A Visit to the New Unionville and Western - 1/8th Scale Backyard RR

Thanks to my friend Jeff K., we were able to make a private visit to this amazing live steam railroad in central Indiana.

The New Unionville & Western is a 40+ acre ride-on 7 1/2" gauge railroad owned by Pete Pedigo. Pete and his friends started the railroad in the late 1990's with the construction of the 175ft tunnel. It boasts over a mile and a half main track, complete with several bridges, passing sidings, and industrail spurs. Operations are held and follow similar practices to the prototype. A dispatcher in the actual tower coordinates train movements. Crews work their way around the railroad, picking up and setting out cars according to the switch list.

For our visit, regular engineer John gave my friend Bill and I a ride behind his Indiana Railroad (INRD) SD40-2. Lee, Jeff, and Matthew rode a different train behind a Conrail GP38-2, going the opposite direction. Not only did we meet their train, a 3rd engineer was out running his beautiful set of D&RGW engines! What a surprise to pull up to a red signal, and be met with an oncoming headlight!

Later that afternoon, Pete gave us the opportunity to run an SW1500 mother/slug set. The switches are sprung in the trailing point, so all we had to do is run the full circuit and we would end back up at the station.

Even though it was a warm July day, the coolness of the forest and the gentle breeze made it bearable. And, it was easy to forget about the weather while grinning from ear to ear running on the railroad.

We were all very grateful for Pete's generosity, and Jeff's willingness to set up the opportunity to visit. It was the highlight of my summer!

To read more about the New Unionville and Western, check out their website:
https://www.newrr.com/

To learn more about backyard railroading, and shop for equipment to build your own outdoor empire check out Discover Live Steam:
https://discoverlivesteam.com/

0:00 Departing the main yard
2:39 Meeting the rest of our group
3:04 DRGW engines
3:34 The BIG Bridge
4:08 The main road crossing
5:08 Entering the tunnel
8:16 A REAL caboose
9:51 Back at the main yard
12:12 Putting the train away
15:09 Signal Up takes the throttle
25:10 Back to the station