Willamette City Belt Line (WCBL) is a FICTIONAL model railroad (HO), loosely inspired by the Harbor Belt Line & LA Junction railroads.
Originally it was conceived as a railroad serving a fictional West Coast metropolis located somewhere between San Francisco and Seattle. This concept was scaled back over time. It morphed into "Willamette City", in the spirit of Smallville, Metropolis, and Gotham City. "Willamette City" is Not-Salem. I mostly model what I have seen or what could be plausible.
LOCATION: Salem and surrounding area, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
TIME FRAME: Originally "modern era", 1980 - present. Now, the time frame is 1996, a period of railroad transition in the US.
Both BNSF & PNWR were created in the latter half of 1995; UP acquired SP in summer of 1995; 1994 marks the beginning of NAFTA; and Conrail will still exist for a few more years, being split between NS and CSX in August 1998. Heritage road cars often operate on WCBL. Nothing to me says "railroad" more than seeing an SP boxcar. Besides SP, heritage cars include BN, some GN Big Sky Blue (a favorite), Milwaukee Road, SP/Cotton Belt, some ATSF. And a number of IPD shortline boxcars regardless of whether they still exist. I have been seeking a few more cars to reflect East coast origin.
INTERCHANGES: WCBL interchanges with UP, BNSF, and Portland & Western RR (GWI owned). It also interchanges with other model railroads via internet connection thru MRICF and IO Groups "virtual_ops1" (formerly a Yahoo Group) .
SCHEMATIC: WCBL is the cross bar in a capital "H". Union Pacific is the right vertical element and Portland & Western is the left vertical.
Most trains are one locomotive, 8 cars maximum, plus caboose required by modelers license to due street running. Power is generally provided by either PNWR or UP RR. Passing sidings will hold 4-6 cars.
Due to the modest layout size, industries car needs are selectively compressed, with the maximum capacity at 3 cars. Fortunately, there are several prototype industries in Salem which receive 4 or less cars: Cascade Warehouse on Front Street, Truitt Brothers, Ventura Foods, and Oregon Cherry Growers.
INDUSTRIAL TRAFFIC:
WCBL focus mostly represents industries in Salem, with a few from other places in the Valley.
USER NOTE & DISCLAIMER:
All industries "served" by Willamette City Belt Line are fictional representations of commerce in a simulation of transportation and economics. They are not the actual companies, corporations, or business enterprises. Listings of shippers & receivers are intended to increase awareness of Oregon's economic opportunities, and of the relationship between transportation and industry. For actual business inquiries, please contact the real companies via their websites.
WCBL ONLINE INDUSTRIES:
(Note: these are fictional representations only, not to be confused with the actual companies; some are entirely fictional entities)
Cascade Warehouse Company (lumber shipping); Truitt Brothers Cannery; Oregon Cherry Growers (corn syrup in); West Coast Plastics; Ventura Foods (salad oils/margarines); Bridgeport Brewery; Oregon Transfer Co; Fairgrounds transload/team track; Glacier NW (cement).
WCBL OFFLINE INDUSTRIES:
Minto Industrial Park - Esco; Don Pancho; Americold; Pacific Pole and Pilings; Consolidated Supply Co; Great Western Chemical Co.; Empire Rubber and Supply; and several other minor/vague industries.
Other offline industries - Corvallis Feed and Seed; Marion Ag Services (fertilizer); Plywood Components, Inc. (inactive); Mastercraft Furniture (inactive); Cascade Steel Mills (scrap in, rebar out); Cherry City Metals (scrap out); Steelco-(inactive) -structural- in); White Trucking Co (dairy feeds- in); Pacifica Seafoods (frozen fish & canned catfood).
MRICF users may notice the list of industries "served" by WCBL include many not located in Salem, Oregon. These " X-Off " industries were added in order to provide additional suppliers or customers for WCBL industries in Willamette City/ Salem, Oregon. Occasionally they may ship to other MRICF group members, if it appears a purchase order will not soon be filled by others. These Waybills are "virtual" only, and do not actually traverse the WCBL physical layout.