Model Railroading > Prototype UP Track Charts for Model RR

Recently, TO Member IMRL asked if I could draw up some track charts for his switching layout based on UP's switching operations in Topeka, KS, and I was happy to give it a shot. Given my penchant for prototype operations and low-grade OCD, I was happy to do so, but in the process I HAD to make this look just like UP's official paperwork.

Thankfully, some other generous TO members provides some UP ZTS Charts to me use as a model for my project, and here's the result for the first half of the layout.

Photo 1: The hand drawn chart that IMRL provided to me.

Photo 2: The prototype ZTS Chart that I was using to model my own after.

Photo 3: And the finished (?) product after spending a few hours playing around in Publisher. For future reference, the font that I used for most everything on here is called "ProFont." Just finding that took a fair amount of time, and though it's not a perfect match for UP's font, it's awfully close, notably in the A's and zeros.

I'm sure that the track chart alone will find its way into other forms, but making up these ZTS Charts was a good first step. Working with paperwork that looks authentic is an important step towards realism in operations, and this was a relatively easy project to get rolling.

Enjoy,
- Jeff Carlson

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Photo 4: And because we all love pictures of trains themselves, here's a shot of the UP caboose #25881 that TO-member Turbine painted for IMRL. In this world, the caboose works around Topeka, usually heading over to the east yard to protect the shove back towards the yard.

Photo 5: In real life, the #25881 lives its life over on the Bonner Springs local to the west of Kansas City. However, the UP has started using an ex-MP caboose in Topeka for the Goodyear job, so it's not too much of a stretch to have this one out and about.

- Jeff Carlson

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Beautiful work, on all counts! You guys hit me right where I live, with both the paperwork and the caboose. More please!

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

iaisfan Wrote:
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> Beautiful work, on all counts! You guys hit me
> right where I live, with both the paperwork and
> the caboose. More please!

Thanks Joe, I had a feeling this might be up your alley. I actually thought of doing something like this for you, but you could just as easily use the prototypes', right? All that's missing are a few tracks in CB?

- Jeff

Great job

bnsfsd70 Wrote:
> Thanks Joe, I had a feeling this might be up your alley. I actually thought of doing something like this for you, but you could just as easily
> use the prototypes', right? All that's missing are a few tracks in CB?

Thanks for thinking of me Jeff, but yeah, I just scanned the prototype track chart and removed a yard track and one of the RIP tracks in Bluffs Yard. All the work you put in on these UP charts really shows! Very nice!

And I love that CA-11. I've got a real weakness for cabooses, and those and their similar MP counterparts are my favorites. I'm currently in the process of adding a couple of the latter to the IAIS fleet, but will only patch one side for the IAIS so I can turn them around and easily hide them in UP's Pool Yard when I'm feeling like being more prototypical. Here are a couple pics of IAIS 9440 before patching.

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/14 17:55 by iaisfan.

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And the prototype leaning blue flag! Awesome!

Eng.Shadetree

iaisfan Wrote:
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> And I love that CA-11. I've got a real weakness
> for cabooses, and those and their similar MP
> counterparts are my favorites.

For the record, I just posted a shot of the MP #13832 up on the Western Board here: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,3584938

> I'm currently in the process of adding a couple of the latter to
> the IAIS fleet, but will only patch one side for
> the IAIS so I can turn them around and easily hide
> them in UP's Pool Yard when I'm feeling like being
> more prototypical.

Ahh, I love it! However, I'm surprised you didn't go with one of the ex-ATSF cabooses like the one over in Blue Island.

- Jeff

shadetree Wrote:
> And the prototype leaning blue flag! Awesome!

Thank you sir. They're everywhere around the prototype facility, and they make a handy way to make it clear to my crews what tracks are off-limits for their use - or at least require the hostler's or RIP track's permission for occupancy.

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

bnsfsd70 Wrote:
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> Thankfully, some other generous TO members
> provides some UP ZTS Charts to me use as a model
> for my project, and here's the result for the
> first half of the layout.

Hey, look! I finished (?) the ZTS for the other half of the layout tonight! I figured that while I was watching some old Fallons and Colberts on the DVR, I might as well be productive, right?

- Jeff

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Jeff wrote:
> For the record, I just posted a shot of the MP #13832 up on the Western Board here: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,3584938

Thanks Jeff! And that looks like an honest-to-goodness caboose, with no plated windows or welded doors. Do they shove up to Goodyear, or is there some other reason for the caboose?

> However, I'm surprised you didn't go with one of the ex-ATSF cabooses like the one over in Blue Island.

I thought about doing so, but with the influence of the UP in Council Bluffs, I felt that the IAIS purchase of ex-UP/MP cars made more sense here. They bought their BI caboose at a time before heavy standardization was really part of the IAIS mindset, so I felt I could get away with using a different caboose type on the West End. Besides, I just like the modern MP cabooses better. :-)

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd