Prototype or Freelance?

Happy 2016! Since it's a new year, maybe you're thinking about starting a new model railroad. But what to model?

A specific prototype can be a great modeling subject. Basically, all the work is done for you. You don't need to think of paint schemes or town names; you simply recreate the railroad as it was (or is) in the real world. Resources are easily available, as manufacturers produce models lettered for popular prototypes, and there are historical societies for almost every venue. There are several notable prototype-based layouts. Some that come to mind include Bernie Kempinski's US Military Railroad and Tony Koester's Nickle Plate Road.

Looking at a list of railroads, one may become overwhelmed by how many there are to choose from. There are many factors which go into choosing a prototype, such as location, commodities hauled, and unique aspects (e.g., special classes of locomotives and name trains). There is no limit to the prototype you choose! Here's a list of the many railroads which I have considered to be the subject for a layout. They are roughly organized by the era (from earliest to latest) I would model them in.

Class I's:  

Amtrak and NS trains in Newark, DE.

• Western Maryland
• Chesapeake & Ohio
• Norfolk & Western
• Pennsylvania
• Baltimore & Ohio
• Reading (Wilmington & Northern)
• CSX
• Amtrak
• Norfolk Southern

 

Shortlines:

• Maryland Central
• Peach Bottom
• Baltimore & Lehigh
• York Southern
• Pomeroy & Newark
• Maine 2-Footers (Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes and Wiscasset, Waterville, & Farmington)
• Mower Lumber Co.
• Moore-Keppel & Co./Middle Fork
• Buffalo Creek & Gauley and Elk River Coal & Lumber
• East Broad Top
• Maryland & Pennsylvania

  

  Maryland & Delaware grain train leaving Snow Hill, MD.

• Stewartstown
• Narragansett Pier
• Port of Wilmington, DE
• Mississippi Central
• Alaska Railroad
• Octoraro
• Maryland & Delaware
• Delaware Coast Line
• Bay Coast
• Wilmington & Western
• Middletown & Hummelstown
• Walkersville Southern
• York Railway (Genesee & Wyoming)
• Maryland Midland
• East Penn (Octoraro and Wilmington & Northern lines)
• SMS Lines (NJ line)

The Allagash's engine facilities.

But what if you don't want to follow a specific prototype? Maybe you'd like to tweak a prototype's history, location, or other attributes. Then freelancing is for you! Freelancing allows the modeler to create whatever he/she can imagine. It can be as realistic or as fictional as you would like. A specific type of freelancing is "proto-freelancing," which draws from the real world. Proto-freelanced layouts can draw inspiration from specific prototypes to convey the feeling of a real railroad (which never actually existed) or a specific theme (e.g., harbor, logging). They can also focus on an actual prototype, modifying it to suit what the modeler desires. For example, one could electrify the Baltimore & Ohio, even though it never had wires above it in the real world. Some notable freelanced layouts include Mike Confalone's Allagash Railway and George Sellios's Franklin & South Manchester.

Freelancing offers much more flexibility and creativity than prototypical-based modeling. However, it can pose some challenges of its own, as you don't have a "road map" to follow telling you things such as which industries the railroad served or what the locomotives were painted like. Nevertheless, freelancing is a great approach to model railroading.

I wish you the best in whatever approach you choose for your next model railroad. I do have one word of wisdom which comes from a successful and well-known modeler, Paul Dolkos. (Paul's current layout, the Baltimore Harbor District, focuses on several prototypes which served the industrial areas of Baltimore. He does have a few areas based on prototype locations, but others are freelanced. It's impossible to tell which is which, as he has done such a great job of capturing the essence of the industrial backwaters of Baltimore.) His advice is to decide on a theme/locale/era, and then plant your stake in the ground, thus sticking with that theme and not swaying from it. This will help you remain focused on your layout, and it will result in a highly realistic model.