By Matt Gentry

I can always remember having ideas of what my layout will look like when I get around to building it. Initially, it was to be almost identical to the layout at Don’s, but I was also 6 at the time and that was the best thing ever! For years to come my plans stayed the same with only small variations to detail like what switches to use, more complex interlockings, how I want to scenic the layout, you know…detail stuff! And then came the year 2010 and my graduation.

2010 was an important year for me and my modeling direction. I graduated from college in May of 2010 and had a full time position. I was getting adjusted to life with no school, and the fact that I could *almost* do as I pleased with my earnings. So naturally I was looking at trains for purchase. I had always looked at Lionel and MTH catalogs and always knew their price point. But when I took a look this year, I really was presented with a choice. That choice was to either A) continue in O gauge and just do a little bit here, and a little bit there, or B) to change to a smaller gauge and be able to do more with the same amount of investment. Well, option B won the war.

So with the decision made to switch to a smaller scale, the question now was HO or N? I could do a LOT with N scale, but the direction I thought I wanted to go involved steam. And in my honest opinion, although N scale has come a LONG way, steam locomotives just aren’t quite there…yet! So, HO scale it was.

With this decision, it was time to decide what I wanted to model and when, and then plan a layout. Mind you all of this is taking place in my head. No paper, no computer, nothing. So I knew that I wanted to have steam and I have always liked western railroads. I was also becoming more and more taken with super powered locomotives, so it looked like I was working from 1940-1960. This allowed late steam and early diesel. But where? Well, I had begun collecting some eastern railroad equipment, so why not centralize around Chicago, but primarily run in the west? OK, it was settled.

So one fateful evening when Keith Kittenger had us all over to his layout, Rick Bivins and I began discussing all of this and when I mentioned what had been rolling around in my head, his reply was “why not model everything?” And I want to say up front that no offense was taken by these words, but it really made me think. Yes, my plan is quite a tall order to fill and could end up being pretty messy. So back to the drawing board.

After a couple weeks thinking, I finally decided “you know, modeling modern equipment would actually be pretty neat. Especially with the attention to detail that most manufacturers are putting into the modern equipment. And, I can still run steam or special excursion trains. It is, after all, going to be MY railroad, right?” But I still wanted something unique to MY layout and railroad. Enter the Yankeetown Dock Corporation.

I can remember years ago, early 1990’s, when trains were a normal sight heading into the dock’s. My best memory is of the Squaw Creek U33C locomotives pulling into the small yard at Yankeetown. I honestly don’t ever remember seeing the SD38-2 locomotives. I can only assume that rail traffic stopped moving at the docks in 1998 when the last (that I found documented) Lynnville mine ceased operations.

It wasn’t until 2007 when I noticed some Norfolk Southern Dash-9 locomotives sitting outside the docks that I started gaining a slight interest. Fast forward to 2013 when I have really started learning and paying attention to all railroading around me that I started taking an interest in smaller local operations. It was at this time that I started forming plans to maybe include this in my layout. It would be a good yard addition, unique road power and I see no reason why I couldn’t have all era’s of the line included!

A little later in 2013 I acquired my SD38-2 locomotive in the “Can Do America” paint scheme and then managed to track down Athearn’s Yankeetown Dock gondolas. It was now that I realized that this would indeed be included in my layout. The search was on for more info.

I knew I could use modern Norfolk Southern diesels as I see them all the time on the line. I could also use Norfolk Southern Heritage units! Rich Hanes has photographed the New York Central locomotive in the yard, and some photographers I follow on Facebook have photos of the NS Veteran’s locomotive sitting in the yard as well. I could also run Indiana Southern power as they are in the docks quite often with their SD40-2’s in the new Genesee & Wyoming livery but I could also use their old scheme as well. Also with the Indiana Southern are some ex Southern Pacific SD45T-2 that I could throw in the mix. Going back to the 1980’s & 1990’s I can use the SD38-2 locomotives in the YDC livery, the U33C locomotives in the yellow and green livery of Squaw Creek, the Alco RSD15 locomotives, and lastly I can get the Fairbanks locomotives to have in the yard too!

So the neat part about this is that it can be modeled in a modern setting and not be out of place, and it would be unique to my layout…that I’m still planning! I have an idea on track plans, but those may be revealed in a part 2 segment!