Dodgeville, Madison & Northern

Owner: George Waltershausen
Scale: HO

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, crew at Dodgeville, switcher at the Clyde Industrial district, Dispatcher, Madison and Monroe trains out of Dodgeville, and road crews, along with the staging at North Lone Rock and Freeport. A clerk/agent/operator position is either chosen or operates on a rotation staffed by road crews.

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 ten-wheelers. Far western portions of the Iowa Division were probably dark in the early '50s so operation, currently by oral instructions, will likely be timetable and train order. Some loco types that the IC eliminated will have survived by reassignment or lease to the Dodgeville line. 6000 series mallets may still be in service alongside some other locomotives have been found convenient. The 3700 series 2-8-2s, rebuilt from 2-8-0s between 1911 and 1923 are currently being kit bashed in the DM&N shops along with work on spectrum Consolidations to modernize them as the late 900 series IC locomotives with a change of tenders, the placement of New York air pumps on the pilot beam and prototypical tender.

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 will merge at Lone Rock while trains from the south will be 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.