# Interurbans! And I'm back!



## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

After an absence of months, after the messy bull thread (God help us there). I'm working to start an interurban. How could I do it on a shoe string budget?


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## DaveW (Mar 4, 2012)

*Interurban?*

Ok, I'll bite. What's an interurban?


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## brik-el (Feb 24, 2012)

My guess is that he wants a layout that runs through a city.
Like a light rail train


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

trainguru said:


> After an absence of months, after the messy bull thread (God help us there). I'm working to start an interurban. How could I do it on a shoe string budget?


You just have to lighten up some dude.
You can't even see when someone is kidding around, then you go and get all wound up and start throwing real nasty remarks out.
Edit, I must add it was over Mister Rodgers verses Captain Kangaroo too.
 
Interurban.............
A wiki explaining what he wants, On a shoestring budget.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interurban


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

Let the past die, and let's not speak of it ever again. Now, how can I create an interurban road, that runs from a small city, to the country, on a shoe string budget. I mean overhead equipment, overhead wire, and rolling stock! I'm putting the mainline on a long term, so I'm going interurban. Now, any ideas on how to do it with my budget?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

trainguru said:


> Let the past die, and let's not speak of it ever again. Now, how can I create an interurban road, that runs from a small city, to the country, on a shoe string budget. I mean overhead equipment, overhead wire, and rolling stock! I'm putting the mainline on a long term, so I'm going interurban. Now, any ideas on how to do it with my budget?





Do you play a guitar? Another member makes nice power lines with guitar strings. 
Go to a music shop and ask for their old guitar strings?


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

We don't know what your "budget" is. You are only telling us you have a "shoe string budget". You want a fully operational overhead running system, that could cost you well over 100 dollars for the rolling stock, engines, track, overhead towers, the wiring, and all of the special overhead cable parts. You need to give us a dollar amount if you ever hope to get any help from this.


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

big ed said:


> Do you play a guitar? Another member makes nice power lines with guitar strings.
> Go to a music shop and ask for their old guitar strings?


Except he wants a working powered overhead system, I don't think the guitar string idea would work well enough as the wires need to give a little bit but guitar strings are very stiff and normally thicker than normal overhead wire.


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

Line is not too big a problem, I need a way for inexpensive rolling stock, and inexpensive big time. I've spent about eleven yankee dollars total on two streetcars. A Bowser PCC (die-cast), and Bachmann Brill ($10 for the Bowser; $1 for the Bachmann), but I need the big Niles, Jewetts, and such! Are Labelle kits and parts from Jason's Brass Poles the answer? Or do I need to pick the shows and Ebay? I have an ancient kit (Pennsylvania Scale Models) and I have a few overhead splices and switch frogs. But stock is a good sized concern. I'm willing to sacrifice for now on the overhead power.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gc53dfgc said:


> Except he wants a working powered overhead system, I don't think the guitar string idea would work well enough as the wires need to give a little bit but guitar strings are very stiff and normally thicker than normal overhead wire.


I missed that part about "a working" layout.
A minor detail.


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

I'm willing to sacrifice the power system; I just want to run an interurban.


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## wolfeinmane (Feb 8, 2012)

big ed said:


> Do you play a guitar? Another member makes nice power lines with guitar strings.
> Go to a music shop and ask for their old guitar strings?


ROFL.....Just hang around concerts and then hit the trash cans for all the broken strings....somebody stop me.


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

*Take this seriously!*



wolfeinmane said:


> ROFL.....Just hang around concerts and then hit the trash cans for all the broken strings....somebody stop me.


I'll stop you! Of all the jokers, a man who is a Milwaukee fan (gee, I wonder why???). Black River Jct, is litteraly 3 or 4 miles away, and My Grandpa was (briefly), a Milwaukee man. 

Now, the ground rules are this: 

1: I have a wiring kit and overhead parts.

2: I have only Two streetcars!

3: My budget is the money I save up form working for my dad, and maybe my birthday money.

4: Don't laugh at me, or joke about me or my dream.

5: Interurban and Trolley modeling, is a respectable modeling subject. Even in HO scale.

So please, please, please, please give me ideas. The stock is sort of my biggest aim right now. Ideas please, and no wise guys eh!!!


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

I would run a shelf layout. Minimal requirements for scenery so you arent spending tons of cash for buildings. You'll just need the fascias. Start with track and work the scenery later. This way you are running trains sooner. Try to get a rough idea of the buildings you want to have and lay the track around a footprint area of that building.


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

That helps out a lot; just get the grass paper down. Rolling Stock is the goal though. Track is going to be old brass stuff, as the steam road is getting the nickel-silver. I'm not a rich modeler (I buy open-frame motor locomotives on a regular basis) so does anybody know what I can get, in the way of the old Interurbans and Trolley cars? Again, that's the agenda right now.


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

You can't get very many decent trolleys/interurban for a cheap cost of that era as they were never really modeled in plastic besides the brass ones that run 100+. The new Bachmann Spectrum trolleys and streetcars are in my opinion the best detailed for the price which is from 100-200 and they come with DCC installed. I think your best bet to in all honesty is to save up the money for a nice engine.

You could try scratch building one but with all of the supplies needed it could near 100 dollars when done.


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

What about old Bowsers? How much could they be had for?


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

Ok Guru welcome back 

1) what time frame are you trying to model?
2) setting rules on the internet are for Mods and Forum owners. Getting bossy don't work, unless one is the boss. I'm saying this politely and as an elder and a father. 
3) what type of parts do you have already for the overhead power?
You should be able to do this pretty cheap if you don't mind kit-bashing stuff. Sounds like a fun project really.


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

Those rules were for this thread, as I'm trying to make the points clear on what my situation is. Also to stop bad jokes. I've given a general inventory already, earlier.


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

DaveW said:


> Ok, I'll bite. What's an interurban?



Interurban is any line thats either one of two items, one thats runs in a city setting strictly or one that from city to city with stops in each city that are between the main end points (usually referred as to inter city trains or the better known Regioruners) [think Amtrack] as for building on shoe string budget...buy what you can as you can is the best way...


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## Southern (Nov 17, 2008)

trainguru said:


> Now, the ground rules are this:
> 
> 1: I have a wiring kit and overhead parts.* OK good Start.*
> 
> ...


Do you have a time period that your are going for? What about road name?


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

*My plans!!!*



Southern said:


> Do you have a time period that your are going for? What about road name?


The time period's loose, and I'm leaning toward somthing like two city, and two independent lines in Washington State's King County area:

1. The Seattle & Rainier Valley (Seattle-Renton 13.5 miles; the old Right of Way is now Rainier Avenue and once the longest Electric Railway in the world)

2. The West Seattle streetcar lines (goes from Spokane Street to all over West Seattle)

3. The Highland Park and Lake Burien Railway (branches off from the West Seattle lines, going south to Burien; known as the "Toonerville Trolley", it was notorious for being slippery with squished caterpillars in the summer, and iced over tracks in the winter!)

4. The Waterfront Streetcar (1982-2005; used old Melbourne W2 cars, and was shut down for a sculpture park!!! Who does that... oh that's right, Seattle, in all it's wisdom; wow!

A name hasen't come quite yet, as I'm still in the planning phases. I don't like the rest of the Seattle Municipal Railway that much (aside from the orange color on the cars). I do like the interurban network, and the Tacoma Streetcars to points like Point Defiance, Steilacoom, and America and Spanaway Lakes, but that's too far in the offing.


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