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Imagineering
by Pat Harriman, MMR
Anyone involved in model railroading will find
themselves involved in imagineering in a whole variety
of ways as they work their way through the different
facets of the hobby. Those hobbyists who choose to model
other than prototype will find more opportunities than
those bound to historical fact. Nevertheless,
opportunities will exist on both fronts. Limitations of
space or funding should not limit your imagination or
inhibit your thinking. Experience has shown that an
awful lot of modeling and operating can occur in a
fairly constricted space. By the same token, an awful
lot of modeling can be accomplished in a very short
period of time and with little or no expenditure of
money.
It is important to determine as early as possible who
and where you are. What are your priorities? When is
your railroad operating and where? Research your era and
determine what the buildings look like, what clothes the
people are wearing, what the preeminent industries were
and how they were being services. In general, become as
familiar as you can with that particular place and time.
Even if you choose to build your own imaginary railroad
in a fictitious location, it should be based on the
reality that existed at that particular place in time.
Name your railroad using some of the same logic that
original founders used to name the Westside Lumber
Company and the Denver South Park. The "Shelter Bay
Railway" came about because the pike is built in a
bomb shelter and because I wanted a lumber schooner
sitting alongside a wharf as a primary focal point. Any
logic set will suffice in establishing a name for your
railroad, but again use your imagination.
If you decide on a fictitious railroad, take the time
to develop a history for that railroad. The history
should include the founders, the reasons for its
existence, historical high points such as expansions to
new communities, acquisitions of specific equipment that
have some significance, and lots of dates. If you can
include a few facts that can be documented and somehow
made to play a part in your history, the whole scenario
becomes more believable. Start with the day that you
were originally chartered and work your way forward to
the day in history that you plan to model. Remember that
whether you model prototype, freelance, or a combination
of both, your history will lend credibility and allow
you to do any number of logical things in the future.
As you're doing these things, begin to plan the
actual layout and do scale drawings. The concepts behind
your railroad will dictate the direction your plan takes
as much as the available space will. Do not get in a
hurry to start building. The more times you redraw or
adjust a track plan, the better the final product will
turn out. Call on other experienced modelers to critique
your plan. It is much easier to redraw a track plan than
it is to rebuild benchwork and reconfigure track that is
already in place. You can't spend too much time in the
planning phase or exercise your imagination too much. As
your track plan evolves, consider the places and
industries you serve, the natural environment your
trains will go over and under and through. The names of
these places, like real places, might reflect the people
you know, both family and friends. Larry Long's
"Missouri Valley" railroad is a good example
of a railroad that embraces the names of his children
and many of his friends. The more you operate on this
railroad, the more familiar and acceptable these places
become.
Many railroads had logos and this is a area where you
can really have fun. There was every conceivable shape
imaginable, some with a lot of reason behind them and
others that were simply distinctive looking. Color
schemes for motive power and rolling stock can also be
very distinctive. Once you have established a name, a
logo, and a color scheme, you can make your own decals
or dry transfers and your railroad begins to take on its
own personality. Ron Morse's "Forks Creek and
Central" sports red roofs and red tenders. George
Filkins and Joe Robertson have their own beautiful color
schemes which are very distinctive.
 All railroads issued passes which
allowed people to ride trains free of charge if they
happened to be issued a pass for a given year. The
Missouri Valley and the Shelter Bay Railway also issue
passes. In fact, there are quite a large number of model
railroaders who trade their passes back and forth. These
modelers use the pass exchange to share with one another
aspects of the hobby they specifically are involved in.
Model railroaders communicate on corporate stationary
mailed in corporate envelopes sealed with corporate
seals. In the near future, the Shelter Bay Railway will
be issuing stock certificates in 100 share increments to
perspective stock holders which is a little unusual.
The subject of imagineering as it applies to model
railroading seems a bottomless well. In the future these
fictional railroads will have their own train orders,
train warrants, cloth patches, T-shirts, and all of them
with corporate logos and color schemes. One fellow we
all know has been in the hobby for thirty-six years or
more, and because of his active imagination continues to
find more ways of doing things and more things to do
than your can believe. So use your imagination and, by
all means, have fun.
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