Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

June 2024: How far do you freelance?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    June 2024: How far do you freelance?

    Do you include only your own freelance railroad in an otherwise prototypical world, or do you include the freelance railroads of others as well?

    RMR member Bob Chapman proposed this question, and it's an interesting topic for sure. The first model railroad I can recall seeing that took this tack was the late Jim Hediger's Ohio Southern version of the 1970s. It included an interchange with the late Allen McClelland's Virginian & Ohio.

    (Two recently passed, noted modelers in the same sentence. Sobering.)
    Last edited by Paul S.; 06-01-2024, 07:00 PM.
    Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch, March 1978: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n

    Old magazines can still be fresh sources of hobby information!

    #2
    I like the idea. I model the SP and will likely settle on the mid 90's. I would like to have other roads running on the layout as interchange and/or through traffic. Mainly AT&SF and the UP. One in particular desire is to have a custom loco decaled for Whit Towers' Alturas and Lone Pine RR. His layout was a steam layout with first generation diesels of the Western Pacific interchanging from staging. On my layout his road expanded and grew, or maybe make it part of the pool where the SP took over. I had the pleasure of running on the ALP in the 90's and will never forget Whit's hospitality and willingness to laugh off mishaps and knucklehead moves.

    A great way to remember those who made impressions on us.
    Beaumont Hill Subdivision

    Comment


      #3
      Seeing how it took me many many years to learn that the A&M and the V&O were freelanced and not prototype roads I'd say include them.

      ​​​​​
      Follow along on Facebook as well.
      https://www.facebook.com/groups/424898032713171/

      Comment


        #4
        I include my Spokane Southern in an otherwise prototypical world, with these modifications.
        • My railroad is jointly owned by the NP and GN. We interchange on the south end of the railroad (GN motive power) with the D&RGW railroad at Craig, CO. Both the GN and NP traffic go through St. Regis.
        • The Spokane Southern's line westward is largely over the old Milwaukee Road west of St. Regis. In my world, the Milwaukee Road did not build west of Terry MT, except for western Cascade lines west of the Cascade range. I'm silent on whether or not the NP utilized the Milw line west of Easton, or if the Milw line into the western cascades even existed, or if both lines exist in my world with traffic splitting in Easton.
        • The Spokane Southern had a branch up to Osoyoos BC, where we interchange with the Alberta Pacific Railroad (my friend Warren's railroad). Figure that the GN line up to Kettle Falls, Midway BC is Spokane Southern line, and the north line into Osoyoos was not abandoned by GN and was Spokane Southern's connection to Osoyoos.
        • Milwaukee Road west traffic to the Milwaukee West line is all handled by the NP, and the Spokane Southern.
        History here in another thread.

        https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...d-ho#post11357


        At about or before Jim Hediger would have been Bill Darnaby and the Maumee. He started his concept on the Midwest Railroad Modeler's club layout in Batavia and ran numerous sessions on that railroad before building his current Maumee. I also believe that Tony Koester and Steve King preceded Jim with their Appalachian Midland and Virginia Midland respectively.​ I remember operating on one of Steve's version of the VM during the 1976 NMRA convention in Chicago in 1976.

        Regards,
        Jerry

        Comment


          #5
          The Northern Pacific & Black Hills is a freelanced road, but I try to exist as if the connecting roads, C&NW, Milw and NP are primary to it's existence. However, The G&D of John Allen and several other model RR's that had a large influence on my modeling and desire to do this are also represented. It just seems appropriate to include them. Is there an "Emma" road switcher? Nope. At least not yet..

          Comment


            #6
            My IHB layout covers only from their Michigan Ave Yard to the Oil, Steel, Auto, and other industries near Lake Michigan. In reality, the oil refineries and auto plants are on other branches than the steel, but typical space requirements made me put them all on a single branch.

            I only run IHB painted locos.....for the most part. When Atlas delivers the new GP38's, I will get both in IHB colors, knowing that they arrived later than my 2000-2004 era time frame. I have several lease unit schemes that never ran on the IHB, but I feel it's plausible that they could have in peak traffic times.

            Back when I modeled Chessie in HO, their F units were retired the year before SD40-2 units showed up, and I shamelessly "extended" the life of the F Units so I could plausibly run both.

            Short version, I try to be plausible, but I am not an absolute fanatic about it if you look closely at all.

            Comment


              #7
              I freelance in that track layout is changed to fit space Vs prototype, more of a compromise. But my timeframe of 1960/61 predates any incursion of 'foreign' cars, mainly due to track gauge differences, but that changed in 1962.

              Comment


                #8
                I try to use ATSF locomotives from the mid-60's. Otherwise I like building structures and running trains.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I model the fictional 2nd Sub of the BN Boise Division in the loosely based on the Camas Prairie in the 86-87 time period. My layout has a mix of prototypical track profile and scenes such as Cottonwood, ID and Half Moon Trestle with some freelanced profiles and scenes such as Forebay Yd and Midsummit. My schedule also consists of actual scheduled trains such as 195 and X06 with freelanced ones (due to layout requirements) like the Grangeville Turn. I also run a fictional short line (now the Clearwater and Snake River (CSR) with off layout industries based off BN/CSP prototype.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    As I posed this question, I should probably throw in. I recently started the thread for the "Wichita & Northwestern" project, and decided to not limit to the single fictional W&NW alternate history. Many wonderful freelance models offered by Home Shops, Three Notch, and decals/car trades from friends....I guess I went all out with the fictional lines on my regional line of lies.


                    Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_3366-cc-cr-sm.jpg Views:	0 Size:	189.6 KB ID:	32865Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_3373-cc-cr-sm.jpg Views:	0 Size:	188.1 KB ID:	32864


                    Click image for larger version  Name:	2023-12-01 20-40-46 (B,R8,S4)-cc-sm.jpg Views:	0 Size:	216.0 KB ID:	32866
                    Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_3929-cc-cr2-sm.jpg Views:	4 Size:	214.4 KB ID:	32863

                    Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_2933-cr-sm.jpg
Views:	110
Size:	150.8 KB
ID:	32868
                    Last edited by KansasBob; 06-26-2024, 09:45 AM.
                    Robert J. Thomas
                    San Antonio, TX

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Just about anything can be freelanced. The key is maintaining plausability or to look believable. To achieve this requires era dependant structures, locomotives and rollingstock. Looking at the layouts featured here, these things are all present as well as a theme tieing it all together.
                      But I've seen layouts where locos and cars from railroads on the east coast are mixed indiscrimantly with west coast stuff from any era. While the owner enjoys this (it's his layout after all) and and satisfies his goals, it's not as believable. Yet I've seen this exact thing done as a 'railroad museum' and worked brilliantly because of the 'plausability', it was totally believable.

                      Comment


                      • Allen
                        Allen commented
                        Editing a comment
                        I concur Russ.
                        Plausibility and consistency is the key in my books.

                      #12
                      There was recent thread on the Railwire I believe, where they were talking about modeling true to prototype I think.
                      Anyway the subject come up about Malcomb Furlough and Dave Meeks. There modeling and layout are not of prototypes, but what they did all had consistency which lead to plausibility in the fact that is all tied together.
                      Both layouts are completely freelanced.
                      The Little Rock Line Blog

                      Rule #1 of model railroading.
                      It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...

                      Comment


                      • Russ C
                        Russ C commented
                        Editing a comment
                        I don't think I've seen Dave Meeks but Malcomb Furlough's layout is a case in point. Total fiction but it's all on a common theme which makes it plausable. All our (and I'm referring to us on this forum) have a specific interest and our layouts reflect that interest, hence, 'RMR'. Might be freelance but it's rooted in fact and history.

                      #13
                      Furlow was accused of making it too much like a cartoon, and even accused of racial stereotyping with an overweight Mexican on one of his layouts. His layout was obviously influenced by the John Allen mentality, which most eventually moved away from. I can still recall being shocked at a conversation back in the 1980's when another modeler trashed the Allen mentality and said if the same layout were built today, it would just be a double-decker to be more realistic. 40 years later, I am not as shocked, as time changes everything, and everything changes.

                      Comment


                        #14
                        I believe the layout that got all of the push-back was the September 2003 "Model Railroader". First and foremost, Malcolm Furlow was an artist. Model railroading was another way to express his artistic abilities. His previous efforts focused very heavily on Colorado narrow gauge for their inspiration, and while not necessarily operations-oriented, they were definitely plausible, and scenery masterpieces. I remember seeing the September 2003 MR article, and what sprung forth in my mind was "Malcolm went off the reservation" (which I guess is yet again a no-no phrase in this day and age). An artistic masterpiece, but definitely not anything that grabbed my attention what so ever.

                        I consider John Allen in a totally different light. John passed away in 1973. His railroad was started in the 1950s. He WAS a trend setter in operations. Heck, the Midwest Railroad Modelers club didn't incorporate until 1974, which construction started shortly after that. Allen McClellan's original V&O got it's first airing in RMC IRRC in the late 1960s, early 1970s. As far as I'm concerned , John Allen was way ahead of the curve.

                        Just for historic perspective, I think the first "Model Railroader" article that appeared to me as being the first of the proto-op with mild freelancing was J. Harold Geissel's "Chester Valley", which was PRR short line inspired. The layout plan was published in August 1939. Every time I see Robin Mountenay's "Barchester" layout, I think it has a lot of parallels to the Geissel railroad.

                        https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/barche...ester&trail=25

                        Credited to "Model Railroader", here is the layout plan from the December 1941 "Model Railroader".

                        Click image for larger version  Name:	Chester Valley Layout Plan.png Views:	0 Size:	406.9 KB ID:	32883
                        Regards,
                        Jerry

                        Comment


                          #15
                          Jerry, agreed on your points. JA was definitely a leader, but with time and new tech, the hobby moved on. Living in DFW, I got to see Malcom's layouts around here. The little known, but not surprising fact is that his layouts were scenic, but his wiring was very problematic. None of them ran well according to local legend, including some guys who worked for him building those layouts.

                          Comment


                          • Russ C
                            Russ C commented
                            Editing a comment
                            I often wonder what the layouts from the '70s would be like if tech from today was used on them. The two main things being DCC and static grass. And if John Armstrong had converted to KD couplers, operations would take an interesting turn.
                            The 3 people I find most interesting in this musing are all freelancers, totally 'plausable & consistant' in their thinking and were well known in their day for scenery; John Armstrong, John Olsen & Boone Morrison (I might even add Bob Brown to the list but I think Tolumne Forks is a DCC layout lol)

                          • JerryZ
                            JerryZ commented
                            Editing a comment
                            Russ: Thanks for the trip down memory lane this AM. I've followed John Armstrong very closely over the years, but had to look up John Olsen and Boone Morrison. Never made the connection until this AM between the "Mescal Lines" and the MR "Jerome and Southwestern" project railroad. Outstanding modeler. Loved the Mescal lines, and what caught my eye back in the day was the SP narrow gauge steam, which I always had a soft spot for. Looked great in the semi-arid setting. Boone Morrison was a rather new name for me, have to read up on him more, as well as Bob Brown and the Tolumne Forks.
                        Working...
                        X