Hi, my name is McKinley Hallmark. I'm from northwest Alabama, along what was once the Frisco's Southeastern sub, today's BNSF Birmingham Sub. As long as I can remember I have always been fascinated with trains, watching them operate and hearing the horns in the distance as a fast intermodal or coal drag comes through high balling at 50 mph. Like most children of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s I grew up watching Thomas and Friends, seeing adverts for 'Lots and Lots of Trains!', and 'I love Toy Trains' before the televised cattle sales on RFDTV. My love has never faded, only grown, while my favorite fallen flag will always be the Southern Railway, I have appreciation for all. In the last year to two years my interest in learning about the Frisco and the line that once served my home. My first real experience with trains was in 2009, my family had made the trip to Chattanooga, TN to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum where I got to ride behind former US Army #610, as well as my first meeting with Southern #630 (Though not in service at the time). That trip was for all the marbles, what had me hooked from then on and I've gotten to meet a fair few survivors of the steam era. TVRM #610, Southern #630, #4501 and #107 (Former Dollywood engine), East Broad Top #3, Frisco #1527, #1529, and #4018, and GSMR #1702. Anywho, that's just a touch about me and my intentions here. Thank you for reading, and have a good rest of your day.
Welcome McKinley, I got into N scale in 1984 shortly after we went to Steam Town in LA. It soldified my love for stteam. Joe
As it were, I'm attempting to do a HO layout of the Frisco Southern Sub between Sulligent and Winfield. Hasn't been too easy, not a whole lot in the way of motive power on the market.
Welcome aboard, McKinley. Should you start to delve into historical operations, the Frisco and Southern were quite nicely intertwined in Birmingham back in the day. As I understand it. 8^)
Welcome to Frisco.org. A member of this group (Trainchaser007 - now sadly deceased) lived near Sulligent, AL. If I recall, he some of his posts had information about the lines through there and near there. You can get some practice with the forum search function to learn a bit about him and what he said.
I've been seeing that a lot in some photos I've dug through. Getting to see what motive power was here has given me a lot of ideas on what I can included in a layout and still be somewhat prototypical.
Thanks, I will give his stuff a look. Sadly, it doesn't seem a lot of my area was greatly or widely documented, or as far as I can find thus far. A rabbit hole I have been down for about six months has been trying to find information on the steam locomotive that was kept here in Winfield that interchange the coal hoppers in Brilliant (Formerly Boston). Information conflicts, everyone I have talked to says it was a 4-4-0 American, but I've seen an old hand say it was a low drivered pacific. Something I hope to maybe figure out.
If I remember right Brandon had a lot of information on the Sulligent Branch. Helped him plan his track drawings. Joe
