The BNSF Red River Valley Sub

[Rivet Miscounter]

This thread will be part planning, part thinking out loud, and part repository for applying the mountains of research materials I have toward some meaningful effort to build a model railroad.   The overall goal is to model some portions of the BNSF Red River Valley Sub and possibly adjacent Wichita Falls sub in northwest Texas.  If I had to pick one site as a primer to this stretch of railrading, it's here: http://www.edisaurus.com/rr/rrv05/index.htm .   This ties up the general timeframe I'm looking at, the types of trains involved, the general operations, the scenery, and the rolling stock all in a nice little bow.

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The BNSF Red River Valley Subdivision runs from Valley Jct (MP 118.4) just outside of Wichita Falls, TX northwest (railroad west) to Amarillo, TX (MP 335.7).  The line, along with the adjacent Wichita Falls sub to the southeast, previously made up the Fort Worth & Denver Railway.   The FW&D (affiliated with the CB&Q and BN until being officially rolled into BN in 1983) ran from Fort Worth to Wichita Falls, Quanah, Childress, Amarillo, and Texline in the Texas Panhandle...where it transitioned to sister Colorado & Southern on the way to Denver.  The line itself is heavily agricultural, but the interesting part of it lies in its long haul/"bridge" traffic.  The roots of this traffic began in the 70's when the line became part of BN's coal conveyor between the Powder River Basin and south Texas coal plants.  Then, in the post-BNSF 90's when the line began hosting West Coast to Dallas/Fort Worth intermodal--grabbed off the Transcon at Amarillo.   Of note, UP has trackage rights on the line as well, and among other things runs a regular train between Fort Worth and Wichita Falls.

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Grain is king on the RRV Sub, and there is also a coal-fired power plant at Oklaunion (near Vernon) and a gypsum operation at Acme. (near Quanah)  A branch line at Quanah into Oklahoma provides some traffic/ops as well.  The scenery is interesting with the railroad skirting the northern fringes of Palo Duro Canyon, the crossing of the Red River, etc....but it's no Colorado.

The Wichita Falls Sub runs from Valley Jct southeast to Saginaw, TX/North Fort Worth.  This was the railroading of my youth.  My hometown (Bowie) is about halfway between Wichita Falls and Saginaw and my grandparents lived right off the ROW at a siding called Fruitland just southeast of Bowie.  I lived about 4 blocks away from the line and less than two miles from the diamond with the RI/MKT (OKKT)/UP.   An interesting part of the WF Sub lies about 15 miles south of Fruitland at Alvord, a small town that sits at the foot of "Decatur Hill".  At times this was an active helper district for coal trains with power stationed at Alvord and dropped at Decatur or Herman siding on the top side.  Aside from a few small volume industries at Bowie and Decatur, there is nothing on this line other than passing sidings once you leave Wichita Falls until trains are approaching Fort Worth.

Saginaw and Amarillo present challenges with respect to cost and space that make me pause at including them, and as you'll see I really want the ops to be mostly centered around the mainline aspect...getting trains past each other.  I'm not counting anything out just yet though. Wichita Falls is an interesting and very model railroad-able town.  it doesn't have a TON going for it industry-wise, but with some minor embellishment it holds up as a nice piece of the puzzle.   It has a small-medium yard, some grain ops, a few large industries, and an interchange with short line Wichita, Tillman, and Jackson.

One interesting twist is that this layout will be Z-scale.  The rest of the design criteria is pretty up in the air right now, but it will likely end up residing in a 10x12 room with 3x6 closet.   I want to get more into a more generic list of givens and druthers before getting too caught up in the space, but just to give you some frame of reference that is probably the space I will have to work with.

[Rivet Miscounter]

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[coldriver]

Good to see you motivated to get something going Doug!  If I was going to model the Red River Sub I'd definitely include Quanah/Acme, Wichita Falls, and maybe that area where the line crosses the Prairie Dog Fork.  If you had an excessive amount of tanks cars you could model that large private car shop south of Wichita Falls - that thing always seems to have hundreds of cars on hand!  When did they stop shipping cotton off the Red River Sub?  Seems like those big cotton warehouses look great and would be fairly easy to build.

[Rivet Miscounter]

Hey Dean, thanks for the comments.

As we've discussed, my real goal is to model passing sidings and have the 15-20 trains per day work past each other.   But, I recognize that some industry ops is nice too...how much of that can be done in Z without the frustration level rising is the issue.  But in my limited experiments it isn't drastically different than N and I'm gonna give it a go.

WF and Quanah are definitely the most interesting cities, and I think if I embellished some I could have some decent ops outside of the dispatcher.  Definitely want to include Eagle Railcar, maybe in a truncated version, perhaps with the bulk of it being in the backdrop and just a drop/pickup track like Trinity in Saginaw.  I also would consider some bit of cotton loadouts at Memphis...I did notice there is still one spur reaching into that cotton complex.  I never realized this, and I've never seen any cars spotted there, but my sample size is very, very small. 

Following is my first-pass list of features that could be modeled: (Going east to west)
1. Decatur Hill
2. Bowie/Alvord
2b. Dickworsham Siding
3. Wichita Falls (BNSF)
4. Wichita Falls (WT&J)
5. Harold/Oklaunion
6. Vernon/Pease River
7. Chillicothe
8. Quanah/Acme
9. Goodlet/Estelline/Red River Crossing
10. Memphis/Clarendon/Palo Duro Canyon


Initial thoughts as to likely modeled portions are in bold.

[Rivet Miscounter]

Decatur Hill - Fairly scenic and the helper district would make it interesting ops-wise.  Cons would be that it would force me to include Decatur and likely some morph of Alvord and Bowie on the west end, neither of which are particularly interesting from the ops perspective.  I could roll Decatur into a Decatur/Herman siding morph too. Herman is a very visible, very busy passing siding right before entering the Fort Worth area. 
1. Metal grain elevator (defunct 80s)
2. Poco Graphite (defunct 90s)

Bowie/Alvord Combination - Would host the helper power, and i could embellish the industries some at Bowie to get some work there.  Could also feasibly present the aggregate industry as a spur from Alvord south to Chico. (this actually existed at one point a hundred years ago)  The diamond (dummy) with UP at Bowie would be visually interesting.
1. Manned helper
2. Drilling Mud Company
3. Metal Grain Elevator (defunct 80s)
4. Peanut Dryer/Elevator (defunct 70s)
5. Team track (grain/etc) (defunct 90s)
6. Propane (defunct 70s)
7. Refinery (fantasy, proposed in 2010's)
8. Plastic pipe company (fantasy, proposed 2010s)
9. Rock Crusher (fantasy, old ROW to existing huge UP-served collection of quarries)

Dickworsham Siding - I feel compelled to mention this passing siding, partially just because it's such a badass name.  But, it also stands adjacent a ranch, commonly inhabited by camels.  To work it in would be magnificant.  And, it actually has some manner of scenic element with some plateau like features and the signature red dirt of the area.

[Rivet Miscounter]

Wichita Falls (BNSF) - Very modelgenic city and decent operations. (especially if you embellish some)  Interchange traffic with the Wichita, Tillman, & Jackson/Union Pacific.
1. Industry on southeast side of town (defunct late 2000s?); Photo with UTLX 59609 taken in June of 2006.

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2. Large metal grain elevator on SE side

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3. ex-MKT line now functions as super long passing siding https://www.flickr.com/photos/kb5wk/14440344174 TXUX Coal train on the siding southeast of Wichita Falls with two very new SD70ACe's on April 12, 2006.
4. twin highway bridges w/ MKT/FW&D lettering still in tact
5. bridges over irrigation channel coming into yard
6. BNSF Yard ~9 tracks, team track, power track

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7. Concrete elevator adjacent yard (defunct 80s? Late 2010's.) https://www.flickr.com/photos/royluck/5214575778/in/album-72157627560603679
EDIT: So I have found evidence that this elevator was actually in service during my timeframe.   See: https://www.railpictures.net/photo/50702   While I would have likely embellished and modeled it as active anyway, it's nice to know that I can keep my "modeler's license" in my wallet on this one.

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8. RR museum adjacent yard
9. Attebury concrete elevator on spur south of yard (defunct 2000s?)
10. wye on spur south of yard
11. scrap dealer adjacent Attebury elevator (defunct 2010s?)
12. parallel spurs off of south spur into downtown to various? (defunct 70s?)
13. interesting downtown backdrop

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14. Twin bridges over Wichita River https://www.flickr.com/photos/54924747@N08/26650317050

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15. Cement plant (defunct 70s?)
16. Small metal elevator (defunct 80s?)

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17. Plastics industry near Valley jct
18. Vetrotex Certainteed (defunct Mid-2000s); Mfg fiberglass fabrics.
19. Eagle Railcar (replaced V-C but would model concurrent/adjacent)
20. Beverage distributor (defunct 80s)
21. McNeil Industrial park (Multiple, defunct 90s)
22. Cryovac (Iowa Park) plastics;

Wichita Falls (WT&J) - Good source of carloads, mostly grain.  Small 5-6 track yard and good industry presence north of town.
1. Yard and 2-track enginehouse https://www.flickr.com/photos/moodykb/25301162921/
2. Bell Processing - Scrap dealer adjacent yard
3. spur to Sheppard AFB (defunct 90s)
4. Industrial area with 3 large industries including PPG plant (defunct 2010s mostly; PPG plant remains)
-??? Plant (now Panda Biotech, not rail served) - farthest north of the 3 clustered plants
-PPG (now Vitro) Glass Plant
-Howmet Aerospace (aka Arconic; no longer rail served) - farthest south of the 3
5. Large metal elevator complex (Burk)
6. Ameron Fiberglass Company (now NOV Fiberglass Systems, not rail served)
7. Concrete elev (Burk)

[Rivet Miscounter]

Harrold/Oklaunion
1. (Harrold) Small metal elevator https://www.flickr.com/photos/royluck/11215951075
2. (Oklaunion) Coal-fired power plant...railroad served rotary dump https://www.flickr.com/photos/royluck/11215878796/in/album-72157638395102546
3.  Siding for bad order coal cars.

Vernon/Pease River
1. Bolton grain company; large concrete grain elevator complex; Elevator power stationed there
2. Farmers Co-op/Vernon Compress
3. Midwestern Mud
4. Solvay USA plant
5. Tyson plant (not currently rail served)
6. Crossing of Pease River northwest of town

[Rivet Miscounter]

Chillicothe
1. Passing siding into town from the east
2. Medium-Large elevator complex with balloon track for BNSF Earthworms

Quanah/Acme
1. Former Quanah, Acme, & Pacific/Frisco interchange (now branch) into the heart of Oklahoma grain country
2. Large Gypsum mine/plant at Acme just north of town...lots of centerbeam cars everywhere
3. Good source of traffic (grain) and some reroutes to Tulsa/Memphis historically
4. Metal elevator downtown
5. Small yard 6-7 tracks adjacent former large industry
6. Former large industry ?
7. Picturesque twin bridges over arroyo, with FW&D and QA&P lettering.  https://photo.abandonedrails.com/275incit.jpg

[Rivet Miscounter]

Goodlett/Estelline/Red River Crossing
1. modern, in-use metal elevator at Goodlett
2. Estelline is town/passing siding along red river right before bridge
3. River crossing is low-relief, long bridge over glowing crimson water.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bnsfds/17070775279 BNSF train GCOKBNT921C crosses the Red River at Estelline, Texas.  Photo By Steve Grabman
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bnsfds/17256442181 Two of BNSF's C44-9W's lead loaded grain train GCOKBNT921C across the Red River on the former FW&D main at Estelline, Texas.  Photo By Steve Grabman
https://www.flickr.com/photos/joemcmillan118/16555752970 Burlington Northern caboose 10537 tags along behind a Smithers Lake coal train on the Red River bridge at Estelline, Texas, August 14, 1985, This trackage––formerly the FW&D main line between Amarillo and Fort Worth, Texas––is now BNSF's Red River Valley Subdivision.  Photo by Joe McMillan (THIS is why they call it the RED River)

Memphis/Clarendon/Palo Duro Canyon
1. Cotton Compress Warehouses - Memphis is cotton HQ in the area; only one spur serves huge complex and doesn't look in use at this point and I don't ever recall seeing any cars there.  Would model it as if it were active though.
2. Scenic bridge over aroyo on southeast side of Memphis
3. Peanut dryer/elevator
4. Small concrete elevator in Clarendon.  http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2507933 Good shot of Clarendon's elevator in the background and the DPU of a typical eastbound BNSF coal train heading to a south Texas power plant.
5. Scenery gets feature-rich west of Memphis along the fringes of Palo Duro Canyon's footprint.

[coldriver]

I had no idea about the FWD spur from Alvord towards Chico.  Any idea of when it got pulled up?  You can still kind of follow the right of way from some earlier Google Earth views and some of the property is still owned by BNSF.   Looks to be about 7 miles or so. 

[Rivet Miscounter]

I had no idea about the FWD spur from Alvord towards Chico.  Any idea of when it got pulled up?

I only learned about this very recently...within the past two years I think.  I don't know if I have the exact time it was pulled up, I have basic confirmation that the line was built in 1907.  I also have information that--at least for a time--the quarry was shuttered and equipment removed in 1914-1915.   Whether or not that was the "final answer" I'm unsure.  Here's some more info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fwdry/permalink/2042862019346099  BTW, if you decide to build that spur back to grab some of that business, I'm gonna need a commission.   

[Rivet Miscounter]

This post is gonna be my "inspiration and iconic" gathering place.  This could be a hodgepodge of things, i.e.:
-Iconic pics of key geographical features, typical lashups/freight cars, structures, etc.
-Inspirational scenic views, or high quality photos of relevant trains, or some moment in time that captures the essence of the scenes and vibe I want to create

We'll start with one from Steve Grabman which shows an exaggerated view of the infamous FW&D "hogbacks" and the quintessential intermodal trains.   I love the contrast between the global story of these stack trains versus the western, small-town Texas sleepiness of the line as a whole.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3194472477264860&set=pcb.2390913934540904&type=3&theater&ifg=1

This one I keep coming back to.  Tells a great story, originates in Quanah, picks up more cars in Chillicothe, and heads to the Gulf.   Great scene with the metal silo elevators that contrast with the other elevators on the line. https://www.railpictures.net/photo/50908
Same train later in the day at Vernon. https://www.railpictures.net/photo/50911

And speaking of Quanah, a good pic of the signature cantilevered signal that was in place during my era.  And a surprisingly-common-for-this-BNSF-line NS GE in the lead. https://railpictures.net/photo/86588

And a good look at Quanah yard in 2004, which shows representative freight cars and highlights the fact that even in the mid-2000s there was still enough heritage ATSF/BN and early BNSF power around to keep things fairly interesting. https://www.railpictures.net/photo/50476

Here's "proof of life" of the grain elevator adjacent the Wichita Falls yard being active in 2004, which I was not aware of.   So this is a plus for sticking with keeping Wichita Falls in the mix.  https://www.railpictures.net/photo/50702

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This is a spotting report from 2005 from a fellow modeler/friend/BNSF employee.

<Please Stand By>

EDIT: These don't expand out well enough to really see them, but this is about 48 hours worth of trains as viewed through a dispatcher ride-along from Alliance Yard (Fort Worth) to Childress and back.  There are about 24 trains roughly...some weren't technically running on the former-FW&D line.   These are basically the trains I will be modelling.  There are a few missing, like BNSF Earthworms, and couple of the more common coal trains.

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One more category...freight consists.  Videos with good info on freight traversing the line.

Wichita Falls - Two BNSF Freight Trains passing just west of Harrold, Texas
https://youtu.be/M3vn1N6U3QQ
This one is a bit too new, but for the most part holds up as useful.  Trading the crude train for an ethanol train of course.

https://youtu.be/NR2BkHXKm0g
https://youtu.be/0snV5L3j0TA
A couple showing full train intermodal and manifest trains.   Again, a little on the new side (2010-2011) but still very valid.

https://youtu.be/vawA3JabDIY
Intermodal and Coal in 2011.

https://youtu.be/Oi7qzx6oaH8
Coal in 2012.  One of the newer trainsets, probably won't make the cutoff but good to document nonetheless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9Br-5Sve64

[CRL]

That’s very ambitious for a 10x12 room w/closet. Assuming an around the walls arrangement, if your shelf is 1’ wide, you might be able to squeeze an E shaped around room shelf with a 2-sided stub peninsula with 3’ aisles that may be too tight for two people to pass... especially given the girth of the typical modeler. What’s the length of your typical train in Z-scale. You should have at least one train length between each “town”, and you have how many “towns” or significant features to work in?

I’m in the process of trying to adapt an N-scale layout concept into a roughly 10x12 space, so I understand the issue. I only have 3 “towns”, a “yard” and some mine related industries to include with some reasonable scenic separation, and I’ve come to the realization that I must either cut my expectations or sacrifice some space for a helix and add a double deck with all the attendant BS that entails. So, basically I feel your pain...

[GaryHinshaw]

Don't forget to add links to proto-photos of all these LDEs you have in mind.  Then we can help you pick and choose.     At the moment, you're getting dangerously close to TLDR territory.  Hard for us non-Texans to follow.

Before I go any further, I want to leave a placeholder space for a Table of Contents ala @GaryHinshaw as I expect this thread to be long.

I desperately need to update my TOC.

[Rivet Miscounter]

First off, thank you guys for your replies.  I truly appreciate it, and hope that you guys will continue to follow the thread and give me candid feedback. (and I'll try to make it a little more 'user friendly'...see below)

That’s very ambitious for a 10x12 room w/closet.

EDIT: Well, I noticed that in my shuffle to split out the list of prospective modeling features, I forgot to add my last post back in the sequence...it read: "So to give some indication that I haven't completely lost my mind, my initial thought is to model 3, 4, 7, and 8 from the above list."  So maybe you don't think I'm quite as ambitious now...lol.  (I have since gone back and added the bolded sections to reflect the missing wording.)

Don't forget to add links to proto-photos of all these LDEs you have in mind.  Then we can help you pick and choose.     At the moment, you're getting dangerously close to TLDR territory.  Hard for us non-Texans to follow.

Gary, I 100% agree...it's almost TLDR for me.   Like I said, part of this is "thinking out loud" so I'll try to clean things up sooner than later, and also add photos.    I meant to go at a slower roll but then Dean commented and I got motivated to jot some things down.   

What’s the length of your typical train in Z-scale.

I realized I didn't answer this part earlier.   So, short answer is...I'm not sure.  My *goal* is at least 32-36 cars for a coal train.  With power, that's about 10ft for a passing siding.  Masked as part of a helix that's no problem, but we'll see once the design gets a little further along.