G's and D's

Hey Gang!

So we have the concept down.  Now its time to start filling the space.  Right now I have a room in my basement that is 11 x 16 feet.  So how do I start filling it?  What part of the Mascoutin Valley ends up on my model railroad?  Its time to make a list and do a little planning before the first parts of the benchwork get constructed.  Its time for the dreaded GIVENS and DRUTHERS!

The Givens and Druthers list that is not a new concept.  Its been around since the first cavemen made the made the first model railroads out of rocks and sticks.  Its a list of things your railroad must have, can't live with out (Givens)! And a list of things that are nice-to-haves (Druthers).   This list will be the starting blocks of how I will construct my model railroad.

Givens:

• Aisle space of at least 30 inches.  Even though I'd love to just fill up the room with gobs and gobs of track I don't want to be sucking in my gut just to operate trains!
• Must have an Iron/Taconite Mine.  I am a sucker for those little ore jennies.
• The sub roadbed must be 3/4 inch plywood.  This may seem a little ridiculous but I've started two layouts this year and both had 1/2" plywood.  Both were warped twisted and now in the garbage.  Plywood that is 3/4 inch has more plies so it is stronger and less opportunity to warp and bend.  
• I must have a staging yard.  
• My locomotive roster will be made up of prototypical engines.  Either bought or leased from existing railroads or second had locomotive dealers.
• Construction will be done in a modular fashion.  Baby steps to keep it manageable.  Don't break off too much layout at one time.  

Druthers:

• A second major industry - Paper Mill?
• Hand Laid Track except in staging.
• Variation in Rail Traffic.  Not just Ore Trains.
• Yard Switching.
• Prototypical car movements and train documentation.

With this list identified we can get started with construction.  The first section of layout we'll be constructing is the Iron Mine/Taconite Plant.  I'll discuss that in the next posting.

Till Next time keep 'er in Notch 8!

Concept Continued

Hey Gang!

I want to post a couple more thoughts about concept.  This railroad is a "proto-freelance model railroad"  It basically means that some of its real and some of its totally made up in my brain! 

The real parts I chose was the basic setting.  Time and place.  I wanted the railroad to be set in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.  I want the railroad to haul Wisconsin and Upper Michigan products.  It should haul lumber, pulpwood, agriculture products, processed food, paper and iron ore.  I'm not going to exclude other traffic, but I want to primarily focus on these times.  I picked real cities in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, but I'm going to tweak their histories a bit.  For example Poy Sippi...not sure if a railroad ever existed there.  But it sure does on the Mascoutin Valley!  We will explore each of the cities in detail as we progress through this blog.

Every good railroad needs a name.  The Mascoutin Valley Railroad.  How did I come up with that?  With a little help from my wife, I choose the name based on a couple of factors.  I wanted to capture a local theme.  I used some local Native American history and a current day recreational trail name - The Mascoutin Valley Trail.  Oddly enough the Mascoutin Valley Trail was a rails to trails program that used right of ways that appears on the Mascoutin Valley Railroad today!  Apparently we didn't get the memo.  

With the basic geographic area selected, the name of the railroad decided and what I want to haul on the railroad it was time to make a system map!

Here's the System Map of the Mascoutin Valley. 

Over all the Mascoutin Valley Railroad covers over 200 miles and serves as a connector railroad to the CNW, WSOR, E&LS and Wisconsin Central/CN.  The Railroad is divided into 3 separate divisions - Northern, Central and Southern.

Lets break the divisions down.

The Northern Division primarily runs east-west.  The Northern Division concentrates on Iron Ore traffic and Wood Products (Pulp, Lumber, Wood Chips and Paper.  It connects with the CNW in Rhinelander and the E&LS and WC/CN in Iron Mountain.  Ore traffic goes back and forth between Crandon and Iron Mountain.  While logs, chips and paper gets hauled between Rhinelander and Iron Mountain.  With the Goodman Lumber Mill and a sizable paper mill in Iron Mountain the Northern division is a major source of revenue for the Mascoutin Valley.

The Central Division is the connection between Northern and Southern Divisions.  It is the main artery for paper and lumber traffic going south and grain and processed food heading north.  With a major division yard in Clintonville the central division sees an immense amount of through traffic.  Small industries keep the central division locals busy with various agri-businesses providing most of the revenue.

The Southern Division is a the most industrious and has the most diversity in terms of traffic.  Ripon is the major connection point for the railroad.  Ripon takes traffic from the north, east and west.  Ripon also provides a connection with the Wisconsin Southern Railroad.  Major Industries on the Southern Division include Princeton's Tiger Brewery, Ripon Good Cookies and Power Packaging.  Other smaller industries provide a large amount of traffic almost on a daily basis.

With the concept down we can start filling the space.

Till Next time keep 'er in Notch 8!  

Radical Sabbatical

Hello Gang!

I’ve been back in the hobby of Model Railroading for about a year now after taking a long break from it (15 Year Sabbatical).  The "Radical Sabbatical" was inspired by the usual suspects.  Sports, Cars, Girls and College pretty much consumed my teens and twenties.  But now that I'm at the ripe age of 34 its time to have "Real Fun."  Its time to come back to the hobby.  So what do you do when you get back into model railroading...build a layout.

 *Insert Pictures of Beer Cans and party scene*

The point of this blog is I want to document my journey.  This is the starting point.  There will be mistakes.  There will be improvements.  Not only to the blog but my modeling.  There is one and only one rule of this blog...HAVE FUN. 
 

The Concept

I feel that it is important to define a concept of the model railroad that I want to construct.  The world I want to create.  I have have to credit Mike Confalone and his Allagash Railway for giving me this idea.  If you haven't seen any of his work I would really recommend that you check him out.  Either through Model Railroad Hobbyist or Trainmaster's TV.  It is a wonderful model railroad.  And I think it is my favorite.  (Gushing and Digression Aside) The Mascoutin Valley Railroad is a proto-freelanced HO Scale model railroad based in Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan.  It's set in the early 1980's.  I chose this because...I know it.  I lived it.  I grew up with the Chicago and Northwestern Marshline Branch Line in my back yard!

My Space - For a Railroad

Picture 1 - The Room Space

Picture 1 shows the space I have.  It is an 11x16 foot room in my basement.  It is a cinder block basement wall painted tan? Its lit by a dual lamp ceiling fixture and has an exhaust fan in it.  It is has an cigarette smoke outline of a dartboard on one of the walls.  I'm building a model railroad in a former party room?!?!?!  OK, I know, the room needs work. 

 

So that's it.  That's where we're starting.  We have a room and a concept!

Till next time, keep 'er in notch 8!