(erielack) Modeling preference, line, era, location, operations......

["Gary_Merrifield_@_NOTES.UP.COM"]

A little different topic, half survey, half food for thought.......

How many on the list have, are planning or building a model railroad ????

If yes to the above, what road are you modeling or basing a freelance on
???

If staying fairly strict to prototype.....

What era, equipment, and actual rail line are you modelling or planning to
model ???

Response does not have to be an EL or predecesor line.

If you are not now modeling, but have considered modeling a specific rail
line, please respond on that...

Most importantly, what reasons, WHY did you choose the line, era, region
you did......


Before I moved West and got to love the western roads, and more
specifically the DRGW in the Colorado Rockies and Utah desert, there were a
number of excelent lines to model in the Northeast I considered long and
hard.....

PRR Elmira branch, mid fifties, Great scenery and small towns that lend
itself very well to model benchwork.  Neat manifest and coal traffic, light
P-70 passenger car business, great mix of steam and diesel.  NYC had
trackage rights over a portion of the line as did the Erie to Watkins Glen.

DL&W line from Corning NY area to Mount Morris NY.  Lots of neat small
towns, varied small industrys, double track frieght railroad and
interesting interchanges with other lines in route.  Yard and helper
operations from Groveland over Dansville hill.  Circa 1951.......Late DL&W
steam and diesels,  light locals operation, heavy coal, manifest and 1st
class passenger trains....

Erie B&SW and former Erie main Salamanca to Dunkirk, 1950's
Very good scenery and small town mix that works well into model benchwork.
Again the steam-diel era mix that looks grweat operating thru small rural
towns.  Dayton grade out of Gowanda for pusher operations.

Erie CAnisteo River Valley between Addison NY and Hornell NY. era
1970's...late EL
This again is Allegany foothill scenery, excelent to model on 3' shelf
benchwork, backdrops are key.  Little local traffic, this was the spine of
the EL main and saw heavy frieght traffic of all kinds.  Double track, 50
mph minimum line here.  This is a great line for those who wish to model
long a frequent mainline lenght and speed trains.  Those who have a large
fleet of those excellent EL SD's Uboats, geeps and mixed in F units.  I use
d to chase trains here before Conrail, man was it great.  Doing this line
would require sizable staging yards at each end.  Traffic frequency and
volume are the keys to modeling this in an intersting manner....also need
to do excellent scenery.  Big car and diesel fleets are a must.

But now that I have moved.....for me it's "Defy gravity...ship Rio Grande
!!"  Our's is loosely based on the Tenessee Pass line from Texas Creek to
the summit and then after going thru a helix, across the utah high desert
on the second level.  Era is about 1990 (I do occasionally turn the clock
back to 1966) with plenty of unit coal, grain and intermodal as well s auto
and manifest traffic.  DRGW and clean SP power prevails, some UP power
mixed in for variety.  Doing single track with sidings, but large curves
and long sidings allows for 20' and longer trains, big power lash-ups and
close dispatching, even with moderate traffic.  Locals base out of Salida
CO in the rockies.  Close in rock castings, accurate aspen and ponderosa
pine and good backdrops are key to pulling it off.....



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