You mean the two-foot gauge Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes? Didn’t it close down in 1935? Well, yes, it did, but we modelers construct time machines, and so yes again, a week ago, I did indeed operate on the SR&RL. It’s the outdoor version built by Jim Providenza, in progress lo these 20-plus years, and this was to be the very first actual operating session.
I certainly don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of scale and gauge that looms before a person who chooses to model this railroad in large scale. Several large scales exist to take advantage of LGB track, a major assist in putting together an outdoor railroad. But one fault in this track, when addressing a railroad like the SR&RL, is that the rails are pretty large for that prototype; and a second point to be made is that the various equipment for 3-foot gauge prototypes that exists is largely not going to work in 2-foot gauge.
As Jim quickly discovered, all this meant that a great deal of scratchbuilding was going to be called for, as was the challenging work of creating freight car trucks and, even more challenging, locomotives. This is kind of, but not exactly, what’s known as F scale (1:20.3), but this version is called Proto 20.3n2. To get into the vicinity of the right rail size, O scale nickel-silver rail was used.
For a great deal more about these issues, you may wish to read Jim’s article in Garden Railways (available on line at: https://www.trains.com/grw/how-to/large-scale-layouts/the-sandy-river-and-rangeley-lakes-in-proto-20-3n2/ ). Jim’s SR&RL was also featured in Railroad Model Craftsman, in the issue for November-December 2014.
Then of course there were the challenges of outdoor railroad construction, where the sun can be damaging, it can rain quite energetically (and erosion happens), and various insects and small animals regard this as their territory too, problems encountered far less often in basements. But after these years of work, his backyard does indeed contain quite a lot of Strong, Maine, and enough trackage for fairly long runs, as well as switching. He decided to try an actual operating session.
The first step is that the railroad has to be prepared. Outdoor conditions, as mentioned above, are rarely beneficial to scale structures, so these are kept indoors until operating. Below, Jim and Bill Horstmeyer are bringing out the “Doc’s House,” a familiar landmark in Strong.
Then we went to work. My first job was to run the morning “motor,” as the Sandy River termed it, which was simply railbus No. 3, with a trailer. Here it is crossing Jim’s higher bridge.
Of course there were occasional obstacles, such as the Providenza’s retired guide dog, Radley, shown here delaying the motor while napping. Presently he moved his head so I could pass. Again, this is a problem less common in basements.
Then after the morning mixed train had run, I was called as conductor for the afternoon mixed, using locomotive No. 9, a Bachmann model above the mechanism, with shortened axles by John Rogers. Behind it here at Strong is one of the Sandy River’s log racks, used for both hardwood and softwood logs.
To my delight, I was issued an actual Form 31 order, something long gone on the Southern Pacific at the time I model (1953), so a new and interesting experience. And yes, both I and my engineman had to sign it.
Switching in a larger scale like this is a little different than the HO-scale switching skill set. You don’t quite have that inclusive “airplane view” of the world, but have to plan a little differently. It was fun, and all in all, actually went pretty well. In the background below is brakeman Horstmeyer, and in the foreground, the Strong turntable, which we used.
There were naturally a few glitches in the session, as there are in practically any first operating session — that’s the point, to find the problems — but the equipment was a lot of fun, as was the different perspective, operating at this size of models and track layout. I hope Jim continues with operating sessions on the Sandy River.
Tony Thompson