The Chicago Great Western in Waterloo

[wcfn100]

After years of planning, I think I can finally try and make a run at this.  It's a sectional, portable layout representing the CGW in Waterloo, IA.  Waterloo was the first major town south of Oelwein, IA which was the hub of the CGW railroad.  Waterloo, IA was home to four railroads and also John Deere and Rath's meat packing.  While the CGW did have online traffic, the majority was interchanged with the other railroads with the bulk of that going to the Waterloo Railroad who switched JD and Rath (along with IC) and was the CGWs connection to Cedar Rapids.



To give it some scale, the streets on the downtown portion (lower) are spaced 28.5" on centers and each of the 8 spans on the bridge are 6.75".  This section of modules will represent 6 uncompressed blocks.  The other set of sections is Highland Yard.  I cut about 3' off the prototype.  Most of that was from the curved section and scale track length wasn't really needed since the trains I'll be running will only be half the prototype length and there's no way I could ever get my head around the full amount of traffic Waterloo handled.

There are still some kinks to work out and I'm not sure how a couple things will work in practice but it's time to start.  I only wish I could have started sooner as the CNWHS annual meet will be in Waterloo this year.

You can click the pic for a larger view.

Jason

[Sokramiketes]

Dude.  DUDE!

[wcfn100]

Dude.  DUDE!

LOL, we'll see.


I've given bits and pieces over the years of what makes up some of the components of this layout.  So to catch everything up to this point, here's a couple pictures of what you're seeing.

Here's the 'classic' Waterloo shot.



That's Wally Ames working the tower.  I was hoping to split the section on this side of the tower to get this shot, but it works out much better planning wise to do what I have.  I'm thinking I can get a camera down into the river to get something close to this.

The freight house.


The depot which by the 60's had it's roof replaced with a hip style roof.



And then way at the other end, the Idaho overpass.


The pump house is off to the south east.



When the overpass was put in, it fouled the turnout so it was pushed east a bit and spanned the whole bridge.



I've already made some false starts on a few of these projects like:

Tower 'A'


And the piers for the Idaho bridge.


Barring any major events, maybe can get some track down this year.  My goal would be to have something for the next time the Worlds Greatest Hobby on Tour comes to Denver.  I don't know when that will be, but hopefully I'll have a couple years because I'm going to need them.

I'll probably look to start on the three rectangle (square end) sections; the freight house and river and the Idaho overpass.  Those I'm pretty locked in with the track arrangement.

Jason

[MichaelWinicki]

It's looks like a good project.

I'm a big fan of this type of layout.

If/when I do another layout, I'm going this route, i.e. instead of trying to model an area that is a great distance from end to end, I'll take one area and model it as faithfully as possible. 

[MVW]

Absolutely love your approach here, Jason.

Do you have room to have the modules set up "permanently," or is this something you'll only be able to run at shows? Each group of modules is what, about 15 feet long?

What era?

Can't wait to see and learn more. Have fun, and good luck!

Jim

[wcfn100]

Do you have room to have the modules set up "permanently," or is this something you'll only be able to run at shows? Each group of modules is what, about 15 feet long?

What era?

I don't have what you'd call a permanent space, but I do have a finished basement we use as a movie/play room that could be used to set up if needed.  Each module is 65".  The hobby room I share with a spare bedroom has an 11' wall I can work against so I can always have two sections together.

Honestly, running trains doesn't do much for me.  This is really more of a showcase for my models.

I model 1965-68 with a touch of '62 just to run the last passenger train.


Jason

[LKOrailroad]

Honestly, running trains doesn't do much for me.

That comment borders on blasphemy! 

[mcjaco]

Very cool.  My best bud from high school is a Rath relative, so I'm always on the look out for Rath reefers, just for fun. 

[wcfn100]

Very cool.  My best bud from high school is a Rath relative, so I'm always on the look out for Rath reefers, just for fun.

I front loaded my roster over the years with a bunch of Rath reefers (I think I have about 18 - none correct  ) only to find out that by the 60's the vast majority of meat was moved via Refrigerated trailers.  In fact, I need more Swift reefers than Rath, I just haven't figured out how they fit in yet.  I expect Trainworx to announce CGW trailers sometime this year.  I'll be getting at least 20.

I actually have some maps for Raths and the LOC has a whole series of pictures and data online.  It would make a great switching module, especially the Waterloo Railroad side.  North American Car Company also had their shops in the same area.

Jason

[wcfn100]

That comment borders on blasphemy! 

My approach to this hobby will be made pretty clear when I pull out the City Engineer's plan for the three pump houses on the layout.   

Jason

[wcfn100]

I should probably show how these to sections fit together in the real world.

Yard to the right, depots and river to the left.



The big yard in between is the Illinois Central and may be represented on the turn back.  I also may try and fit it some the tracks on the west side of the river on the other turn back.

Jason

[mark.hinds]

Nice to see another prototype-based layout plan.  I look forward to following your progress.   

MH

[PAL_Houston]

Dude.  DUDE!

+1.

And when you are ready, you can send me some interchange traffic! 

[mcjaco]

Love the trackwork west of the river!

[wcfn100]

Love the trackwork west of the river!

Yeah, I'm going to have to include something there but that's way down the line so to speak so I try not to think about it. I'd actually like to do all the track on that side of the river but it would be too big of a project.  If you followed that curve off the just a little further, this is what you'd get.



RI had a yard downtown and after that would be John Deere.  The CGW had a few sidings and their RI interchange but it's really more about the RI over there.

And when you are ready, you can send me some interchange traffic! 

As soon as I gets some.  I'm sort of resetting my freight car roster.  When Atlas does the 6' door PS-1, I'll be back in business.  I also have a sizable 1923 AAR project that I'm about to start.

Jason