The following is a rough draft of an article I'm writing outlining my future layout. I have also drawn up a more comprehensice locomotive roster and industry chart, but I've ommited them here due to formatting limitation. All comments, both positve and negative, are welcome!
--------------------
The Indiana Northern Railroad (reporting marks, INNR) is a fictional shortline operating in northern Indiana. The "Mishawaka Road" operates a former Milwaukee Road branch east from Gary to New Haven via South Bend.
Prototype
The line was originally built as the Chicago, South Bend, Fort Wayne & Pacific Railway. The railroad had aspirations of reaching Lake Erie at Toledo, but those dreams went out to sea with the Panic of 1897. The CSBFtW&P was swallowed up by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul during the early years of the Great Depression.
The line was operated by the Milwaukee Road until the line's merger into the Soo Line in 1985. The Soo continued to operate the line until 1987, when it became apparent that the line didn't fit into Soo parent Canadian Pacific's long-term strategy. Instead of filing for abandonment, Soo decided to put the Gary to New Haven line, along with the branch to Goshen, up for sale. The line was purchased by a group of local investors, looking to preserve rail service to online customers.
The Mishawaka Road's mainline exists entirely within the state of Indiana. The railroad operates from Gary east through South Bend, terminating in New Haven, which is just east of Ft. Wayne. The railroad also operates a branch from South Bend eastward through Elkhart to Goshen.
Traffic consists mostly of general freight. Unit coal trains are operated to the Northern Indiana Power generating station at Elkhart from a connection with the Chicago & Northwestern at Gary. The Indiana Northern also forwards trains bound for Chicago and points west for the Grande Valley Railroad from a connection at South Bend.
Considering the line's secondary nature, passenger service plays a prominent role in its operations. Amtrak operates a daily train, the Mennonite, from Goshen to Chicago. The train operates push-pull fashion, usually with an F40PH and three Amfleet coaches. The line also hosts two other Amtrak trains on its rails, the Ft. Wayne to Chicago Hoosier State and the Grand Rapids (Mich.) to Chicago Grande Valley Flyer. These trains are usually more formal affairs, being turned at the end of their respective journeys. They usually garner an F40PH, Heritage baggage, three Amfleet coaches, and an Amfleet dinette. The Northern Indiana Commuter District (NICD) also offers commuter rail service between South Bend and Goshen with a refurbished Budd RDC.
The Indiana Northern operates exclusively with EMD diesels. The backbone of the mainline power is made up of nine GP20's and eleven SD35's. These engines were all purchased secondhand from Conrail shortly after the line's creation. Seven cabless F7B's provide additional horsepower for road jobs. Locals and transfer runs are mostly handled by thirteen GP9's and four SD7's. The fourth SD7, number 2211, is painted in Milwaukee Road colors and is leased to a local tourist line on weekends for excursion service. The yards are switched by five SW1200's, two each are stationed in Gary and Fort Wayne and the last resides in South Bend. The INNR's paint scheme is similar to that of the old Nickel Plate Road, a black body with gold end stripes and lettering.
Model
I have chosen to model a portion of the Goshen branch between Elkhart and South Bend as it existed right after startup, in the late 1980's. This will allow me to take a more laid-back approach to operations.
The modeled INNR serves a diverse mix of industries. The line directly serves the Northern Indiana Power generating station, Olson & Son's Recycling, Kirk's Ready-Mix Concrete, L.E. Gant Printing, Harding Wood Furniture, Hanson Stone, and Hoosier Brewing. They also serve Midwest Plastics, Hayden Lumber, J.D. Hardly Wholesale Produce, Tropicana, and an Amoco distributor with a team track in Elkhart.
Tentatively, my layout is set to be built on a pair of hollow-core interior doors arranged in an 'L' shape. The mainline will be an oval with the rear portion hidden by a backdrop. Behind the backdrop will be a hidden three or four track staging yard. The left will be South Bend and an interchange with the Grande Valley Railroad. Moving to the right (east) the line will enter Elkhart.
Rolling stock on the layout reflects the laid-back atmosphere of a regional's secondary lines. My model roster will include a Life-Like SW1200, a pair of Atlas GP9's, and a Life-Like SD7 (probably the one in Milwaukee paint). There will also be a Life-Like GP20 in Grande Valley colors and an F40PH in Amtrak paint. I seem to have amassed a rather large collection of modern 50' box cars, so the majority of the rolling stock is made of those.
--------------------
Again, this is just a rough draft, so odds are it'll be expanded on in the near future.
------------------
Brian Schmidt
railohio@trainorders.com
ICQ #21630753
AIM - railohio
