How about the Green Mountain RR

Check my blog.

https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/green-mountain-rs1s-12209477

Bernd

Pioneer Valley Railroad

Model Railroader published an article on building an "O" scale shelf style switching layout, based on the Pioneer Valley in the September - December 1994 issues. Might be worth alook if you are looking for something small. It was 2' x 12' in "O" scale.

dolson, thank you

Thank you, I will deffinately check that out. I actually think that I recall it, the scenery was top notch. 

Athearn and Atlas have done locos and cabeese....

I model a short line

I model a short line, although a freelance railroad, set right where I live set in the transition era serving actual industries, or ones that could have been if there were a railroad to serve them. Not having the room to model even a part of a subdivision of either the Northern Pacific or Milwaukee Road which served this area, a short line allows me to have power from both of these railroads show up on my layout as well as the ones I custom painted for my railroad.

I love to read about the many short lines that served industries all over the country. These roads are quite neglected.

Short lines

Everyone models a short line in reality. Very few layouts are more than a few miles of track so even shortlines get compressed into shorter lines  :> )  .....DaveB

Skaneateles Short Line

They also had a 45 tonner, #7. When the railroad shut down, the 44 tonner, #6, went to the Lowville and Beaver River Railroad while the 45 tonner went to NY State Electric and Gas.

Scott Chatfield, thank you, I

Scott Chatfield, thank you, I was lucky enough to find some rolling stock for the Providence and Worcester from atlas as well as DCC New England Central GP38s from atlas.  I actually love the 70 tonners, the one I have is slightly noisy with shell rattle type noise, Id love to see Atlas or athearn put one out. (maybe the current ones are better)  I will deffinately google the Skaneateles Short line. My current railroad is 7'x21' shelf along the walls depth varies so I am trying not to cram too much, yet have enough proto-ish switching. thank you for the reply and information. 

DaveB shortly put well

DaveB shortly put well said..true. 

Logan Valley RR, Montanan,

Logan Valley RR, Montanan, nice photo, thank you for your reply. Not just because lack of space, short lines have always been my preference. They have that small town feel, And I feel like I can focus on detailing and scenery, they may not offer the operation complexity the likes of the great larger modelrailroads out there like Joes siskiyou line or the allagash and many many more ,  but until my wife lets me infiltrate the rest of the house with bench work short line ops it is and I am okay with that. Nice photo! thanks again for the reply. 

Short Lines

The current issue of Model Railroad Planning (2018) has an article on modelling the Adrian & Blissfield in Michigan.

Tom Klimoski has written several articles on his Georgia Northeastern layout.

Lance Mindheim is currently doing a layout of the LAJ see his blog on his website ( http://lancemindheim.com/).  He also built an "L"  shaped switching layout years ago based on the CSX in FL.

Otto Vondrak did an article in Railroad Model Craftsman (RMC) years ago on the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville.

I could see using TOMA to maybe model Pavilion, NY on the Genesee & Wyoming.  Train from Rochester operates with a unit on each end so they can switch the facing point spur into a concrete facility.  Down the line is a custom farming operation that receives bulk fertilizer (pellets & liquid) and other soil amendments.

Genesee Valley Transportation's Depew, Lancaster & Western in Batavia, NY might also be interesting.  Harold Russell did an article year's ago in either Model Railroader or RMC.  They run an Alco S-6 which isn't available in plastic.  However, I recently found an eBay store that does a shell and decals.

David

Dnapper, David, thank you for

Dnapper, David, thank you for the reply  and info, I will deffinately be googling those or looking them up here. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 

More Short Line Info

In 2011 I wanted to see what real junctions and interchanges looked like so I did an internet search.  I found Rail Ameraca a company that owned, I think, 87 short line railroads that interchanged with larger RR's. 

RA was bought by Genesee & Wyoming, the RA website was closed and it was integrated into G&W's website, wwwgwrr.com.

So, if you want to see all the railroads owned by G&W go to their site and browse.  G&W ownes shortlines all over the US, Europe and Australia.  There are some in New England and all over the East. See the Ohio valley. G&W owens at least 13 short lines in that area.

What I did in 2011 was this.  I printed the detailed map for the RR of intrest from RA's site then used Google Maps, Google Earth and Bing (all four sites up at the same time) to get the best view of the area of intrest.   Then I printed the view I liked with a legend for distance.   I made notes on the printouts and put them in a 3-ringed binder. I also printed the blurb RA wrote for each RR.

Besides learning about junctions and interchanges, I found so much stuff to model it would take 100+ years to get it all done.  It was fun doing that research.

Happy hunting,

Mike Lee 

My Shortline/Branchline

I am working on a rural shortline/branchline railroad. I have not settled on a name for it yet which is why the loco is unweathered and undecorated. Basically I am modeling a freelanced shortline set in the 50s with a Southern Railway takeover in the late 50s. Since it is a relatively small shelf layout (15’x15’) I have the locos and rolling stock to model from about 1950-1980. I know that many say to stick to one era but keeping things to a minimal as well as taking about four years to collect my trains has allowed me to do this. I love shortline railroading and I believe it’s often under appreciated. It is a great theme for the minimalist who loves operation. I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from guys like Steve Flanigan, Tom Johnson and Thomas Klimoski just to name a few.

Branchline/shortline

Branchline and shortline are two different things.  A branchline is part of a bigger raiload, but its still a bigger raiload, a shortline is a small separate railroad.

There is also a big difference between a pre-1980's short line and a post 1980's short line.  

Pre-1980's shortlines were smaller railroads that remained independent and were never acquired by a larger class 1 railroad.  The Strasburg RR is the oldest shortline (and railroad) still doing business under its original name (the 2nd oldest railroad is the UP).  A pre-1980's short line, since it was a "complete" railroad is more likely to have infrastructure such as repair facilities, service facilites, classification yard, etc.  Those facilities would older and built of older materials.

Post 1980's shortlines were typically branches and routes spun off of class 1 railroads.  They were a piece of a larger railroad they didn't want or couldn't afford to operate.  Since it was a piece of a larger raiload it would be less likely to have the support facilities (unless the larger railroad had those facilities on the territory) and if the short line had support facilities, like an engine house or rip track,  they would be more likely to be of more modern construction.

Branchlines have the support of the core railroad to supply cars and engines.  A short line doesn't necessarily have the same support.  If their engine shoots craps, they would have to arrange to lease an engine from the class 1 on a daily rate, assuming the class 1 has an extra engine to lease.  Many short lines, have an agreement that the railroad line that spun them off would supply cars to load and in return that railroad would get the shipments.  If the BNSF spun off a branch that had a connection to the UP, the agreement might be that if the BNSF provides a car to load, then the BNSF HAS to get the road haul.  A branch line wouldn't have that requirement.

A Railroad You Can Model

Model Railroader used to run these articles quite regularly many years ago (very occcasionally now).  Most of these were about shortlines and included information on the prototype, usually a trackplan, and frequently some notes on modeling it.

Several were collected into 2 books Railroads You Can Model, a second book More Railroad You Can model.  Later there was a book Classic Railroad You Can Model, I think this book is a duplicate of parts of the first two, but I am not sure.

The problem is that except for a very few, the interest in any one shortline is very limited.  So the manufacturers don't have models for them, writers don't write about them, and magazines don't publish them.  The exceptions seem to be Colorado narrow gauge and the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad (a standard gauge line that was formed from 2 narrow gauge lines).

And let's face it, the real interest for many folks is big locomotives and long trains.  Big Boy locomotives seem to be always available in multiple scales - other articulateds also do well.   Even though they have a 4x8 sheet of plywood, folks run them.  Same for long passenger cars. 

So even though our layouts are small, our trains are big.

Paul

Thanks for your response. I

Thanks for your response. I fully understand the difference between a branchline and a shortline. While what you are saying is generally correct it is not always the case. The Southern absorbed shortlines into their system and made them branchlines. One example being the Buffalo Union and Carolina just a few miles from where I live. While most of this particular line was parallel trackage and was immediately abandoned after the purchase the Southern operated the rest of the line to serve the textile mills in Union and Buffalo. This took place in July of 1950. Other shortlines in the Carolinas operated as subsidiaries of the Southern and were absorbed into the system and eventually operated as branchlines of the larger system.

I apologize for not being more clear about my post or my modeling theme. It may not be anything that anyone on this thread is interested in but I appreciate someone drawing attention to the shortline theme. 

My modeling theme allows me to model those old freight and passenger mixed trains being pulled by those ancient ten wheelers in the 50s (yes it still happened in the Deep South into the 50s) and it allows me to model the Southern. I realize it’s not everyone’s preference but I enjoy getting in on the conversation.

Regards

Short lines

Strasburg RR is about the shortest I have seen and road on.

Pioneer Valley RR is near me and a sixteen mile short line connecting Westfield with Holyoke, Ma.

Connects CSX in Westfield with Pan Am in Holyoke. The yard is in Westfield. Holyoke is only for rail car sorage, last I knew. I use to work near where cars where sometimes parked when not needed.

Google maps shows everything quite clearly.

The Pioneer Valley use to come up through my city of Easthampton and it is now a rail trail.

Rich

The Southern absorbed

True, very common, in fact any railroad with "...Lines" in their name was doing that (New York Central Lines, Missouri Pacific Lines, REading Lines, etc).    Most big railroads were made up of smaller lines and short lines that were merged into the larger line.  How the management and corporate machinations was done was subject to many different arrangements.  While the "short line" existed on paper, the parent railroad was really calling the shots.  Often the state or local articles of incorporation make some requirement, have some benefit or have some penalty that make keeping the short line "alive" if in name only.  The International Great Northern Railroad, which became part of the MP and then UP had a requirement in its articles of incorporation that they have a Vice President in the state of Texas and keep so many employees there, that's why the MP had a VP of Sales in Houston (and nowhere else) and kept a large facility at Palestine, TX (on the former IGN). 

Labor agreements also carry through from short lines into the merged railroad.  I worked on the Houston North Shore, the Baytown Sub on the MP, which was a shortline and trolley line on the north side of the ship channel in Houston, that had its own labor agreement even thought the line had long been merged in the MP.  Same with the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad, a joint facility of the MP and MKT that still retained a corporate identity and separate switch crews and dispatcher at Galveston (until the MP/MKT merger).  The routes east of Houston on the MP were known as the Gulf Coast Lines, because they were patched together from many smaller railroads.  My father in law swears he worked for the Beaumont Sour Lake and Western, the original line that ran from Houston to Beaumont, TX.  Many railroads sub-lettered engines with the predecessor line.  There was one 45 tonner on the MP lettered for the BSW.  The Southern had dozens of engines sub-lettered for the varous roads making up their "lines".  Generally they were assigned to work locations and service at the parent company's discretion.

Some short lines

can be quite active. Seems like some of the Minnesota and Michigan ore carriers were very busy for example. The MN&S was both a busy short line and interchange operator. The EJ&E was also heavy duty. My own favorites are the little carriers that offered passenger service. A&StAB even carried a through Pullman running from Atlanta to Panama City, FL. The original NYS&W was an appealing little line that offered commuter service on a double track main and major dock facilities. MN&S actually started out as an inter urban operation, the Dan Patch Line, and for a short time was the only all internal combustion railroad anywhere. Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain carried milk as well as passengers and There were New York and New England lines that carried milk as well.

Short lines offer a nice variety of operation, usually on a scaled down level. An engine terminal built to service five or six engines would be a manageable size with only 3-4 units on hand at any time. A three loco roster would work even easier. John Armstrong used to produce many layout plans for this level of operation. Even if the track plans don’t suit you, elements of them are quite usable.

Barry P

Thanks for the history lesson

Thanks for the history lesson and insight. I am somewhat young (37) so all of the things I currently model are before my time so all of the info is much appreciated. I have several books on these shortlines in the south and that’s where I draw a lot of information from. The Atlantic and East Carolina and the Carolina & Northwestern are two lines that operated under the parent company of the Southern as I understand it. The BUC was a completely different story. It was built because a local businessman wanted rail service to local textile mills with a connection to the Seaboard Air Line. The Southern apparently charged a much higher shipping rate in Union County than it did in Spartanburg and Greenville. Duncan got around this by building a line to  a connection just north of Carlisle SC. The line also served a power plant on the Broad River not too far from the interchange. This railroad operated completely independent of any parent company and was eventually purchased by the Southern. 

With this being my first HO layout freelancing makes it easier for me to model a lot of things I like without following a rigid theme. My modeling scenario is very plausible. I know a lot of people don’t like freelancing but my kids and I have a lot of fun with it. In all honesty this layout will most likely just be a way for me to learn and build something better down the road.

Thanks Again

Mike Lee thank you very much

Mike Lee thank you very much for the reply and the input, I also enjoy research, I will deffinately check out that site. Thanks again. 

Dave Husman very informative

Dave Husman very informative input, My era is mid eighties early nineties -ish. helpful information thank you for the reply. 

Paul thank you much for the

Paul thank you much for the input and information, I will be looking for those books.