Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning January 2006 » Maps of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad « Previous Next »
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Gtwman
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Username: Gtwman

Post Number: 1
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 69.246.87.30
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 1:32 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hi everyone I a model railroader. I model the Grand trunk Western in 1950 and i notcie from looking around in a few places maps the have the railroads streets and industy names where can i find some of these, the reason i ask is that i try to model The railroad with all the corret names of factories. so please could anyone tell me where to find some of these
Thanks
You very much
Jack Watts
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Psip
Member
Username: Psip

Post Number: 1063
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 69.246.13.131
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 1:56 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Welcome to the forum GTWman. I think the Old Car Factories thread would be a good place to start. The Detroits 2nd Train Terminal thread is another. You will find many railroaders here :-)
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Douglasm
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Username: Douglasm

Post Number: 506
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 66.189.188.28
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 8:13 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

GTWman....
.....what section of the Grand Trunk do you model?
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The_rock
Member
Username: The_rock

Post Number: 1059
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 68.42.251.225
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 9:06 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Welcome aboard, GTWman. I rode the Grand Trunk from B'ham to Detroit many, many times during the 50's ( and earlier).Even "#56 out of Durand"! I have a nice color photo of old # 6327 (4-8-4) near Detroit that I picked up at the train show in Novi a year ago.
I am a (very) novice model railroader myself--big on Fleischmann of Germany HO with about 30 engines and 140 rolling stock. A fair share of Bachmann and Life-Like thrown in for good measure.
Are you into O gauge with your collection??

I am really amazed at the authenticity you model railroaders achieve. I see in a recent edition of Model Railroader magazine that it was suggestd by a model buff that a photograph taken of a 1950's railroad scene was not entirely accurate as the modeler had a little red stop sign he had placed at an intersection, and it was brought to his attention that he should really replace the red sign. That's because back in the 50's there were no red stops signs. They were painted with a yellow background with black lettering saying "stop"!! Wow--that's really pinpointing accuracy!
You will find the railroad postings on the Forum both entertaining and educational.
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Wabashrr1
Member
Username: Wabashrr1

Post Number: 15
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 2:03 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

GTWman, Do check out the 2nd Terminal threads. LOTS of GTW stuff. I've been asking questions about Detroit area passenger terminals for years (other than the Michigan Central terminal) and could never get solid answers. I've learned more about them in reading through those threads in a couple weeks than I've been able to find out in 10 years (just didn't know where to look).. Now thanks to a few of the people here, I have my info and know where to look for more when needed. Of course, some of the information has only become available either online or to general public in the last couple years.

Rock, Not only stop signs but other small details as well. One question that comes up quite often is lane markings on roads. Yellow vs White, Solid vs Broken, etc. Mail boxes, fire hydrants, traffic lights.. All of those details add authenticity to a scene on a layout. Many don't particularly care and adopt a good enough approch but there are those who are driven to get it right down to,well, the color on the stop signs. I call them rivet counters. Some take offense to that but I use the term with the greatest respect for thier skills.

If you are relatively new to model rr, here's a site you might enjoy. Some of the work these people do is outstanding. A few buttheads there too but overall, a good group of people.

http://www.trains.com/communit y/forum/default.asp?CAT_ID=8

If weathering (aging) trains is your thing,

http://www.modeltrainsweathere d.com/forum/

(no politics allowed in these places)

Enjoy.
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The_rock
Member
Username: The_rock

Post Number: 1060
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 68.42.251.225
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 4:37 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks for the info, wabash. I subscribe to Model Railroader, but the web site on weathering looks fascinating. Weathering is really "in" among you guys.I guess you just can't be too authentic!!

Judging by your handle, I bet you took the CannonBall out of St. Louis at one time or another.
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Hornwrecker
Member
Username: Hornwrecker

Post Number: 965
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 63.41.40.213
Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 10:55 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

GTWman, post some questions in the appropriate never-ending thread, and I'll see if I can find the answer.*





* if I feel like it
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Wabashrr1
Member
Username: Wabashrr1

Post Number: 16
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 5:10 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Unfortunately, I'm a little young to have ridden any of the name passenger trains in thier glory days. I was born 10 months before the Norfolk and Western took over the Wabash RR in 1964. My grandfather was a fireman for the Railroad in the steam days and later became an engineer. He was on the Cannonball plenty, from Detroit (FSUD) to Montpelier Ohio where the crew would change over. I've done the rail travel thing once. Dearborn to Kingman Arizona, Amtrack via Chicago. Then back from Denver. What a miserable experience that was. I guess if I had paid the extra $400 (each way) or so for cabin accomidations it may have been different but coach... Still beats flying though.
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Busterwmu
Member
Username: Busterwmu

Post Number: 217
Registered: 09-2004
Posted From: 24.247.221.241
Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 12:46 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey WabashRR, sorry you had a bad experience goin west on Amtrak. I've taken that same route west via Chicago to Fullerton, CA and had fantastic trips both times. Top notch service, great dining car food, and wonderful sunny days to view America as it passes. But I understand about sleeping at night in coach... it's an Experience! GTWman, I'm on the MIRRs boards too, so you'll see me around. I know this is not 1950s, but here's a local GTW site you may find sort of interesting:
http://groups.msn.com/grandtru nk

I myself am trying to model the PRR in a fictional place in Indiana, dating to around 1953. That is great for me, because I can still run big steam and new diesels, long passenger trains and lots of freights and local jobs. In the microdetailing world of things, I just ordered some Whistle and Yard Limit signs from Kadee Products. They probably aren't super prototypically accurate to the PRR, but they are far more accurate than the generic ones I have now. I also got a Pere Marquette 40' boxcar from Branchline - gotta keep our Michigan Railroads in business! (And yes, I know the PM was merged into C&O in '47, but PM cars lasted well into the 50s, and some PM lettered items into the 60s)
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Wabashrr1
Member
Username: Wabashrr1

Post Number: 17
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 205.188.116.137
Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 1:35 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Buster, I can't completely blame the railroad for my experience. I simply don't travel well with large groups of people and that may have had something to do with it. Actually, I was suprised to see how many people were actually on the train. My original intent was to take the train to Las Vegas and rent a car there to get to Lake Havasu, AZ. A week before I booked passage, they shut down that destination. The closest I could get to my final destination where there were any services available (car rental, open resturaunts, etc) was Flagstaff. Unfortunately Flagstaff rolls up it's sidewalks and turns out the lights 2 or 3 hours before the train gets there. So my next option was to have somebody pick me up in Kingman. Well, we got to Kingman (after midnight), my friend was there but they wouldn't let anybody de-board the train. Seems some old nut had commando'd himself off of the train and everyone had to stay put until the AZ state police got this guy under control. Actually I think there was something seriously wrong with him. There were several complaints about him exposing himself to the lady passengers.

Took the train home from Denver because part of the trip I was out there for was an evaluation drive from Lake Havasu to Denver (always enjoyed making that drive). The train was 5 or 6 hours late getting into Denver Union Station because it was stuck in California on a siding waiting for a freight train to pass. Or at least that's what they said the delay was. From what they said, a 5 or 6 hour delay was considered on time. Sometimes it was 10-12 hours late. I guess it depends on how you look at it. If they had given a clue as to when the train would arrive, it wouldn't have been so bad. There are a lot of places around Denver Union Station to kill time. Anyway, We nearly missed the connection in Chigago because of it. Talking about putting us on bus in Chicago to Dearborn.. I don't think so. As for the food, if you enjoyed it, I'm glad you were happy with it.. Myself, I'm much happier putting 4 tires to the road. Stop when and where I want (or need) to and no smelly people sitting next to me making strange noises. I guess I'm just not a people person.
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The_rock
Member
Username: The_rock

Post Number: 1061
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 68.42.251.225
Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 2:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

buster--thanks for that GTW website. I have a picture of old #8380, a GT switcher from 1929 collecting rust in the Illinois Railroad Museum, which I took back in 2000. I think it was an 0-6-0, but she looks rather forelorn. The stories those old steamers could tell!!
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The_rock
Member
Username: The_rock

Post Number: 1062
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 68.42.251.225
Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 2:55 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

On closer inspection, I think it's an 0-8-0. But you railbuffs would know.
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Douglasm
Member
Username: Douglasm

Post Number: 507
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 66.189.188.28
Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 9:58 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yup, it's an 0-8-0 that was employed at Northwest Steel And Wire, a scrapper in Sterling, Illinois. I forget how many ex GTW 8300's they employed to help move other locos to their death, but in the late '60's and through the '70's it was a pilgermage that almost had to be made to see the last active fleet of steam switchers in everyday work. When Northwest dieselized, they donated their fleet to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill. Some were traded off, some were scrapped (they ended up with a ton of them), and they hung on to 8380. The locos were cobbled by Northwest, tenders swapped, sealed beam headlights on some, so they weren't in the greatest shape when donated.

IRM, btw is the home of ex GTW 4-8-4 6323, the U3b that was stored in the Detroit Terminal roundhouse for a number of years. It's rough too, being without a boiler jacket.

www.irm.org

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