Hardisty

For me, it was summer vacation in the early '80s. Our family owned a bulk fuel distributorship 50 yards from the CP mainline in east central Alberta.

In the distance, I heard the familiar rumble signalling that a train was on it way down the hill into town. I raced my bike down to the crossing at Dad's office just seconds before a consist of four SD40-2s silently glided up to the crossing, gently rocking side to side. We didn't know any better at the time and called them 5000s. The wind coming off the lead locomotive also carried the symphony of engine, dynamic brake, and clacking of wheels. The smell of dust, diesel, and hot traction motors filled the air. The engineer, with his sleeves rolled up and arm in the window sill, reached up and touched the brim of his hat in a mock salute. I stood there in awe. Humbled by the size of this awesome train that shook the ground as it passed, counting the cars ... 95, 96, 97 ... and 4 engines. That's over 100 in total!

"She's over a mile long", Dad would always say. And as suddenly as it started, it was over. The wind from it was gone, and with it the sounds and smells that I found intoxicating. The hot sun beat against my face and the breeze brought back the smell of birch and silver-willow. Birds and crickets chirped in the distance and the taste of sweat on my lips from riding my bike so hard only moments before.

As magical as that was, the real treat came after supper when the CP yardman called to say he had a couple of engines that needed fuel. Dad and I filled his truck with diesel and pulled up to pair of 3000s (GP38-2s). We were right in the thick of it. Tracks everywhere, a few strings cars and a GP9 sorting them. The smell of hot diesel engines, fuel, and oil soaked ties assaulted my sanity. As dusk approached, everything was bathed in an orange-brown glow. The heat of the afternoon sun long gone, replaced with the heat radiating from the running locomotives.

That was a huge day. The best part was, my entire childhood was full of summers, full of days just like this one. I don't ever remember becoming a railfan. I think I was born this way.

My first design element is to build a scale model of my Dad's fuel distributorship. To the north, a pair of tracks. The single mainline running straight through with a grassy siding to serve the pair of grain elevators to the west, open prairie behind the hill to the east and our bulk plant to the south that backed onto the base of the same hill, a small ridge almost. The whole scene is enclosed by the hill, tracks and elevators. To model it completely wiould have it fitting into a 36x16" section. I will change my viewpoint to looking south across the tracks at the bulk plant and moving the elevators to the north side of the tracks. One elevator will be placed across the road coming down the hill to the crossing just east of the bulk plant to help frame the side of the scene. My Dad will be loading his delivery truck with fuel while my uncle's B-train unloads into the storage tanks. I will be waiting at the crossing, on my bike, for the train to pass. And this will fit as seamlessly into my mountain pike as it does in my childhood memories from the Alberta prairies.

A Railroad with Relevance

The LK&O is exactly as you describe Derek. A railroad with a single purpose - 1/87th version of railroads I have experienced. The tag line of the LK&O says it all - a railroad with relevance. One of my Givens is that no location, structure, scene, or otherwise exists on my railroad unless it has a specific relationship to my real life train exposure. While this has created some unconventional concessions in design and operating potential, it is right for me. Modeling a prototype that weaves through breathtaking canyons, climbs up soaring forest covered mountains, or is immersed in inner city complexity would have made for a wonderful layout to view but it would not have had any deep seated emotional connection to me. My railroad may be an exercise in modeling the bland and ordinary but it will always bring a smile to my face.

Park City Local

As a kid I spent a lot of hours watching the Union Pacific's Park City local work the cement plant at Devil's Slide, UT and the junction with the main at Echo, where cars not destined for the branch were temporarily set out before the local ventured onto the branch.  Power for the local was initially a set of GP9s, including B-units, which were later replaced by GP30s - also with B-units.  All of this got me interested in local freights, cement plants and branchline junctions, elements that have been important parts of my layouts.

Derek, great read

I enjoyed your story, Derek, and while I'm from west-central Alberta and I didn't get to "hang out" with the trains, I certainly remember watching them and always hoping we would "hit" a train going across the road so we could stop and watch.  

My first train memory is playing with my Dad's HO trains under his desk in his office.  We lived about 15 miles outside Hinton (Overlander Lodge just east of the Jasper Park Gate) and my parents ran the lodge, so we would always be around.  My Dad never worried about me damaging them - I treated them very well and remember really just being fascinated and a couple pictures.  I was around 4 at the time, so the memory isn't long, I just remember how cool I thought they were.

My earliest memory of riding the train is headed from my home town, Hinton, to Jasper for a field trip in Kindergarten - about 1978.  I remember it was the CN "wet noodle" cars that we were in, but it wouldn't have been much more time before the blue VIA cars would roll through town.  We lived on the hill, maybe 2 miles or so to the tracks.  I could see three sections of the tracks where nothing blocked my view and I always looked forward to spotting the VIA blue FP9 coming through (sometimes it was a CN FP9, though).  It seemed to sound different to me and I loved seeing it, if only for a few seconds at a time.  

Of course, I enjoyed seeing the lumbering freights head through town as well, even though I didn't know enough about what kind of engines they were or what they were hauling, I loved the trains.  My Dad enjoyed learning about operating trains from the electrical side of things - wiring in block switches and the like, so he built a 4x8 and I spent hours playing with the trains.  My Dad also told me about his "dream" layout of building the spiral tunnels at Yoho National Park.  He worked in the camps when they built the Trans Canada highway through there and told me all about Stoney Creek bridge and the Connaught Tunnel and especially the story of the Big Hill and the Spiral Tunnels.  

This is still what I'd ultimately like to model, but given space and operating enjoyment, it may not get built.  However, whatever I build, there will be elements of it (including a bridge that resembles the Stoney Creek bridge) not too dissimilar to what LK&O describes - it needs to take me back to my memories for me to really appreciate it for the long term.

This is great stuff.

LK&O, I agree. When your model can bring back memories like heartburn from theater popcorn or live music playing during a pancake breakfast in the community hall, it's all worth it. There's absolutly nothing bland about that. So many times I've had this conversation with someone while looking at their layout, and if well built, I too find some sense of familiarity in it. Perhaps it's just that so many of these old buildings have similar architecture, I don't know. I find that the bland and mundane become plausible to the point where I can actually see the possibility of life in a scene. Then it's real, even if only in our minds.

Rob, that's awesome. I've always thought GP30s had the most character of any 2nd generation jeeps. Having an industry like a cement plant can be a plausible excuse for the existence of the entire railroad. Throw a little frieght action into it for diversity and you can stay busy for hours. I used to watch a GP9 switch the Home Oil yard just up the hill from Hardisty. There was enough action there to keep him busy for two or three hours at a time. That is one of the two major industries on my pike (a time saver setup in a small refinery), the other a coal mine perhaps owned by a German family (Mein Mine). Probably a big 'no' for the name, but it's fun to play.

Dave, I've stayed at that lodge. If it's the same one .... we went hiking to the sand dunes at a lake (don't remember the name), and also up into the  mountains. Very picturesque. And in the winter I used to ride the VIA train to Jasper from Wainwright to go skiing at Marmot Basin.

If you're interested in the Stoney Creek Bridge, there was an article published in Model Railroader about 20 years ago, maybe a little more. Perhaps somebody in here knows of the exact issue. It went into significant detail about modelling that bridge and had a nice little story about Rodger's Pass to go with it. If we figure it out, perhaps there are still back issues available or the story can be purchased online.

My grandfather

whom worked for J.Neils in Libby MT(see pic below), my dad, who operated the narrow gauge engine in the pole yard of the same company, and living by the Great Northern mainline in Libby.

Stoney Creek bridge

I think I have the article, Derek, but its in one of the Kalmbach Bridges and Trestles book.  Its going to be my template once I start it, but I've already thought how I plan to modify the design if I have the space, to make it a little larger like the real thing.  

If you've stayed at the Overlander, you'd know it.  Big log building on the hill amongst the trees.  Beautiful.  I miss it still, especially looking at the mountains.  Here in Saskatchewan its just not the same. 

Electrics

One of my first memories of anything is watching an electric locomotive switching the Crowell-Collier printing plant in Springfield, Ohio. The traction company had long shut down passenger service but maintained a line between the plant and the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton main line. I must have been pretty young, because the plant closed in the mid-1950s.

Railfanning started in first grade -- my brother and I, walking home from school, would wait on a hump-back timber road bridge for the New York Central local coming south from Bellefountaine. If we were lucky, we got to stand in the coal smoke cloud.  Mom was not amused.

Then there was close to a decade living within sound of the Union Pacific's hump yard in Pocatello, Idaho . . .

The first model railroading article that really stuck with me was Richard Francaviglia's "Iota, end of a very short line" that appeared in Railroad Model Craftsman in May 1972. His work in a 17" x 56" area, using easy to build kits and simple materials, showed me it didn't have to be all John Allen and mega-mainline-railroading.  Had the pleasure of meeting Richard this year, finally, and had a good talk.

Memory

Designing and building a semi-automatic train storage and transfer table that worked fine from all kind of recycled stuff. Only purchased components: track, wire, glue and nails.

Hurricane Hazel

I guess I can thank Hurricane Hazel for my first train memory. We were flooded out along the Grand River in southern Ontario and ended up living in an old rental house close to the rail yard. The yard would have been the CNR yard in that part of town. I would have been about four. One day Dad took me down to the yard, flagged a switcher and asked if he could take us for a ride. Not sure if it was an 0-6-0 or an 0-8-0. It was big to me, but knowing what I know now, it would have been one of them. We ended up riding back and forth several times. Since that day I have been hooked. The CPR is my favourite though. The maroon and gray paint scheme filled my childhood when I saw first generation diesels. Steam was also still a regular occurance along branchlines and I have memories of them crossing the concessions and county roads with short trains.

Roy

Lodge

Yes, it is Dave. I googled it and that's the place. The views were something else, I can see how you miss it.

My Golden Memory

Train Memories

I have a couple of inspirational memories. 

As a lad my uncle would take me trainspotting around the Hamilton Ontario region to watch trains.  We could watch them heading up the escarpment (the same fault that Niagra Falls falls over) or cross the bridge at the harbour entrance. 

Later when moving from Winnipeg back home to Hamilton, we had a car accident, slide sideways in front of a semi - at full speed on the transcanada - needless to say the car was a write off (the 68 Dodge Polara held together better than todays cars would in the same impact - and we all lived to tell the tale)  Anyway, we gathered all we could salvage and caught the Via Train to Toronto - with 21 boxes of goods.  It was a memorable trip.  Later we took our children on the Via from Saskatchewan back home to visit the folks in Ontario.

And now I live in what was once the "Wheat Pool House" - beside what used to be the rail line.  The elevator and track are now gone, but the memories remain. 

The Paoli Local

For me, it would have to be riding the PRR's Paoli local into center city Philadelphia with my mom for a day of shopping and visiting museums like the Franklin Institute. My face would be glued to the window as we passed the coach yard at 30th Street Station, crossed the river and then went underground for the short run to Suburban Station. All enjoyed from the musty old seats of a venerable MP54!

Yup! That did it for me!

-George

A Truly Golden Era

Growing up in West Philly in the 50's did it for me. It meant riding the PCC's on PTC Route 13 and the old Brills on Route 11, taking the Frankford El to my aunt and uncles, riding the Red Arrow to Media, riding the PRR ferry to Camden, playing basketball right beside the PRR main line, and most of all, American Flyers.

Those F series L&N Gyro lights

I grew up in the 50's & 60's in St Matthews, Kentucky which is just East of Louisville.  The L&N twin main line tracks were only 200 ft behind my house.  I loved the trains and one of my favorite memories was railfanning at night and seeing the Gyro lights in the trees long before you could hear or see the passenger trains blasting by at 60 plus MPH.  The tracks were busy then and it seemed that a train or trains would be passing by almost every 15 minutes!

Rick

Age 2 SP&S in the front yard...

Seriously.... we lived here: http://tinyurl.com/4depuyp although 40 years ago there wasn't nearly as much dense vegetation. Those two bright buildings in the middle are basically where my front yard was. We lived in a 50' single-wide trailer that has no doubt long since been turned into aluminum siding or something.

So as a 2 year old I had the SP&S running what were probably Alco RS-somethings through my front yard. Fences? Yeah, right... this was 1969.

That sort of memory sticks with you.

Unfortunately my layout ends somewhere north of this location.

Golden Memories

I'm new to this site, only having joined a few days ago.

I grew up in Alberta, Canada, and saw lots of trains. I have always loved them. I now live in Newfoundland. Newfoundland had it's own railway up until it joined Canada, at which time CN took it over. Sadly, in the 1980s, it was decided to shut down all rail activity in the Provence and all the rails were pulled up. I miss seeing, hearing and feeling trains.

When I was small, I got an CP HO set for Christmas that I loved to run. I still have peices of it tucked away. When I got a little older, my dad gave my an old Marx locomotive and flatcar that he had from the early 1960s. I didn't have any track for it, but I kept it for years

I used to model in O/O-27, running Marx on a nice 4 X 8 layout, but space and money became an issue. So I switched to N scale. I had a real good start on a beautiful layout, but then kids came along and I had to dismantle it before I could get it complete to make space.

I still keep my eye on it and have plans for a shelf layout that I intend to start on soon.

I am particularly fond of steam locomotives and associated rolling stock, and of coal mining operations.

For me, I find it interesting, looking at the whys and hows of rail operations, and I find it calming.

I enjoy the challenge of prototype/freelance modeling in small spaces.

That's it for me.

Cheers,

Jim R

HRR