Model your hometown RR?

P

Papa Bear

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Dec 28, 2003
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South Alabama
www.route29.com
Thought this might be an interesting topic. Do any of you model the railroad that runs through your hometown (if it has a railroad)? Could be actual scenes from your hometown, another place on the same railroad that runs through your hometown, or maybe a railroad that you wish ran through your hometown.

My present layout is not based on any particular prototype, although I am considering building a layout modeled after local railroads.

John
 
Hi John,

I model the Penn Central which ran along the West side of the Hudson River a couple of miles from my childhood home in NY. My layout has a couple of scenes from the area but its more of an impressionistic painting than a snapshot. :)
Ralph
 
Yes, John. I am starting the Credit Valley Railway and it ran from Toronto to St. Thomas with branches from Streetsville to Orangeville and Cataract to Elora in Southern Ontario.

I was born here in Huntsville (200 miles north of Toronto) but grew up in and around the Streetsville area. I moved back up to the Muskoka Area two years ago.
 
I often daydream about modeling my local area and time, at least using it as inspiration for a layout. New Westminster, for anyone who is familiar with it. There are lots of trains running along the waterfront, lots happening with tugboats and bridges. Yards full of switchers and graffitied rolling stock. A brewery with tracks leading right up to it. An elevated and underground public transport train and interesting, hilly terrain, and lots of fantastic old houses with cupolas and neighborhoods filled with character, posh and seedy ones in close proximity, and cobbled streets.
 
Hello, John!

There were two railroads that passed through my hometown and, when I moved, the same two railroads went through that town, too! When I was just a wee'un the Erie mainline literally went right passed my backyard. I lived sis houses away from the Hawthorne, NJ Erie station. Just one street away was the NYS&W, better know as 'The Susquehanna'. I'm not planning on incorporating any of the familiar Erie or Susquehanna scenes into my layout, but I do model the rolling stock and locos from both of those roads and the DL&W. It's a continuation of something that my father was into a bit and I thought that I'd do some modeling of those familiar fallen flags myself. :wave:

Russ :sleeping:
 
Hi John, I grew up in Teaneck N.J., and the NYC West Shore went thru town. Also in the area were Erie and Susquehanna. As it turned out, I wound up living near the Susie Q several times. While I don't model any of these lines, I have and will incorporate scenes from them. I'm modeling the Susie Q crossing the Pequonnock River near Rt 23 in Butler, the Erie's Dundee branch in Garfield (to an extent) and the wood trestle at Bear Mountain on the West Shore. Also a scene inspired from a photo in Erie power, in Clifton. My freelance line is in North Jersey and using these scenes along with generic ones helps root the layout where it belongs.

Gary
 
I'm modelling my hometown, Toronto, in the early 50's transition era. We had (and still have) CN and CP. All the branch and short-lines had been gobbled up by then, so there's no Toronto Belt Line or Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo. Also the Grand Trunk RR had been taken over by CN as well, although I'm considering pretending it's still around, because my great uncle was a station agent for them, and my mom has lots of stories from those days.

Although I'm modelling a specific major industry, Massey Fergusson (makers of farm implements), I don't worry about prototypical accuracy all that much. As long as I capture the feel of it I'm happy. The same goes for the city scene. I'm just trying to get some of the flavour of Toronto in the 50's and bring back many fond memories of what was an idyllic time.

Toronto architecture is pretty consistent with most other north-eastern cities so most kits work well. I had to kitbash a couple of different kits and do a little scratchbuilding to get a 3-storey building with a mansard roof that is so typical here even now. When you put in a TTC streetcar and an Eatons delivery truck it really sets the time and place.

Val
 
Val, I am doing the Credit Valley Railway, it ran from Toronto to St. Thomas with a branch from Streetsville to Orangeville (I am doing Cheltenham to Orangeville). It was gobbled up by the CP in 1885.

The line I am modelling was crossed by the Hamilton & North Western (Inglewood) as well as the Toronto, Gray & Bruce (Melville).

I am doing an 1880s in N Scale. 4-4-0s and 50' Overland Passengers as well as 36' freight cars.
 
My hometown also has two railroads that run through it. I only plan to model the line that goes by the house as the house is about 5 miles east of town.

I plan on modeling. Conrail's Kankakee Line when it was conrail. my period will be about the time of the split up of conrail. Then i can still widely use Conrail units but can also use Norfolk Southern units since they took over the line. Its got some neat scenery. The grain elevator in town as of now i plan on modeling. I will have to model part of the UP line that runs through town. which isnt a problem as it falls into the plan of the coal train that comes off the interchange in town.
 
I used to live in a house near the CPR tracks through Orangeville, Ontario (see red X). I followed the green route to the public school (at the green X). I hope to work some of this yard, or at least the house near the tracks into a layout or module someday.

Andrew

PS - Thanks to Will_annand for the map! It shows part of the Orangeville yard in 1912. Yes, the house was there - in fact it was about 40 years old at that point.
 

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Originally posted by Will_annand


Andrew, just as a point of interest, that CP yard started life in the 1870s as the TG&B yard.
Click to expand...

Will,

I would guess that my (actually my parent's) house started life as a pine seedling in the mid-1600s. There was some really, really old wood in that place.

Andrew
 
As far as I know, it is still around. It was a beautiful wood framed house, with a separate 2 bay garage, all on about 3/4 acre. There was a similar house next door. Really nice "matched" look to the two houses. The people that bought the house from my parents subdivided the lot and squeezed a new home between the two. :curse:

It may even be older than I think. I have been looking for a picture - I'll post it or email when I get one. There is an old photo from the papers about a flood in the 1870s (I think) that clearly shows the house. It is in a book my parents have. I'll try to get a copy. You might be interested, as it shows the rail line, etc from the Orangeville plan.

Andrew
 
I model the city where I live--Sacramento, CA--albeit back in time a stretch...specifically, the Sacramento Belt Line, an industrial belt line operated jointly by the Sacramento Northern and Central California Traction railroads, both interurbans gone diesel. The era I model is currently late 1950's but as soon as I get the wherewithal to hang trolley wire the era will be pushed back to 1946-1953.
 
I approached it a little differently. My hometown was served by the Reading, then Penn Central, then Conrail. But while I was growing up it was Reading.
I moved a few towns over and am only a couple miles from the former PRR Philly-Harrisburg mainline. Needless to say this would allow plenty of modelling opportunities. :D
Plus, an abandoned connecting line when I grew up was served by the Cornwall railroad, a small branch line. Another good modelling prospect.
Yet here I am, fumbling with a prototype I've never visited other than pictures in books and on the internet. Though it is within a 30 minute drive of me. I wanted to do something I wasn't familiar with, but used a topography that appealed to me. I was leaning towards a southern states line, but happened upon the WM quite by accident, liked what I saw, and here I am. Leave it to me to choose a line with very little in the way of pre-made locos/rolling stock. :rolleyes:
It's been fun, though, and I enjoy the research it takes.
 
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