Like most model railroaders, one of the things I most looked forward to was adding a roundhouse and turntable to my layout.  There’s just something cool about a roundhouse.

My grandfather had the Atlas roundhouse on his layout, and I have many fond memories of operating the turntable and changing out the engines when I was a kid.  Much to my dismay, there is very little selection on the market when it comes to these magnificent structures…especially in N scale.

Walthers Modern Roundhouse

Generally, I cringe anytime I see the word “modern” when it comes to railroading.  There’s nothing particularly modern about this roundhouse, my guess is that it was just Walthers’ way of separating this newer model from their previous version.

One significant feature of this roundhouse is the 10 degree stall spacing, which is very compact.  This is a nicely put together kit, with great detailing.  The structure itself is somewhat boring in my opinion, but then again, it’s a purpose building and not designed for looks.

The major drawback with the Modern Roundhouse is the investment.  The kit retails for around $50, and only has 3 stalls.  Walthers also has an add-on kit, which features 3 stalls as well for around the same price.  In other words, for a 6 stall roundhouse, you’d be looking at a pretty hefty price tag of nearly $100.

Walthers Union City Roundhouse

This is one of Walthers’ older kits.  In fact, it’s made by Heljan (the logo is molded into the roof panels).  Each of the 6 stalls are on 7.5 degree centers, which gives it a larger footprint than the modern version.

The Union City version features a more interesting roofline complete with smokejacks and clerestory (a raised roofline with windows that allow light into large buildings).  While not marketed as a modular kit, this version can also be added onto simply by building adjacent stalls.

Because this is an older kit, the plastic moldings are not as detailed.  Really, it’s a much lower quality kit overall.  But, the price is right at around $40.  It can also be difficult to locate this kit since it is no longer in production.

And we have a winner…

Having both kits in your hands can really help put things in perspective.  In one hand you have a nicely detailed, yet overpriced model.  In the other, a lower quality model that has a better design and is priced right.

Value was a major factor in my final choice.  Not because I couldn’t afford the Modern Roundhouse, but because it really didn’t make much sense to spend twice as much in order to get the 6 stalls offered by the other kit.  In the end, I chose the Union City Roundhouse.

Upon arriving home from the hobby shop, I immediately inspected my new purchase.  The brick detailing isn’t the greatest, though it does look better than the picture on the box.  There is plastic mold flashing on a lot of the parts, but that’s also to be expected with these older kits.

Final thoughts

If I had to make this decision again, I would make the same choice.  There really isn’t much to these kits, they’re just large.  Molded plastic isn’t that expensive to manufacture, so I’m not sure why the newer Modern Roundhouse is so much more expensive.  Seriously, Walthers…$50 for 3 stalls?

At the time of this writing, Walthers is having a sale on their Modern Roundhouse and add-on stalls kits.  My guess is, they’re not selling too many at full retail price.

Railroads play a vital role in any region’s economy.  While the beating heart of the Erie & Southern Railroad will always be coal, it will also connect many rural towns and help farmers bring their products to market.

I have drawn inspiration from some of the most popular granger roads: the Chicago, Burlington & Quincey; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; and Chicago & Northwestern.

Livestock

Model railroaders often associate livestock hauling to western roads, such as the ATSF.  This can be confusing for the new modeler because they might believe this industry to be exclusive to that region.  Not so.  Livestock were usually raised out west, but in most cases, traveled to points east for sale.  Rolling livestock is one of the oldest industries served by rail, dating back to the mid-1800′s.

I do not want to model the meat packing/processing industry.  This requires large packing plants in addition to dedicated reefer cars, and with high traffic areas such as Chicago and New York nearby, it doesn’t make sense to include such a facility to be served by the E&S.  I have chosen to model a livestock resting station.

A law dating back to 1873 dictates that animals can not kept aboard a stockcar longer than 28 hours.  A 1906 amendment states that livestock must be removed from those cars for at least 5 hours, fed, watered, and rested.  Because some runs couldn’t be completed in under 28 hours, railroads maintained resting stations along their lines.

Usually, railroad employees didn’t handle the livestock directly.  Employees of the livestock’s owners, called drovers, often road on the same train as their livestock and handled the feeding and watering of the animals.  If there was a small shipment, the drovers would ride along in the caboose of the train.  For larger shipments that had multiple owners and drovers, the train included a “Cowboy Pullman” that was either a converted caboose or passenger car.

Grain Elevators

During the first few decades of the 20th century, tens of thousands of wooden grain elevators littered the North American landscape.  These looming buildings were often referred to as “prairie skyscrapers” by members of the agricultural heartland.  With a typical capacity of 30-40,000 bushels, they were a common sight in many a prairie town.

Anyone who has read about my ambitions for the Erie & Southern knows that I often refer to my late grandfather, who was a farmer.  It was important to me to include this industry as a tribute to him and to an era that is now long gone.

Prairie Town

I am going to combine these two industries on one area of the layout, forming a prairie town.  On one side of the tracks will be an elevator row, complete with an office, weigh scale, and 2-3 grain elevators.  The other side of the tracks will include a stockyard rest area complete with trackside and truck loading ramps, pens, barns, and possibly even a small livestock exchange building.

Operations at the prairie town will feature 3-4 tracks for the handling of these facilities in addition to a separate clean-out track for the stockcars.  Operating potential for the prairie town is very exciting, and is not just limited to stockcars and boxcars.  In 1953, most railroads were still using boxcars to ship grain, though the PS-2 covered hopper was beginning to see some use for this purpose.

I have purchased the N Scale Architect Stockyard and GC Laserkits Co-Op Elevator Complex to begin construction.  Stay tuned for build details!

In reviewing locomotive paint schemes of the 1950′s, I found that many of them were fairly elaborate when compared to those of more modern times.  Still, when considering a paint scheme for the Erie & Southern, there had to be a balance between a prototypical branding for my railroad and what my skills and equipment would allow me to actually paint.

Despite having created numerous drawings in the past, I decided to revisit my road’s colors and see if I could come up with anything new.  Here is the old scheme:

I’ve always been happy with this design, but it would be difficult to paint.  So I set out to create something that would be easier, yet still be unique to my railroad.  Here is what I came up with:

Masking the new design for painting is going to be much easier, and honestly, I like it better than the original.  The road name stands out more against black than dark green.  Not to mention there’s one less color of paint to buy and one less stripe to worry about aligning properly.

Real railroads operate under the very definition of teamwork.  There are many people involved in performing specific tasks that make the railroad run.  That said, it’s often not practical to model all of these different jobs.  Typically, the ones modeled involve those directly involved in moving and making trains.

During a typical operating session, one person will usually wear many hats and perform multiple jobs.  Even if you have a small layout, its still possible to involve several other people so that you can all share in the fun of operating your miniature empire.

Let’s take a look at the people involved in making a real railroad operate, and how that can translate to your modeled version.

Train Crew

A train crew consisted of the people actually on-board the train.  The crew consisted of the following jobs:

The engineer drives the locomotive.  They are responsible for mechanical operation of the train, train speed and handling.  The engineer must have sufficient knowledge of the locomotive and the route to safely operate the train.

A conductor is charge of the train, its freight and personnel.  All members of the crew work under his supervision.  The conductor must be aware of signals, position of switches, and other conditions that influence safe operation of the train.  During the steam era, the conductor would ride in the caboose.

The brakeman assists the conductor.  In years gone by, he would walk the length of the train atop the cars and turn brake wheels to apply the train’s brakes.  He would also make sure couplings between cars were properly set and signal to operators during switching maneuvers.

During the steam era, a fireman would be assigned to tend the fire of the locomotive’s boiler, riding in the cab with the engineer.  They were often referred to as “stokers” and sometimes “boilermen”.

Depending on era and railroad, there may be different designations.  For example, sometimes the head brakeman rode in the cab with the engineer while the flagman or rear brakeman rode in the caboose with the conductor.

Yard Crew

Locomotives assigned to switching duties have their own crew, called a yard drill that consisted of an engineer, conductor, and brakeman.

The yardmaster is responsible for making and breaking trains, and also supervises the yard drills.  In larger yards, they are usually assisted by switchmen.  In smaller yards, the yardmaster may be replaced by a freight agent.

A hostler is a railroad employee who jockeys locomotives between the yard and the engine servicing facility.  He would report to the roundhouse foreman, who made sure the appropriate motive power was assigned to the correct train.

Dispatchers controlled all train movements along the mainline.  During the steam era, they communicated with towermen at interlocking towers to direct train movements.  Today, they communicate directly with the train crew via radio.

Trainmasters supervise all personnel and operations within the yard limits.  This person is usually located in the yard’s main office along with a rules examiner, who makes sure the railroad’s regulations are being followed safely.

A superintendent is in charge of the entire railroad division.  They prepare rule books and timetables, oversee operations, and solve problems that may arise within their district.

Scaling it down

Obviously, it would be nearly impossible to model all of these jobs.  Most of us don’t have a layout large enough, nor the manpower to fill all of these positions.  Some of your friends would be bored to death, while others were ready to pull their hair out.

For smaller layouts, a one man train crew is ideal.  One person can control (drive) the train and manage the route.  Many large layouts operate smoothly with two man train crews.  One person controls the train, while the other handles paperwork (such as waybills) and throws switches.  The two man crew usually change duties at some point during the operating session.

Even large yards can be supervised by a one man yard crew.  One person can serve as both yardmaster and yard drill, making a breaking trains within the yard and handling all train movements.  Layouts that feature more than one yard should consider adding another body to assist with those duties.

Modeling the front office

Of particular importance is the dispatcher role.  Especially so if your layout is large enough to warrant multiple crews.  Because the dispatcher is responsible for tracking where the trains are, he should be located where he can not see the layout.  This makes communication vitally important, and adds to the realism of the operating session.

The superintendent should be the layout owner, and hold a short orientation before the session begins.  He should ready timetables prior to the session and help guests become acquainted with the layout.

Erie & Southern Operations

For my own layout, I estimate that a maximum of 5 people is enough for an operating session.  My layout is not large, though I could realistically operate 3 trains at once.  Sure, it could just as easily operate with just 1 person at the controls, but I believe that there is enough work to do to keep that many friends busy for a few hours.

I think it’s important to say that you don’t have to be fancy.  I have been a part of a few operating sessions on some very impressive layouts, and it’s extremely fun.  However, you don’t need a full-basement spread in order to have a few guests over for a good time.

The most important aspect of operations is planning.  Even a small layout that can only run 1 train at a time can still hold an operating session with several other model railroaders.  The key is making sure that everyone has a job to do.  Use your imagination!

Not all trains are created equal.  One of the main purposes behind model railroad operations is to emulate the real thing, and in order to do that we must look at the different types of trains.

It’s important to note that with advancements in technology, we as modelers can simulate nearly all aspects of prototypical operation.  Some things will appeal to you, and others won’t.

These trains have different purposes, and therefore move differently.  You can choose which work best for your layout, and operate accordingly.

Freight Trains

Local freight. Also called way freights, peddlers, patrols, and drills.  For most modelers, this is where the heart of the action is.  Local freights switched towns along the main line.  Their role is to pick up and set out cars to minimize delays to through and fast freights.  Local freight trains usually had second-class timetable status.  In other words, if a passenger train, through, or fast freight train was coming, the local had to get out of the way.

Through freight. Cars are usually moved from one yard to the next in through freight.  If dropping off at the next yard on the line, cars were blocked as “propers” and “throughs” for points beyond.  “Hot cars” would be placed at the front of the train for quick set-outs, and usually contained perishable or high priority items.  This ensured speedy transit of important merchandise.

Fast freight. Some trains are blocked at their point of origin containing only a few cars and swiftly moved to their destination as quickly as possible.  Unnecessary switching or delays in yards should be avoided with fast freight trains, as they usually carried perishables or reefer cars that had been iced.

Symbol freight. These trains are simply fast freight trains that have been given image-enhancing names by the railroad as a marketing device in competitive environments.  It sounds more impressive to tell a potential customer that their cargo will be shipped on the Blue Blur or the Citrus Express than just routed on train #117.

Mine runs. Trains with this designation were basically local freight that serviced mining branches.  They would swap empties for loads and also occasionally carried LCL (less-than-carload) freight of supplies to the mines.

Turn. If there was a high volume of traffic with a nearby interchange or major customer, the railroad may operate a “turn” to that point.  The train heads out from the yard to the destination, sets out/picks up cars, then immediately returns to its point of origin.

Extras. Trains not listed on the published timetable operated as work or freight extras.  These trains were required to carry white flags or run classification lights to alert other trains of its status.

Passenger Trains

More often than not, passenger trains lost money.  However, they were instrumental in marketing the railroad’s more profitable freight services.  Passenger trains were usually operated similarly to local freights that stopped in each town.  On lines where customers or stations were few and far between, the railroad might mix passenger cars with freight trains.  Shortlines especially were notorious for this practice.

Passenger trains were almost always given names, like Santa Fe’s Super Chief.

Model railroading offers so much more than just model building for train fans.  Linn Westcott, former editor of Model Railroader magazine, once said that operation was “one of the world’s most magnificent board games” in an editorial during the 1960′s.

When you think of operations that way, he’s right.  There is a game board (your layout), tokens (your rolling stock roster), a card deck (car cards and waybills), and multiple choices that influence whether you will win or lose the game.

This series of blog posts will not discuss layout planning for operations, because I am by no means an expert on layout design.  However, there are great books available on that very topic:  Have a look at Tony Koester’s Realistic Model Railroad Operation or Track Planning for Realistic Operation by John Armstrong.

Operating a Railroad

The process is never as simple as moving from Point A to Point B, either on a real railroad or on the one in your basement.  However, if you’re going to successfully operate in a realistic and prototypical manner, it’s important to consider one fact: this is a business, and you’re in it to remain profitable.

Put on your CEO hat. You are in the business of moving freight in the fastest, cheapest, and most efficient way possible.

The main goal of operations is to move railcars to and from industries and staging yards to serve your customers.  Accomplishing this task presents many questions that must be answered:

• How do I decide which cars go where?
• How do I get them there?
• Which cars do I pick up?
• How can I make this fun and keep my sanity?

These are all very important questions.  Over the years, several car-forwarding systems have been introduced.  We will examine a few of those in a later post.  For now, let’s take a look two key factors that go a long may in making sure your layout is operations-ready.

Beginning Operations

In essence, we’re creating a schedule here, so what does every schedule need?  At a bare minimum, a time and a place.  More specifically: who, what, when, where, why, and how?  Therefore, it is vitally important that you name everything on your layout and give it a geographical position on a map.

Your unfinished refinery model is no longer just taking up space, it has become Mega Steel Corporation located in the town of Springfield.  It requires coal loads from Empire Coal on the westbound train.  Now you are shipping freight, and not just moving cars around.

Be sure to put labels on your layout, especially if you have multiple operators during a session.    Not just on industries; also label junctions, towers, and towns.  This will help eliminate confusion.

Don’t forget to check out Part 2 of this series:  Types of Trains

The Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 was a 6 axle hood unit road switcher, similar to other popular styles of early diesel locomotives.  One major difference was the 2,400 HP engine, which was the largest offering at the time.

Self-described by FM as “the most useful locomotive ever built”, and designated as “Train Masters”, these engines had a lot to live up to.  Unfortunately, they featured an opposing-piston prime mover that most railroads found were difficult service and maintain.

From 1953-1956, only 107 units were built by Fairbanks-Morse.  An additional 20 were built by their licensee, Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway.  Only a single prototype has survived the test of time, CPR #8905.

Prototype Info

The FM Train Master seems like a good fit for the Erie & Southern.  The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western (later Erie-Lackawanna), PRR, and Wabash were among several roads that purchased these engines.

DL&W used a 4,800 HP consist of two Train Masters to haul freight between Hoboken and Scranton, the toughest part of their system.  They were also used in suburban service and as pusher units to help heavy trains climb steep grades.

The E&S would have similar use for such an engine, particularly once the articulated steam engines reached urban areas after pulling unit trains out of coal country.

I will be purchasing Atlas FM H-24-66 units from Brooklyn Locomotive Works.  Undecorated versions are currently on sale for only $54.95!

I’m not going to pretend to be an electrical engineer.  In fact, wiring is the bane of my existence, aside from Algebra.

However, being the “techie” that I am, I’m often drawn to having the latest and greatest when it comes to these kinds of things.

Digital Command Control (DCC) offers some great advancements for model railroaders, but the additional expense can be considerable.  Is DCC right for the Erie & Southern Railroad?

Why DCC?

A Digital Command Control system can control and operate multiple locomotives on the same section of electrical track.  The main draw of DCC systems is this feature, whereas analog systems are limited to powering only one engine per block/cab at a time.

For me, this is not much of a selling point.  While I can certainly see the advantage for larger and club-sized layouts, I can’t imagine myself running more than 2-3 trains at a time.

Toot Toot!

Another advancement that DCC offers is sound!  I don’t know of any model railroader who wouldn’t enjoy this feature, and I’m no exception.  However, I’ve heard that sound quality can vary greatly from system to system.  Personally, I would rather have no sound at all versus having something that was cheesy or toy-like.

I also can’t imagine that it would be difficult to make a sound station where pre-recorded sound effects could be available at the push of a button.  Small speakers could be placed strategically around the layout or inside model buildings to produce the desired sounds.

Final Verdict?

The jury is still out on this one.  One major hit against DCC is the prospect of installing N scale decoders in my engines, which can be a real pain.  Entry-level DCC systems are affordable these days, and they seem like they’d be easier to install than analog.

What are your thoughts and/or suggestions?

Most of us have a favorite railroad for one reason or another.  Maybe it’s because a particular road ran though the area of our childhood home and it brings back fond memories, or a variety of other reasons.

It could be simple aesthetics.  Because let’s face it, cool paint jobs attract attention.

When it comes to railroad companies, the paint scheme is sometimes more recognizable than the road’s herald.  Even people who aren’t railfans or modelers know a Union Pacific locomotive when they see one.

So when it came time to design a paint scheme for the Erie & Southern, I thought long and hard about it.  It’s much more than just paint, it’s brand name recognition.

Keeping it real

Most importantly, I wanted the paint scheme to be realistic.  I’ve always had somewhat of a flair for design and logo work, but my owns tastes trend towards the modern end of the spectrum.  In my several attempts, something just wasn’t sitting right with me, no matter how happy with the design I was.

For those of you reading this who are trying to come up with a paint scheme for your own freelanced railroad, learn from my mistake and do your homework first.  The best source of inspiration is the real thing.  Study many paint schemes of the era you’re modeling before you put pen to paper.

My first designs were far too modern for the 1950′s.  They were far too complex.  Looking back now, there’s little chance that I would’ve been able to paint most of those early designs anyway.  So it was back to the drawing board.

There are some great sources of inspiration on the internet that have great photos.  Railroad Picture Archives is one of my favorites, and features freight cars and locations in addition to locomotives.

Givens and Druthers

Using John Armstrong’s method of solving model railroading problems, it became increasingly clear to me that I needed to simplify my design.  Givens are things that can’t easily be changed, the “needs”.  I needed something easy to paint.  Custom paint work can be very expensive and locating a source can be difficult…especially for N scale models.

Druthers are choices that need to be made, the “wants”.  For me, the wants were fairly simple.  Among other things, my grandfather was a farmer, and loved his John Deere tractors.  Therefore, I wanted a green-based paint scheme.  I also wanted something prototypical, a design that could’ve been seen rolling down the tracks in the 1950′s.

For those of you just getting started, the Railroad Paint Shop is a great place.  It features many to-scale drawings of many engine models that you can save and edit yourself in a paint program.  There are also many prototypical samples, as well as those done by others.  If you’re really stumped, there’s even a tutorial on how to design realistic model railroad paint schemes.

The Results

With well over 50 paint schemes tossed aside, I finally came up with one I liked.  The design gave birth to a new color, which I have aptly dubbed “Erie Green”.  What I discovered in my research was that most roads featured fancier designs prior to the 1960′s.

The Erie & Southern paint scheme is a classic design using Railroad Roman font with relatively muted colors.  Yellow pinstripes and lettering complement the two-tone green look, and will make the locomotives “pop” when going around the layout or being photographed.

Here is the paint scheme applied to an EMD GP7 with dynamic brakes:

And a Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 Train Master:

I have received several emails asking where I got the prototype information for the Erie & Southern Railroad, because they can’t find other info on it.

The answer to that is simple:  you won’t find any, because it never existed.  None of the roads mentioned on the E&S History page were real.

Apparently I’ve done my job well.  I thought I would take this opportunity to discuss proto-freelance, and how I came up with the concept for the Erie & Southern Railroad.

Rivet Counters and Freelancers

Model railroading is different things to different people.  Like most other hobbies, it has different “branches”.  Some modelers, called “rivet counters” are obsessed with the scale aspect of modeling.  They want to model all aspects of the real thing, such as prototypical operating procedures and details like having the correct road numbers on motive power and rolling stock.

Modeling a prototype requires doing a lot of homework.  Especially for someone new to the hobby, this can be a daunting task.  For me personally, I enjoy the historical and operations aspects, but do not enjoy the idea of scaling down the actual trackage of a real railroad to fit into my basement.

On the flip side of the coin, freelance modelers often make up their own road names and even locations and towns.  They can dare to dream a little more and ask, “what if”?  What if Jay Gould had purchased the Nickel Plate Road?  What if Railroad A and Railroad B had merged back in the 1960′s?  There is unlimited freedom that comes with making things up as you go along.

Freelancers are not necessarily tied down to running era-appropriate rosters either.  In my own mind, there is almost too much freedom with freelancing.  To me, towns named “Whiskey Gulch” sound unrealistic, and while a masterpiece of model railroading, “Gorre & Daphetid” is very whimsical.  The great John Allen himself often later expressed that he regretted the name.

Proto-Freelance: A Compromise

Why not take the best of both worlds?  Proto-Freelance is the realistic operation of a fictitious railroad.  You’re not tied down to matching rolling stock rosters or modeling a specific sub.  Instead, you ask “what if” by placing a railroad in a real setting and operating it as prototypical as possible.  The important thing to remember is, there are no rules.  This is still a hobby and the model railroad community are not nitpickers.

Proto-freelance means that you get to decide what was prototypical for your railroad.  You can pick your own:

• Road numbering system
• Engine roster
• Train consists
• Style of passenger depots
• A variety of other things!

The reality is, most model railroaders are proto-freelancers.  There are very few (if any) exact scale replicas out there, and most of us take certain liberties on our layouts in the interest of saving space.

Besides the Gorre & Daphetid, another fine example of the proto-freelance concept was Tony Koester’s Allegheny Midland.  With combined influences from the Nickel Plate Road and the C&O, Tony’s Midland Road was built to be the Nickel Plate’s extension into West Virginia coal territory.  Here we see a combination of “what if” mixed with a prototype and a lot of imagination.

The Allegheny Midland Historical Society

W. Allen McClelland was perhaps the first to introduce proto-freelancing with his Virginian & Ohio.  Built in the early 1960′s, the V&O is a world class piece of model railroading history.

Creating the Erie & Southern

Unlike a lot of modelers, I’m not drawn to any particular prototype.  Just like the there are those who favor Ford, Chevy, or Mopar, certain railroads have an almost cult-like following.  The one prototype I am drawn to, the Nickel Plate Road, isn’t as readily available in N scale as other more popular roads…and I’m not one to follow a crowd.

My own opinion is that certain railroads have been over-popularized, such as Union Pacific and PRR.  Being a fan of steam and early diesel, it made sense for me to model the 1950′s transition era.  When considering all my options, in the end, the idea of creating my own railroad appealed to me the most.

A lot of research went into creating the Erie & Southern Railroad.  Its history and system map were carefully put together considering competing roads in the area and their time lines.  With early roots established in Ohio’s southeastern coal region, the north-south Canton & Ohio River shortline would’ve been of little value to the robber barons who were mostly looking for an east-west connection.

When the dots are connected, and the Erie & Southern emerges, a powerful and independent Class I railroad is born.  With multiple ports on Lake Erie and the Ohio River, the Erie & Southern can remain profitable by moving its own coal across Ohio and interchanging with several larger railroads.  I also designed the E&S to be part of the Alphabet Route.

In addition, the decision to locate the E&S headquarters and main yard in Norwalk was a strategic move.  The city was originally slated to receive a major NKP facility, but the NKP pulled out at the last minute.  It’s not too far-fetched to speculate that the powers that be in Norwalk would have welcomed the E&S with open arms.

Creating your own proto-freelance road

First and most importantly, you must consider the era and region you want to model.  Remember, proto-freelance is about being as realistic as possible with your creation.  The 1950′s transition era offers near endless possibilities, so you might want to begin your research there.

Consider the many “what-if” scenarios, including mergers and buyouts, in addition to starting from scratch.  It can be easier to get your feet wet if you have something to go on as opposed to just conjuring up a whole new railroad out of thin air.

Ask yourself “why does this railroad need to exist?”  Are you providing a faster route?  Maybe you just want a shortline that switches out a few industries?  Railroading is a fierce business, and very competitive.  Having a good (and realistic) story will go a long way towards helping you with your project.