Well for now the layout is a sectional layout in a 11'x12' spare bedroom in my apartment. I built it to be sectional so when I purchace a house not only will the takedown be easy the placement in the grand scheme of things will be easy as well. I am modeling mostly the former PM/C&O/CSX Ludington Sub from Saginaw to Midland (with some freelanceing in there to make the gaps to Ludington). I want the over all track work to as close to the general C&O feel that everything has in the area that way i can easily model any real location between Saginaw and well anywhere. I plan on modeling the line with the CTC Searchlights and code line but I will and have some more modern Safetran signals thrown in to bring it up to par. By modeling with the searchlights it can get me anything from 1950's to just about 2001 when the line was de-signalized and sold to the SBS. By adding the modern signals i plan on freelancing that the line through Midland was never severed the line will go to Ludington with interchange traffic with the TSBY(GLC) in Clare.
Modeled areas: (these are a definate)
- Saginaw yard (with roundhouse and turntable and coal dock)
- Potter Street Depot
- The Grey iron /Bay City Spur
- Saginaw river bridge (already heavily kitbashing the bridge from 4 walthers kits)
- Mershon Diamond with the Rifkin spur and Peavy elevator spur
- Interchange traffic with HESR/CMGN at Genesee yard
- Mershon siding (shortened in half )
- Bay and Shattuck crossing (the house i first lived when i was born was on Northwest dr and Shattuck Rd grew up for a few years watching the last of the ferry boat traffic move although WAY too young to remember)
- Mc Carty and Hemmeter rd railroad crossing (used to ride my bike there everyday durng summer to watch the local come back from Midland)
- Tittabawassee and Lawndale crossing ( havent decided if i will do pre road improvment or post road improvement and the crossing down the street from my house where i would ride to watch the local go through)
- Freeland elevator and siding
- Midland (with fictional coal traffic for Consumers Co-gen facility and ample chemical traffic and maybe some small TOFC traffic from the old C&O days left over)
Granted from there is where the "freelancing" will come in with trying to re produce a rarely photographed but heavily used division of the C&O.
If the town/city still had a depot up to the abandonedment of the line it will be modeled. The beautiful thing about central Michigan is the trees and topography is realitivily flat and with the right combonation of trees you could cover large gaps in the division.- Midland MI depot
- Coleman MI Depot
- Clare MI depot with interchange traffic with TSBY (GLC)
- Lake MI with coaling station
- Evart Depot
- Reed City with fictional Marquette Rwy interchange traffic
- Baldwin MI (interchange with the Grand Rapids line)
- Walhalla MI (branch to manistee Marquette Rwy will have traffic rights up to here)
- Scottville
- Ludington yard, Depot, roundhouse and ferry dock