New Ulm, MN on the C&NW in H0

[Allegheny1600]

Welcome to my little slice of America!
I’ve modelled the Chicago & North-Western railroad way on and off since the early 1990’s. When I say “modelled”, I guess I should really say collected stuff for this line! Although when one builds rolling stock, does detailing, renumbering, weathering as one collects - that is modelling, of course!
Anyway, I never got around to building a layout to run my models on, just ran them on either my own test tracks or on other peoples layouts. Not terribly satisfying but there we were. I even went down various other paths, sometimes for years at a time but no matter what happened with other things, I always stuck with the C&NW.
A few weeks ago, I spotted on RMweb that a fellow US outline modeller, Dan Spalding, was selling his layout called “Galatia, KS” and I liked this layout anyway so I jumped at the chance to get hold of a ready made US style layout.
Negotiations took place and I arranged to travel down to the Princes Risborough show where Dan was exhibiting Galatia for the last time. I had a very enjoyable session learning how to operate the layout ‘properly’ (with car cards and ‘spots’) then Dan and his colleague kindly showed me how to disassemble the layout, we loaded it into my car and away we went.
I then had to spend quite some time reorganising my ‘big shed’ as my half (it’s shared with my better half!) had gotten untidy with too many half finished projects on the go, woodworking jobs, household items needing repair and so forth. At this time, I was also suffering a mysterious fatigue that would cause me very low energy levels so this was slow going. In fact, I had only just managed to loosely erect the baseboards and connect them together when it was time for a holiday.
Two weeks later, nicely refreshed (thanks Greece!) and once I had caught up with work again, I could start getting “New Ulm” ready for operations.
So, why New Ulm and where is it?
Well, one of my ‘distractions’ had been modelling and researching the railways of Bavaria and one of my discoveries was that they once served the town of “Neu Ulm” - this sparked something in my memory and I was able to find out that a number of German settlers from Neu Ulm had settled in Minnesota and gave their town the Americanised version of this name. What’s more, they had brought some of their skills with them and they had set up a brewery here too. At one point I had the idea of doing Neu Ulm (Germany) and New Ulm (America) as similar layouts, that fell by the wayside but the name has stuck.
This part of Minnesota has rolling hills and the town of New Ulm is in a hollow so locomotives have to work quite hard to get out of town. This must have been a heck of a sight and sound in the period from the late 1960’s through to the early 1980’s as the line New Ulm is situated on was called “The Alco Line” (from Winona, MN to Rapid City, SD) due to it being a line that the C&NW concentrated most of their Alco locomotives on.
Alco’s are well known in US outline circles as being very noisy and claggy machines as well as being amazingly rugged and long lasting! Unfortunately Alco shut down in 1969 so to find there locos still running on a ‘class 1’ railroad in the early eighties was quite something, hence the line drew quite a following.
Unfortunately for me, my collection of Alco’s is quite limited so for the moment, I am forced to operate with EMD’s which pushes the time frame forward to the mid 1980’s onwards - sadly, only until 1995 as the C&NW ceased to be after that time. The line itself is still running however under the ownership of the “Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern” railroad (DM&E). I believe they even still run some ex C&NW locos, now in the smart blue and yellow livery.
However, back to the layout.
It is all DCC as I am an electrical numpty and I don’t ‘do’ wiring, my vision goes when I see more than one pair of wires! Under this layout is a little bit more than one pair of wires so I’ve had to take my time and trace things out. Fortunately Dan laid everything out very logically and marked up what goes where. I’ve had to do some minor swapping and changing as my digital system is NCE and was not compatible with Dan’s Digitrax system.
Once I’d done that, the layout was working again and I can have plenty of fun, switching cars around. I hope you’ll enjoy my progress as I work through my stock, continuing detailing and weathering and fine tuning.
 

Some of my pictures on Flickr;

Edit: D'oh! Must put the end handrails on this MP15! Silly boy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

John.

Edited November 7, 2017 by Allegheny1600

[long island jack]

Good to see you've somewhere to play with you trains (even though there EMD) will be even better with some Alcos

 

 

Keep looking, there are models out there, the last exhibition I was at there was a RS27 in CNW (just pleased it wasn't in PC black!)

 

Ray

 

[F-UnitMad]

Nice to know Galatia went to a good home!!

 

Nowt wrong with EMDs just paint 'em white'n'red & write SOO on the sides

[roundhouse]

Its always good to see a layout carry on in existence  rather than being dismantled.

[cnw6847]

excellent, I am planning to start on Sleepy Eye located down the line in HO soon. 

 

There are some excellent books covering the area etc

[Alcanman]

Nice to see this layout again, I always liked the spacious look that Dan created. 

 

Looks like you're going to put your own 'stamp' on the layout. It would be nice to see and hear a few Alcos, bearing in mind that ESU are based in Ulm!

 

 

Mal

[Allegheny1600]

Thanks everyone.

Well, that was a nice surprise to find so many comments and 'likes'.

Thanks Ray,

That's a co-incidence! A sound fitted RS-27 is one of the few Alcos I do have! Like the rest of my Alco fleet, it's only really suitable for the iron ore lines in Michegan, D'oh!

Thanks Jordan and Ian!

Thanks Richard,

I look forward to seeing that, we should compare notes? Are you collecting RSD4/5's and C425's too? We'll clean up the marketplace! I really wish Atlas would make more runs of these.

Thanks Mal,

Yes! It was the spacious look of Galatia that shouted "Alco Line" to me straight away! I doubt I could have commisioned Dan to build me a better layout (thanks again, buddy!). Funnily enough, I do have one Alco fitted with an ESU sound chip, an Atlas S2 but in the wrong livery. I'm not sure whether they even used these locos on the Alco line, must do some checking.

 

That's the problem with a disjointed approach to 'collecting' models for a future layout, when I did concentrate on the C&NW, I still never concentrated on any particular location so I have a fair representation of an iron ore train, a double deck 'commute', a grain train and the start of a Powder river coal train, all from different parts of the diverse C&NW system!

No doubt past teachers of mine would have said "must concentrate harder" only I don't know, I wasn't paying attention!   (joke!).

Cheers,

John.

[Robatron86]

Hi John, 

 

Great start! Using an already excellent layout to provide a basis and you are already halfway there! I run some CNW boxcars on mine, perhaps I should get some CNW alco's so I can be a bit different from time to time.

[cnw6847]

Hi John,

 

I mainly model C&NW, D,M&E & UP around the 1997 - 1999 period but I have weakened and bought some RSD4s', RS32's, RS36, RS2, RS11, RS3 with the RS11 long hoods.

A lot of them need painting etc.

 

I have also bought some 40' boxcars for grain use.

 

I am hoping to start track laying in the next few weeks and will also be watching your progress with interest.

[Parthia27]

When in C&NW ownership the line to Rapid City was also known as the Cowboy Line and just prior to takeover by the UP was a C&NW hotspot for EMD power in particular SD40-2s and GP40s. If you want to learn more C - Vision does several DVDs featuring the Cowboy Lines in and out of Rapid City just prior and post the UP Takeover. There is also some material from the DME era.

 

Cheers

 

Chris

Edited April 25, 2016 by Parthia27

[Northroader]

Nice to see a new (to me, anyway) American line getting launched. The grain elevator groupings look particularly attractive. Best wishes with progressing with the modelling, until the dark side claims you and swallows you up to 1:48 scale.

[roundhouse]

I just remembered. There is even a little bit of Fort Myers on there. The grain silos used to be the cement silos on Fort Myers till I replaced them with another imdustry.

 

Dan then had the silos and did a very good job rebuilding them.

[cnw6847]

theres also a short video in C&NW Alco days, unfortunately its silent film but it is in colour.

 

I'm not sure if its available now, I shall try and find it.

A lot of my dvds and videos are elsewhere due to a house problem last year!

[sulzer27jd]

Very nice. I have a soft-spot for the southpaw railway. Keep the pics coming

 

John

[bok]

New Ulm is noted for flour and cheese and it looks like they still get jumbo reefers, grain hoppers and tanks for fertz./gas. CP also serves a scrap yard and aggregate pit...not much if any boxcar traffic. At one time this was the CNW main line west to Rapid City hosting the Dakot 400 streamliner in the 50s. I know there was roadswitcher based there but not much of a yard or any engine facilities. I believe the M&STL also had a branch through there but it's been gone for years.

 

Barry, in Minnesota and also at one time a CNW man.

[dibber25]

You could add the Tapioca factory and models of Harry Connick jnr and Rene Zellweiger from the movie 'New in Town' - set in New Ulm but actually shot in Manitoba. There's an interesting but brief train scene. Might be stock footage but a paint scheme I don't recognise. (CJL)

[Allegheny1600]

Hi Rob and Richard,

Great stuff, you can't have too many Alco's!

 

Hi Chris,

When in C&NW ownership the line to Rapid City was also known as the Cowboy Line and just prior to takeover by the UP was a C&NW hotspot for EMD power in particular SD40-2s and GP40s. If you want to learn more C - Vision does several DVDs featuring the Cowboy Lines in and out of Rapid City just prior and post the UP Takeover. There is also some material from the DME era.

Cheers

Chris

I'm really sorry to disagree on a small point but I thought the Cowboy line was the roughly parallel line that runs from Omaha NB out to Casper, WY and the Powder River area (the reason why the C&NW was taken over?) http://www.infomercantile.com/images/b/b7/Chicago_And_North_Western_Railroad_Map%2C_1977.jpg

I DO fully agree that C-Vision does some wonderful DVD's on a lot of C&NW subjects, I have most of them!

[Allegheny1600]

New Ulm is noted for flour and cheese and it looks like they still get jumbo reefers, grain hoppers and tanks for fertz./gas. CP also serves a scrap yard and aggregate pit...not much if any boxcar traffic. At one time this was the CNW main line west to Rapid City hosting the Dakot 400 streamliner in the 50s. I know there was roadswitcher based there but not much of a yard or any engine facilities. I believe the M&STL also had a branch through there but it's been gone for years.

 

Barry, in Minnesota and also at one time a CNW man.

Hi Barry,

Many thanks for joining in, I really appreciate any input from one such as yourself! Wow! You worked for the Northwestern?

Please tell me if this railway looks even remotely reminiscent of the area, I won't be offended if it does not.

Many thanks,

John.

[Allegheny1600]

Thanks to everyone else who also commented, I do appreciate it (& the likes!).

I'm no franticly trawling US ebay to try and find some suitable Alcos to run!

Cheers,

John.

[Andrew P]

Hi John, certainly another one for me to follow and I need to learn about American / Canadian Locos now.

 

All the best mate, and the Layout looks superb.

[cnw6847]

I haven't been able to find the video I mentioned but C Vision do a dvd of the Alco line.

Again silent but well worth getting.

 

http://www.cvptrains.com/index.php/online-store#!/Classic-C&NW-Vol-1-The-ALCO-Line/p/3897784/category=974145

[bok]

John, yes your railroad looks a little like New Ulm but needs lots of trees and a creek since this isn't Kansas anymore. There were/are four yard tracks there and a few spurs so if you added another double ended yard track it would be closer, maybe another spur for a liquid/granular fertilizer dealer like the Blair Line one with a tank or two, add a couple of large bins to the grain elevator and a large Pike Stuff warehouse with mechanical, coolers for a cheese manufacturer/warehouse.

 

Yes I did work for the: Illinois Central, Peoria&Eastern(NYC), ChicagoNorthwestern, Soo Line, Columbus&Greenville (Mississippi), Milwaukee Road, Illinois Terminal, Illinois Central Gulf, Soo again,  Wisconsin Central, Minnesota Commercial, Progressive Rail, Wisconsin Northern, Kansas & Oklahoma and retired from Watco after fifty years as a railroader.

 

Looking forward to seeing your progress on New Ulm. Since retirement I have been working on a small, simple short line freight/steam, passenger, excursion HO railroad based on the Monticello, Il. Railrod Museum. It's mostly an around the walls 20'X20' layout with extentions through walls to two other rooms in our finished condo/basement.

 

Barry

[Alcanman]

Hi John, certainly another one for me to follow and I need to learn about American / Canadian Locos now.

 

All the best mate, and the Layout looks superb.

Andy -  Looking at your impressive list of layouts, I think a US/Can layout is long overdue. Come over to the 'Dark Side', you won't regret it.

 

Mal

[Zomboid]

Andy - Looking at your impressive list of layouts, I think a US/Can layout is long overdue. Come over to the 'Dark Side', you won't regret it.

 

Mal

... The rails are even the right distance apart over here

[Andrew P]

Andy -  Looking at your impressive list of layouts, I think a US/Can layout is long overdue. Come over to the 'Dark Side', you won't regret it.

 

Mal

Cheers Mal and Zomboid, I tried it once before and Failed, I had a British OO Layout about 10ft Scenic BLT with a Bridge to the F/Y, at a show I bought a Big Boy and a Cab Forward, got home put it on the Layout and it wouldn't go under the Bridge, so would only move about 18 inches each way. hahah.

 

I have had a couple of American Bachmann Diesels in the past, a Santa Fa and a Blue one? ConRail? or something like that.

 

I will be picking up a couple of Locos next week (Santa Fe and a CP Railroad) and a few Vans, I have the Track and Points and some timber.

Edited April 28, 2016 by Andrew P