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Michael Hohn
Fireman
   
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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 11:43:47 AM
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My 1880's layout has entered a new phase. Stay tuned . . .
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_________________________________________________ Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. James Baldwin |
Country: USA
| Posts: 7189 |
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Ensign
Engineer
    
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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 12:00:04 PM
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Mike, you've got my attention. Can't wait to see what's next!
Greg Shinnie
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Country: Canada
| Posts: 9027 |
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Bill Gill
Fireman
   

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 12:07:32 PM
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"My 1880's layout has entered a new phase." Mike[ So, everything old is new again? I'm tuned.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 3232 |
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Orionvp17
Fireman
   
Premium Member
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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 12:07:43 PM
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Mine, too!
Robber Barons? Chicanery? Rapacious Greed? The world wonders! Or at least mine does.... 
Pete in Michigan
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Country: USA
| Posts: 7524 |
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Carl B
Fireman
   
Premium Member
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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 12:12:16 PM
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Country: USA
| Posts: 4143 |
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Michael Hohn
Fireman
   

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 12:39:35 PM
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Since my previous thread ("Projects in Progress on the Southern Central RR") reached 100 pages, I decided now was a good time to start a new thread.
In the 1880's, The Lehigh Valley Railroad was in actuality several corporations under one umbrella. Like many other railroads, it grew over the years by absorbing other, smaller railroads, and by direct expansion under new corporate entities. This was very common at the time. In the case of the LV, an important goal was to gain access to western markets via the Great Lakes.
The Southern Central Railroad was built in the 1860's and 70's from Lake Ontario south to the Pennsylvania state line to join the LV. Although a separate corporate entity, the SC was from the beginning dependent on the LV for financial support and the LV held a substantial mortgage on the SC and had a seat on the SC board of directors. Eventually the LV absorbed the Southern Central.
Meanwhile, wanting access to Lake Erie, the LV created the Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Rail Road Company to build along a failed canal north from Wilkes Barre PA to the New York State line, joining the Erie RR at Waverly, New York. The mainline was literally built on the towpath of the failed canal, which had been built during the period of "canal fever" in the first half of the 1800's. Very poorly built, whole sections of the canal would be wiped out by floods almost annually. The extension of the LV was very successful and the railroad lobbied successfully to be allowed to fill in the canal to build a second track. The Pennsylvania and New York was itself absorbed into the LV in the mid 1880's, the LV leasing the P&NY for 99 years and transferring all P&NY locomotives and rolling stock to the LV roster.
With increasing tourist traffic and timbering, the LV bought and completed a railroad that was in the process of being built north of Wilkes Barre. Eventually becoming the Bowman's Creek Branch, this route diverged from the LV (P&NY) mainline at Wilkes Barre and rejoined at Towanda, 79 miles to the north. Although by the time this branch was completed in 1892 the P&NY was fully a part of the Lehigh Valley RR, I've decided to use the old name for this part of the LVRR.
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I have not completed the Southern Central part of my layout; it requires more ballasting, scenery and structures. But my emphasis has moved to the other end, representing Alderson, PA, as explained in my earlier thread, which can be accessed here: http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=43866
If you've read the last couple of pages of that thread you know I have two projects going. The first--rebuilding four boxcar scratchbuilds to better represent LV boxcars--has reached this stage after leaving the paint shop:

These cars will be lettered in the same series as the two resin cars I showed a few weeks ago, which had been built and never lettered. They are the cars on the right in this photo:

I don't know if it's ironic or a little pathetic that these cars were first built in 2014 and are two of the three in the photo near the bottom of the first page of my previous thread. Six years later, a new thread and still incomplete. ______
I'm also working on the company store. The sides will soon be ready for assembly:

That's all for now.
Mike
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_________________________________________________ Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. James Baldwin |
Edited by - Michael Hohn on 08/23/2020 3:35:57 PM |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 7189 |
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Orionvp17
Fireman
   
Premium Member
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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 12:54:57 PM
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Mike, you have more progress in one post than I've made on anything in the last year.... Congratulations! The green glow in the northern sky is envy! 
Pete in Michigan
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Country: USA
| Posts: 7524 |
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wvrr
Fireman
   

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 1:43:56 PM
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Oh, I am really interested in your new phase. I grew up in Towanda. Looking forward to more, Mike!
Chuck
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Country:
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FrankieJ
Engine Wiper
 
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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 2:42:57 PM
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This looks to be very interesting. I grew up near Wilkes-Barre,Pa and I am modeling the railroads of that area (LV,D&H,CNJ,PRR and EL).
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Country: USA
| Posts: 144 |
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railman28
Fireman
   

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 3:10:30 PM
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Let the good times roll! I'll be watching the train.
Bob
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It's only make-believe
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Country: USA
| Posts: 5707 |
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Guff
Fireman
   
Premium Member

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 3:50:54 PM
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Mike, Best wishes on another 100 pages!
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David Guffey |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 2089 |
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Pennman
Fireman
   
Premium Member

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 4:15:03 PM
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Hey Mike... glad to see more going on in your train world. Planes, trains, automobiles... and anything else you build will be worth the look. Roll on.. Rich
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Country: USA
| Posts: 4694 |
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desertdrover
Engineer
    

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 4:32:50 PM
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Well I'm grabbing ahold of this train. 
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 Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Post count: 5000 posts added to below count.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 16111 |
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Larryc
Crew Chief
  

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 5:26:01 PM
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Mike good luck on your new phase, sounds interesting. Sometimes you just have to switch to another part of a layout just to keep the creative "juices flowing".
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My current build:http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=53479 |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 746 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
     
Premium Member

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Posted - 07/11/2020 : 7:03:11 PM
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Mike,
Thanks for providing the historical background. I'm looking forward to watching your progress on this part of your layout.
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Bruce |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 33265 |
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Michael Hohn
Fireman
   

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Posted - 07/12/2020 : 11:44:36 AM
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Everybody, thank you: Greg, Bill, Pete, Carl, Chuck, Frank, Bob, David, Rich, Louis, Larry and Bruce. I appreciate the nice comments and hope it lives up to your expectations.
So I’ve been asking myself, other than a new thread, what makes this a new phase? After all, it’s part of the same layout, I did the trackwork months ago, and I’ve completed a couple of buildings. Looking back, it’s like I’ve been transitioning to this new period.
- I’ve long enjoyed reading about Pennsylvania logging and collecting plans of rural structures. This new part of my layout will be definitely rural, in contrast to the urban scene I’ve been building.
- The Auburn end of my layout has little need for scenery past a few trees, grass and dirt. Alderson will need some hills and even more trees. Maybe a stream.
- Auburn has been built with Sanborn maps close at hand as well as photos. I will base the depot area of Alderson on a prototype photo, but I will exercise a lot more freedom in constructing additional buildings. I’ve already done that with the kindling wood factory I built earlier this year.
- I am also pushing the date of my railroad back around a decade to the early 1880s (although motive power is a challenge. ) Having removed cars longer than 30’ from my layout I am now rebuilding my fleet with more 28’ cars or smaller.
So that’s the new phase. I’ll try to have photos the next time I post, but first I’ll need something to show. Modeling will be slow this week because I will be busy with online lessons, concerts, jams and lounges centered around country blues guitar.
Mike
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_________________________________________________ Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. James Baldwin |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 7189 |
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