The New Name

A while back, I realized that the name Wolf River & Nicolet was out of place: The Nicolet Forest wasn't so named until sometime in the 1930s, when the federal government took it under protection as part of the effort to re-propagate it. So began a lot of ruminating and dithering as I contemplated a new railroad name. In the process I also thought more clearly about the railroad concept.

The end of all that has resulted in the name Wolf River & Lake Superior Ry. Co., a short line that grew out of a logging line but attained common carrier status and links Green Bay and Superior in an arc across northern Wisconsin through the woods and lakes around Eagle River and then the Lake Superior Shoreline through Ashland. At more than 300 miles from terminal to terminal, it's a bit long for a true short line, perhaps, and being the 1930s, it's struggling to remain independent. Expect trains from the C&NW and perhaps the Milwaukee Road to make use of its tracks from time to time.

And we have a settled-on herald as well. Here it is:

Further Revisions

Mostly these days I am mumbling in the corner and thinking out loud about this railroad project over at the Model Railroad Forums (see the blogroll).

But I will bring things a little up to date. After some further tweaking of the track plan, I have it about as complete as I think I can.

(The color coding has been just to make it easier for me to do some grade calculations when working on the plan in SCARM, the free Model Railroad CAD program I've been using. It has no other significance. I've been assured that based on the scale of my plans for operation, I probably do not need to divide this into power districts. That said, I may actually gap it for power districts now with the idea that I would implement them later.)

The biggest further change has been to add a combined reverse loop (mostly hidden) and wye (mostly visible) in one corner to make it possible to run out and back operations, either from staging to staging and back, or from Eagle Junction to either staging  and back. Through trains can start in staging and run from St. Matthew through Eagle Junction and Aaronsburgh and back to staging, or they can run the opposite direction.

I will probably make further revisions, particularly to Aaronsburgh, now that I am in the 1:1 planning stage. My objectives with Aaronsburgh will be to both allow for as much operation as possible (in other words, increase opportunities for picking up and dropping off cars) but also to make sure there's room for the urban scene (albeit small, northern Wisconsin, 1930s urban :-) ) that I envision.

The triangle to accommodate the wye/loop at St. Matthew hasn't been built, and won't be until the actual planning is complete. I want to make the loop and wye occupy as small a space as possible so as to make the triangle as small as possible, and I'm reserving that task for the 1:1 planning phase that I am now entering.

I've put the first 2-inch layer of foam on 3 of the 4 sections. The fourth piece just needs to be cut to fit, and I need another tube of adhesive for it.