Monday, July 18, 2011

Let The Swamp Logging Begin!

Hello fellow model railroaders and "Swamp Loggers!" This is a new blog that will document the creation, design, building and operation of a new model railroading project for me: The "Blackwater & Mosquito Creek Lumber Co." railroad.
The small narrow guage pike will be built in 1/4-inch scale (On30) and built in modules to easily travel and set-up at train shows in the region. But mainly, it's giving me a "new" very different modeling project to get excited about beside's working on my basement-sized modern-day, Hawaiian Island-based HO-scale Big Island & Pacific Railroad. http://www.bigislandrail.zoomshare.com/.
I have a small collection of On30 On3 and 1/4-inch-scale logging stuff packed away that I want to use. I had toyed with the idea of doing a Hawaiian Island guage plantation railroad, but then it would be "more Hawaii." I thought about doing a Minnesota-based logger, but tht wasn't getting me as jazzed. I wanted something totally different from my other layouts. I had modeled the Pacific Northwest with a logging and lumber-themed railroad with the tall pines lumber and logs in both HO and 1/4-inch scale, but the idea of doing a down and dirty, sweaty, steamy, mossy, firefly and gator-infested swampy hardwood's logging railroad in narrow guage was too hard to pass-up. What really sent me over the edge was seeing a few videos on You Tube of the 'Muskrat Ramble' swamp logging pike in On30 from Down Under. I believe the Website is:  http://www.modvid.com.au/.
So with that said, I will try to pass on my concept notes, head-scratching brain storming scribbles, track planning ideas and photos of the whole process in the weeks and months to come.
I think this will get me back on track with my main railroad modeling as well!
In the meantime,thanks for coming along for the adventure. Please feel free to share comments, ideas, websites, photos with me.

Until next time, keep swattin' dem buggers!

1 comment:

  1. Mmmm.. nice choice on the theme. I too have toyed with the idea of a "swampy" theme for a set of modules. The Muskrat Ramble is a pretty sweet looking setup. There's also a small module, On30 ~3'x6' at Caboose Hobbies in Denver which is swamp based -- again a great testament to to what can be done with that theme+scale. Something you might be interested in is a book by Mallory Hope Ferrell titled, "Argent, Last of the Swamp Rats" which is about the Argent Lumber Company in South Carolina. It's out of print now (and ridiculously expensive on Amazon) but every now and then a used copy pops up on ebay.

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