Creating Freelance Realism (Branding & Schemes)

Thought I would take a break from my normal progress updates and switch gears to show the different ways you can create freelance realism in model railroading using branding and schemes. 

Brand Identity - consistent, plausible, and purpose

It all started with a logo...
As you know at the Walt Disney Company they say it all started with a Mouse.... Well the Michigan Interstate all started with a logo. I think all of us model railroaders can relate to that restaurant napkin chalked with ideas such as route map, track plan, diesel roster, and the logo. Oddly enough the Michigan Interstate's logo started on a scratch sheet of paper in my college advertising class. We had been discussing brands and how it should reflect what the company stands for / does... At the time I knew of the MR&T and V&O railroads and realized that if I was modeling a freelance railroad in Michigan it might be important to have an outline of the state. Taking inspiration from notably the Algoma Central logo I wanted to have a focal point symbol.... Case in point the pine tree in the middle of the state outline. Other inspiration came from the BRC Railroad logo being a belt. I knew the railroad being created would not be belt line but more or less be interstate. The two lines across the hearld represent those connections. Looking at Wisconsin Central as an example its core was Wisconsin, but had connecting lines in Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. With that the name Michigan Interstate was born, truly the purpose of the railroad is right in the name connecting Michigan within the state and neighboring connections in Ohio and Indiana. Leaning back to the Algoma Central logo, I decided to wrap the words in similar fashion. The font is based on Milwaukee Road's final font before being absorbed into the Soo. Honestly when I was working with Rail Graphics to create the logo I chose the font based on the flyer available, haven't looked back ever since.

Just like that the Michigan Interstate logo was born creating the base for the brand. Over the past 13+ years the logo and lettering have been applied to no less than 30 locomotives and 100 plus railcars. As more equipment became lettered the brand began to spread. No longer was the Michigan Interstate a scrappy railroad with patched equipment we now had a paint scheme creating a consistent image that was plausible in the railroad world and had a purpose. 

The best part about setting up ones logo is the business or individual can provide a copy of the logo in different formats once computerized for use on paperwork or even embroidering.

Crew members can work in style during home or away ops sessions carrying the brand anywhere they are.

The MCIS logo is now found on every official piece of railroad paperwork... corporate folks.....

In a nutshell that is how the Michigan Interstate logo and name came to be. Where we operated and what we do are another topic that we will discuss later this year. 

Defining the Dip...

Getting back to branding, the railroad now had a logo and just as important was the creation of a plausible scheme to apply it on. Going back to my childhood I grew up loving the Grand Trunk Westerns blue and orange scheme. I even loved the different variations such as former DT&I and UP locomotives using the GT basic scheme. Early on I really wanted to use the Central Vermonts Yellow and Green scheme that was on diesels prior to NECR takeover, but decided on taking two of the best and putting them together. Blue from the GTW engines and Yellow from the CV engines. 

Courtesy www.wig-wag-trains.com

Phase I

Early on in the railroads history first generation diesels and alcos received a Grand Trunk Blue color with white chevron nose and rear. Not sure where the yellow was but maybe they had to watch the budget... Not exactly the scheme I had intended and throughout the years as engines were either struck from the roster or repainted the Phase I scheme all but vanished. The last four engines on the MCIS roster in Phase I scheme are EMD GP30s currently stored at Mt. Pleasant MAC Shop. As these engines go through a rebuilt to roadmate slugs they will be repainted into the current Phase III paint scheme.

MCIS 3080 (EMD GP30) posing at Saginaw River Bridge in Phase I scheme - the color has held up well...

Phase II and III

Adopting the Grand Trunk / Central Vermont inspired schemes, all second generation and new deliveries come in the Phase III scheme. You ask, but wait you forgot about Phase II? The only difference in Phase II and III is the choice in color for the Blue. Originally the blue was a Floquil Enamel GT Blue, as this phased out we migrated to Conrail Blue. When Floquil went away the mechanical team turned to Scalecoat for paint sourcing which is where we established Phase III. Additionally Phase III engines had their rear number boards covered over as another unique spotting feature. The elements make distinguishing between the two colors almost impossible, but this adds a neat layer of story telling since each engine unless painted in the same patch is not identical in color.

MCIS 3827 (EMD GP38-2) posing at Saginaw River Bridge in Phase III scheme. 

Phase IV

There have been rumors of a Phase IV which would adopt a more simplified paint scheme similar to the repainted dark blue FEC geeps. However at the time of this writing, there is no official plans to change schemes. 

Railcars

Using multiple sources of freight cars plying the North American system I had plenty of inspiration to follow. 

Boxcars fell into one of two basic schemes which used a very generic freight car brown as the color. Scheme "BA" was large or small logo on either end of railcar, while scheme "BB" was large or small logo on right hand side of door witch "Michigan Interstate" spelled out in large or small font to the left of the door. 

 Examples of both scheme "A" and "B" at Bay City, Michigan

Shoving platforms used the Grand Trunk Orange with MCIS logo centered on car.

MCIS 31 leading point on switching duties at Bay City, Michigan. 

Company material cars are like most railroads being cascaded down from revenue fleets. However some of the more purpose built ballast and dump equipment are painted in the Amtrak orange scheme with full lettering on sides, no logo. 

MCIS 7059 captured at Grays Lake, Michigan during a recent track work project. 

The largest fleet on the roster is covered hoppers of different capacities. The hopper fleets also had three different gray paint schemes based on the vendor / batch, additionally there were two basic schemes for lettering. Scheme "CA" was logo large or small on right hand side or centered on railcar. Scheme "CB" was logo on left side of car with lettering in large or small font on right side.

Top two hoppers in scheme "CA" and bottom car in scheme "CB"

Rounding out the freight car fleet is our open top fleet which falls under one of two schemes. Scheme "HA" which is Michigan Interstate in small font with a logo to the right or scheme "HB" which is large or small logo only on left, right, or center of car. 

Two greenville hoppers in scheme "HA" on Virginia Midland Railroad

Within all of these fleets are plenty of variation like patch jobs or different colors, but the point is with the logo and brand there is consistency between the T-shirts, paperwork, and equipment. The consistency helps better establish your railroads purpose and plausibility in the era you are trying to model. Sure I could model the 90s but every piece of equipment in these photos has FRA 224 reflective striping making it very clear this is post 2012. 

So there you have it branding and schemes of the Michigan Interstate. The consistency, plausibility, and purpose have helped define three important questions:

• Where does my railroad operate 
• (Michigan)
• What / When is my railroad 
• (Modern era - Regional)
• What does it do 
• (Hauls Agricultural, aggregate, and paper products to North American network) 

Have a great Easter Week!

GM 

2016 Recap / 2017 Plan

In my last post we discussed briefly reviewing the goals I had set for 2016. Well I took the time to go back to that first post of January and collect the goals I had set and we are now going to examine each to see where I landed. After discussing 2016 recap, we will walk through my 2016 state of the railroad and turn attention to setting goals for 2017.

EMD SD40-2 #4056 glides past corn fields just west of Gerhard, Michigan.  

2016 GOALS vs. ACTUAL

Goal: Create scenery 

Actual: Completed scenery in “Farm Fields Curve” scene and refreshed “East Bay Yard” scene 

Goal: Build structures: 

Actual: Did not meet goal of building structures, however did acquire more built buildings for scenes

Goal: Quarterly Ops Sessions

Actual: January 2016, June 2016, October 2016 A, October 2016 B

Goal: Host layout in FWLOD

Actual: Hosted two sessions during DFW Interchange Ops weekend, next FWLOD should be 2017

Goal: 4 to 5 Locomotive sound installs 

Actual: 11 sound installs complete (8 contract / 3 MCIS)

** Bonus **

Actual: Partnered with Azatrax LLC. to plan, install, showcase, and operate a ABS system with 8 blocks and sixteen signal heads between East Bay City and East Staging in less than five months. 

ABS signals guarding the transition between EBAY and EDSE blocks east of Bay City.

Overall I met 4 of 5 goals for 2016 and I am very proud of the accomplishments made and assistance from family and friends along the way. 

MCIS 3816 idles in Bay Yard awaiting its next assignment

STATE OF THE RAILROAD 2016

Ops Sessions

This year we hosted four operating sessions with 18 total operators attending. Of these sessions one was part of the NMRA Lone Star Region Convention and the last two were part of the DFW Interchange weekend. Over these four sessions, 52 trains were operated with 624 total car movements. 

Railcar Fleet

Active railcar fleet stands at 190 cars (30 cars added, 6 removed for net gain of 24 cars in 2016). I do not see any big changes with the fleet in the next year as the current car mix accurately captures the overhead and local traffic that is common on the St. Clair Sub. 

Locomotive Fleet

Total fleet stands at 67 motors (63 on active roster and 4 stored). Of 67, 29 are actually modelled of which 20 are active. 

Two rebuilt SD40M-2s (former SD45-2) and one GP38-2 were returned to service this December with Soundtraxx Tsunami2 and Tsunami sound decoders. Upon activation and assignment, our mechanical team will review the proposed retirement of the nine oldest GP38-2s which lower their total number for 25 to 16. Of the oldest nine GP38-2s three are modelled with two on the dead line. 

MAC Shop Contract Work

This year Michigan Interstate’s Mt. Pleasant, Michigan MAC “Motivepower & Car” began outside contract decoder install work. This year saw work completed for three different customers culminating in eight sound decoder installs. Overall the MAC shop completed installation of eleven sound decoder systems in 2016. 

Customer Franchise

Looking at the customer base, we had three traffic additions on the St. Clair Sub this year. Starting with Michigan Sugar at Upper Huron we converted a portion of the 4000 cubic open top hoppers from coal to hauling sugar beets during the campaign August thru November converting this short haul move away from trucks. In between beet seasons the cars will find use in aggregate service with a large demand planned for 2017. Additionally two customer facilities were added this year with first being Graystone Cement at Bay City. This facility is a water to rail distribution terminal for cement products moving to the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and eastern Canadian regions. Secondly Crop Production Services opened a fertilizer facility at Grays Lake to support Michigan’s fertile Thumb region. 

Our bread and butter summed up in this photo at Bay Yard

Engineering / Infrastructure

Trackwork complete in 2016 on the St. Clair Sub consisted of adding run around tracks at Grays Lake and Bay City to better support local service to customers. The largest task handled by our engineering team was the addition of an operational Automatic Block Signal System between Bay City and Port Huron. The modelled portion consists of eight detection blocks driving 16 signal heads installed between June and October in partnership with Azatrax LLC of Longmont, CO. The new system was first used operationally and operated flawlessly during the DFW Interchange session on October 29thwhich consisted of two sessions lasting 6.5 hours handling 25 trains. Be sure to check the blog to walk through the different phases of install. Operating the ABS system alongside Direct Traffic Control dispatching provides an extra layer of safety while being cost effective for Class II regional system.

Social Media

Keeping current the Michigan Interstate St. Clair Subdivision is on the worldwide web with its own blog showcasing monthly updates, layout how-to installs, and other musings in the prototype and model railroading industry. In addition we also have a YouTube Channel showcasing some of the previous operating events, signal system operation, and links to other great channels. This year we reached over 55,600 views with our highest month to date viewership in July at 4,022 views. While we do not have our own page on Facebook we do share in multiple groups the happenings around the St. Clair Sub (Model Rail Radio, Freelance Model Railroads, and Model Railroad Operations). The goal of the blog is to reach, inspire, and showcase the great opportunities within the hobby. 

Scene Development

Closing out the year, two scenes are largely completed with exception for small details. On the lower level the “East Bay” Scene (Bay Yard East Lead Switch to Helix entrance) was refreshed and completed during the ABS system install. The upper level scene completion consisted of “Corn / Bean Fields” (M-29 Overpass to Gerhard). 

Making the most of planning, the layout has been divided into twelve scenic sections. By dividing the layout into these scenes I can better plan and allocate resources and materials to make progress. Too often we as modelers get pulled to work on many scenes at once that either do not get completed in a timely manner or rack up a lot of costs. My hope is focusing on one area before moving to the next will net finished scene results. Originally I had planned to complete one upper and one lower level, but best to finish work above before moving to lower deck. 

Conductor riding point of shove from Bay Yard out of Lakes Forest Products

GOALS SET FOR 2017

Ops Sessions
One session per quarter to include hosting during 2017 Fort Worth Layout Operations Day

Railcar Fleet
Continue with fleet weathering – planned 20 cars. Acquire cars from Scale Trains and Springs Mills Depot. 

Locomotive Fleet
No locomotive acquisitions planned / Activate (2) SD60Ms, (1) GP40-2 and upgrade (2) GP40-2s

MAC Shop Work
Support MCIS planned installs and any contract work sourced

Customer Franchise
Michigan Agricultural Commodities will be begin operating unit train service from their Bay City Terminal for export at Hunter’s Bay, VA. Additionally large MDOT projects have already placed a large demand for aggregates in 2017 which will require unit train service of aggregates off the Port Belle Branch. 

Engineering / Infrastructure
Dump ballast at Grays Lake and continue installing Caboose Industries ground throws 

Social Media
Early and Late Month Update Blog Posts, Posting update links to Facebook groups. 

Scene Development

Complete scenery, trackwork, and structures in “Grays Lake” scene

Shoving platform 31 returning to Bay City on rear of L-PBBA-02 "Sugar Turn"

So here's to 2017 and what we hope it will bring the Michigan Interstate. I hope the best for everyone, your families, and your model railroading hobby!

GM

**(Photos shown were my best of the year similar to what you would see in a stockholder packet)**

Layout Panoramic Views

As promised on my post yesterday I wanted to showcase the entire layout room. Just recently I realized my iPhone 5 could take panoramic pictures..... neat lets give it a shot. The photos are a good bookmark on current progress and it will be neat to compare them with future progress panoramic views.

Lower Level (L to R = West to East)

L to R - West Staging entrance, Saginaw River swing bridge, Bay City, liftout section (Bay Yard west yard ladder)

L to R - Bay Yard (6 yard tracks, 2 DSF tracks), West Staging (located underneath), East yard ladder

L to R - East yard lead, Lake State connector (behind lumber wholesaler), M-13 overpass, helix entrance 

 Upper Level (L to R = West to East)

L to R - Exit from helix, Upper Huron, Port Belle Sub wye, Sugar plant spur, East Staging (behind backdrop panel)

Quanicassee Creek, Grays Lake, Grays Lake Industry Spur

Grays Lake Siding, Gerhard, East Staging entrance

Everyone have a safe week.

GM

Michigan Interstate Map

Over the course of this blog I had spent a great deal of time talking about the Michigan Interstate Network but never provided any map references. Well I present to you the network map.

Overview
The Michigan Interstate Railroad is a Class II regional system operating 1,050 miles in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Making up the network is three divisions; Two Lower Peninsula (Grand Rapids / Bay City) and one Upper Peninsula (Northern). Primary overhead traffic service lanes look like a "Y" funneling traffic between Chicago / Fort Wayne / Toledo interchange to Port Huron (Lower Peninsula) and Sault Ste. Marie / Superior, WI (Upper Peninsula) gateways. Beyond overhead traffic the railroad hosts numerous on-line customers supporting the automotive, agricultural, aggregate, chemical, forest / paper product industries.

Modeled Portion
The western end of the St. Clair Sub from Bay City to the green dot (Grays Lake, MI) is what I am modelling. This is a completely proto-freelance railroad that ties into the existing 2013 Michigan Rail System. Rail lines used by the MCIS come from a fictional history of either being constructed by former predecessor roads and or acquisitions during the great spin-off / abandonment time in the 70s thru 80s.

Any questions please feel free to ask - I am working to create a subdivision map that also shows the history / evolution of the network.

GM