Greetings all,
I’m in the process
of making an HO scale diorama of my dad's boyhood farm that straddled
the CB&Q’s Mendota Sub, just east of Princeton, IL (
Map
Link). The scene will be set somewhere between 1948-1950, during
the summer.
I’ve tapped my dad
for as much information as he can remember, however, his memories are
focused on the farm house and yard. Since I didn't come around for another 30 years or so, I
don’t know much about the Q’s setup from 1948-1950, and I would
like to be as accurate as possible. That leads me to my questions...
1. What color was
the ballast? Is what is currently there accurate?
2. What size/weight
was the rail? When did the Q implement Welded rail?
3. Were there
telephone/telegraph poles along the right-of-way? How many
cross-arms did they have? How many wires? How tall were the poles?
Which side of the ROW would they have been on?
4. What motors would
have been seen on a typical train in the late 40’s? How quickly
would the diesels have taken over for steam on the Mendota Sub? Would it
be unusual to see a steam engine on this line in the late 1940's?
Thanks in advance
for any information you can provide.
Drew