08-31-2011, 06:10 AM
Gerd that area is where I live. For the record neither the Southern nor the CGRR ever used a 0=8=0 but the CGRR did use a standard gauge Shay up til 1985. Atlas makes a N scale 2 truck Shay while the CGRR was a 3 truck but hey, close enough! Also neither the Southern nor the GCRR served a rock quarry in this area (although there is a rock quarry serveral miles east alongside Southern trackage) however over by Marble N.C. (several miles west of Topton the Southern did serve a marble quarry). That said this is a hobby and if you want a quarry and like the 0-8-0, no problem! The last regular (none excursion) passenger train on the Southern (never was any on the CGRR) was around 1947 or so and while my layout is set in the late 1960's the Southern does have a passenger train still running. If you can call an F7 and a lone combine a train! 
If you are interested, in your time period the CGRR was still shipping a little lumber and furniture and receiving some fuel oil. If you want to use a quarry, in real life the tracks in the quarry at Marble were so bad that they couldn't support the weight of the loco so a gate was put across the tracks at the entrance and the loco would leave the cars there where a front end loader would come and get them then take them into the quarry to be loaded. Once loaded they were picked up by the front end loader which would then push them back out the gate to be picked up by the loco on the return trip from Murphy. All you could see from the mainline was a spur disappearing thru some trees with the gate across it at the tree line, none of the quarry itself could be seen which makes modeling this industry a snap!
If you are interested, in your time period the CGRR was still shipping a little lumber and furniture and receiving some fuel oil. If you want to use a quarry, in real life the tracks in the quarry at Marble were so bad that they couldn't support the weight of the loco so a gate was put across the tracks at the entrance and the loco would leave the cars there where a front end loader would come and get them then take them into the quarry to be loaded. Once loaded they were picked up by the front end loader which would then push them back out the gate to be picked up by the loco on the return trip from Murphy. All you could see from the mainline was a spur disappearing thru some trees with the gate across it at the tree line, none of the quarry itself could be seen which makes modeling this industry a snap!
Mike
Sent from my pocket calculator using two tin cans and a string
Sent from my pocket calculator using two tin cans and a string