suggestions for a proto to model.


B

Bushel86

Member
OK So after a lot of back and forth. and even getting so frustrated that I wanted to quite the hobby. I decided i need to switch scales.. So I am moving from Ho back to N scale.. Starting new.

This layout will be an around the wall with maybe a center Peninsula, I have a 9.5'x13' room. I will be an only Operater so I am not looking to do Mainline operations with groups of people its just me., I'm More interested in operating the local of the mainline. but prefer branchline or shortline, I want the layout to be Both railfaning and operation friendly. (I am inspired by Tom Johnsons Loganport & indiana Basement layout) I am looking for something I can proto freelance with, using the proto as my inspiration. But I like to figure that out based on the suggestions you give. So here is what I am thinking.. I am looking to do the research, But need a place to start.

I Am drawn to The Reading railroad and conrail, But Open to Any road Prefer fallen flags. I grew up in flat land But Prefer to Model mountians. Since I love large steel viaducts. and Would like to have at least 1 on the layout. I also would like to model around 1970s-1990s I like Alcos and emds and the time when cabooses were still being used mostly. And plus I Like the time before Wide cabs became dominate.

The type of traffic I like is any type of freight, from coal to autoracks and double stacks and mix. not a fan of passenger

The Prototype line must have a variety of industrys, but also be more rural. And while I am not picky on local, I seem to be drawn more to WV and PA as my location. But not fix on it.

So if I forgot something or you have questions Please ask. I'm just looking for a line to base my layout standard on. and looking for interesting locations.

Also another note... Its been years since I have been in N scale. and 12 inch radius was consider like 24 in Ho. While I plan on minimum of 15" for my layout, If I wanted to Run autoracks, from time to time. What is the standard for them these days? I don't care about looks. because if you ever looked at a 1:1 scale autorack from above going around a What the protos call a "sharp" mainline curve in the mountians, it looks just as toyish as your model going around sharp radius. So I just find not doing it because of looks as an excuse. (however Even I have Problems with an autorack going around a N a scale 11 inch radius or Ho scale 22' radius as being to much to look at) But I do want to know what is best for body mount coupler autorack and say a 40' box coupled together what would be the minimum radius for them and not have Problems and lets add to that and say at the front of a 30 -50 car train for Perspective. Just put looks aside, what is the bare minimum, 12", 15", 18" Not that I plan on doing the bare minimum But its nice to know in planning my layout, What I can Accommidate for. since I don't have any of these things at the moment to do my own test.

Thanks, Hopefully you can set me on the right path..
 
General consensus is the curve radius works reliably when it is at least 3 times the longest equipment. In HO, what I’m familiar with, an auto rack is a foot long so for reliable operation, minimum curve radii should be 3 ft. If you want to be able to couple cars on the curve go a little bigger.

I think you may get better clarity if you make a list of “givens and druthers” and the prioritize items on the list. We can offer suggestions but you know you and what you want better than we do.

I don’t know the east coast so I would suggest the SP’s Tillamook line or the Camas Prairie in Idaho. Neither has coal or intermodal but both have lots of mountains and bridges. There were some dreams of connecting the Camas Prairie’s 4th Sub to the Northern Pacific in Montana which would have required crossing the Bitteroot Mountains and might have brought intermodal that way.
 
kjd said:
I don’t know the east coast so I would suggest the SP’s Tillamook line or the Camas Prairie in Idaho. Neither has coal or intermodal but both have lots of mountains and bridges. There were some dreams of connecting the Camas Prairie’s 4th Sub to the Northern Pacific in Montana which would have required crossing the Bitteroot Mountains and might have brought intermodal that way.
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When I was a Kid I was a big fan of the SP, Loved the Bloody nose and black widow scheme. But, modeling the west Doesn't interest me, I lived in Idaho for a brief time, truth is The west is to Brown... Not enough Greenery. Its always dry and I know Like Washington and Oregon are wet and lush but Its just doesn't have enough foilege for me.. lol thats why I keep it east of the Old Mississippi.

As far as my given and druthers, I realy am open for anything at the moment.. Trying to find out what really will strike me. I mean I can do the given and druthers but that will just change before I even get a plan together. So right now I am basiclly starting from scratch trying to find what it is I want to model I know I prefer an anthricite railroad, around the time of conrail. maybe just before. I like the reading and Chessie. I do like coal hauling but I also like mix frieght. I don't need a lot of turnouts to be happy. a few indistries, say 4-10 is all I need, What is important to me is that the layout has to give the feel of travel over a distance.. I have right now a 13"x8' switching layout in Ho scale, and I don't ever switch it, because The train doesn't travel anywhere, Just switches the building. and while I enjoy switching.. I also Like seeing the train travel farther than a few feet. So thats why It has to be both railfan and switching friendly. thats basiclly all I require. and at least 1 Large Viaduct bridge scene.. everything else is Optional at the moment until I can find a route that I like. and then be like ok This route has this but not this. and Now I want this but not that. Right now I am completely open to everything.
I like small mom and pop industries that might get 1 car here or there, and I like large industries that have their own yard. I am fine with anything. But I just want to be able switch the layout and still railfan it too. with out a lot of congestion or needing to feel like I need a ton of locomotives to enjoy it. or need a group of people to run it. I'm just looking for someone who knows of a branch line, shortline, or mainline that they may find is ininteresting to help me to look for that certian criteria.
One of the reason I don't model the eastern shore of MD where I grew up, isn't because it not interesting to me, But because it a lot of nothing and its all straightline very few curves, and its mostly Covered hoppers, tankers, and some box cars. Nothing really more than that.. While I love covered hoppers its just so spaced out between industries that modeling 2 industries on the same wall would be 20 or 30 miles or more apart in real life. and thats a lot to compressed.. Along with the fact that it is all flat land and farm land. it be the same scene basically throughout the whole layout. But what was interesting was watching Conrail and NS use Sd40-2s to pull less than a dozen hoppers everyday and switch out the different grain mills. That was always nice to watch. But I guess its Just not enough sceneic diversity or Rolling stock diversity. Now if i was modeling the 30s or even 50s, the easternshore would be great to model, But I don't want to model that time frame because I like modeling those structures in Ho scale not N. and I just don't have the room for Ho to do it, I have already been down that road.. So I am doing what my other interest is, mountian railroading. But I only know mountian railroading from the cab of a truck. thats why I am looking for others who might know more about appalachian railroads to give me suggestions into where to look that might be interesting.. Like I said, I am open to any and all locations east of the mississippi. lol.

I hope this helps Some... I know its really not a lot to go on. and its hard to explain for me, and I know its hard to help me if its not alot to go on.

thanks again.
 
Watch this for inspiration.

modelrailroadforums.com

A great 4 industry short line

Just came across this video from July 2023. I live about 15 miles away. Years ago when I was visiting customers in Canby I would sometimes see the operations. This will get you motivated If you ever wanted to build a small, modern, shortline. Just looking at the beat up track and...
modelrailroadforums.com modelrailroadforums.com
 
Shortline and freelance layouts can be good resources for looking at. Lots of my ideas come from the Utah Belt and if certain railroads never merged
 
Just to correct any misconceptions, the Tillamook branch is pretty much all in heavily forested river canyons. Was also called Port of Tillamook Bay railroad, for Google reference.

I grew up in Idaho and having lived on the “wet” side for 20 years, I really miss those vast vistas from the drier side.
 
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Go with Conrail. Use 4 axle locomotives such as GP’s, RS’s and a switcher. Maybe limit your rolling stock to smaller sizes, 40 to 60 feet long. Create a fictional branch line. Grain was the industry of choice in my area. We had many feed mills. Otherwise it was the occasional delivery to the grocery store chain warehouse in town. Anything else was pass through freight.
 
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