Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad

Scale: On30

The On30 Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad occupies 800 square feet and represents the wooded areas of upper Michigan in 1942. World War II is on and the railroad is extremely busy serving the Quincy Mine hauling rock embedded with copper to its mine buildings and local customers. The mines, mills, lake, and the six miles of track that connected them all are modeled. All of structures and scenery are completed to photo finish. Most structures are supper detailed as well. As you follow along the main, you will pass hundreds and hundreds of trees on the layout and a very well-done photo backdrop to extend the view into the distance. Locomotives feature sound; Keep Alive and extreme kit-bashing as featured in past issues of the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette magazine.

Era/Locale: 1940s Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Size: 22′ x 22′ + 20′ x 9′
Benchwork: 100%
Track: 100%
Scenery: 100%

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From Minnesota Digital Library:

“The growth of Minnesota can be tied directly to the growth of railroads. The railroads supported farmers, millers, miners, and loggers by moving the raw materials they produced to sell at markets. In turn, the railroads brought other goods and products to the people to build their homes, businesses, and towns. Railroads also brought immigrants to settle the land and provided jobs and income to laborers and investors.

Three of Minnesota’s major railroads were the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Soo Line. While these three were not the only railroads that operated in Minnesota, they had a major impact on the state.

The U.S. Congress chartered the Northern Pacific Railway in 1864 to build a transcontinental railroad from Lake Superior to the Pacific coast. When it was completed in 1883, the railroad had laid nearly 6,800 miles of track through Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Its headquarters were in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

From ThievesRiver.com:

1) Uff da

Background: A Scandinavian import, particularly from Norwegian, “uff da” is widely used to express dismay, exhaustion or sometimes even relief. It embodies the stoic yet expressive nature of Minnesotans.

Example: “Uff da! I forgot my wallet at the cabin. Now I can’t pay for the meat raffle tickets, gosh darn it!”

2) You Betcha

Background: This phrase epitomizes the friendly and positive attitude of Minnesotans. It’s often said with enthusiasm and is used to mean “absolutely” or “you can count on it.”

Example: “Do you want to come to the hockey game this weekend? Grain Belts are on me!” – “You betcha!”

Read more at ThievesRiver.com