Researching and decision

To start with I am a huge fan of the Maine Central Rail Road (MEC). I have developed and built 3 previous HO scale layouts based on MEC trackage and have been building MEC models since my school years. The most recent layout was based on operations of Brunswick Yard and was in the room that I am building the current layout. Due to compromises I made in the design and several reconstructs I became unhappy with the layout and it came down. I then started analyzing what I really wanted in a layout.

Desires: Interesting scenery, switching with some mainline running, operations based on prototype practices, DCC and sound powered locomotives.

I also looked at doing other rail roads I had always been interested in and a possible change in scale to get longer mainline runs in the space I had for the layout.

Rio Grande - would require N-scale to get the look I wanted -discarded.
Lehigh Valley - Loved the paint schemes - Discarded.

While digging on the Net about Maine Rail Lines I found the Portland and Rochester RR. It ran from Portland ME to Rochester NH. B&M absorbed it in the early 1900's and it was a branch until abandoned in 1961.

What if it was taken over as a shortline instead?

More on that next time.

Added Track Plan

I added the trackplan to the page.

A new start

Hi all! I am going to try a new way of keeping anyone up to date on what is going on in my model railroad empire.

If you have known me over the years I have always been focused on the MEC. I have decided to go with a different approach this time.

The Portland and Rochester RR was a real line running from Rochester NH to Portland ME. It was taken in as a B&M branch and lasted until the early 1960's before being abandoned.

In my world it became a shortline and will survive through today.

More to come on the back ground story.

TTFN