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Searching for ideas as to what to model for N Scale TOMA Project Dream and design
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Prolific poster 2,863 posts kleaverjr Prolific poster 2,863 posts
kleaverjr

OK, I am not even sure I will go through with building one, but for a few different reasons I would like to decide on, if I were to go ahead with designing and building an N Scale Layout what should I model.  I already have some parameters, but the one crucial decision is what area to model.  So I would like some ideas that fulfill the following criteria.  Thanks!

First, it needs to be no later than 1999.I want Conrail painted units, to rome on the mainlines, though having CR units "patched" for its successors would be acceptable I suppose, but I want my EMD units to have "Flat" radiator grills and not have them have the "GE style" radiators.  Also the later I make it the less likely I will find SD40-2's which I want to see  many of as that has always been one of my favorite modern loco's   I would like to have SD50s and SD60s along with GP60s (which most likely points me to focus on Norfolk Southern) but I really do not want to model anything in the southeast and prior to the CR split up, i'm not sure how far north NS went. 

I would like to have it relatively flat (i.e. NOT Appalachian Mountains).  The HO scale layout I am going to finish at some point already does that and this TOMA project layout will give me a chance of doing something totally different. 

I am choosing N Scale for a reason, I want to model long unit trains so having tons of Autorack, Container Well Car and Coal Unit trains is a must!  If the Santa Fe's Q-NYLA and Q-LANY trains (the daily westbound and eastbound container trains from LA to NY and NY to LA) traversed this section of Class 1 railroading, that would be a bonus.

Only large industrial customers.  The idea of switching one or two cars in N Scale is not my idea of "Fun".  But a string of 10 or even 20 cars into an industry would not be too bad, so whatever industries that need to be served need to be BIG.  This is why, though at first I was considering modeling the Buffalo, NY area, I am thinking maybe staying away from such areas as though I want to model from division point to division point, having many tiny industries to switch is not the purpose of this TOMA Layout. 

As I mentioned before, most likely it with be an NS layout, but I would like it to have tons of CR traffic, even by interchange, or in the same location, perhaps the main along lake Erie coming southwest out of Buffalo, heading towards Ohio where the NS and CR paralleled?  Or vice versa, i'm not sure.  Having several CR painted SD40-2's and NS painted GP60s on the same layout would be optimal, but Class 1 Unit Train Mainline Operation is the main focus.  Having 60+ car trains being pulled by 3-6 units is what I am looking for.  With the TOMA approach, I can have staging at both ends with return loops, and if need be just have automated trains running through the scene as I work on one module at a time until completion.  It will be something different, that's for sure, which is the idea.

Thanks all.  I appreciate the feedback!

Ken L.
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kleaverjr Prolific poster 2,863 posts
kleaverjr

In addiition to...

...searching for a location for my TOMA Conrail/Norfolk Southern N Scale project RR one requirement the location must have is a significant, if not heavy amounts of unit coal trains.  This bring up another question, what is the best way to find the routes of the various power company coal hoppers/coal-porters/gons went on. 

I would love to have the location include Unit Coal trains for Somerset, but it is not an absolute requirement. 

Thanks for any feedback and information provided

Ken L.
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ctxmf74 Super User 15,955 posts
ctxmf74

"what is the best way to find

Quote:

"what is the best way to find the routes of the various power company coal hoppers/coal-porters/gons went on"

    I know very little about Conrail or NS routes but if I wanted to learn more I'd start by viewing youtube videos to see what traffic went thru what towns( and to get an idea of typical scenery in those areas) ........DaveB 

1990.jpg 
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kleaverjr Prolific poster 2,863 posts
kleaverjr

That's an idea I never thought of!

Thanks Dave. I'm starting to lean towards the CR and NS mains that ran along lake erie in WNY, western PA, and northern Ohio.  It's relatively flat in those areas, and from what some friends have told me has lots of unit train traffic.  I just need to figure out how to find out about the various power compaanies and where their coal gons/coal-porters/etc ran and if any ran on that part of the country!

Ken L
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ctxmf74 Super User 15,955 posts
ctxmf74

 I just need to figure out

Quote:

 I just need to figure out how to find out about the various power compaanies and where their coal gons/coal-porters/etc ran and if any ran on that part of the country!

Hi Ken, I just did a google search for "conrail and ns coal trains lake erie" and got lots of interesting hits. For a Toma project you don't need to know everything, just enough to get started on some area of the final layout.....DaveB  

1990.jpg 
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kleaverjr Prolific poster 2,863 posts
kleaverjr

Thanks Dave!

I am a total idiot when it comes to google searches.  I never thought of using those terms for a search, and you are correct, there are quite a few of them, and hopefully i can find out what I need.

One thing I have successfully found is the Somerset Coal Trains do run the CR (now CSX, former NYC Main) along lake erie in northern OH, NW PA and WNY to buffalo, then to Somerset (only 35 minutes from my house!)

I hope to discover that there are at least 2 or even maybe 4 other power company coal trains as there was only one train every other day I think back in the 1990's.  Now it's not as often because last I heard the companies are for sale and they plants are not totally shut down, but they are not "online".  With an expected change in EPA policies when it comes to burning Coal for our Electricity starting next year, hopefully those plants will go back online.

Ken L.
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kleaverjr Prolific poster 2,863 posts
kleaverjr

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!

OK, So I wanted to look into what actual prototypes used 14 Panel Coalporter's (like the N Scale ones Intermountain will be releasing sometime in the future).  So I put in the Google Search Box "14 Panel Coalporter", and all I get are returns for the models, not the protoytpe! I search through page after page, NOTHING that even comes close to a list or otherwise tells me if Conrail and/or Somerset used them, and when?!   Any ideas?! 

Thanks.

Ken L.
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MAGX Regular poster 237 posts
MAGX

Coalporter

Ken, it seems only Intermountain is using the term "14 panel coalporter". Try "bethgon", "rotary gondola" or especially for CR cars "G52X".

Kurt
Kurt
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