Scale
HO
Status
Legacy
Superintendent
George Waltershausen
Locale
Wisconsin
Era
1954
Layout Size
25′ x 26’ Double Deck
Control
Digitrax
Dispatching
TT&TO
Communication
Verbal
Clock Speed
N/A
Forwarding
Car Cards
Crew Size
6-8
Listed Jobs
Dispatcher, Yardmaster, Yard Switcher, 3-5 Road Crews
The Dodgeville, Madison and Northern Railroad, owned and operated by George Waltershausen in “rural” De Soto is based on the two Illinois Central branch lines that ran from Freeport, Illinois to Dodgeville and Madison, Wisconsin and the dreams of those who promoted these lines. Mostly it follows the route abandoned by the Illinois Central in 1942 that ran from Freeport, Illinois to Dodgeville, Wisconsin. In this incarnation the rails continue north to Lone Rock on the Wisconsin River from whence lines radiate to the Twin Cities, La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Stevens Point. The layout includes the towns of Argyle, Blanchardville, Dodgeville, and Lone Rock. Benchwork is varied, with gypsum wall board or plywood on the surfaces. The Madison branch descends from Blanchardville down through a helix to Madison on the lowest level of the layout. The positions are: Yardmaster at Lone Rock, Dispatcher, and crews assigned on the basis of jobs resulting in a mix of main line passenger and freight trains interspersed with local and switching jobs at Clyde Industrial area, Dodgeville, and Madison.
The year is roughly 1954, the line a sort of Iowa Division of the north. A mix of steam and diesel powers trains from E6s and GPs to mikes and 2-10-2s. Limited passenger service is offered along with a mix of freight with merchandise and meat from points north going one way while coal and other commodities travel north from Southern Illinois and Kentucky, and the deep South. Traffic from the northern lines merge at Lone Rock while trains from the south split in Lone Rock to travel over the respective branch lines to the north. Mixed trains and local freight and switching depart from Dodgeville for Madison, Monroe, and Freeport.
The Minneapolis Moline Railroad, with apologies to the implement manufacturer and its enthusiasts, here is a generic Midwestern line with trackage rights over the DM&N from Union Mills, a bit north of Dodgeville, south to Freeport, Illinois. There is as yet no rational map of the entire MM line since it is sufficient to know that the MM has those trackage rights over which to run other kinds of equipment.
