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Hi Nck: I started construction on this railroad my retirement from actual, railroading which was four years ago. Track was in place (around 75' of main track on narrow shelves) and operations began a couple of month's later. Along with the replication of the Monticello Railway Museum at Monticello, IL I added a small freight short line to handle a few customers, add more operations and a main line jct. where Class 1 railroads provide passenger and freight interchange. While the actual museum does handle freight cars for storage they don't serve any freight customers. But, having spent a good deal of my career starting up and operating short lines I took the best of a few and added a small freight short line which operates on museum trackage. Attached are a couple of more shots of the railroad.

Attached is a photo of my replication of the Monticello, IL railway Museum where I have been a life member for over 50 years. This area is a piece of 1/2" plywood, 2'X8' and feeds into an around the walls railroad 21'X20' and into three other rooms in our condo basement. Enjoy, Barry

CNW had a branch line which went through Crandon in addition to the former Soo Line/WC/CN secondary line. Both lines are now gone at Crandon and there never was much business there...mostly pulp wood for the paper mills, a bit of LP gas and maybe some fertz. inbound. The only, pix I could find came from a CNW historical site and shows a steam locomotive and a passenger combine, baggage coach at the Crandon depot. I'll also include a pix of a later CNW engine on a turntable with rudimentarty servicing facilities and an engine house. However, I don't believe it was at Crandon but up that way in the Wisconsin woods. Keep in mind that any trackage at these locations would be minimal...no fancy inglenocks, time savers or just a bunch of spurs. No, there would be a run around/siding/house track maybe a wye or spur to a turntable (if the end of the line or jct.) to turn locomotives/cars and possibly a spur or two to serve a pulp loader, feedmill/fertz. dealer or a gas distributor. Enjoy, Barry

Thanks, for the comments. Attached is another short line which I started up for Progresive Rail over in Wisconsin,2005. .It was a former CNW/UP mainline reduced to fifty miles and a dozen industries.It now is one of the busiest short lines in the country with five, huge frac sand plants on line, several miles of new track many cars (3-4,000) more locomotives many leased and several foreign ones to handle these long sand trains in interchage. A bit has been lost but more has been won. Enjoy, Barry

Thanks, for the nice comments. Here are a few more close up pix of the shortline enginehouse/office, some industries and a couple of the railroad museum plus a better railroad diagram. Enjoy, Barry

I haven't posted for a few years due to retirement, re-location and contruction of a new railroad based on the Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, IL. I grew up as a teen in Urbana, Il became a life member at this museum fifty years ago at one time owning two cabooses our family kept there and began my railroad career working for the illinois Central as a brakeman in the 60s. Even though I now live in Minnesota, I have an aged mother who lives close by which requires several trips for her care and help teach the safety and operating rules forr the meuseum. Attached are a couple of rough drawings of the sceniced portion 25'x21' of the railroad based on the museum and Monticello but with artistic license used here and there to add to the short line's activity. The two drawings are connected frtom the bottom left to the top left. The actual railroad travels through 4 rooms on narrow shelves and is basically loop to loop, about a 100 feet long. Also included are some photos of the layout...a work in progress. Enjoy, Barry

Over the past weekend (what is a weekend when retired?) I read through all the posts throught the years onthis site. Having retired after fifty years as a railroader I thought I would share a few track layouts from some short lines I worked on. Maybe this will aid others not familiar with prototype track plans better understand US ones. First up, some from the former Minneapolis Northfield and Southern R.R. in Bloomington and Richfield , Minnesota...their old High Line and now Progessive Rail's Dan Patch short line. This road began as a supposed trolley railroad with sharp curves and steep grades (1-2% between city blocks) and then in the 50s moved to an industrial park road. Today, much of the former boxcar/reefer business is gone to trucks but there is still some tank, covered covered hoppers (plastics/ cement), flats and a few boxes( drywall/lumber)...all of it inbound and mtys outbound. Enjoy these. If these files open correctly, they progress from #5, Auto Club Jct (connection with former MN&S/CP) to #1. end of track. I hope this works. Questions? Barry

Thanks, much, SEB. I already have some of these products but will be buying others you listed. Barry

Hi SEB: I really admire your trees and foilage. Are those Super trees from Scenic Express and if so what type of foilage material are you using? Tree leaf material or ground foam? I am currently, making some trees/foilage using Super Trees products and would like to achive similar results like yours. Thanks, for any information/clarification. Barry

Great work Noah. There's a story behind the 2381. It was Soo's only SD before they purchased the SD-40/-2s and was purchased to replace the 2-10-0 which shoved ore jimmies up the Ashland , Wi. ore dock. When I worked for the Soo in the 70-80s during a period in the power board (handled system distribution of locomotives, cabooses, unit trains, special moves, derailments, etc.) the 2381 usually was left up in Superior, WI. to push road freights out of the yard on their way to St. Point and Chicago. One young officer who also started in the power board took a liking to the 2381 and when he went out in the field as a trainmaster it followed him where ever he was assigned:Superior WI., Glendwood, MN., Enderlin,ND. Minneaplois, MN., etc.. After a while he left the Soo to work for other railroads, like myself easing in retirement a couple of years ago. The Soo Line railroad was a great place to learn operations as an officer because many officers were much older and while amused by us young guy's interest (railfan) in the company, generously, tolerated and encouraged us. Barry

That's a nice Intermountain model, Seb. The paint scheme is the last one of the Illinois Central Gulf before they went back to black as the Illinois Central Railroad. I probably rode this engine as a brakeman when it was in the orange and white paint back in the late 60s.

Seb that engine, 150, an SW1500 is my favorite. When I worked for Progressive Rail in Minnesota and Wisconsin we had a bunch of those which I ran. The high cab gave me, as engineer, a better view going both forward and back to be able to see my conductor and at road crossings. I liked the locomotives which had "road" (flexicoil) trucks on them because they handled rough track better than some which had switcher trucks. It dosen't matter much to modelers but when you spend 12 hours a day running one of these engines you appreciate a more comfortable ride. The foilage and trees look, just, like what you would see on regional/short line railroads which have taken over operations of a larger railroad which didn't maintain the line very well. Often because of mature tree, growth arching over the tracks you will find "tree tunnels" which dring the summer hide trains going through them. Thanks for sharing pictures of your railroad. Barry

This is one of the best, most realistic, shelf, railroads I have seen. I have been following your progress on the face book page and I appreciate that not only did you include both facing and trailing point switches but also a run around track to enhance operations. It's also more realistic and offers more switching challenges. Being a retired railroader this looks like the type of railroad that icould be very, satisfying. Great, work, Seb. Thanks, for sharing. Barry

We call them either a derail if it's a device over the rail or a split rail derail if there is only one switch point. Barry