WC White Pine Subdivision

[jpwisc]

Will miss the Skally lines.

But this should be a very cool new direction for you.

Thanks Vince! After keeping the Skally up to date for so long, it will be nice to be able to focus on one moment in time. I’m hoping to have all the track laid this month and be into scenery and structure building by July.

[jpwisc]

First track is laid.
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[Vince P]

Saweeeeeeet it is alivvvvvvvvvvvve

[mu26aeh]

I was wondering why I was seeing pieces of equipment sell off.  Great to see a new start though !

[BOK]

Karl as a WC trainmaster/engineer/conductor out of the Twin Cities I often filled in for team mate vaccancies on the Western Div. from startup until 97. I did make one trip from the Ashland line connection at Marengo up to to White Pine solo, over 100 miles of pretty, but pretty boring 10 MPH track. Either the remote caboose wasn't available or it wasn't in use at that time because I only had a single unit maybe a "baby six wheeler" (SDL) and 20-25 mty box cars.

I remember the night before in Minneapolis trying to sleep knowing I had to make the long drive north to begin a very long 12 hour trip on a railroad I had never run on. I had been assured by my Supt. (who had made the trips many times solo) that the slow track was fairly straight but had some exciting grades so not worry.... besides WC had even, recently, replaced some of the ties to keep the track in gauge! As I tossed and turned thinking about my upcoming "adventure" my wife gently said: Honey don't worry it's a dead end line so you'll know when to stop when you run out of track." She was a well, seasoned railroader's wife.

As I recall it was a beautiful, sunny, summer day when I drove into Marengo, the single engine running short end forward, cars all coupled up, FRED on the rear and air slip indicating all tested by the friday night local crew. So all I had to do was daily inspect the unit, release a few handbrakes on the cars, put my huge lunch, grip, lantern, jacket and a jug of ice tea aboard....and off I went. Oh yes, I had one other vital item with me: the White Pine Sub. track profile book indicating grades, curves and little else...as there really wasn't anything of value left on the line. Most turnouts had either been spiked for the main track or removed there weren't any Jcts. or crossings of other railroads and there was very little to see other than a lot of trees (think real tree "tunnels") the occasional village/town, road crossings and some pretty lakes. Likely one of the most boring trips I ever made for any railroad in 50 years.

When I was about half way to Bergland (Jct. for the White Pine line) I stopped the train at a small town, secured it and walked over to a local store to by more stuff to eat and drink to keep me awake, and to use their bathroom...I had already used the right of previously by allowing the train to roll slowly by itself while went out the engineer's back door to relieve myself. While the train was stopped several folks came by to see the TRAIN which to them was now a rare occurrence. I seem to recall someone even asked how did steer the engine? Always one in the crowd.

When I reached Bergland it was dusk and by that time the wye switch had been spiked for movement only north to the mine so again I waundered with my little train up to mine, pulled into an mty yard track, tied the cars down ( I think the railroad's not the mine's yard was on a grade so you wanted to make sure the cars wouldn't roll away), then cut off the unit put in another clear track tied it down (we didn't switch the mine they had their own switcher) and walked over to the guard shack where he gave me the key for company vehicle to get to and from the motel in Bergland. The motel was typical, rural fare where you put $5. in the mail box and picked up the key for which ever room they had assigned. Accomodations  were sparse but hospitabal, clean, wonderful, hot water in the shower and a pretty good bed. Once I hit the bed I was out like a light and only woke up when my alarm went off 10hrs later. I don't recall much about the trip back other than more boring, the sun in my eyes and the now tame grades became more "exciting" as handling 20 heavy boxcars of copper was a lot different than mtys. By the time I got back to Minneapolis early the next day I rolled into bed and slept for 24 hours. There's only thing a railroader likes better than sleep and that's eating. Ever wonder why older engineers often have big bellies? It's because they eat and drink all the time just to stay awake on their trips. The job is like others: the first trip is interesting...and the rest boring.

Well, Karl that's what it was like to take a run over the White Pine line.
 

[jpwisc]

That’s fantastic @BOK, thanks for sharing that! What a great memory!

The WC used a batch of old SOO 40’ boxcars to help with braking on some of the steeper grades out there. I also already have a Port St. Charles caboose that I’ll be converting for RC duty. I won’t be modeling the boring parts in the middle (that had to be a painful trip at 10mph), I’ll be focusing on the copper refinery. I’ll use the WC power to switch the place out until I can build ILSX SW1 #1371, the in house switcher.

Thanks again for the story!

[BOK]

Karl, you're quite welcome

Never thought a trip like that would be interesting to anyone. I think I made that one in 94 or 95.

I was never around the DSS&A property a lot, except as a Soo rules/training guy in the 70s/80 so I did see a lot of it but was always in a hurry to get from one class location to another. I do recall seeing trains operating from Marquette to Ashland when it was a Soo through route. The DSS&A was a poor, road with limited opportunities and existed on ore, copper a few paper mills and the usual small town industries (oil bulk plants, some grocers, lumber yards, cement ready mix plants, lumber yards, team tracks and some LCL, etc.). When the mines played out, mills shut down, and through connections disappeared plus trucks taking over there was little to keep it going. I think CN
comes up the old C&NW/UP route for any remaining ore plus the Celotex mill at Lanse and serves the Munising mill out of Trout Lake. It was interesting seeing the area many times and vestiges of what it once was.

Good luck with your modeling. I used to be in N scale for 40 years but then moved to HO when I discovered DCC/Sound and though I still have some N left my eyes and big hands seem more comfortable at 74 years old. 

Hope you don't mind if I add things I remember about the White Pine line?

Barry 

[jpwisc]

Hope you don't mind if I add things I remember about the White Pine line?

Barry

Please do add anything you can think of!

[jpwisc]

Here’s a nice 1997 video I found on YouTube of the line. It gives you a good idea what my average train will look like.

[jpwisc]

The South half of the yard is laid now. The track is wired to the buss.
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Turnout control is going in. I have one tortoise wired and the test went well. Now I need more parts.
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[jpwisc]

Track laying continues. The yard trackage is done (and wired). I still need to install all the tortoises.
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I got the middle module track laid, with the exception of the scale track that I need to hand lay.
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I’m trying to keep the wiring a little neater under this layout. It helps being able to work on things on the table.
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[Vince P]

Coming along very nicely K.

Really digging the blocks under the trailer.

[mu26aeh]

 Love the yard trailer, little details.  I need similar for my Center St yard on my layout.  It's a dead giveaway for the location

[Hawghead]

Track laying continues. The yard trackage is done (and wired). I still need to install all the tortoises.
(Attachment Link)

I got the middle module track laid, with the exception of the scale track that I need to hand lay.
(Attachment Link)

I’m trying to keep the wiring a little neater under this layout. It helps being able to work on things on the table.
(Attachment Link)

Karl,

Where did you get the power splitter block in the lower picture?  I've been looking for something like that.

Thanks,
Scott

[reinhardtjh]

Karl,

Where did you get the power splitter block in the lower picture?  I've been looking for something like that.

Thanks,
Scott

Here is something similar  https://www.ebay.com/itm/352373611149