okay, no screen shots (yet, i may get some later) yet another of my fictional railways, inspired by a recent article in Trains Magazine and the need to make a semi-model railroad. here's the history.
In 1876, a shortline was formed to connect the town of Higde Park to Logans and Harriet. They were so close together, that eventually it was decided to just build a circle of railway about 10 miles long to connect the three towns. A yard and an interchange was built, and the line continued operations well into the 1960s. Steam stayed on the whole way.
Then along came the evil monster known as Burlington Northern.
They connected with the line, and the fact that it wasn't "normal" i.e. having a start and end point, repulsed them. they bribed and strong-armed the ICC and the FRA to force the line's closure. In Hidge Park, the track ran in the street, and, when the line closed in 1975, still running in steam, they simply paved over the tracks and sadly let the line fade into memory. strangely, one night, all the equipment vanished. it was later found that BN stole all of it to make sure there was no chance of the line coming back.
Flash forward to 2007, and a certain Mr. Sawyer Regensberg was working in hidge park. The BN had put an SD-9 on display to remind the town of its place and what it did. It was arrogance to the worst degree. He was helping restore the machine to working order (he had yet to know the full extent of BN's evil) and later went through the town's main street. he knew of the circle line's history, and knew most of the track was in place. But what he didn't know, though, was that, beneath his feet, the rails slumbered under asphalt.
One night, as the county road commision repaved the streets, they found the rails. Instantly, talk started to re-build the line. BN stepped in, sending armed minders to remind the town of what they would do if they tried. But they understimated Mr. Regensberg. He sued, and won the rights to the line and all it's equipment. In a panic, the BN (now BNSF) frantically began scrapping everything, but in a scene right out of the Rev. Gene W. Audry, Sawyer took his private steam engine and rescued all the rolling stock and took it to the Hidge yards.
Today, the railway operates with the steam engines it still has, and BNSF begrudgingly provides interchangine service. The line still manages to prosper though, and is an oddity that is near and dear to many a railfan. Sawyer parks his steam engine, an ex-SAL 2-10-2, at Hidge.