The Green Bay & Waupaca is the HO scale version of the Green Bay Route taking shape in my basement.
| Layout at a glance
Name: Green Bay & Waupaca RR |
Here's the plan and background information on my layout. Benchwork is up and now track laying and wiring (and even some structure work) has begun.
Check out my first GBW model: caboose #617, modeled as it would appear not long after it was delivered in 1966 -- with windows and roofwalk intact.
A little Q & A about the Green Bay & Waupaca RR:
Why the 1960's Green Bay Route as a prototype?
Why the Green Bay & Waupaca for a model?
Why the 1960's Green Bay Route as a prototype?
I grew up in the 1960's in New Franken, on the Kewaunee, Green Bay & Western RR line to the Lake Michigan carferry docks. Likewise, my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents did the same in previous generations. My great-aunt & -uncle lived on Norwood Street in Green Bay, less than a block from the street entrance to the Norwood shops. I went to junior high school in Casco and high school in Luxemburg, also towns on the Green Bay Route.
To me, the word "railroad" was synonymous with the red-and-gray locos and yellow cabooses of the Green Bay Route.
Why the Green Bay & Waupaca for a model?
Basing my model layout on the fictional Green Bay & Waupaca RR serves these purposes:
1) My interest is one-person operation of way freights, which is about as far from the Green Bay Route's bridge line operations, so a free-lance prototype seemed appropriate;
2) My family lives near Green Bay and my wife's family lives near Waupaca, so a line connecting the two towns makes sense;
3) It allows me to paint locos and cabooses following gondola&W practice;
4) The fictional aspect allows me to incorporate various free-lance aspects that interest me.
The Room
The basement layout room is 14 x 15 feet with walls on three sides. Ceiling and walls are finished plaster and the floor is carpeted.
The Layout
A plan of the layout is at the here. The layout is designed for one operator to follow his/her train along the layout. All but one turnout is within 24" of the layout edge, and no turnouts are concealed in hidden trackage.
Operation
They layout was designed for one-person operation in an out-and-back fashion. A session consists of assembling a train in the Green Bay yard and then a way freight works its way to the division point at Stevens Point and return, working industry spurs along the route.
Construction
Layout construction is progressing very s-l-o-w-l-y. The framing is convention L-girder, with 3/4" plywood subroadbed. Roadbed is cork on the mainline and Homasote in the yard. Track laying and wiring is complete in Green Bay and tracks are now being laid through Black Creek.
Lighting
Lighting consists of a minimal amount of recessed ceiling lights, though I have left wiring outlets and intend to install florescent lighting balanced for daylight and valences along the ceiling.
Towns & Industries
The towns are selected to roughly follow the prototype Green Bay Route from Green Bay to Stevens Point, Wisconsin. As is typical for many model layouts, distances are very compressed! The entire layout has under two scale miles of main line, while the prototype took almost 90 miles to cover the same distance! (Fortunately, this layout is designed for way freight operation and not timetable running.)
Industries are selected to maximize switching possibilities for a way freight.
Here's my list of towns and industries. You might want to view the layout plan.
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Green Bay (Norwood Yard) |
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Norwood Shops In - Fuel (tank), Castings (flat), Sand (gondola) Out - TOFC/Team #1 Cold Storage Warehouse Freight Warehouse Strid Grain Elevator |
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Black Creek |
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Sand & Cement
Company In - Cement (covered hopper), Fly ash (covered hopper), Stone (covered hopper), Gypsum (covered hopper), Coal (covered hopper) Out - Cement (covered hopper), Cement (boxcar), Sand (gondola) Interchange Steel Fabricator Wisconsin Wholesalers Grain Milling |
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Shiocton |
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Stockyard Out - Livestock (stock car) In - Spent grain (covered hopper boxcar) |
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New Franken |
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Basten's Farm Supply In - Spent Grain (covered hopper boxcar), Farm Supplies (boxcar) Out - Grain (covered hopper boxcar) Van Dreese Oil Greilings Lumber |
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Amherst Junction |
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Box & Crate In - Cardboard (boxcar), Plywood (boxcar), Plastic pellets (covered hopper) Out - Boxes (boxcar) Scrap Yard Green Bay Foods |
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Waupaca |
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Waupaca Foundry In - Scrap metal (gondola), Foundry sand (covered hopper), Supplies (boxcar), Boxes (boxcar) Out - Castings (boxcar), Castings (flat), Waste (gondola) TOFC/Team #2 McLauren Haggis Company |
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Stevens Point |
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Stevens Point Brewery In - Corn syrup (tank), Corn, Malt, Barley - (covered hopper boxcar), Boxes (boxcar), Cans / bottles (boxcar), Hops (reefer), Cleaning chemicals (tank) Out - Beer - (reefer boxcar), Spent grain (covered hopper boxcar), broken bottles (hopper), Crushed cans (gondola). Ice House & Icing Platform |
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[ Top of This Page ] The Green
Bay Route is maintained by Mark
Mathu. |
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