Prototypes Someone Else Should Model

[basementcalling]

With so many choices and opportunities out there, many who model a specific railroad or era probably waded through lots of choices to narrow down the modeling focus.

What are some worthy prototypes that exist that you DID not choose, but someone else should. Maybe you didn't have the space, time, money, or other resources to allow you to undertake representing it, or perhaps you were already committed to your current layout when you learned it even existed, but what are some stretches of railroad you think deserve to be done in model form by someone that are not now, as far as you know, being represented in the 1/160 world? 

What's a prototype you would love to see someone else model so you can live vicariously through their efforts, or just think would make a cool railroad for the prototype inspired challenged like myself who cannot seem to settle on one that hooks me?  Yes, this is something of a Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence post.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I love this idea!

Close to home: Bush Street in West Baltimore. I've long thought that the interlocking at Carroll would make an awesome single scene layout.
https://www.railroadsignals.us/tech/carroll1/index.htm

It's a junction with some incredible signals and a pretty decent amount of traffic. It's got the perfect background building.

Era is tough. 2000-today is pretty cool if you like more modern stuff. There's a decent variety of locals, intermodals, manifests, unit trains and even commuter stuff.
Personally, I'd go with early CSX when it was a true dogs breakfast out there. SCL SD45s? Sure. B&O GP30s? Of course. Shiny out of the shop RDMT GP35 slug sets? Check!

I've spent some time railfanning there and it's always a treat:
http://railfanning.kapuscinski.net/2014/04/bush-st-baltimore-during-the-golden-hour/
http://railfanning.kapuscinski.net/2014/04/is-this-the-last-gp40wh-2-photo-ill-ever-take/
http://railfanning.kapuscinski.net/2013/06/chasing-q398-around-locust-point/
http://railfanning.kapuscinski.net/2013/04/marc-at-sunset-april-2013/
http://railfanning.kapuscinski.net/2012/07/csx-7850-at-bush-st/
http://railfanning.kapuscinski.net/2011/08/standard-cab-csx-power-at-bush-st-in-the-rain/

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[Dave V]

Arizona's Bradshaw Mountain Railroad.  A sort of flash-in-the-pan AT&SF-backed operation that ran near Prescott 'til 1939, connecting to the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix Railway.  They hauled gold and copper on ridiculously twisty track with switchbacks and wooden trestles, yet they used big, "modern" locomotives and had remarkably heavy roadbed and rails.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradshaw_Mountain_Railroad

https://azoffroad.net/bradshaw-mountain-railroad

It was essentially made to be modeled. 

[nickelplate759]

Englewood Union Station
16 diamonds where the  PRR and CRI&P cross, plus the NYC (with a yard, replaced with a park in the picture below) and NKP alongside AND a streetcar line underneath.

http://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2018/01/chicago-il-depot-prrrinyc-englewood.html

[JMaurer1]

While I already model the Northwestern Pacific, I model it in the 1950's. In the 1920's they actually had some 4 rail track that I would love to model; standard gauge, narrow gauge and third rail electric standard gauge. I really considered modeling this originally but the NG cars and the electrics would have to be built from scratch and most of the remaining engines and rolling stock would need to be kitbashed (at best). Just too big of a hill for me to climb, but 4 rail would really be interesting to see.

Others that I considered include Pacific Electric freight operations (grew up in So Cal), Southern Pacific NG (if only I could find those Marklin locomotives and the Gold Rush Model kits for SP 8 and 9). Maybe someday I will also build my NPC and or SPC narrow gauge garden layout, but with the current price of G gauge track...

[Simon D.]

ATSF Chicago 18th Street loco yard and 21st Street passenger yard with its balloon track.


http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2015/03/santa-fes-chicago-passenger-train-yard.html

[CRL]

Arizona's Bradshaw Mountain Railroad.  A sort of flash-in-the-pan AT&SF-backed operation that ran near Prescott 'til 1939, connecting to the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix Railway.  They hauled gold and copper on ridiculously twisty track with switchbacks and wooden trestles, yet they used big, "modern" locomotives and had remarkably heavy roadbed and rails.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradshaw_Mountain_Railroad

https://azoffroad.net/bradshaw-mountain-railroad

It was essentially made to be modeled. 

Very cool. The thing I really like about high desert railroads is that you can still easily find evidence of the railroad roadbed trace using Google Earth 100+ years later.

[thomasjmdavis]

ATSF Chicago 18th Street loco yard and 21st Street passenger yard with its balloon track.


http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2015/03/santa-fes-chicago-passenger-train-yard.html

Thanks for that link Simon.  The "industrial scenery" blog has lots of interesting photos, but I had not found that particular entry.  Just what I needed to help with my "next" layout.  When (or if) I ever get my Dearborn station layout underway, I am planning to model the Santa Fe yards and reverse loop in a condensed form, with the area north of Roosevelt Road modeled as close to actual scale as I can manage with Peco trackage and such modeling skill as I can muster. 

[brokemoto]

Boston and Maine, Rockport/Cape Ann Branch, late 1940s-late 1950s

Boston and Maine, Newburyport Branch, abandoned December, 1941 between Topsfield and Georgetown and Bradford (just past the Boxboards) and Newburyport--not to be confused with the shore North-South Main that ran from Boston through Salem, Newburyport, Portsmouth and joined the inland North-South Main (through Lawrence, Haverhill and Dover) at Berwick, Maine.

Yosemite Valley-anything.

NYO&W-Between Roscoe and Weehawken

Crab Grass and Weeds-anything

[Philip H]

New Orleans Public Belt rlwy

https://www.railnola.com/

[signalmaintainer]

The Monon
Central of Georgia
Old Norfolk Southern
Spokane International

[EspeeGoldenState]

Cimarron Valley Railroad

https://cimarronvalleyrr.com/
http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/cvr.html
http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/bekcvr.html
http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/CVR.html

You could run modern BNSF power with unit grain trains. A roster of a pair of GP26s, multiple GP30s, a few SD50s, as well as newer C40-8 power in Santa Fe colors. Just depends on the timeframe.

[randgust]

PRR at Oil City PA, with the infamous "Y" bridge, roundhouse, and turntable.....

http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2018/12/wnypnspennsy-1930-bridge-over-allegheny.html

Bridge is still there, turntable, roundhouse and yard long gone.    Now operated by WNYP.

[garethashenden]

I've always liked the idea of modelling SPSF shortly post merger. I realize this doesn't exactly fit the brief, but they put some much effort into it publicly that we can all imagine what those trains would look like.

[pjm20]

NYC's Pine Creek route on their PA Division between Wellsboro and Newberry. Erie trackage rights to Newberry get you the PRR, NYC, Erie, and Reading all in one yard.