Railroad History

I

iis612

Member
Dec 26, 2006
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Chicago Burbs
Hi all,
I am a Noob, both here and to model railroading in general.
I am hoping that a few nice folks can point me in the right direction. I need to find some historical information to research a transition era layout I am working on.
I am hoping to find information about the Chicago area's freight lines, as that is the area that I am modeling. When I google search relative information, I am not getting any useable results.:curse:

If any of you might have some links, or know of any books that would be helpful and you are willing to share, it would be greatly appreciated!:)
Thanks
 
Lots to learn there! Chicago was (and is) pretty much the railroad hub of the nation--I don't even know offhand how many major railroads had one end in Chicago, but it was a lot!
 
I won't even attempt to help. All know is that Chicago is on the other end of the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads. I did hear that some other company bought them out a few years ago. We don't get too much news here in Montana.
 
Thank you all very much for your replies.
I am gearing up to take on a VERY big layout that is probably way above my skill level with this.
I know that BNSF, UP, SF, CSX, Conrail, Metra, and countless others run out of this area. Intermodel trains are the big business, along with unit coal, and unit grain.
I am going to attempt to model the transition era in this area.
All of the help that was provided is GREATLY appreciated. If anyone can think of anything else, please let me know.
I will start a blog on my progress as soon as I am moving in the right direction.

Which brings me to another questions... Where can I get free blog space?

Matt
 
iis612: that's just nowadays...BNSF used to be several different railroads that had one end in Chicago in the transition era (ATSF, Great Northern, Northern Pacific), as did UP (SP, UP, many more) plus a large number of interurban electric and steam/diesel powered passenger lines that handled intercity and suburban traffic!

Chicagoland has a great many train shops--much of my family lives around Chicago and I often spend almost as much time visiting hobby shops as relatives! Chicagoland Hobby, in particular, has a great books section, and there are many books and magazines focused specifically on the region's rail history. Sorry if it sounds like we're shuffling you off, but it's one of those huge, huge subjects--Chicago is an incredible city, especially for a railfan!
 
iis612:

You might want to try to contact Jon Grant. He is one of the posters here on the Gauge and he models transition-era Chicago in HO. His layout is amazing and has been featured in Model Railroader a few issues ago.

He will be able to help you immensely.

Hope this helps.
 
I know that BNSF, UP, SF, CSX, Conrail, Metra, and countless others run out of this area. Intermodel trains are the big business, along with unit coal, and unit grain.
I am going to attempt to model the transition era in this area.
Click to expand...
Most of the railroads you'd see around Chicago in the transition era don't exist today. Unit trains didn't exist then; not much intermodal service, either.
 
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