Things that make you wonder

When Designing a layout sometimes you have to decide the certain things about a railroad that makes it THE railroad. For me I have always been a fan of the C&O especially in the late years of the Chessie System and the beginning of the CSX era. Nothing says C&O than the the signal system and pole line, granted the Michigan division was run separately than the C&O until the merger between them and the Pere Marquette became formal. But as the sun sets on the old C&O at CP Onion on the Columbus sub just south of Fostoria OH, the Sun isn't setting on this spring night only, but on the the one thing that made this the heart of the C&O. The pole line is on borrowed time and in the background the new SAFETRAN signals are up and in service and soon the sun will set on the cantilever signal and it will become a uniform cookie cutter railroad like the rest of the lines of CSX and NS. So years from now what will replace the SAFETRAN signal and how long will it take for the future become a thing of the past?....


Phot taken by myself on Feb 21st 2011

Latest Update

I know its been a loooongtTime since I have posted and update but a lot of work has been completed.

-The roundhouse construction was completed and assembled
-The locomotive service area was built, track was painted and the area ballasted (finishing details are still being added)

 Overview of Yard and service area

 SD40 8365 awaits its next assignment

 The caboose track and fuel/sand pad

 ready for service

 Ground view of the new service area (main line is immediatly to the right)

 Finished product

The Roundhouse is loosely based on the C&O ex M&NE roundhouse in Manistee MI

- The river scene is coming along slowly but its looking good pics to follow

Scenery and roads

 Layout progression has been moving slowly but steadily as most of the layouts scenery will e grass mats from Faller it makes scovering the scene so much easier.... the trees and trackside brush on the other hand might be a little more time consuming.

One of the major changes to the siding was the relocation of the siding around the main line absolute CTC signal. The Pere Marquette and early C&O commonly did this in the northern division with dwarf signals governing the siding and the searchlights governing the main line. 

the roadways have been poured and as it was my first time working with the Woodland Scenics "Smooth it" I slowly learned how to pour and eliminate most of the small air bubbles that seemed to appear after being dried. The roadway was then sprayed with Testors Light aircraft grey paint which closely resembled bleache concrete. Granted the roadways still need weathering and the crossing pannels need to be glued and laid in the over all basics of the scene is coming along.

Layout progression

Track work progressed through out the summer and when availible until the mainline was completed july 1st 2010. Track work was Atlas code 100 flextrak with number 8 turnouts on the mains and CTC sidings and number 4 and 6 turouts for various yard tracks.



 The river crossing was loosely mocked up as the first few trains began to test out the layout and streach their feet

 Switch locomotives in Saginaw/Ludington staging areas idle as they eagerly await switiching the loads of cars coming thru to the freey docks

Construction begins!

Construction began on a much smaller division than I have planned (apartment living will do that) but none the less the layout was constructed to be A) taken apart and integrated into a larger layout and B) a fun operating layout with a good C&O feel to it.

Benchwork is an open grid on standard 2x2 and some 2x4's 4" of pink foam is layed on top for a good base for the mostly flat terrain of northern central Michigan.

Brief History

The F&PM was chartered on January 22, 1857 as the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway for the purpose of constructing an east-west railway line from Flint MI to Saginaw MI then to Pere Marquette lake (Ludington MI). Construction started in 1859 Service began on January 20, 1862, on the 26.1-mile (42.0 km) section from East Saginaw south to Mount Morris. Construction westward from Saginaw commenced in 1866 with the first section of 20 miles (32 km), to Midland, opened December 1, 1867. Slowly the railroad snaked its way through the forests of central Michigan. It was completed to Clare, 24.4 miles (39.3 km) west of Averill, in November 1870; another 15.6 miles (25.1 km) was finished in March 1871. With the completion of 22 miles (35 km) to Reed City in December 1871, the F&PM made a connection with the north-south main line of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Rwy. The road was completed to Ludington on December 1, 1874, giving the F&PM 253 miles (407 km) of main line.


In 1895 the F&PM reached an agreement with the Wisconsin Central Railway to establish a cross-lake railway car ferry line between Ludington and Manitowoc. The car ferry operation was so successful that it soon became obvious that service would have to be expanded.

The rise and fall of the Ludington Division

• Incorporated on January 1, 1900 as the Pere Marquette Railroad from the merger of several Michigan railroads, the most prominent being: FLINT and PERE MARQUETTE.
• The company was reincorporated on March 12, 1917 as the Pere Marquette Railway
• Saginaw yard was improved in 1921 making it the home terminal of the Ludington Division and heart of Pere Marquette Northern Division. Upon completion the terminal was up graded to handle 2,700 cars with a round house of 30 stalls handling a capacity of 32 engines daily. A new 500 ton coaling tower was also erected along with a new 100' turntable as the Saginaw area began its rapid expansion.
• Ludington yard was improved in 1912 to handle 1,016 with a roundhouse improved to 12 stalls with a 85' turntable a 500 ton coal dock was also erected to handle the increased ferry traffic.
• June 10 1945:  The Pere Marquette places into service a reconstructed drawbridge over the Saginaw River. the bridge was re built to handle the increased cross lake traffic fixing a 10mph sppen and weight restricion on the original trestle.  It was built by the American Bridge Company total length of the bridge is 60 feet with trestle approaches of 103 feet for a total length of 763 feet.  
• The Pere Marquette was sold to the C&O, with which it formally merged with on June 6, 1947
• C&O merged with the B&O in 1963. 
• In 1972. the C&O, B&O and Western Maryland became @hessie System
• @hessie System was then merged with the Seaboard system forming CSX Transportation  on July 1, 1986
• In 1980 @hessie System discontinues ferry service between Ludington MI and Milawaukee WI on October 4th as the beginning of abandonments of the PM northern division begins.
• February 1982 @hessie System discontinues ferry service between Manitowoc WI and Ludington
• In the spring of 1987 the line from Midland MI to Baldwin MI is taken out of service officially being abandoned in 1988.
• Saginaw Dispatchers are transferred to Jacksonville, FL in February 1990 closing the dispatch center in the Potter Street depot and Saginaw river bridge.
•  April 16 1990  The CSX Potter Street Station burns in an arson fire
•  June of 2003 CSX removes CTC signals, electric switches and switch locks from their line between Mershon interlocking and Midland MI which were installed some time around 1947 to handle post war traffic. 
•  October 28 2005 CSX officially ended operations from Mount Morris MI and Saginaw MI when the line was leased to Lake State Railway through its new subsidiary SAGINAW BAY SOUTHERN
• October 30 2005:  Saginaw Bay Southern begins operation on former CSX lines between Mount Morris and Midland (via Saginaw) .  The last day of CSX operation was on October 28 2005 ending a long rich history and past.