In case you get tired of “mountain” railroads

[Trainman203]

Very refreshing to see a finely done layout that is not 1.  An eastern coal road.  2.  A Pacific Northwest logging railroad.  3.  The Colorado marrow gauge.  4.  The PRR, NYC or Santa Fe.

Nothing wrong with any of the above other than being , shall we say, overdone.  This layout is niche modeling at its best!

https://www.modelrailroadacademy.com/video/touring-florida-east-coast-key-west-extension-014619/#

[jonathan]

That was a nice change of pace.  Very, very well-done railroad.  Some real love and talent went into that.

Is that the same Allen Keller Productions from the 70s and early 80s?  I used to watch those old videos all the time.

Thanks for sharing.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Trainman203]

It seems to be.  Don't know if Allen Keller is even alive anymore.

[Len]

That 'Seven Mile Bridge' was interesting. Seemed to be a lot of track workers living along the line. Must be a lot of washouts after storms come through.

Len

[Trainman203]

That line was washed away and abandoned in 1936.  In those days section gangs had to visually inspect all spikes and rail joints at every 39', tightening things up as required.  Each section was pretty short, just a few miles, but in this case the track crews "had" to live on the islands because daily ferrying to the mainland was prohibitive.

[Quentin]

Wow, thank you for showing me this. I was getting verrrrry tired of all of this mountain/coal/logging layouts I've been seeing. Thanks again for this!

[jward]

Wow, thank you for showing me this. I was getting verrrrry tired of all of this mountain/coal/logging layouts I've been seeing. Thanks again for this!

Just wondering how one EVER gets tired of mountain railroads. If you've ever seen a real one in person you'd be hooked for life.

[WoundedBear]

Reminds me of the old adage......those who can, do......those who can't, complain about those that can".

I have seen as many poorly done "flatland" layouts as I have "mountain" ones.

Sid

[Trainman203]

The poorest ones are flatland layouts, no doubt. Basic grass mat scenery, track right on top of it, etc.  but I've seen layouts in magazines whose rock cliffs look like someone dragged a hairbrush through wet plaster..... which they probably did.

All that really matters is if the modeler is happy with his layout.  My own flatland layout is very average at best and would never make it into the magazines.  I was very happy with it for a long time, but after seeing the layouts I posted links to, my satisfaction is waning.  Time for a re-do. How many of y'all have finished a layout and then started over again to fix all the stuff you weren't satisfied with.

[Trainman203]

I worked in both West Virginia and Colorado, saw the B&O and the N&W,  and I'm still modeling coastal plains.

[Quentin]

I live in Oklahoma y'all. i haven't seen no mountain railroads lol.

[Terry Toenges]

I've never finished a layout because I always change my mind before I get that far.

[RAM]

KCS in southeastern OK. BNSF south of Davis.  All of Ok. is not flat.

[Quentin]

RAM,
this is true. However, I live in Owasso, kinda Northeast of Tulsa, which is way up in the Northeastern Quadrant of our great state. For the most part, we get mile-mile1/2 long coal and intermodal trains. We get intermodal because of the Port of Catoosa on the Arkansas River. We have small mountains (mainly large hills) but there are no tracks up there.

[jward]

I worked in both West Virginia and Colorado, saw the B&O and the N&W,  and I'm still modeling coastal plains.

B&O in West Virginia. Coal trains powered by whatever Grafton had laying around, with 4 sd35s pushing on the rear. Up to Tunnelton at a crawl, then the descent to Rowlesburg in a cloud of brakeshoe smoke. And then the REAL show begins. Cranberry..... a dozen miles of S curves and 1200 feet in elevation gain. YOU can't get a run for it because of the curves. So you pull the throttle all the way out and hope for the best. If you're lucky, 2 hours later you stagger over the top at Terra Alta, drop the helper and take a well deserved breather as you cross the Glades to Altamont. Then, the precipitous drop down Seventeen Mile to Keyser. Set the air and ride the dynamics the whole way down. TOo much air and you stall the train on the flat spot at Swanton. Too little air and she gets away from you. Guaranteed if that happens you won't make it to the bottom. Rolling into Keyser in another cloud of brakeshoe smoke.

THat's mountain railroading. THE mountain railroad. The original mountain railroad, for B&O reached Wheeling and the Ohio RIver from Baltimore in 1952, 2 years before the Pennsy reached Pittsburgh. THat's the railroad that seperates the men from the boys, the one that has contributed so much to locomotive development over the years because of the combination of heavy coal trains, steep grades and sharp curves.

If you could witness THAT, and not be a fan of mountain railroading, there's no hope for you.