout in the basement of my house

Now we need photos ! Many thanks in advance.

 

[Snowman]

Aha! A Q, NP, GN, SP&S man, after my own heart! I was a kid, riding the shovel-nose Zephyrs in the 1940's and '50's. But the Burlington Route also had interchanges with the others at various locales. I, too, can't stand the BN green, black and white color scheme, and don't get overly excited by the Chinese Red schemes on some of the Q's road switchers! I love running the Zephyrs I rode on, and stick with the pre-merger era. But I also will run North Coast Ltd, and Empire Builders I will run freights with steam or early F's. Don't do much switching, but I can. I also rode the C&NW 400's in the late '50's. If you need any HO scale steam, I have a bunch of Mantua ones, too many to run, if you or anyone needs one. Best of luck!

YOU, sir, have had some kind of experiences if you managed to do all that. Or was that only in your imagination? Doesn't matter all that much, as I yield, myself, to the Zephyr era. My own favorite road--the D&RGW--owed much of its passenger fame to the Burlington Zephyrs. In my own road's '"universe" I pay particular homage to that.

 

[Snowman]

Thanks all for your input.

Before I started this layout, I wanted to represent a particular line on the B&O in 1974. (Early Chessie era). However, the space I have, while it sounds spacious, is oddly-shaped and I couldn’t fit a the two yards that were a priority for me to have on the layout.
That’s what lead me to build the freelanced line in the early 70’s that I have now.
I recently encountered some incredible material covering operations and locomotives in the steam era for the same part of the B&O I wanted to model. But as mentioned before, exactly zero of the locomotives I’d need are available and I don’t have time nor the desire to scratch build or kitbash 60-70 steam locomotives.

So perhaps I could roll things I have now back to the 60’s and swap the freelance stuff for B&O equipment and Proto-freelance until the next basement comes along and perhaps I can fit a particular part of the Monongah Division in that space…

So let me ask this: Why do you need the two yards, and not just the one?

 

[Rico]

I’ve been thinking lately that when, not if, we move again I’ll model a fictitious short line with lease locos.
I can still model an interchange with my favourite roads, possibly on both ends like a bridge line.
There’s a good selection of lease locos and rent-a-wrecks these days.

 

[runaway_geep]

So let me ask this: Why do you need the two yards, and not just the one?

The one yard is a major hub for the B&O and classification yard for the layout (essentially open staging). Without it, it’s a switching layout Or Westbound trains are classified in Staging (not ideal).

The other yard is a wye with three extra yard tracks, a small locomotive service area, 3 customers and a freight house all in that one location….. (and there were between 4 and 8 coal mines within 2 miles of this yard depending on the era). Without this, most trains would be run throughs with no work except for a couple mine shifters.