BLACKFOOT AND NEW MEADOWS RAILROAD
(as Operated 2010)
The final stage of the Blackfoot and New Meadows Railroad was commissioned and became fully operational at the end of 2007. The focus of the club membership became commencing the scenery and learning the road and how to operate the layout. Most train running consisted of runs from SUSY then continuous loop around the layout and then back to SUSY to remove the train from the layout.
At the beginning of 2010 the layout committee, as a result of suggestions from members reviewed, the operation of the layout and determined that the potential of SUSY was being under utilised and that there was a need to review the operational concept of the layout. Due to the nature of the layout and flexibility of the digital control panel operational changes posed no real problem to implement any changes.
The major change was to make the Blackfoot and New Meadows Railroad a true point to point layout for operation while allowing general running for member who wished. It was decided to make SUSY both ends of the bridge line and upgrade its capacity to include a major passenger station and more yard space. Its operational role is to be the “rest of the world” destination.
It was decided to have three railroad companies operating on the layout.
· The Blackfoot and New Meadows Railroad owning the main line and major yards and managing east bound and west bound train operation to and from SUSY. Mainline passenger trains would stop at Blackfoot Station to interchange with the BART system and at Atomic City in winter to interchange with a ski train to Ophir.
Through freights will pass through 12th Street Yard to drop up and pick up wagons while a series of local turns will operate from 12th Street Yard to various locations around the layout servicing towns and local industry.
Special and unit trains will run direct from SUSY to the car plant, coal mine, meat packing plant, oil refinery, steel mill, container yard, wheat terminal and return.
· Billingham Area Regional Transport (B.A.R.T.) that provides an urban and interurban passenger service from a new station at Meadows on a regular timetable to various locations on the layout. BART runs from its own station at Meadows and has track access rights on the Blackfoot and New Meadows Railroad except for its own tracks which run parallel with the BFNMR between Blackfoot Station and Taber Station where it has numerous stops as part of its urban service.
· Deadwood and Mt Sharon Railroad. This railroad is a short line branch that services the fruit industry and military training areas at Park City, the cattle industry at Deadwood, the ski resort at Ophir and the vast timber areas around Mt Sharon. It joins the BFNMR at the Lowman interchange yard. There is an interesting run series of runs that can be made from this area. Cattle from Deadwood to the feed lot at Lowman, cattle from Lowman feed lot to the abattoir and meat processing plant at McCall then meat products to SUSY.
These changes have been successful and well received by members and passenger and freight operation rather than running is the preference by a majority of members.
The track layouts are in two sections and if you click on each of the sections you will be able to see the workings of the layout.
If you click on each of the following you will see photos of the layout during its construction. More photos will be added as areas are completed.