The N Scale Trim Creek Southern RR

In 1971 I started construction of an N scale railroad, the Trim Creek Southern (TCS). Living in Switzerland, at this time it was quite a bit unusual to use an American modeling theme, when the then famous makers of N scale equipment - Arnold, Minitrix - produced almost exclusively models of European prototype. Luckily ATLAS started to sell very well running models of US rolling stock. I fondly remember the trusty USRA Light Mikado, which became one of the workhorses on my pike. As you can see, in the early 70's there still was no 'Woodland Scenics' foam - so the bushes are just simple lichen clumps. Measured at today's standards they look quite crude!

TCS Mikado # 70 dragging a freight uphill towards Trim Creek (30 years ago I still made many B/W photographs!)

Another of my 'Darlings' was the SW 1500, then in N scale a versatile and well running model. Strangely, ATLAS brought out a loco which was modeled after the EMD demonstrators with the typical beveled flat-top roof. So I filed those roofs of my switchers down and added the normal rounded roof for my TCS switchers. I also used them for short way freights.

Two SW 1500s at the point of a short freight. They are rumbling slowly through Fever River Gulch, the front unit already leaning into the superelevated curve. . There is still one of the original Arnold N couplers on the front of the engine. Later I exchanged them all for N scale Kadees, when they became available. Again - note the rough lichen bushes! The blue sky background was added in my computer, replacing a rather dark and striped wallpaper..

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