The DT&I....Texas style

[dak94dav]

I've had sort of an affection for the DT&I for several years. It mostly started with a DVD boxed set I got for a gift that had all kinds of classic railroad footage. One of the features was of the DT&I in the late 60s and early 70s. For some reason I just really took a liking to it. But, freelanced themes is just a part of who I am as a model railroad enthusiast....so I've been rolling around an idea.

I'm considering the idea of railroad in Texas with the flavor and comparable size of the real DT&I. I haven't worked up many details, but I'm thinking of a mainline that runs from Galveston on the Gulf Coast to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and another linking Galveston with San Antonio....a little over 500 miles. The name would mostly like be the Texas, Gulf & International. Most traffic will consist of general merchandise "fast freights" between D/FW and the Port of Galveston, including a significant amount of TOFC traffic. Rock, oil, grain, and other agricultural products will also be significant sources of traffic. The era would probably be set some where around 1978.

Locomotives? I'll almost carbon copy the DT&I's motive power roster, with a couple exceptions:

GP7s
SW7s
GP9s
GP35s
GP38s
GP38ACs
SD38-2s
SW1500s
GP40-2s

I like the orange and black of the DT&I, but I don't really want the railroad to look like a clone of the real thing. I like the blue and white that Model Railroader used on their Milwaukee, Racine & Troy layout back in the 80s. I think I may go with this color scheme, and then add big, white TG&I letters in the same font and location as the DT&I. Locomotives will have the typical DT&I details....no dynamic brakes, nose mounted bell, roof top beacons, spark arrestors on non-turbo units, etc.

What are you thoughts or suggestions on something like this?

[dtinut]

Sounds good, a decent way to create a proto freelance RR.

I'd suggest you design you  own logo using some font that is similar to the DT&I font, but easier to find - I am pretty sure the actual DT&I font isn't a font, but hand drawn, and copied to stencils with specific measurements. I have friends who have tried to find a font, and never found an exact match... always had to draw them from photos when creating artwork for decals, and I have a stencil diagram which basically describes all the dimensions of the various letters and compass.

So, going to do something like the compass logo or go more modern like the stylized star logo?
Guess maybe your ere will dictate that.... The star herald was designed in 1977.

Note: the DT&I had SW7's & NW2's, but no SW1500's - but if you want them - it's your RR, go for it.
What caboose if are modeling pre-1985 are you going to use???

For me - a train isn't a train without a caboose bringing up the rear...

Regards,
Brian

Jan 3, 2017 19:49:13 GMT -5 dak94dav said:

I've had sort of an affection for the DT&I for several years. It mostly started with a DVD boxed set I got for a gift that had all kinds of classic railroad footage. One of the features was of the DT&I in the late 60s and early 70s. For some reason I just really took a liking to it. But, freelanced themes is just a part of who I am as a model railroad enthusiast....so I've been rolling around an idea.

I'm considering the idea of railroad in Texas with the flavor and comparable size of the real DT&I. I haven't worked up many details, but I'm thinking of a mainline that runs from Galveston on the Gulf Coast to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and another linking Galveston with San Antonio....a little over 500 miles. The name would mostly like be the Texas, Gulf & International. Most traffic will consist of general merchandise "fast freights" between D/FW and the Port of Galveston, including a significant amount of TOFC traffic. Gravel, oil, grain, and other agricultural products will also be significant sources of traffic. The era would probably be set some where around 1978.

Locomotives? I'll almost carbon copy the DT&I's motive power roster, with a couple exceptions:

GP7s
SW7s
GP9s
GP35s
GP38s
GP38ACs
SD38-2s
SW1500s
GP40-2s

I like the orange and black of the DT&I, but I don't really want the railroad to look like a clone of the real thing. I like the blue and white that Model Railroader used on their Milwaukee, Racine & Troy layout back in the 80s. I think I may go with this color scheme, and then add big, white TG&I letters in the same font and location as the DT&I. Locomotives will have the typical DT&I details....no dynamic brakes, nose mounted bell, roof top beacons, spark arrestors on non-turbo units, etc.

What are you thoughts or suggestions on something like this?

[kfallsbn]

Two words "Ohio Southern".
And, Thumbs Up on the choice.

[Packer]

Seems like a neat idea, but it also Sounds kinda like FW&D for the most part.

I will say, It's been a long time since I lived in the area, but if I recall there were a fair amount of hills, but not big ones. I guess no DB would be ok.

[dak94dav]

I like the compass logo, but haven't looked into whether or not the new name would fit in it. The "International" may be a little long. I think I will add my own version of the newer style logo, though, on my latest power. I already have it in mind. I will try to get an illustration up in a couple days with a couple different variations. As for the 1st generation Geeps and the SW7s, I think I will go with solid blue and just the full name spelled out in a small, standard font. These will be sort of grungy looking....well maintained, but dirty. Only a couple will be in the newer blue and white scheme to represent recent repaints. This will add some good variety, but at the same time tie them all together.

I will certainly have cabooses, but can't really decide on what type. Part of me says extended vision cabooses, and part of me says bay window cabooses. Either way, I will also include a couple older ones around from an earlier era, too. Maybe some that have been modernized or something.

I'm also thinking that since the TG&I runs quite a bit of short fast freights and speedy TOFC trains, I might should have more GP40s than 38s. I may omit the standard GP38s from the roster and replace with GP40s purchased in the late 60s. These would supplement several GP35s delivered around 1964. I'll keep the GP38ACs and the Dash 2s. The GP40-2s, the newest power, arrive around 1977-78 to bump down some of the aging GP35s.

[spike]

The MKT seems to me to have the same small class 1 Texas flavor. They had most of those same types of engines too. My mind is thinking the same, since I also like smaller systems too, like DT&I, MKT, LV, Reading, D&H, and especially B&M.

Here is my suggestion. Why don't you loosely base your road on MKT? You could fit your engines with DT&I features, but base the locale on Texas. Since I grew up in New England, along the B&M, that is what I did. By freelancing, I wasn't stuck having to rigidly follow B&M equipment, but was able to have the small road feel, and in the types of scenery I like.

[dak94dav]

Jan 4, 2017 10:18:15 GMT -5 spike said:

The MKT seems to me to have the same small class 1 Texas flavor. They had most of those same types of engines too. My mind is thinking the same, since I also like smaller systems too, like DT&I, MKT, LV, Reading, D&H, and especially B&M.

Here is my suggestion. Why don't you loosely base your road on MKT? You could fit your engines with DT&I features, but base the locale on Texas. Since I grew up in New England, along the B&M, that is what I did. By freelancing, I wasn't stuck having to rigidly follow B&M equipment, but was able to have the small road feel, and in the types of scenery I like.

That could be a great option as well. Yes, the MKT is one of those small Class 1s that also fits the bill for this type of modeling. In fact, it serves the same cities as I am looking for my railroad to serve. I just liked the idea of basing the railroad off the DT&I because of (a) it would be very close in size, (b) I think for the most part the DT&I's motive power roster would be equally adapted to my purposes, including numbering system and quantity of locomotives, and (c) the DT&I just seems to me like it was a small and conservative, yet well put together and efficient railroad. There are scores of others with the same characteristics, but this is just the one that stuck out to me.

[spike]

This is exactly why I said freelance is good. You can change details to your liking. Compared to the class which B&M had, Guilford sucks. My road took over. Now I can develop a roster with my own taste. I say we took over when Pan Am Airways was purchased.

You say that you like the MKT route. Why not make up the story that UP spun off the MKT, since MP, and Cotton Belt routes made it redundant. If it was the 1970s, Maybe Katy went bust, due to the competition of the mentioned lines. Your private company took over. Orange geeps with gong bells on the noses came in.

[dak94dav]

I like that idea, too. I will give it some thought. What is the name of the railroad you created?

[spike]

My road is Albany Troy and Berkshire. It was a subsidiary of B&M, and New Haven, in my storyline. When Penn Central, and B&M were bankrupt, we became independent. We operated branches, which weren't part of the Conrail Final System Plan. This kept up until we bought Guilford.


My early power is mostly has influence of the parents, like head end lighting generators, Hancock air whistles. Later power is B&M influenced. I have mostly high powered 4 axle power, although some big recent 60 and 70 series GM power has been acquired to pool with NS, CSX, CN, and CPR/D&H.

[dak94dav]

Sounds like a real good concept. What is your paint scheme like?

[spike]

Hunter Green, and yellow trim.

[spike]

Hunter Green, and yellow trim. The logo is a script, like New Haven.

[dak94dav]

Good colors, sounds like a great freelanced road