Pre 1934 Brownwood, MO Track Diagram?

My next big project will be modeling the remaining portion of the 8 mile long Zalma Branch from Geenbrier to the main line at Brownwood. The tracks crossed the main at a 90 degree and continued south towards Aquilla. There were some switches that connected the branch lines to the main line. Does anyone know of a diagram that would show the track arrangement? This will make operations much more enjoyable.

 

Jim, there are generally four different possibilities for the track alignments. If you will ignore the absolute perpendiculars in my sketches, I think the first one would be most likely, however crossings would have been difficult and expensive. The first without the vertical may have been more likely, with the depot aligned on the east-west track.

 

Here's a Brownwood photo looking east towards Advance with the depot on the left and the crossing is right at the corner of the depot. The track heading to the left is northwards towards Zalma.

 

This is what I have for Brownwood, it is kind of an unusual layout for a crossing .

Roger

 

Roger, you're the man! Everything I need to know and I've never seen this before. Even has the water tank and everything thing else shown. This could be a switching layout all by itself. Thanks a million. I don't guess you have a page showing Richardson, Greenbrier or Zalma?

 

Wow. Who would have ever guessed that Brownwood was such a thriving location?

Jim, we eagerly await updates on your layout expansion.

Best Regards,

 

Sounds like a moonshine shack

 

Based on that track diagram, the only was to get to Aquilla was to be headed westbound or south, and the only way to get to Zalma was eastbound or north. Interesting indeed!

 

I wonder if that switch north of the depot on the east side should face north towards Zalma instead south as drawn? That would make it way more functional.

 

It's hard to believe that log tram actually crossed the main line and sidings like that. Hmmm.

 

I'm going to try and selectively model this scene and the log tram would be fun. I have a photo of a home made locomotive used on a log tram(possibly this very tram). I think that this drawing was done with a main focus on the town and it's structures and inhabitants more so than on the exact track appearance which could explain the odd switch placement north of the depot.
Building #12 says charcoal kiln but also says barrel heading factory. Barrel heading?
I have a photo dated 1915 from a newspaper showing Mr Pritchard and family sitting on a motorized speeder sitting on the tracks which are about 20' from his front porch( building #9). He worked for the railroad and made the speeder himself. The track is just hand hewn ties sitting ontop of the ground.
I need to figure out what commercial turnouts to use because I ain't scratchbuilding any turnouts and I don't want this switching layout to be any larger than necessary.

 

Glad to be of help! This is from a book at the Mid-Cont. Library in Independence, I think it is called "Brownwood-Then & Now, it has the photo of the depot posted below on the cover. I'm sure there would be a copy in a library in your area. Unfortunately, this is the only map I have of your line, as a matter of fact I was going to ask you if you have a track plan of Zalma. The only info I have is that it ended at the river edge parallel & east of HWY 51 but it looks like it could have also crossed HWY51 and ran parallel to Railroad St. Just like your layout only with HWY 51 between the depot & side track.

As for the map of Brownwood I have to agree with everyone else, I think the tram line ran south but curved to the east & connected with Frisco on the west end of the north yard track, that way they could interchange with Frisco. As for the xing, I don't recall any location with this type of arrangement, but possibly on the east leg there could of have been a tradional curve from southeast (Frisco) to northwest (B&NW, below #95) that the author forgot to draw in or was not there for very long.

That's my 2 cents...

Roger

 

I have a poor photocopy of a platt map of Zalma dated about 1910 or so. It shows a huge area labeled "Railroad Ground". I compared this with a view from google map and there you have it. Railroad St. was actually the roadbed of the main track. A large section of land to the east of the tracks is included in the area labeled as railroad ground but no tracks are indicated. Hwy 51 could be running along the top of a siding. I'm not sure though. It looks like its a possibility.

 

Would anybody be able to tell me what common motive power would have been seen going through Brownwood along the Hoxie branch during the late teens and early 20s. I would love to stage a mainline train to interchange at the junction. I'm ready to tackle something bigger than a 4-4-0.