Research on the Prototype
Shortly after I decided to re-create the Ann Arbor Railroad in my basement I began to search my memory bank. What were the particular scenes that stuck in my mind? Which portions of the railroad should I model?

I began by searching the Internet and obtaining a route map of the Annie from the ann arbor rr railfan pages. Then I circled the places containing locations of scenic or operational interest:

I knew I had to model the rail-water interchange at the Annie's northern terminal, which the railroad simply called "Boat Landing." I also knew I had to model the railroad's yard in Ann Arbor which was located right next to the University of Michigan Marching Band practice field where I had spent 4 glorious autumns with one eye on my music and one eye on the tracks!

Between Ann Arbor and Boat Landing, the railroad traversed the Lower Peninsula serving some unique communities and customers. It crossed rivers and streams and fields and in the fall it meandered through forests alive with bright colors. Unfortunately most of the images of the Annie are gone from the Michigan landscape and now remain only in photos or in the memories of those of us who were privileged enough to have seen this classic short line in its prime (or twilight).

So to re-capture the spirit of this line, I made a list of "must-have" items, then some "like-to-have" items and some "nice, but not necessary" items. Then I set out to collect information and pictures.

Using the Internet as my primary resource I have gathered timetables from the 30's through the 80's, operational rules and regulations, safety awards, stock certificates (from the 1890's!), postcards, depot plans, maps, placemats, matchbooks, patches and numerous photos of the railroad.

After collecting all this data I was ready to move on to design, but during this whole process I also remembered to:

Keep Active in the Hobby
With today's busy world, it's hard to find time to be able to do everything you want to do. With a conscious realization of this truth, I have made a dedicated effort to plan smaller projects that can be accomplished in preparation for the layout. For instance, the photo at the bottom right shows my version of the Ann Arbor Alco switcher #7. This was originally an Arnold S-2 in B&O livery. I dis-assembled it, added MT couplers and then carefully painted it to approximate one of the Ann Arbor's paint schemes from the late 70's. Now I still have to find some appropriate truck sideframes!!!

Next Time: Design

2008 Addendum
If you wish to contact me about modeling the Ann Arbor Railroad, send me an e-mail and I will do my best to respond promptly.  Please understand that I have a pretty busy schedule, so there are times when it may take a while for a reply, but if you put AARR or Annie in the subject line, that should help move you to the top of the list!

 This is the City of Green Bay loading freight cars and autos at Boat Landing (East Slip) sometime in the 70's.

Smaller version of the route map located at the Ann Arbor railfan pages. (click to enlarge)

Here's a 1980 car ferry schedule that I bought on-line through eBay - historical pieces like this are great to collect and they also offer operational insights to guide your modeling efforts!

Finally, no matter how long it takes to build that dream layout, there are always small projects that can keep you occupied!!

site updated: 02/17/08