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Post by MichRR714 on May 11, 2021 15:07:12 GMT
The hobby for me has always been more than just trains. I'm always trying to connect with something historical and occasionally with something personal. I've been in pursuit of this in building my layout and collecting models for a long time.
Much of the inspiration for my layout comes from the west end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula which has been home to members of my family going back over 100 years. These were tough people, working the copper mines, logging the forests and surviving often brutal and lengthy northern winters. Rockland, MI is the center of where my family was located. In the area were some of the most productive underground copper mines in history. The famous Ontonagon boulder of solid copper was found in this very area and now located in the Smithsonian.
The Milwaukee Road Depot in Rockland has always been something I admired. Mixed use, passenger and also an attached freight shed, I believe it to have pleasing proportions for a layout. Many years ago on a different layout I commissioned a friend with architectural skills to build me a model. To this day it's a centerpiece on my new layout.
I leave in the morning with my Mom to visit relatives in Rockland. I'll no doubt visit the ground where the depot once proudly stood while reveling in the rich history all around me.
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Post by Adam on May 11, 2021 15:26:51 GMT
Beautiful story and photos.
You gave me something to ponder as I think about my next layout, something that has been in planning for a while but wont happen for a few years.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2021 15:29:21 GMT
Stunning and perfect replica of the station. You did an absolutely beautiful job and I like this topic!!!
Since you bring this topic up, here is a photo attached of 6' x 6' section on Corner Field Model Railroad Museum i completely scratch built of my Great Grandfathers Wildlife Park named Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve. I constructed it in honor of my great grandfather plus the sand company Best Sand he owned we as a family made that as well. Both places in real life are located in Chardon Ohio.
 
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2021 15:48:22 GMT
You can add business names, vehicles or town names that reflect personal experiences. Easy to do.
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Post by josef on May 11, 2021 16:23:53 GMT
75% of my layout is personal. Businesses and structures that were part of the town I grew up in, and worked as well as the farm my dad owned which Woodland did an outstanding job of recreating. Sometimes I can just sit there and remember going to the theater which is showing "The Great Locomotive Chase" and remember going to watch it twice. Or the IGA store I worked at in my High School years. The gas station my dad filled up every Saturday morning, or the church we went to on Sundays. as night time comes and the lights in the room darken and the lights on the layout come on, I can still imagine the NYC freight train going by at 10:15PM and I could go to sleep. Yes, my layout is and was built on memories, a time and a place I hold to this day dear and hope those memories will still be there in the years to come.
That's why model railroading and layouts are so great. We build them for various reasons, for me it was memories.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2021 16:54:41 GMT
Charlie great story and outstanding job on the station build!
Have a great trip but leave the cold weather up there. lol
Not sure how many personal things will be on my layout. Only my great grand father had anything to do with trains as far as I know. I guess my grandfather rode the trains while in the Army and overseas.
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Post by ptc on May 11, 2021 17:08:40 GMT
Excellent topic, Charlie. Something personal on your layout is special and it will always be.
Our last layout had a replica of the Newport Bridge. I traveled that bridge often ever since it was commissioned and it represented travel to Newport where I have many happy memories. Alas, when we downsized and the layout went away, I really missed that Bridge. Fast forward to today, we have another replica of the Newport Bridge designed to fit our new layout. I look forward to installing it and hopefully enjoying it for a long time.
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Post by cnw1995 on May 11, 2021 17:42:13 GMT
That's inspiring, Charlie. I've been up in that area and it is just as you describe.
I too enjoy personalizing the layout, though since it represents a fictional space, I have taken this in a different direction by naming features after friends like Tassel Valley and Stoia Creek.
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Post by MichRR714 on May 11, 2021 18:20:39 GMT
That's inspiring, Charlie. I've been up in that area and it is just as you describe. I too enjoy personalizing the layout, though since it represents a fictional space, I have taken this in a different direction by naming features after friends like Tassel Valley and Stoia Creek. Doug I sure would like to see pictures of Tassel Valley and Stoia Creek!  What an honor.
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Post by fabforrest on May 11, 2021 18:22:44 GMT
Great depot!
My layout is filled with family relevant scenes. It increases the fun for everyone.
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Post by g3750 on May 13, 2021 3:31:29 GMT
The Panhandle is all about the area I grew up in - Weirton, WV and Steubenville, OH. It is full of people and places that created happy memories.
Even if some of these places no longer exist, in my mind I can walk down the streets and see those wonderful people and relive those memories.
George
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Post by firewood on May 13, 2021 4:53:04 GMT
I agree, having a family tie to something or everything about your layout or is a real positive. There was an uptick in interest from my family when I went 3-rail, originally started by the appearance of a Lionel Polar Express. My layout should hopefully echo my local area (on the other side of Lake Superior from the UP), but I don't have the room to faithfully model any particular feature. I have maple syrup fans in the family, so there will be a spot for the CN barrel car to unload  . There will also be some mining activity similar to the Michigan UP, also a marker of this area and large in my family background. I like your layout backstory - mine is a little alternate history, but a plausible "what-if" situation. I have a mix of CNR, CPR and GN criss-crossing the Canada/US border based on a series of long-defunct short lines. Looking forward to more of your layout stories. FW |
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2021 13:58:38 GMT
Paula and I constructed buildings for several years before we started the layout. We have enjoyed naming buildings after grandkids, using photos of people inside buildings, or planning a scene that has special meaning to our family. Once we can begin doing scenery, etc, that will come alive. The stuff is here ready to go. So many kids kept asking, “Where are the buildings?” that we got them out and put them on the left side with the lights connected.
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Post by david1 on May 14, 2021 3:42:32 GMT
My mom and dad were very poor, never owned a house or a car but one thing they did enjoy was the holidays especially the Christmas holiday. Even though they didn't have much money to spend but what they did spend was on us kids. Those memories of Christmas past is a wonderful memory for me.
This why my layout I'm building now although not big is a reminder of those Christmases long ago and what wonderful parents my brothers and I had. The house was always filled with love of the Christmas holidays. We may of not had much but what we did have was much appreciated,
Thank you Mom and Dad for such a wonderful childhood.
Dave
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Post by kstrains on May 15, 2021 15:30:52 GMT
Charlie, your photos a fabulous of Rockland Station! A great memory to share with us here about your layout. For several years, I tried to figure out a name for the town for my Christmas Layout with out much success. One night, I a name struck me that would fit and make it more personal to me. I bought a sign from Department 56 and customized it to put the name of my town on it. The name of the town is McAdenville where my wife's grandmother lived while she grew up and retired. It has popular nickname known as Christmas Town USA.  My Department 56 sign  The real sign in McAdenville NC Every year, the town decorates the entire town including every house with thousands of Christmas Lights on the trees. It is beautiful display for Christmas and thousands of visitors come from all over to see the display each year. So, in memory of my wife's grandmother, I named my Christmas village after the this small town in North Carolina. |
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What an honor.
. There will also be some mining activity similar to the Michigan UP, also a marker of this area and large in my family background. I like your layout backstory - mine is a little alternate history, but a plausible "what-if" situation. I have a mix of CNR, CPR and GN criss-crossing the Canada/US border based on a series of long-defunct short lines.
