looking good!

Big changes coming in 2019

 Thanks Scott. I have some pretty big changes and additions coming up in 2019 so I’m excited. 

Nicely done, your creation of

Nicely done, your creation of a world in miniature is excellent.

Envious as heck....

Great railroad, can't wait to see the 2019 version!!!!

Loving your videos

I've been loving your videos for a while. You've got a truely inspirational layout! Everyone should take note of your design considerations and aesthetic. 

Nice!

Great video. I especially like the following things that so few people do on their videos:

• Minimal narration, explaining good info (and not just hearing yourself talk)
• Kept the 'talking head' work to a bare minimum. So many people do half the video of just their face
• Showing the overall layout room
• ID'ing the companies that made the kits and parts

Thanks everyone

Thanks for the great comments and feedback guys. I have a lot planned for 2019 and I still plan on providing an update of everything I had accomplished by the end of the month.

For December I have some locomotives and a refrigerated boxcar getting some work done by BradleyDCC. I am continuing work on my Ethanol unloading facility and the engine service area. And I hope to get some more freight cars weathered and detailed. At least that’s the plan anyway.

Then in January if I have finished up the projects listed above I plan on redoing the trackwork leading into my storage area and removing the original industry spur section. I’d also love to tackle painting up a locomotive in an intermediate scheme for the Seaboard Central where the original scarlet red and lark dark gray was replaced with B&O royal blue and black.

Tim

Nice update

Nicely done update video Tim.  I found your trackplan - helps orient the video.  Have you done anything on your operations (I didn’t find anything with a quick search)?

Seaboard Central 2007

Tim

Is SC 2007 a one of a kind locomotive or is the SC switching to a blue scheme? 

Bill Michael

Seaboard. Central Operations

The current layout has a pretty simple operating plan but there are plans to expand it as the layout grows. A move in about three years should result in a larger layout with more operational opportunities as well.

Currently, I have two NS run-through trains operating over the SC via haulage rights. The difference between haulage rights vs. trackage rights is that under a haulage agreement the foreign trains are operated with the host railroad’s crews, whereas under trackage rights the foreign trains are operated with their own crews. On the SC two NS haulage trains are operated between Macon and Cedartown, GA.

Next up is an SC run thru train that operates between Macon and Rome, GA. via a trackage rights agreement between Cedartown and Rome over the NS. This train hauls a lot of wood chip hoppers out of Barnesville.

Then we have an SC train moving cars from Griffin, GA to Alabama City/Birmingham, AL hauling industry cars.

There’s also a train that transfers cars from Grifffin to Macon, GA.

Finally, there are three Road Switchers based out of Griffin that work Industries. A first and second shift job that handles cars in and around Griffin and then a job that goes north to Newnan and works Industries there plus one in Senoia and then returns back to Griffin. This train currently moves cars to staging but the plan is to actually have these industries modeled on a much larger future layout.

Thanks!

Tim

SC 2007 & SC 2008

GP38-2s SC 2007 and 2008 were originally brought onto SC property in 1996 under a lease agreement with GMTX. These two units worked on the SC as GMTX 2619 and 2624 for ten years. At the end of the lease the units were purchased and rebuilt to Dash-2 specs. At the time their EMD leading paint jobs were still in good condition so SC management decided to do a simple patch job and have them relettered and renumbered.

This same treatment was given to a group of ex-BNSF SD40-2s purchased from Helm leasing where the units had paint jobs in fairly good conditions. The latest locomotive to receive a temporary patch job is a couple of NS units purchased in 2014. In this instance, the long hood ends have a simple SC added. 

Tim

Operations

That sounds like a nice operating plan, nice mix of activity.  Thanks for describing it.

Last night browsing further back in your blog I came across the “Switchlists vs. Card cards and waybills” post and the long and interesting discusion that resulted which I’m still reading.  I’m mentioning it here in case there are other latecomers like myself - it’s a goldmine of info.

So Seaboard Central locomotives

basically retain the paint scheme of the previous owner with a patch for SC name. Nice idea now you need a nice leased FEC Champion scheme SD40-2 

Future paint schemes

I have some exciting plans on the horizon for the future when it comes to locomotive paint schemes. This is how I love to tell the history of the railroad. The original scheme was applied to a couple of units after the start up when the SC was a class III Shortline operating on an ex-CSX former SCL branch between Cartersville and Cedartown, GA. You can see it on SC 1990 which was originally numbered 170. In 2010 it was renumbered to 1990 then two years later suffered a major failure and was sidelined for parts storage. In 2015 the other original unit GP16 number 116 was renumbered to 160 and rebuilt and repainted into a 25 year anniversary heritage scheme.

By 1996 with the acquisition of the NS line between Cedartown and Senoia, GA the scarlet red and lark dark gray paint was replaced with a dark blue and black scheme similar to the Montana Rail Link. This adorned a former NS high hood GP38 ex-TAG unit and was numbered as SC 2000.  By 2015 this unit had been donated to the TVRM in Chattanooga, TN and is now back in its original TAG livery.

When the SC purchased a group of former BNSF SD40-2s from Helm leasing three arrived still in Santa Fe paint and was in need of a new paint job. For these three the SC applied a special experimental scheme to add visibility in hopes to prevent grade crossing incidents or pedestrian fatalitie. Shop forces and rail crews refer to these units as blue tigers for their orange and black stripes on their noses.

Finally, in late 2014 and early 2015 the SC started purchasing third generation power from Progress Rail in the form of GP59ECO and SD59ECO Units. These locomotives are adorned in the new Corporate scheme which is a blending of SCL and Central of Georgia schemes to better reflect the history behind the rail lines and the company name.

Tim Garland

Fictional "history"

I love how you know all the fictional details of the railroad you model.

I have long argued that this is the key to a good layout, knowing in your mind what is and is not, and sticking to that. You can answer for what comes and goes on your layout as a real 1:1 RR manager would. That, to me, is the difference between a layout and someone just running trains around.

2018 summary

Very nicely done Tim! I had fallen behind on my online activity the last few months, but it's great to see your update. I really enjoyed seeing a summary of what you've accomplished as well as getting a glimpse of what lies ahead.

I'd be interested in more details around the relocation of your plastics plant.

Also, inquiring minds want to know......I notice a big BNSF influence on your layout, not only with your SD40-2s and shoving platform, but other rolling stock still in full BNSF markings. Do you see more BNSF traffic in Georgia, or do you just have more of a fondness for that road?

I have to agree completely

I have to agree completely with Lee on this one. Having a fictional history for a free-lance Railroad is very important regardless of how much of the line is actually modeled. That info would cover every aspect of how the railroad operated including the way it would deal with competition and who that competition would be. That is if one wants to have something that is more believable than fanciful. If you are the later no worries. 

The other thing to look at is what would the real railroads in the area have done with regard to equipment and if you stick to those types of things there is a chance folks might just remember your railroad as a real line instead of make believe.

I have worked on the history and location of my future railroad and have to say that it was a very enjoyable activity. Since I am using corporate control and then mergers of real railroads to come up with the line it seems to go together rather well. One real interesting fact from history is many of the lines ended up merged together anyway, although with a bit different parentage than mine.

So while using Peabody's improbable history and the way back machine has let me dream up a more appealing alternative for me. Several injections of reality will help to keep it somewhat believable.

Thanks Joe and Rob

Thanks for the comments Joe and Rob. During 2019 the layout will undergo some changes that I believe will make it look and operate better than ever. Still, this current layout is just a temporary one. Since my wife and I have decided to move to a new house in 2021 after my youngest graduates from high school I am already making plans for a much newer and improved Seaboard Central Layout.

This year my goal is to complete the center peninsula section which I aim to build to a higher standard using the TOMA concept. My intention is that this part of the layout will be included in the new layout after we move. It will consist of four adjoining sections 18” wide by 48” long and include a short runaround track and two industries. One will be the relocated AEP Industries on the current layout and the other will be a new Industry that is yet to be determined but will more than likely receive Boxcars containing some kind of paper product, either printing paper, wood pulp or scrap paper. I want to detail these sections to a degree I haven’t done yet and hopefully write an article showing how I built it.

As far as BNSF influence, the SC interchanges cars with the BNSF in Birmingham, AL so there’s a good chance traffic from the Midwest or gulf states could show up anytime. The SC also interchanges with the CSX in Birmingham and the NS in nearby Alabama City. There’s also a lot of traffic interchanged to the NS in Macon, GA. 

The former BNSF SDs were a good deal for the SC when they came on the market. These medium horsepower units are great all purpose locomotives and can be used for practically any type of service. Mechanical forces are well trained to work on them and there’s an ample parts supply to keep them going for a long time. Many will probably make it to their 50th birthdays before they are retired.

Tim G