Calling N scaler modelers

[Tom Kepshire]

Yesterday, April 28, 2013, I had the pleasure to speak at the Cedar Lake Historical Society's April program about our favorite railroad and its history and link to Cedar Lake. The day before, while working with Society members Don Kuhlman, he showed me his N scale layout, in progress. He spoke of having one aisle the mainline through CL along the west shore. Later, we started brainstorming a concept for his layout and it seems such a great idea, Sunday at the CLHS Board meeting I pitched the concept of a static diorama to depict the lake shore mainline. It would be a three dmensional exhibit and afford visitors a look at how things once were, before the bypass in 1947.

My desire is to recreate the scene 1946-47 era. Super detailing is not necessary, but I hope to have the track arrangement, based on archives drawings and building like the CL depot as accurate as possible. If you have any non-running F units that you would like to donate, or a steam locomotive close to the types used please contact me. Remember this will be a static display, so running is not essential. But, we obviously wouldn't want to put a C-420 on the head end of the passenger train that will be stopped at the depot.  Also any passenger cars, close to the streamliners and that era freight cars. As construction proceeds, maybe some model building expertise on some cabins or house near the depot.

Track and construction, we are well covered on. They hope to have a separate room 14/' x 12' and a shelf layout showing the ROW along the lake in N scale could get much of the west shore displayed.   

[Stew Winstandley]

After reading Tom's plan for a Cedar Lake display, I checked out page 203 in Hilton's Monon Route book that shows the end of the CL depot, and the freight house on the west side of the tracks.  Another photo of the depot can be seen by linking to
http://www.monon.org/location/cedarlake/cedarlake_depot3.jpg . Also check out drawings by linking to
http://www.monon.org/drawings/Depot-CedarLake-LG.jpg . The drawing shows two doors on the south end, whereas the book's photos shows windows. Also the drawings seem to show two different south ends, and no north end. When I compare the drawings with the photos, I wonder if it is the same depot.  Was the Cedar Lake depot rebuilt at some time with similar architecture as the original?

On the lake front is a resort building with a dock.  I think Tom is planning for this project to be in N scale.  Fourteen scale feet in N is about four tenths of a mile.  Were most of the freight cars on this section of the Monon in 1946 box cars and gondolas, or did open hoppers also run through Cedar Lake?

Stew

[Tom Kepshire]

The depot drawing was one that I found in a back issue of The Hoosier Line. We have many photos of that depot. Since I am shooting for 1946-47, the water tank would be long gone. The freight house would need to be modeled. Yes, the pier would be an essential part, also the wooden footbridge north of the depot at Monon Park and another pier there. The important emphasis is to depict the right of way and where and how close it was to the west shore.

As for the freight cars. They would not necessarily need to all be Monon. I was thinking a northbound streamline passenger at the depot, and a shot local on the other track, or freight house siding.