Back woods railroad!
Bill : I went thro the 12 pages of logging that makes your thread. It is good. I had a old layout constructed like yours. But definitly not as involved. Their seams to be alot there. I didn't use logging as a theam but just a old backwoods railroad. My road nane is the ANNA RR. My mining is the ROXY RR. I didn't have a logger, but I do have some Mantua 2-6-6-2s, and a few MDC shays and climaxes. I did run, many times trains made uo of double headed 2-6-6-2s pulling a dozen or so old hotco heavy duty multi-truck 50' flats with their log loads around the old layout.
I posted in your thread to lock it into my posts to keep viewing it.
Keep up the good work! frank
Thanks Frank,
My RR started as a small short line. My Dad was a professional Forester, as well as being a life long train nut, and the information he collected on logging railroads eventually colored the character of my railroad indelibly. That said Some elements of the original remain. I have interchange with two standard gauge and one narrow gauge railroads, so through freight is possible.
As I try to set up operations, I envision 65% logging related (logs, lumber supllies and personel to the camps and mill, as well as the tannenbark to the planned tannery) 12 % iron related (ore and lime stone to the furnace, coal to the coke ovens, and pigs to the interchanges) I'm figuring 10% local frieght not directly associated with the above industries, 7% total passenger (local and through- who wants to go to Gegoukayoosa Tn?). and about 6% through frieght- would be higher, but through frieght must go through the mountain division, which operationaly is a bottle neck from hell.
What are you planning to do with your stuff? and plan carefully, as your best work will certainly take place at the most ill convieved parts of your plan! If you are like me you will end up with a horrible mess, that looks too good to tear out and start over!
I got one of the Mantua 2-6-6-2's to go to the Club. We are in the midst of a massive construction there, so It hasn't been run much yet. one thing I found on mine, is it ran poorly from bad contact. The Chinese had hooked the black wire to the locomotive frame with a screw under the cab. That screw was screwed into a painted frame! I cleaned off the paint in that location, but I suspect more electrical pickup work will be necessary.
Once again let us lament the passing of kits. building a kit may take time, but as it is going together it is easy to make modifications. I hate taking abort a RTR locomotive to change stuff around, and that is funny, as I have had no reluctance to tear into brass to make cosmetic or mechanical changes. Getting the average Brass locomotive is easy compared to disassembling a Mantua 2-6-6-2 though!
Bill Nelson
PS, I like those little MDC overtons. those provide the backbone of my passenger fleet. They cut up very well to make an inexpensive HOn3 coach as well.
Bill Nelson