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| The end of World War II in 1945 until
1949 or 1950, was a time of high hopes and great expectations for the nation's
railroads. The record tonnage and passengers carried during the war years
wore out equipment and locomotives. After the War, based on the record
volumes carried, the railroads were encouraged to re-equip themselves with new
passenger and freight rolling stock as well as new locomotives. The
Minneapolis, St. Croix, & Southern Railway Co. (St. Croix) is just such a road.
New streamlined, lightweight passenger equipment was ordered in 1946. The
newest diesel electric motive power was quickly ordered from the American
Locomotive Co. and Electro-Motive to replace the St. Croix's war weary steam
locomotives. All of this was done in anticipation of continued high volumes of
traffic.
Although the railroad is fictional, it is typical of carriers, such as the Wabash, found in America's Heartland in 1948. I have been researching the background for this railroad since January 1, 1990. I have collected information, photos, and paper "artifacts" to bring this railroad to life, and build a believable "story" around it. To represent my vision, I am building a double deck HO scale layout in my home located in the Western Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Historical Overview of the Minneapolis, St. Croix, & Southern Railway - Learn more in this short historical overview. Tracing the Route of the St. Croix - The fictional St. Croix Railway traverses through typical Midwestern farmlands, river valleys and villages. Modeling of the St. Croix - Modeling the St. Croix Railway on a grand and detailed scale has been a very satisfying hobby. Here is more information on my modeling philosophy and approach. Track Plans - Multi-deck layouts are inherently more difficult to visualize. Here are plans and an explanation for my own layout. My layout features 2 decks or levels to take better advantage of my limited (21'x26') available space. While multi-deck layouts were fairly rare when I started construction of my layout in 1990, they are now more widely used. Operations and Forms - I knew from the beginning that prototypical based operating sessions would be the norm. Here is a description of my vision for a typical operating session. The forms that are going to be used during the operating sessions are also included. This page also includes additional photos of the layout. Model Railroad Tour - I have had many visitors to my layout. Here is a chance to take a short virtual tour. Operating Sessions - The first operating session for the St. Croix Railway
occurred on June 6, 2010.
Web page development, design, and content copyrighted © by L. A. Buell, 2003, 2010. E-mail: lbuell at wideopenwest dot com
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