Modeling Frankfort IN


C

Crispin

New Member
Hi there,
I'm new to the hobby and just starting out but I'm pretty sure I know what I want to do. I want to start by modeling Frankfort IN in the 1950's. Frankfort is close to where I live and in the 50's it services the Monon and the Nickel Plate road which gives me some options for running operations. Here's my question, where do I find out how the yard there was laid out in the 1950's? Any help you can give would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Crispin
 
Crispin welcome to the forum. There is one place which could help you the most and that would be your local Train Society . I'm sure there is one in the Frankfort area that would be a treasure trove of information. I usually do a goolge seacrch and then follow the leads on the internet too. good Luck
 
You are lucky in that a lot has been recently published about this location

You'll want this article from Model Railroad Planning, 1996 (kalmbach)
"Around the clock at Frankfort yard - a Layout Design Element"
A day in the life of a midwestern freight yards during the busy 1950's
by Don Daily

Also Tony Koester's articles on his layout design for this area from the September and October 2000 issues of Model Railroader magazine (Kalmbach)

Regards,

Byron
 
You might want to peruse your local library for historical copies of USGS quadrangle maps. In some cases, depending on the last time the mapping was updated, you might find the linework representing tracks that are long gone even on current maps. Try topozone.com to at least get a start and see which quad maps you will be looking for. If the library can't help, try contacting the USGS at usgs.gov.

You might also try the public works department of Frankfort. They may have some engineering drawings on file depicting the layout of any utilities that may be near the defunct rail yard. Also, the county clerk and county tax assessor have a multitude of maps on file as part of the public record that you can browse and purchase copies of. These are often very informative.

Finally, you might try Sanborn fire maps. These maps were used for depicting the relative size and location of various buildings in a given area, and are often some of the most helpful (for our modeling purposes) since they dealt with the location and size of improvements to the property, as opposed to utility locations, propensity for flooding, land values, etc. These may be available at the library or at the Library of Congress website.
 
Thank you all for your replys. I'll start by trying to get the back issues of Model Railroader and I'll look for Model Railroad Planning
I had already searched the NPR site. I didn't find and plans for the rail at Frankfort but I did find alot of information that will be handy later.

Thanks again
 
I actually worked in and out of Frankfort yard on the old NKP, now NS. A few things have changed, but its a area still stuck in the 50's. The roundhouse still stands in large part. The turntable is still in, not in service. The coaling tower is still there and the area also has a diesel fueling station (out of service).

There are alot of neat things about Frankfort. Just remember, the NKP side on the westend use to leave out what is the beanplant lead and not its current route. Can't recall what year the track was rerouted and WY.
 
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