NS’sNew Castle District is part of NS’s Lake Division. It became part of NS’s major system per the N&W and Southern Railway (SR/SOU) merger in 1982. Part of the line from New Castle, IN to Ft. Wayne, IN was part of the Lake Erie & Western (LE&W), then Nickel Plate (NKP-NYCStL), and Norfolk & Western (N&W- 1964-1982). Another section of this line was originally the Pennsylvania Railroad’s (PRR) Buckeye Division, known as the Richmond Branch. Per the PRR, New York Central (NYC), and New Haven Railroad (NYNH&H) 1968 Penn Central (PC) merger, the line became the PC’s Richmond Branch and Cincinnati Division (Cinci. to Logansport-Van, IN). By 1976, at the start of Conrail, N&W bought the line between Cinci., OH to New Castle, IN. NS-N&W through-freights on the line didn’t happen until after 1978. A lot of the line was rebuilt in the early ’80s.
In the late 1980s and through the 1990s, NS had various Steam Train Excursion Specials on the line (NS trains 061, 062, etc.), with steam power NKP 587 & 765, N&W J-611, and SOU 4501. We have footage of these trains running on the New Castle District during those eras.
Below is a list of mile markers and town along the way (from an early ’80s NS/N&W timetable), starting from Cinci. (Claire), OH, to Ft. Wayne, IN (Westward-or technically NW direction):
Berea, Ohio Interlocking, or BE Tower- has always been a busy spot for railroad traffic. Originally part of the Lake Shore Michigan Southern (LS&MS), Big Four, and Cleveland Union Terminal (CUT), then to New York Central (NYC), and Penn Central (PC- 1968), Conrail (CR- 1976), then to Norfolk Southern (NS) and CSX (1998-99).
To this day BE Tower is still a busy place. The tower is no longer used today, but still stands. The original CUT/NYC Depot still stands as well, across the Short Line track along Railroad St. This place is a great spot for railfanning.
The lines running through BE are now NS’s Dearborn Division-Chicago Line (west of Cleveland, OH- ex-LS&MS/NYC Water Level/PC Buffalo-Chicago Line-Lake/Toledo Div./Conrail Dearborn Div.-Chicago Line), and CSX’s Chicago Line (east of Cleveland, OH), Short Line (NYC/PC/CUT Branch- Cleveland Short Line Branch/Conrail Short Line) and Indianapolis Line (PC Columbus-St. Louis Line, Columbus Div./CR Indianapolis Div. and Line). The W&LE regional railroad also runs a few trains through here. All of the lines actually run at a SW to NE direction at BE Tower, then west and east, and north and south.
The Chicago Line (NS side) runs west to Toledo, OH and Chicago, IL, and the east side (CSX) runs to Buffalo, and Albany, NY. The Short Line starts at BE Tower, and runs to Short, Parma, orig. to the Flats, White, Collinwood Yard, then to Alliance, and Pittsburgh, PA. The Indianapolis Line runs south to Galion, OH where it branches off to Columbus, OH, and splits west to Marion, OH, Indianapolis, IN, and St. Louis, MO.
Below is a map of BE Interlocking duinrg Conrail days:
(map by 1-West Productions™/P. Jordan)
One can see many freight types of stack, TOFC, auto rack, coal, locals, and more. Also Amtrak runs trains 29, 30, 48, 49. Most if not all of the original NYC/PC/CR signals have been taken down and updated to modern signals by NS & CSX. CSX also double-tracked the ex-CR Short Line after the Conrail split between NS in 1998-99. Over 100 trains a day pass through BE, with NS having the most traffic. Railroad scanner frequencies in use today are: NS- 161.070, 160.980, 160.350 MHz, and CSX-160.800, 160.485, 160.860 MHz.
Our new video BEREA, OHIO INTERLOCKING WITH CONRAIL & AMTRAK, 1996™, shows BE during Conrail in 1996. At that time BE tower was still in use, and many freights, including Amtrak, were filmed on all the lines at this location. This video, originally filmed by Keith Lehman, was orignally our Keith’s Trains Series™ #50 title, which was remastered and updated to our new title.
New Railroad AUDIO CD for September 2015, of NS action from 1987 (and more- see below!): NORFOLK SOUTHERN- N&W 1980s, Vol. 11. This CD was produced by 1-West Productions™, and contains recordings of freight action- no pictures. Why an audio-only version? It gives the listener something new to use with their imagination. Back in the day, radio shows were the hot item for entertainment before TV. Listeners had to use their imagination for the scenes as they took place, and would become a different world. Although having a picture is nice for seeing certain features and such, having a variety of formats can be appealing as well.
Back in 1987, we recorded the trains around the Bellevue, OH area during NS’s early merger days of the N&W and Southern Railway. We used directional mics to help give the natural movement affects of the trains, as we hear them in person.
The CD contains older standard cab locomotives from GE & EMD, background ambient sounds, and horns that have become more rare compared to today’s horns we hear on units.
For more information, please visit this page here. Update 3/2022: We now have Norfolk Southern-N&W 1980s Vol. 1-12, Vintage Scanner Radio Audio Albums/Recordings of NS, CR, & CSX, and Modern NS Audio Albums/Recordings now available! Please click here for a full list! You can also find a few samples of our Audio Albums on our 1-West Productions™ Soundcloud Page and YouTube Page.
In this blog we write about American Railroad Mergers that took place in the 20th Century era. Railroads became a profitable form of transportation. But by the 1950s, things were changing. Until the government gave the railroads more power to adjust rates, truck and automobile traffic increased with highways being built, a shifting economy, bad weather, and bad management caused the railroads to lose business and profits.
The Penn Central always got the worst reputation for a failed railroad company, however many of the other railroads were also were going bankrupt, or had their share of troubles in all areas (such as the LV, EL, RDG, C of NJ, L&H, etc.).
Mergers were a result of the hardships, and were suppose to help with their struggles. “Suppose to” is the key here. Although a few actually made sense and worked out in the long-run, most of the mergers that happened from the 1950s-21st Century made little sense, or did not produce the good results they tried to forcast. For example the Burlington Northern and Erie-Lackawanna mergers were parallel line mergers, did not really save the companies money, and were disasters. Their problems were just more hidden, compared to all the publicity the failed Penn Central merger received.
The ICC regulated and granted or denied permissions for all railroad mergers. The ICC later became the Surface Transportation Board (STC). In a lot of cases they denied mergers that would have made sense, and allowed those that resulted in more harm than good.
Below is a list of railroad mergers and the years they happened (bold faced names were the main railroads that took over the added railroad):
-Pere Marquette + C&O -Erie + Lackawanna = Erie-Lackawanna (1961) –Norfolk & Western + Virginian (1959) + NKP + Wabash (1964) + AC&Y (1970s ) + Illinois Terminal (1980s) -CB&Q + Great Northern + Northern Pacific = Burlington Northern (1970) -Pennsylvania + New York Central = Penn Central (1968) + New Haven (1969) -C&O + B&O + Wester Maryland = Chessie System (1972) -Southern Pacific + Rio Grande (They continued to use the SP name however) –Union Pacific + Southern Pacific + C&NW + MP -Illinois Central + Gulf Mobile & Ohio = ICG -Lehigh Valley + EL + Reading + CNJ + PC = Conrail (1976) –Conrail + CSX / Conrail + NS (1999) -N&W + Southern = Norfolk Southern (1982) -Chessie System + Seaboard System = CSX (1986) -L&N + Seaboard Coast Line = Seaboard System/Family Lines -BN + ATSF = BNSF (1990s) –Rock Island was the only railroad that was left to fail with no help. Later all assets were dived up between the UP & C&NW. -SOO Line + CP -GT + CV + CN
Which mergers were failures, and which mergers were winners? All mergers had their share of problems. The BN merger was not a great as most have thought. They had their times of congestion, workers retaliating against the merger, money losses, and more. The PC had many hardships, the EL also had hardships, and was not a success. Most of the mergers had problems with parallel lines, money losses, congestion of trains across the system, not enough locomotivepower, failed equipment, lack of funds for maintenance, bad track, dirty and old equipment, losses due to weather, and more problems.
The only merger that came out shining was the Norfolk Southern merger (Norfolk & Western + Southern), in the early 1980s. Both railroads were profitable, efficient, and need to expand. NS became a highly efficient and money-making merged railroad. They too had their problems during the Conrail split in 199 with CSX, but eventually pulled through.
What will the future mergers be like? We will see when it happens. It’s not a question of if, but what. there are current prospects of UP merging with CSX, NS with BNSF, or of the Canadian roads of CN and CP. Railroads are in the business of making money mainly by transporting goods in a country. As long as there’s materials needed in building and expanding, and consumers, railroads will be needed.
Check out our other blogs for more railroad stories, information, and more. Also check out our DVD & CD listings of what we have available for purchase, that can give you a more detailed look at the railroads involved in these mergers.
We have a new release of Norfolk Southern modern material released- a new Railroad Video in SD DVD 16×9 Anamorphoc format. Which means it will play like it should on widescreen TVs, and also on the standards 4×3 screens. We have been in the process of filming modern NS material for those who like the modern stuff.
Built in the 1800s, that section of the line that we filmed eventually was owned by the New York Central when they took over the original owner, the Lake Shore Michigan Southern RR. The NYC obtained ownership of the whole line from Albany, NY to Chicago, IL by merging the LSMS & several other railroads that owned the line across the states. This line was an efficient way of hauling freight, & also a competing line with the PRR, since it was mostly built on flat land, with very little grades. The PRR had to go through the mountains in order to get into the more western part of the country.
By 1968, the Penn Central was formed with themerger of the PRR, NYC, & NH, and depended on that line. By 1976, Conrail was formed and then owned the line until 1999, when NS & CSX split CR. NS ended up with the line from cleveland on west to Chicago, & CSX from Cleveland on east to NY. Amtrak uses this line today for some of their trains as well. NS then called the Water Level their Chicago Line, Dearborn Division.
NS has always had congestion problems on the Chicago Line, especially with the increase in oil train traffic. In 2014, they worked out an agreement with CSX to lease their ex-PRR/PC/CR Pittsburgh Division line that runs through Bucyrus, OH, Fort Wayne, IN, & to Chicago, IL. NS would replace ties & rail where it was needed, and was able to transfer some of their oil trains on that line to help ease the congestion on the Chicago Line.
NS has since made updates to the Chicago Line, such as replacement of the ex-NYC/PC/CR signals, added detectors, and even changed detector voices from saying “Conrail” to “Norfolk Southern”. Some of the detectors heard in the area where it was filmed are at Graytown, LaCarne, Gypsum, Sandusky, Vermillion, & more. Locations filmed were at Sandusky, near Gypsum, Vermillion, & Toledo, OH, etc. NS also put in a connetion at Oak Harbor, to connect the chicago Line with their Toledo to Bellevue Line, & a connection outside of Vermillion to connect the same line east of Bellevue.
Many fallen flag freight cars, & locomotives such as UP, BNSF, CN, CP, etc. can also be seen on this video. Order yourstoday, & see our coupons for even more savings.
Most of us like the railroads that we grew up with, and in that same area. Or could be we had a relative or friend who worked for that certain railroad. Maybe on a trip it stuck in our good memory bank in some way, and brings us back to those happy times. Whatever the reason, that railroad name stuck with us through the years.
The N&W / NS and Penn Central / Conrail stuck with me from those days. Seeing those “half-moon” and “zigzag” N&W logos on faded blue and black locomotives respectfully, stuck with me. Also the previous roads that made up the N&W. GP7s, 9s, 30s, 35s, 38s; SD40s, 45s, 35s, etc., especially the high-nosed units made an impact.
Let’s not forget the freight equipment with those logos as well. Even the MofW green equipment, the smell of diesel, running locomotives, generators, etc.
When it came to the PC & CR, seeing those blue engines run at higher speeds on different lines, and seeing they meant business made an impact. Also especially seeing black PC units still wearing the PC logos stuck with me. That PC logo was the neatest thing- I never saw such a design in my life. In the very early 80s, I saw a PC GP7 or 9 switching open PC auto racks in Orville, OH. The sound of the engine, the smoke, the image. Also seeing a few green PC cabooses, with that same logo was just cool. Seeing old PC ROWs, abandoned facilities, track, equipment, deadlines, & more added to the engraving of the N&W and PC likeness. The visual and historical preservation aspects is what motivates me.
When it came to modeling, I could build my dream railroad with those road names. Plus photographing, filming, and restoring equipment of the same road names built even stronger memories and appreciation.
What road names stuck with you, how, and why? We all have reasons for what we like. Keep those memories alive.
This article will discuss a section of the PRR/PC/CR Logan Side-Bradford Line, Panhandle Line, that ran from Bradford, OH to Logansport, IN, called the Logan Side. The PRR railroaders gave the section that ran from Bradford & Logansport the “Logan Side” name. The Panhandle Line ran from Pittsburgh, PA to Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO, splitting at Bradford, with Bradford being a major yard, halfway, and crew change point of the line.
The line was first part of the Columbus, Chicago, & Indiana Central- leased by PRR subsidiary Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis (formed in 1868), that was formed extend the PRR’s westward expansion.
In Ohio, the Panhandle also ran through towns such as Dennison, Columbus, etc. This line gave the PRR a westward expansion in the States. The name “Panhandle” came from a section of WV where the line passed through years earlier, with the Panhandle Ry., and the name stuck years later.
The line was double track, until the 1950s, when PRR downgraded it to a single line, at least between Union City & Logansport, IN. PRR would use J1 steam engines, and later GP7s and 9s to pull 100-car coal hoppers from the N&W via this line from Columbus, OH. They hauled coal to power plants in Fort Wayne, IN and Chicago, IL. PRR also hauled coal from the L&N Railway. Marion, IN had a GM plant that depended on this line for service as well.
The Logan Side was downgraded by PRR after the yards at Bradford, OH were not being used as much anymore, and because the Richmond, IN yard was phased out. Also when the N&W merged with the NKP & WAB in 1964, this gave the N&W other routes to use for their coal transport to Chicago (such as the ex-NKP Chicago Line). Penn Central used the line however for some traffic, with Bradford, OH becoming an important part of the PC. Most of the traffic however was eventually run on the Panhandle from Columbus, OH to Indianapolis, IN when PC reconfigured the crossover-connection with the ex-NYC Bee Line at Logansposrt, IN, in the early 1970s.
When CR came into existence, they increased traffic again between Columbus & Indianapolis through Bradford, OH, via the crossover-connection at Union City. Most of the downgrading came with CR later in the early 1980s. CR diverted a lot of the traffic onto other more feasible lines, such as the ex-NYC/PC Bee Line, as they were doing with a lot of lines throughout the CR system. The part of the Panhandle through Bradford to Union City was torn up by CR in 1985.
At Ridgeville, IN the Logan Side line crossed the ex-GR&I/PRR/PC/CR, that went north and south. The PRR used a local and a few freights on the GR&I line. Ridgeville was used as a local crew change point, where they also turned the trains, and interchanged cars. The GR&I line was mostly removed in the late 1970s by CR. There were small yards north of Ridgeville on the GR&I line, and west at Ridgeville on the Logan Side-Panhandle Line.
At Logansport, the Logan Side-Panhandle Line joined with the Pittsburgh Division Line that ran between Chicago and Pittsburgh, PA (through Ohio towns of Van Wert, Dunkirk, Bucyrus, Crestline, etc.).
(Both photos above: CR taking up the rail in Union City, IN)
At Union City, IN, the Panhandle originally crossed the ex-NYC/PC Indianapolis Bee Line. After the crossovers were removed at Union City, the Logan Side-Panhandle line connected onto the Bee Line, and went west towards Redkey, IN.
In 1994, Conrail removed the rail, starting at Redkey, IN, heading east towards Union City. Rail was left in about 2 miles east of Redkey, in order to be able to continue to service a few customers who still needed rail service. There was a connecting track with the NS, so NS could pick up grain cars for Anderson’s. Also in 1994, a small section was left in at Union City, connecting to the Bee Line, to be used as a short siding for a local industry.
(Both photos above: The last train out of Union City on the ex-PRR/PC Logan Side-Panhandle Line- CR 601 moving east to Crestline, OH, via the ex-NYC Bee Line)
At one point the CR crew accidentally left too early east towards Crestline, OH on the ex-NYC Bee Line, before the project was finished, and had to back-track to finish removing and picking up the rest of the rail.
Eventually, the rail was removed east of Redkey, IN, along with the ex-NKP/N&W diamond there, and a switch was put in by NS, south of Redkey, so they could go northwest and pick up the cars for Anderson’s. The line is still in from Redkey to Dunkirk, removed from Dunkirk to Hartford City, and still in from there to Marion, IN, used by NS. The line today is removed from Columbus, OH to Redkey, IN, except for a few short sections near Greenville, OH. (See sample video below for CR’s Redkey interchange with NS’s Frankfort Dist., taken from our CONRAIL REMEMBERED™, VOL. 3Featured Series DVD Video.)
At one time an important line for the PRR & PC, it almost stayed an important line for Conrail, until they decided against it later. CR had even rebuilt part of the line, only to downgrade shortly after. As most railroads have done in the past, some lines were favored over others, in order to help cut costs. What is interested is today in 2015, railroads are re-opening and upgrading lines they at one time saw as unimportant. This is due to increased rail traffic causing congestion on lines, especially due to the transporting of oil. This makes the railroads and historians both happier.
As railroads improve their plant, they make changes in order to help keep things profitable and to save costs. Even though changes are made today, history is kept preserved in films and photographs for tomorrow. Also a lot of abandoned railroad ROWs are being made into bike trails, which can also help preserve its history. But sometimes railroads change history by bringing back to life a downgraded or abandoned line or ROW. Presently NS and CSX are working to bring back to life the ex-PRR/PC/CR Pittsburgh to Chicago line, in order for NS to be able to relieve traffic congestion on the ex-NYC/PC/CR Water Level route. Also there is talk that NS will be purchasing and re-using the ex-NKP/N&W line to Lima because of congestion problems on other NS lines.
[All photos are screenshots taken from the Keith’s Trains Series™, by 1-West Productions™ (from the camera of Keith Lehman). Sources used for this article/blog information are: K. Lehman; P. Jordan; A Sampling Of Penn Central, Jerry Taylor, Indiana University Press, 1973, 2000 ]
This article discusses the C&O Cincinnati to Chicago Line & Removal. The C&O had their main line that ran from Cincinnati, OH to Chicago, IL, which they obtained in 1910. It was the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad in 1907, & other railroads built sections of the line before 1907. It was considered the shortest route between Cinci & Chicago, but had many grades and curves. Per 1987 CSX timetables, the line was broken down into 2 parts: the Wabash Sub (from Hammond, IN to Peru, IN), & the Miami Sub (from Peru, IN to Cincinnati, OH). From Cinci, OH to Peru, IN it was under the Cinci Division, & from Peru, IN to Malden, IN it was under the Chicago Division. By 2005, CSX timetables listed the line from Richmond, IN to Fernald, OH as the Richmond Sub, under the Louisville Div.
The nickname for the line was “The Crooked Road to Muncie”, because it had many curves, and followed an old Indian trail. C&O would run about 6 trains a day on the line, and also Amtrak’s Cardinal from Cinci to Chicago. CSX would run a lot of grain trains as well, between Richmond and Santa Fe, IN. On this line, CSX had a connection with, and ran along side the NS (ex-NKP/N&W) in Muncie, IN. There was also a yard in Muncie near the NS, close to N. Hackley St. The yard consisted of a few tracks, and was still in tact as of 1991, but not used much.
(C&O line before removal; CSX locos on C&O line at MP 74 before removal of line)
In Richmond, the C&O line had a connection with the ex-PRR, that went uphill on the north end past the station. The connection was used to bring coal in from Indianapolis off the PRR, and onto the C&O, where the C&O local would then take the loaded coal trains to south of Richmond to a power plant. When CR took out the PRR from Indianapolis, the power plant switched to transporting the coal to the plant by truck. Later CSX used the connection for a few cars with CR. Also north of the station is where the PRR/CR & NS crossed the C&O, and the bridge over the Whitewater River Gorge.
The C&O also had a small yard used for local industry in Richmond, just south/southeast of the depot, that could hold about 30 or so cars, about 3 city blocks long. The yard had about 5 stub ended tracks, with 2 runaround tracks, and a track to park the engines by the depot.
(Richmond, IN C&O station facing south- Richmond Yard behind station)
The C&O Chicago line was also plagued with other problems and setbacks, such as having low overpasses in Muncie and Richmond, IN that were not high enough for auto racks, and the rails would tend to wear a lot on curves, due to the steep grades. CSX had the habit of flipping the rails around instead of replacing the rail. Due to the steep grades, it was common for Chessie and CSX to use at least 4 units such as, GP40-2s, U30Bs, U25Bs, etc., to move freights.
Due to some of the setbacks of the line, and improvements of others, its days were numbered, and by 1993, CSX tore up the rail from Richmond to Losantville, IN. Presently the track is still in from Richmond to south of Fernald, OH, and is run by the Indiana North Eastern shortline (since 2005). There are bike trails now in place of the track section that was removed. Also the Richmond depot is still standing, and the small yard has been taken out.
(Taking up of the C&O line by CSX; CSX rail train at Richmond; & 2 after shots of removal of line)
There was a section of the line with a steep grade between Cinci and south of Fernald, that Chessie tore out in the 70s or 80s (by 1978, Chessie retired the line from Cinci to Fernald, OH), and they would re-route the trains using the ex-B&O line to Hamilton, OH. Having the C&O line from Richmond to Losantville ripped up, CSX re-routed the trains with high clearance using the B&O Cinci line to Deshler, OH, and the connection at Deshler to get on the B&O Chicago-Baltimore line, to head west to Chicago, IL. The trains with lower clearance would be re-routed From Cinci to Hamilton, OH, then Hamilton to Cottage Grove, IN, get on the connection at Muncie, IN, through Richmond, IN and onto Chicago.
Here are the list of towns along the line starting from Cinci, OH, going NB towards Chicago, IL:
OHIO:
(Beginning of Miami Sub)
-Covington
-Cincinnati (aband. 1978 by Chessie btwn. Cinci & Fernald)
-Brighton
-Chevoit
-Bridgetown
-Miami
-Willeys
-Fernald (leased 2005 to IN Eastern RR btwn. Fernald & Richmond)
-Shandon
-Okeana
-Newkirk
INDIANA:
-Peoria
-Raymond
-Bath
-Kitchel
-Witts
-Boston
-Richmond (d/c service 1989 +/- between Richmond & Marion)
-Webster
-Williamsburg
-Economy
-Losantville
-Blountsville
-Medford
–Muncie (small yard at N. Hackley St.)
-Delsor
-Easton
-Jonesboro
-Marion (aband./sold to Kokomo Rail 1992 btwn. Marion & Amboy)
-Sweetser
-Mier
-Converse
-Amboy
-Santa Fe (aband. 1987 between Santa Fe & 12 Mile)
-Oakley
-Peru (end of Miami sub, begin. of Wabash Sub)
-Vicord
-Hoovers
-12 Mile (aband. 1987 +/- between 12 Mile & N. Judson)
-Fulton
-Kewanna
-Lake Bruce
-Beardstown
-Park
-N. Judson (aband. 2003 beteen N. Judson & Malden)
-La Crosse (C&O got on the La Crosse Sub-ex-PM-to the B&O at Wellsboro, & west to get to Chicago 1976+)
-Malden (aband. 1982 between Malden & Hammond)
-Beatrice
-Merrilville
-Griffith (orig. C&O got on the EL here with trackage rights to Hammond, & to Chicago, until the EL line was aband. in 1976.)
-Highlands (EL with C&O trackage rights)
-Hammond (EL with C&O trackage rights, then C&O onto the C&IW & BRC into Chicago, IL, until 1976. Then C&O used LaCrosse Sub at LaCrosse to the B&O at Wellsboro, & west to get to Chicago);
In the following Keith’s Trains Series™ Railroad DVD Titles:
As railroads improve their plant, they make changes in order to help keep things profitable and to save costs. Even though changes are made today, history is kept preserved in films and photographs for tomorrow. Also a lot of abandoned railroad ROWs are being made into bike trails, which can also help preserve its history. But sometimes railroads change history by bringing back to life a downgraded or abandoned line or ROW. Presently NS and CSX are working to bring back to life the ex-PRR/PC/CR Pittsburgh to Chicago line, in order for NS to be able to relieve traffic congestion on the ex-NYC/PC/CR Water Level route. Also there is talk that NS will be purchasing and re-using the ex-NKP/N&W line to Lima because of congestion problems on other NS lines.
[All photos are screenshots taken from the Keith’s Trains Series™, by 1-West Productions™ (from the camera of Keith Lehman). Sources used for this article/blog information are: Chessie/C&O/CSX timetables, K. Lehman, P. Jordan.]
Model Railroading- prototypical or not prototypical? Everyone in the model railroading hobby models in different ways for different reasons. Some people just run their trains, some detail and paint them, others collect but have no layout, and some mix-match all the above.
There is no good or bad way of having fun in the hobby, but modeling something prototypical can sure bring it to life. This article is for those who are into prototypical HO scaled modeling, and is a short reference for those who want to know what manufacturers are close and not. This in no way promotes any company, and is mainly opinion, with facts thrown in from extensive research.
EQUIPMENT
Kadee, ExactRail, Rapido, and Tangent are among the top prototypical manufacturers out there. Their models tend to be on the high price end however. They usually are available ready to run. Branchline and Fanaro-Camerlengo also are other great companies with correct models, but mainly come in kit form. These kits take patience, and a good eye. Next would be Atlas, Athearn Genesis, Bowser, then Proto. You have to be careful with some of their models- most are correct, but a lot have been found to have major mistakes. Genesis tends to be correct, but Athearn’s RTR’s tend to be correct and some not. With those manufacturers, always check before purchasing, if you are a particular modeler. These manufacturers make pretty good prototypical models, although these days their pricing is high, at times too high when bought new. How much is too high, that can price modelers out of the hobby (hint to the manufacturers)?
Then we have Accurail, Athearn RTR and “blue box”, Walthers, Bachmann, etc. where most kits and RTRs are incorrect in most cases, unless you want to do a lot of modifying. Things that would be incorrect would be anything from sills, ends, roofs, paint colors, paint schemes, scale measurements, etc. This could include all or only some of those things.
CURVES & TRACK WORK
Also when it comes to track layouts, it’s a good idea to have the yards, mains, sidings, etc. layed out that makes sense, or matches the real world. This can also include things like prototypical curves. When you look at real-life curves, looks can be decieving. What may appear as a tight curve or turnout, actually is not. Don’t have the room? It’s best to model the scale that you have the real room for. Or, there are ways to hide things that look out of scale, such as using a tunnel, wall, scenery, etc. to help hide tighter curves, etc. There are many layouts out there with highly detailed and potoypical scenery. However, their curves and switches/turnouts are not much to scale. If one was to go through all of the work to make the scenery and buildings look real, why not the track work as well?
For example, the ex-PRR/PC/CR-now NS Horse Shoe Curve is about 9.25 degrees. this equals out to be about 86″ radius in HO scale. Yes, that’s a huge radius, so that shows how much most of us have not been modeling our HO layouts true to scale for all of these years. It’s easier to be done in N scale, which equals out to be about 46″ or so radius. The tightest main line track on a Class 1 railroad was about 10 degrees on the Erie RR, and the tightest in a railroad yard on a Class 1 was about 14 degrees on the NYC (the higher the number in degrees, the tighter the curve. The higher the number in inches in HO/N/etc., the broader-less tight the curve). We can do it in HO if we have the room.
And turnouts/switches should really be no smaller than #8s in all sidings and yards, and no smaller than #10s or larger on main line crossovers. With these practices, trains run and look much better in all directions, especially long trains. Also weighing freight cars down like bricks does not fix derailing problems- checking wheel guages, trucks, frames, trackwork, etc. should resolve those problems. We shouldn’t try to cram as much track as we can with little space that we have. But if we have the room for those real curves, and larger switches, then why not? Currently, Micro Engineering makes pretty good HO track, with the spike heads not resembling scaled watermelons. They only make #6 switches however- they should be making #8s and higher, which only makes sense if they go to the trouble of getting their other track looking per scale. Peco and Walthers track is ok, but pricey. There’s always the option of laying your own track using track pattrens as well.
SCENERY & WEATHERING
It’s great to weather things. Make paint flat, look rusty, dirty, and more. Yes there can be a few glossy cars, as railroads did re-paint equipment as well. But it takes some imagination and a good eye in order to weather something, without it looking like it literally had paint spilled all over it. It is always best to use scaled trees, weeds, brush, poper colors, etc. Imagination is a great thing for this as well.
Again, if it’s your railroad, you can model how you want, however it’s important to accept everyone’s tastes from runners to scaled modelers, and the main thing is to enjoy the hobby. By the way, we do not endorse any of the manufacturers listed in this article, but use them as examples when shopping for what you are looking for at the present time in the model railroad hobby. There will be more in-depth articles related to prototypical scaled modeling, with list of what models have been studied, with car types, road names, numbers, etc. in the future. Keep checking back!
This month, CONRAIL- April 1, 1976, was formed by the US government, to help save the Midwest & Eastern US railroads’ financial problems. For years the roads involved pleaded to the government to help out, but refused, or did little to help matters.
Penn Central for example, went bankrupt in 1970, due to many reasons (computer problems, government rate regulations, bad weather, poor management, poor financial decisions, “red team vs. green team” mentality, the New Haven railroad’s financial problems and the forcing of the NH to be merged into the PC by the ICC, etc.). The PC asked the government for a bail-out, and even made a movie about their problems, to prove to the government. However they refused to help.
The PC’s pleading didn’t go totally un-noticed though. The Nixon administration looked into the problems of the PC, and many other railroads in similar situations, and saw that if nothing was done, it could very well cripple the US economy, due to the railroads being a very important part of economic health in the country.
Conrail was formed under the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, to help bail out these railroads in trouble, by combining them into a merger, and being run by the US government. Even though CR was incorporated in PA, October of 1974, it went into effect on April 1, 1976. The railroads combined to form CR was: Penn Central, Lehigh Valley, Reading, Jersey Central, Erie-Lackawanna, and Lehigh and Hudson. Even though these railroads were all included in CR, it was much like the Penn Central, only under a different name and paint scheme. This is because the PC part of CR has the most miles of track, equipment, and employees, and most of the operations were run like PC.
CR poured millions into the railroad plant, by repairing track and facilities, purchasing new equipment to replace the old, combining terminals, closing unnecessary routes, etc. By the 1980s, CR was finally making a profit. Stanley Crane, who came from the SOU Railway, and became CEO if CR, helped bring CR out of its financial slump. He used his political connections, high energy, his belief in CR, and his business ideas to help make CR become an important, strong, and independant railroad. By 1987 it was privatized. In 1999, CR was split between Norfolk Southern and CSX.
So this month we remember Conrail and its memories. Today we still see CR on the tracks in freight cars and other things. One day, it will vanish, just like the PC is now more difficult to see these days. Thankfully, railfans have helped preserve CR during its years of operation. Many DVD examples HERE, are available that shows a lot of CR in action. Also thankfully, in 2012, NS painted 8098, a GE ES44AC, into the standard Conrail scheme, as part of their heritage group of locomotives. There is now the CRHS that helps keep CR history preserved as well. Keep CR alive, and take those pictures!
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