THE UPPER QUINTON LINE

History

The Upper Quinton line in the United States was built to serve to the coalmines just beyond the small community of Upper Quinton. Over the years traffic has fluctuated and today the levels of mining are such that the line is only economically viable being run as one of America’s many short lines. Besides the remaining coal traffic there are other sources of revenue along the line which help to keep it afloat. There is a timber processing factory which receives logs and produces cargo which is dispatched in box cars. There is also a small plant which processes the local Cotswold-stone like rocks further down the line and this gives rise to short trains of ore hoppers full of rocks being taken from various collection points to the processing plant.

The intermediate station of Rosebush is a convenient passing place. Many American towns have odd names and Rosebush is no exception. There are a few places called Rosebush in the States and of course the Great Western Railway also had a station of the same name in Wales. This Rosebush Station happens to be close to the site of a ruined castle. This of course is not a genuine ruin as such castles were never built in America. It is a folly built by a rich land owner to provide employment local people during the recession nearly last century. This has now become a tourist attraction.

The warbonnet GP38 hauls the box cars past a waiting 44 tonner on local ore duties at Rosebush.

Map of the line

Rest of the USA

Locomotive fleet

The revenue levels aren’t great and, like so many short lines, motive power is obtained by purchasing second hand units from the major companies. The Quinton Short Line has a fleet of four such locomotives of various sizes to meet the traffic requirements. It also owns a couple of 0-4-0 diesel shunters which appear to be of European descent but these do not see much use these days.

Scratchbuilt Molly hauling the first “tourist open” wagon conversion.

The directors of the line do have a sense of heritage and have lovingly restored the locomotives to the liveries of their former owners. In the case of the GP38 the Santa Fe “warbonnet” livery was a little controversial as there is no evidence to suggest that this class of loco ever received the “warbonnet” livery. It does look very smart though and captures the colours which made the Santa Fe diesels famous. Most trains are hauled by the line’s own locomotives but some services along the line are hauled by a modern SD70 MAC from the Union Pacific railroad.

SD70 undergoing on clearance tests.

Passenger Sevices

Always on the lookout for ways to bring in additional revenue, the Upper Quinton Line also runs as a tourist line. For sunny days the company owns a vintage 2-6-0 Baldwin locomotive which pulls two open and two closed cars. Clearly this train would not be suitable for all conditions and so a Budd RDC has been acquired to cater for tourist services when the steam loco is unavailable or during inclement weather.

The tourist train climbing towards Rosebush.

The Real Story

I had spent many years modelling British based OO but some years ago, after deciding that I had done all I wanted to do, sold all of my stock. Some years later I got the garden railway bug. Initial investigations showed that LGB was the main garden railway supplier. Their products are mainly European narrow gauge and very charming. They have a good reputation for reliability and strength but the high prices meant that I really could not see my desire for a garden railway coming to fruition. I then came across some American outline diesels which were very impressive and more attainable in terms of price. The garden railway project had become a possibility once again.

I mainly run USA Trains locos which are well detailed, have been reliable to date and reasonably priced. They do take a lot of power so a power source which can provide 18-22 volts at 5 amps is a minimum requirement. It should also be noted that two of main USA based manufacturers (USA Trains and Aristocraft) have decided to make models to 1/29 scale running on 45mm track. This of course is incorrect as standard gauge stock should be 1/32 scale (gauge1) so the Americans seem to have created their own OO type enigma. It has been explained that this was to make the standard gauge stock “look right” next to the narrow gauge stock commonly used in garden railways. It has also been suggested that this scale was used because it is exactly three times HO and this made scaling up the drawings so much easier! A third manufacturer of standard gauge American stock has chosen 1/32 scale. The above is not so much of a problem so long as buyers are aware and can check how items look together before buying. There are some more serious problems however. Knuckle couplers are provided with American stock but, whilst they look similar, different manufacturers stock does not necessarily couple together easily or securely. Another compatibility problem is that LGB has stated that running their locomotives with other manufacturer’s controllers will invalidate the warranty. It is very disappointing that there are not common standards on these issues and surely not in the best interests of the hobby or the manufacturers. One might have expected the Americans to have sorted this out.

Alco S4 hauls timber train into Rosebush while Baldwin waits with the tourist train.

My railway has developed in stages as funding and time has become available. In autumn 2003 a dog bone shaped circuit was laid at the far end of my garden. The philosophy has always been that this enterprise would be a garden with a railway rather than a model railway with a garden. During the last three years the line has seen three major extensions and has now covered about as much of the garden as possible without becoming too dominant. There is a circuit of track some 200 foot long with a passing loop station and four sidings. This allows the operation of five trains and gives the feeling that trains are coming from and going to somewhere.

Building a garden railway may require major landscaping work. I’m pleased to say I did this all by myself armed only with a spade and a spirit level.

Efforts can be well rewarded. SD40 on coal duty crosses the upper pond. The planting from the previous year is now established.

The stock has been collected slowly and carefully from sources in the UK, Europe and the States. Modelling a minority interest section of garden railways which is minority interest in the first place does mean that items can take some tracking down. Generally speaking if you locate something you really need it is best to act straight away because the opportunity may not arise again for a long time. Having said that it is important to plan purchases carefully and only buy what you really require. In addition to the high purchase cost it should be noted that stock in this scale takes up large amounts of storage space. Ensuring that space is available for storage plays a part in planning future purchases.

Initially track power was provided by an old H&M unit but this was not really adequate so a 24volt 8 amp power supply was obtained at a very reasonable price off Ebay. A means of creating variable voltage was then required and the first two control units were home made thus keeping initial costs down. Both of these were connected to the power source by a long lead. As the railway developed it became obvious that some sort of wireless remote control is pretty much essential for a garden railway and it is now run using an Aristocraft Train Engineer.

This has proved to be successful and is also used for remote operation of the points. The track is sourced from both Aristocraft and USA Trains both of which have the same rail profile as LGB but are cheaper. Some was obtained second hand from my local model shop, some off Ebay and some from exhibitions. This has resulted in a considerable saving compared to list prices. I use Aristocraft points which have been ok so far but the matching point motors have been found to be less than well designed for long term reliability. The track is claimed to have a high brass content which means it conducts well and doesn’t need too much cleaning. The fishplates can be attached to the rail by screws thus creating a good, long lasting electrical connection. Although the track is fixed I have found that by undoing some of the screws underneath and cutting some of the ties between the sleepers it can become flexible. Track with this profile rail does not bend as easily as OO track and getting an even curve is difficult. I use the track a set for large curves and flex it myself for the transition curves. Aristocraft also sell a tap and die set to allow tapped holes to be put into rails which have been cut so that the fishplates can be screwed in place. Most of the track is on a concrete base and held in place by coarse grit which is used as ballast. When the track is joined by the fishplates I have found that it doesn’t need to be screwed down. Ballasting work does have to be carried out every spring, just like the real thing. The rail profile is over scale but this makes it good and strong for outdoor use. If I were to build an indoor layout in this scale I would choose Peco or Tenmille track.

The GP 38 on a Santa Special. Winter can be harsh in Upper Quinton.

There has been very little scenic development so far. The castle is a solid cement structure from Tuxcraft and I also have a church from the same company. The station building is scratchbuilt from plastic materials.

Conclusion

The railway will now hold 5 trains of 14 foot length. Loading this amount of stock takes a little while and I have very little spare storage space. Maintaining the 200 foot run and sidings, plus keeping the rest of the garden tidy is enjoyable but takes up plenty of “tinkering” time in the summer. To quote from one of Cyril Freezer’s layout plans books I think I have reached the “desirable maximum” for someone who has to work for a living. I have found creating and running a garden railway to be a most enjoyable experience. As an added bonus the garden has much more attention lavished upon it than ever before.

I think everyone in the garden railway fraternity is exceptionally friendly and helpful. The internet has been a very useful source of reference for both prototype information and locating models. There are a number of G scale forums and the G Scale Mad forum has been a great place for advice, lively banter and good comradeship.

Chris Morris 08/10/06.